President Vladimir Putin signed a decree establishing Russia's answer to Eurovision, launching a new singing competition after the country's exclusion from the European contest, Politico reported.
The contest, called Intervideniye (Intervision in English), will take place in the Moscow region in 2025, state news agency TASS reported. According to Politico, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko will chair the organizing committee, while domestic policy chief Sergei Kiriyenko will oversee the supervisory board certifying results.
Russia has been unable to participate in Eurovision since February 2022, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision, stated that "the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year's Contest would bring the competition into disrepute," Politico reported.
While Eurovision is known for celebrating diversity and LGBTQ+ representation, a Russian alternative would likely reflect Moscow's restrictive policies on these issues, according to Politico.
The upcoming competition isn't Russia's first venture of this kind. The Soviet capital previously organized Intervision during two separate periods: first from 1965 to 1968, and later from 1977 to 1980, when Cold War allies joined the competition.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has claimed more than 25 countries, including all members of the BRICS bloc and some from Latin America, have expressed interest in participating in the new competition.
