While the national juries had ranked the country fourth in the tournament with 192 points, the audience voted for a further 439 points – by far the highest number in the field. The dissonance between the Austrian audience and the local expert jury was particularly blatant. While the audience voted Ukraine first in the competition, the experts did not award a single point to the eventual winner of the ESC.
He relegated Britain’s Sam Ryder to second place, followed by Spain’s Chanel, with his victory at the end of the evening, with some speakers wearing yellow and blue ribbons on their lapels. Austria’s teenage duo LUM!X feat. Pia Maria, on the other hand, was eliminated in the first semi-final of the world’s largest music competition.
After his triumph, Oleh Psiuk, lead singer of the Kalush Orchestra, was confident that the ESC 2023 will take place in his home country: “I am sure that next year Ukraine will welcome Europe in a new, united and happy Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj took the same line, saying via Telegram: “Our courage is impressing the world, our music is conquering Europe! Next year Ukraine will host Eurovision! For the third time in our history.” He thanks everyone who voted for Kalush: “I am convinced that our victorious chord in the battle with the enemy is not far off.”
In any case, Psiuk announced that he and his bandmates would soon be returning to the country, which had been hit by the Russian war of aggression, and which able-bodied men might only leave with an exceptional permit from the government: “Our special permit ends in two days. And in two days we’ll be back Ukraine back.” What the near future will bring, he cannot say. Just this much: “Like every Ukrainian, we are ready to fight as we can. To the end.”
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