Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat took ninth place at the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final on May 17 in Basel, Switzerland.
This year's winner was Austrian singer JJ with the song "Wasted Love," scoring 436 points.
Yuval Raphael of Israel took second place with "New Day Will Rise," earning 357 points. Estonia’s Tommy Cash followed closely in third with "Espresso Macchiato," finishing with 356 points.
Ukraine’s Ziferblat placed ninth, receiving 218 points – 60 from the jury and 158 from the audience.
Ziferblat includes three members: vocalist Daniil Leshchynskyi, guitarist Valentyn Leshchynskyi, and drummer Fedir Hodakov.
Eurovision, held annually, is the world’s largest music competition and serves as a platform for participating countries – including Ukraine – to showcase their cultures on a global stage.
Ukraine first started participating in Eurovision in 2003 and has won three times since then. The first time, Ukraine claimed victory in 2004 with Ruslana's "Wild Dances."
Jamala followed in 2016 with "1944," a song referencing the forced deportation of Crimean Tatars carried out by the Soviet Union.
Most recently, Kalush Orchestra took first place in 2022 – the same year as Russia's full-scale invasion – with their song "Stefania."
This year's Eurovision Song Contest was marked by controversy, as multiple contestants – including representatives from Estonia, Austria, Ireland, Armenia, and Georgia – have come under scrutiny for their perceived ties to Russia or cultural influences linked to it.
Russia has been banned from the song contest since its illegal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Natalia Yermak
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