"To remind Europeans of the war." Ziferblat talks about missions at Eurovision
Ukraine's representatives at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, the band Ziferblat, spoke about their mission at the song contest. In particular, they raised the topic of the war in Ukraine, AP reports.
"We have two missions. The first is to come out on top, or at least be among the leaders, in the final of the 26-nation music competition on Saturday. The second is to remind Europeans about the war", says Danylo Leshchynskyi in a commentary for AP.
Danylo's twin brother, Valentyn, also raised the topic of war: "We want to build a dream on stage – at least for three minutes, for Ukrainians – as if the war is about to end".
In particular, the band shared that while they were in Basel, Switzerland, they learned that the house of their 19-year-old backing vocalist Khrystyna Starykova, located in Myrnohrad (Donetsk region), was damaged by Russian shelling.
"She is very strong," Valentyn says, adding: "Of course, it's hard when you lose your home, but at the same time you have to be calm to celebrate here, because it's a music festival, it's not about war."
Ziferblat has existed since 2015. The band consists of three members: lead singer Danylo Leshchynskyi, guitarist Valentyn Leshchynskyi, and drummer Fedir Khodakov. In 2017, the band released its first music EP.
