OUT OF TUNE

Eurovision Says Russia Will Still Grace the Stage in This Year’s Competition

“The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political cultural event,” organizers said in a statement, adding that they would “continue to closely monitor the situation.”

Organizers of international singing competition Eurovision said that Russia will be allowed to participate in the upcoming edition of the contest, despite the nation’s unprovoked, ongoing assault on Ukraine. Eurovision 2022 is set to broadcast from Italy in May, and the European Broadcasting Union, which has organized the contest since 1956, said in a Thursday statement that the “non-political cultural event” will allow Russia to compete—for now. “The EBU is however concerned about current events in Ukraine and will continue to closely monitor the situation,” they added. In an open letter, Ukraine’s public broadcaster begged for Russia to be suspended from the competition and for Russian media to be removed from the EBU, calling the nation’s outlets “a mouthpiece for the Kremlin.” Russia has not yet announced its Eurovision act for this year. They most recently won the contest in 2008.