The lights have gone out at a community hall in Bila Tserkva, central Ukraine. A missile attack by Russians a day earlier hit the energy infrastructure and a blackout ensued.

The residents of this city, about 80 kilometres from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, have turned out en masse for an evening concert – a defiant show of national pride against Russian invaders.

The pews are filled with hundreds of soldiers in camouflage uniforms. Women and refugees sit alongside them, the occasional head scarf standing out in the shadows.

The face of Kamaliya Zahoor, the night’s main attraction, is lit only by the torches of smartphones as she breaks into song; her white suit shining in their reflection.

By the time she hits the top note, her arms spread like an eagle, the audience is on its feet in applause. Chants of “bravo!” come from the back of the room. No one is cowering in silence just because the Russians are nearby, even if they can hardly see one another.

They are scenes reminiscent of the late Dame Vera Lynn, who would sing in London Underground stations and air raid shelters, broadcast around the country by radio, to keep spirits high during the dark days of the Second World War.

Now they are spread around the world online – Kamaliya shows i a video of the night on her Instagram feed, where she has amassed a quarter of a million followers.

“I hold my tears inside, I don’t want to show them my upset, because I am coming to support them. After that I go on to…