Ziferblat face extensive costs for representing Ukraine at Eurovision 2025; details on the band’s financial burden and ongoing payments revealed.
Members of Ziferblat, who represented Ukraine in Eurovision 2025, recently revealed the enormous expenses needed to take the stage in Basel. These costs included costumes, staging, technical support, logistics, promotion, and production arrangements. The total sum, approximately $120,000 (approximately €102,700), remains a considerable financial burden for the band months after the contest.
Costs Covered by the Band
According to band members, part of the amount was offset by crowdfunding and local sponsors, but the bulk was paid directly from their own pockets.
The group’s guitarist, Valentin Leshchinsky, admitted in an interview that they are still paying off the debts from their Eurovision 2025 participation:
“We still have an outstanding amount for Eurovision. We’re still repaying it, but it isn’t critical”.
He said.
Between Dreams and Expenses
The story of Ziferblat joins other Ukrainian and international artists who have testified about the high costs of participating in the contest. For example, singer Elena Topolya (also known as Alyosha), who represented Ukraine in Eurovision 2010, previously disclosed the substantial investment required for participation. Ukraine is known as one of Europe’s poorer nations, making the honor of representing it in Eurovision come at a steep price. Eurovision is considered a rare global platform for young artists; Ziferblat’s case highlights, yet again, the literal and figurative price that acts must pay for a chance to perform on the continent’s biggest stage.
Ukraine at Eurovision 2025
“Bird of Pray” is the name of the song that was performed by Ziferblat, representing Ukraine in Eurovision 2025. Ukraine qualified for the final from the first semi-final of the contest and finished 9th overall with 218 points. Ukraine finished 6th in tele-votes and 14th in jury votes.
The Ukrainian result is their worst one since 2018.
Eurovision 2025: This was Ukraine’s 20th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Ukraine joined the competition in 2003 and has won it three times. Ukraine’s last victory was in Eurovision 2022 with the song “Stefania” performed by Kalush Orchestra.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +972-50-9441919
Neta Geffen is a respected journalist at Euromix, Israel’s leading news site for Eurovision coverage. Since 2010, Neta has been closely following the Eurovision Song Contest, bringing with him extensive experience, profound knowledge, and a broad understanding of the history, politics, and cultural influences that shape the event every year.
Neta publishes articles, analyses, and up-to-date reviews on all Eurovision developments, including musical trends, format changes, political influences, and audience reactions across Europe and Israel. Thanks to a deep connection to the contest’s history, Neta provides readers with wide-ranging context—from the impact of political events on results, to in-depth analyses of songs and languages within the competition. Neta specializes particularly in the Eurovision rock genre, Balkan ballads, and native language entries, with a special focus on Italian and Greek songs.
