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Russia is gearing up to revive its Soviet-era alternative to Eurovision – the Intervision song contest – which kicks off in Moscow on Saturday, with performers from 23, mostly allied, countries set to take the stage.
But sequinned bodysuits, camp theatrics and Europop bangers will be in short supply. Instead, the Kremlin’s version of the spectacle promises “traditional values”, patriotic ballads and a Russian entry led by a fiercely pro-war singer, as Moscow attempts to refashion Europe’s glitter-soaked pageant in its own image.
Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Three years on, the president, Vladimir Putin, has signed a decree to revive Intervision, clearing the way for its first edition since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Participants will include members of the Brics bloc – China, India, Brazil and South Africa – as well as post-Soviet allies such as Belarus and several states in central Asia. The show will be hosted by the Chinese showman Lay (real name Meng Lei) and the Indian actor Stefy Patel, billed as the contest’s “international pair” of presenters.
“The quality is high … The main thing for us is that they bring with them their culture, a sense of life and spiritual traditions. This has succeeded,” said Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov.
Russia will be represented by Shaman, a peroxide-blond singer who has become one of the most prominent cultural faces of the Kremlin’s war effort. Best known for his booming patriotic songs, among them I Am Russian, which has become an unofficial anthem of Moscow’s pro-war movement, Shaman (real name Yaroslav Dronov) has cultivated a fervent following at home, performing at state rallies and military events draped in the Russian flag.
Intervision’s organisers were dealt a blow on Wednesday when the American singer Brandon Howard unexpectedly pulled out. His participation had been widely trumpeted by Moscow, though he was never part of any official US delegation.
The show marks an unlikely comeback for Intervision. First launched under the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, the contest ran sporadically from the 1960s to the 1980s as the eastern bloc’s answer to Eurovision. Staged in Poland and what was then Czechoslovakia, it also drew entries from Moscow’s communist allies further afield, including Cuba. At the time, Intervision was widely cast as a gesture of openness after the death of Joseph Stalin and as a showcase of artistic traditions from across the bloc.
Russia first competed in Eurovision in 1994, just a few years after the fall of the Soviet Union, marking the beginning of a long and complex relationship with the singing competition.
Throughout the 2000s, Eurovision became one of the country’s most highly anticipated events, with Moscow frequently sending some of its biggest stars.
The singer Dima Bilan remains Russia’s only Eurovision winner, claiming victory in 2008 with his song Believe. The following year, Moscow hosted the competition in grand style, spending a reported $42m, making it the most expensive Eurovision to date.
But as Russia took an increasingly conservative turn under Putin’s rule, there was growing criticism of the famously flamboyant competition, which often celebrates LGBTQ+ themes and performers. Officials in Moscow frequently criticised the contents for undermining “traditional family values”.
Gennady Zyuganov, the longtime leader of Russia’s Communist party, said this week: “Eurovision used to be bright and interesting. But when the west started dragging all sorts of perversions on to television. I not only didn’t like it, I no longer wanted to watch it.”
Zyuganov added that he was confident Intervision would outdo its western counterpart in popularity.
But Russian audiences do not appear to be entirely convinced.
Local media reported that organisers, anxious about sparse attendance, sought to pad out the hall with massovka, paid extras, who are instructed to pose and dress as “foreign guests”.
