Ukraine to discuss conditions of Russia's participation in Eurovision 2017
Only Russian performers who “understand that the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of the Donbas is a crime” should be allowed to participate in the Eurovision contest in 2017, according to a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of the Narodny Front, Anton Herashchenko. He said this on the 15th of May while at the Govorit Moskva radio station.
According to him, Kiev “does not see any obstacles” for contestants who “do not speak out in support of Russia’s aggressive policies” and who “do not offend the national dignity of Ukraine”. He also said that in August 2015, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture composed a list of Russian performers who were considered a threat to Ukraine’s national security. At that time, the list consisted of 14 people including singers such as Oleg Gazmanov, Iosif Kobzon and Grigory Leps. It also listed actors such as Sergei Bezrukov, Mikhail Boyarsky, Michael Porechenkov and Gerard Depardieu who has Russian citizenship. The list was later expanded to 83 people and included Natalya Varley, Valentina Talyzina and Dmitry Kharatyan.
However, the decision on who participates in the contest is not made by the host country’s authorities but rather by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
The 2017 edition of the contest will be held in Ukraine as the previous winner was Ukrainian singer, Jamala. She received the top spot on the 15th of May while performing in Stockholm. The second position went to Dami Im who was born in South Korea but who performed for Australia, while third place went to Sergey Lazarev of Russia.