Russia will still be competing in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest despite having invaded its neighboring country, as announced by competition organizers. Early this morning, Russian troops invaded Ukraine after weeks of tension and threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said he was planning a military operation aimed at the “demilitarization and denazification” or Ukraine.
While the producers of the competition – the European Broadcast Union (EBU) – stated that the competition is not a political event and therefore Eurovision should keep Russia in the contest, the Ukrainian state broadcaster UA:PBC scrutinized the EBU for not suspending the country’s membership.
“The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political cultural event which unites nations and celebrates diversity through music,” the EBU said in statement. “The EBU’s public broadcaster members in both Russia and Ukraine have committed to participating in this year’s event in Turin and we are currently planning to welcome artists from both countries to perform in May. We of course will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra will compete in the song contest.
The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Turin Italy beginning May 10.
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