The Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne has confirmed that Kateryna Pavlenko, lead singer of Go_A, was removed from Ukraine’s Eurovision 2025 jury following a request from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). She was replaced before the final took place in Basel, Switzerland.
Suspilne announced that Kateryna Pavlenko had been selected as one of the five Ukrainian jury members through a public vote but was later disqualified. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) asked the broadcaster to change the composition of its jury after it found that she had breached the contest’s strict voting rules. The specific nature of the violation has not been made public.
Replacement made to preserve gender balance
Ukraine’s Eurovision jury is selected through a public voting process, with over 87,000 votes cast this year. Although Marko Galanevych was the next highest-voted candidate, Suspilne opted to appoint Natela Chkhartishvili-Zatsarinna instead in order to preserve gender balance on the five-member panel.
Suspilne has not commented further on how Kateryna Pavlenko breached the voting rules. Jury members are expected to remain impartial and refrain from making public statements or sharing opinions about the competing entries ahead of the contest.
Strong result for Ukraine in Basel
Despite the change in jury composition, Ukraine secured another solid result in the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, held on 17 May in Basel. The band Ziferblat represented the country with Bird of prey, finishing in 9th place with 218 points.
