Main points
- Ruslana admitted that the team used all their savings to travel to Eurovision, and the singer's father gave her money to help with housing in Kyiv.
- Ruslana and her team paid all expenses, including the relocation of the delegation of over 60 people, airfare, two weeks of stay in Istanbul, and the broadcast of the competition.
Ruslana / Photo from the artist's Instagram
22 years ago, Ukraine won Eurovision for the first time. Then Ruslana's “Wild Dances”, with which she performed in Istanbul, conquered all of Europe. Her performance is still considered one of the most legendary at the song contest.
On the eve of Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Vienna in a few days, Channel 24 spoke with Ruslana. In the conversation, she recalled the emotions she felt after winning, and also admitted what budget she had to allocate for participating in the contest.
How was Ruslana's performance at Eurovision 2026?
Ruslana admitted that she went to this victory very purposefully and confidently, so this impulse is still felt. At that time, Ukraine wanted to declare itself, and thanks to a strong team, Ruslana managed to do it from the main song stage in Istanbul.
“I think that this victory went far beyond music and Eurovision itself. We gave ourselves some kind of internal push. We gave ourselves strength and faith in ourselves. We began to be proud of our own music, the fact that we have our own style, which can truly be called Ukrainian. That we have our own charisma, character, special energy,” says the artist.
Then we showed the world the soul of Ukraine – our unconquered and unbridled essence. The fact that we managed to present it in such a driving ethnic manner – with trembits, with zgards, our rhythms, our vocal manner – was for me the greatest satisfaction from that victory. That we showed Ukraine exactly as it is – in the version of “Wild Dances”,
– emphasizes Ruslana.
It was also very important for the singer to sound Ukrainian. At that time, the bilingual format of the song was not popular, as most artists sang entirely in English.
Ruslana in the Eurovision 2004 final: watch the video online
How much did Ruslana's trip to Eurovision cost?
The performer deliberately does not name specific figures, because she is convinced that neither participation nor victory should be associated only with money. In total, the team had three sponsors, many companies helped by barter. At that time, the amount that was needed seemed unaffordable. At first, the team was confused, but later it became clear: when there is a goal, everything else does not matter.
We gave away all our savings. My dad gave away the money he had been saving to help us with housing in Kyiv,
– the performer admitted.
At that time, Ruslana and her team paid for absolutely everything: the relocation of the delegation of over 60 people, all the air tickets, two weeks of stay in Istanbul. They even paid for the broadcast. In order for Ukraine to be able to watch Eurovision, it was necessary to pay for the signal – and this also fell on the representative's team.
There were many other related expenses: a promotional tour, recording a song, a video, etc. But all of this is nothing compared to the emotions and feedback we received after the victory.
Ruslana returns to Eurovision in 2026
After her victory, Ruslana was repeatedly invited to Eurovision in different years and in different countries. This year, the artist will once again return to the stage of the main song contest.
On Saturday, May 16, Ruslana will perform in the Eurovision Grand Final in Vienna. That evening, viewers will also see Verka Serdyuchka perform.