Русский
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed an order to hold the InterVision Song Contest in 2025, establishing it as an alternative to Europe’s Eurovision. The event is scheduled to take place in Moscow this autumn.
Eurovision, organized annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) since the 1950s, has been subjected to controversary, accusations of prioritizing political narratives, and promoting an excessive LBGTQ agenda in recent years. An example is the UK 2024 entry which can be seen here and was a finalist. Many Europeans objected to the overall tawdry and homoerotic nature of the song – amongst others – as not suitable for family viewing.
Russia hasn’t taken part since 2022, when the EBU banned it from the contest. Now, in a presidential decree signed on Monday, Putin has instructed the government to hold an alternative InterVision musical contest as part of Russia’s ongoing international cultural cooperation.
A similar contest of the same name was held from 1965 to 1977 and served as an alternative to Eurovision for Eastern Bloc countries. Participants included the USSR, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Hungary. The revived version is planned to include BRICS nations, members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and other interested countries. Russian officials say that the event will be free from political bias, allowing a wider range of participants.
The idea to revive the contest was initially brought up by Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova in September 2023. Since then, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that more than 25 countries, including several Latin American nations, have expressed interest.
Mikhail Shvydkoy, the president’s special representative for international cultural cooperation, has also confirmed that preparations are underway and said that all BRICS members have already confirmed they will take part, suggesting that it will be held this September.
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