Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC has said that it has disqualified Alina Pash from representing their country at this year's Eurovision Song Contest, just days after she was given the role.
The 28-year-old won the national selection contest, Vidbir, on Saturday night and as a result was due to head to Turin in May to compete at Eurovision.
Following her victory, however, it was alleged that Pash took a trip in 2015 to Crimea - a region of Ukraine that was annexed by Russia the year before.
Ukrainians are still permitted to visit Crimea, although it must be through official checkpoints and not directly by travelling from Russia.
Pash produced a certificate demonstrating how she had entered Crimea but in a statement today, UA:PBC declared that the document had been "falsified".
The statement read: "Today, on 16 February, the organizing committee of the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 held an extraordinary meeting where the decision to cease the participation of Alina Pash in the national selection was made.
"This is because of establishing the fact that the artist's representative falsified a certificate provided to UA: PBC. The artist agreed with this decision of the organizing committee.
"According to the rules of the national selection, UA: PBC has the right to terminate the participation of a participant in case of submission of false information. We are very sorry that the representative of the artist acted irresponsibly."
Tensions are particularly high in Ukraine at the moment amid the threat of a potential military invasion from Russia, and Pash's historic trip to Crimea had caused significant controversy on social media.
UA:PBC will now go on to select an alternative representative from the other finalists of Vidbir.
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