Russia remains eligible for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022: NPR
Europe Regional Song Contest
Organizers of the immensely popular international singing competition Eurovision say that at least for now, they will allow Russia to participate in this year’s event, despite the invasion of Ukraine.
In a brief statement sent to NPR, the organizers of Eurovision, the international public communications association known as the European Broadcast Union, said: “The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political cultural event. However, the EBU is concerned about current events in Ukraine and will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
On Thursday, the Ukrainian public media network UA: PBC sent an open letter to the EBU, asking the Russian media to remove from the EBU after the invasion of Ukraine, calling them “the mouthpiece of the Kremlin and a major tool for political propaganda funded by the Russian state budget.” The same letter also requested the removal of Eurovision 2022’s Russian competitor from the song contest. (Russia has yet to announce a Eurovision candidate for this year.)
Last week, UA: PBC was “ban” its deal with Ukrainian singer Alina Pash, who was a Eurovision contestant under her country’s plans. Protesters complained that she visited Crimea in 2015, a year after the forces of Russian President Vladimir Putin occupy regions.
On Tuesday, Eurovision announced that the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra would be participating as a contestant in place of Pash.
The Eurovision contest is scheduled to be held from May 10-14 in Turin, Italy.