Interview 2025 – Russia’s response to Eurovision has less kitsch, more Kremlin

In the Moscow Concert Hall, Shorahmir Haniyev is about love and his homeland, Uzbekistan.

“Make your feet like a man,” says his voice coach and choreographer. “And spread your hands wider!”

It’s just a rehearsal, but Shoruhmirza sings his heart. It performs the traditional Uzbek tunes in modern rhythm and playing in the milk, ancient Central Asia drum.

Uzbekistan is one of the 23 countries competing at the Intervision Song Contest.

This is Russia’s response to Eurovision. With a smaller whale – and more flint.

An interview with 2025 is the brainchild of Vladimir Putin. He signed a decree on the revival of the Soviet Songfest era for the purpose of “developing international cultural and humanitarian cooperation”.

A more obvious purpose is to create an international song contest in which Moscow can participate. In 2022, Russia was banned from competing in Eurovision after a full -scale invasion of Ukraine.

The image arises.

When the Russian team was banned from the Olympic Games, Moscow tried to create alternatives, such as the future games and the world’s friendship.

Now the Kremlin has come up with its own version of Eurovision.

But what does it look and who is involved?

To the interval, the Russians threw their music network far and wide, inviting allies from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. The starting composition reflects the political and economic alliances in which Russia includes as a group of Nations BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The list of countries participating in China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam, Venezuela, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Madagascar: a completely different Eurovision card and the Kremlin’s opportunity to show that, despite the invasion of Ukraine.

The United States is also involved: a thaw sign in the US and Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Thaw does not mean without problems. The original interval of America by Brandon Howard pulled out the competition before the competition.

“Unfortunately, I had some … family problems that happened here in the country that I wasn’t (going) to go abroad and do it,” – tells me how B.Howard tells me a call from the US.

“However, I really think it’s such a wonderful event.”

“Were there the people who told you, ‘Brandon, you don’t have to go, from the war? “,” I asked.

“Some fans would mention some such things and expressed a slight concern. However, for the most part, everyone was very supportive when I was going there and it is sent to be the lighthouse of light.”

B.Howard was replaced by the Australian-Greek singer Vasi, who lives in Los Angeles.

“4.3 billion people live in 23 countries,” the Kremlin’s high -ranking official, Sergei Kiriyenko boasted. “This is more than half the world’s population.”

Mr. Kiriyenko, Deputy Chief of Staff Putin Puti, Chairman of the Song Contest Supervision Council. This week he made a brief appearance at a press conference, as well as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernushanka.

“I know that some people think that Eurovision has an element of politics,” I say to Mr. Lavrov. “But look at who is presented here: the Kremlin, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian government. Is this proof that the interview is a purely political or geopolitical project?”

“If the governments of some countries do not make efforts to create mechanisms to support culture, it is their choice,” Mr. Lavrov replies. “In our country, the state is engaged in promoting art. Your question is introduced in fear of competition.”

In Ukraine, they are afraid of something different: that Moscow uses interviews to divert global attention from the war.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine believes that the 2025 song contest organized by Russia is an instrument of hostile propaganda and a means of bleaching the Russian Federation’s aggressive policy,” the ministry said in May.

War goes to the mind of some people with intervals.

“The terrible thing with the war, with everything that’s going on. That’s what we thought,” says Rene Kruger of the South African Mzansi Jikele.

“But we were sure,” Just go, guys, nothing wrong. “Obviously, we (nervous), but we treated us very well here.”

Presenting Russia in an interview with 2025, Yaroslav Dronov, better known by the stage name. Last year, the European Union sanctioned it for “supporting actions and politicians that undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

Its previous hits include “II Russia, a patriotic pop -a saying:

“I am Russian, I go to the end … I am Russian to do contrary to the whole world.”

Not quite love shines with light or save kisses for me.

But Russia uses interviews to design a softer image than forged three and a half years of its war in Ukraine.

At the official song contest, to determine the order, international delegations are considered to be a Russian feast, including cottage pancakes and gingerbread interval. When folk dancers exhibit a spectacular show, volunteers distribute gigantic necklaces from bread rings, a symbol of Russian hospitality.

One by one, the participants are suitable for a giant self -shaped, select tea and fill it with hot water. Magic mugs reveal the slot number for each country.

From folk costumes to pancakes, the emphasis here is on tradition.

The same with the songs. The official purpose of the competition is “to get acquainted with the unique cultural traditions and achievements of the participating countries (and) promoting the universal, spiritual, family, cultural, ethical and religious traditions of different countries.”

International performers have read the rules.

“My song tells about the culture of Vietnam,” Duc Phuc informs me Vietnamese. “I need to share Vietnam’s culture with everyone.”

“How did you choose to represent your country?” I ask.

“The Ministry of Culture chose me.”

“Our song is about a woman called Maria,” says Brazilian participant Tys Nad. “Maria looks like any Brazilian woman. She works a lot to live. But she always smiles and her eyes glow.”

“Did you hear about Eurovision?” I ask.

“In fact, we were looking for interviews and discovered Eurovision!

For many Russians, there is also something new. In fact, it is a ghost from communist times caused by the grave of past song contests.

The original song contest was born behind the Iron Curtain at a time when the East and West competed throughout. In the Cold War there was also a space race, a racing of weapons and cultural wars.

Since the mid-1950s, Eurovision has quickly established itself as a great deal in Western Europe, while at the Eastern Bloc festivals in Czechoslovakia and Poland has acquired a random Bir “Interview”.

However, there was some crossover. Finland participated both in Eurovision and in the intervals, and great names from the West performed with guest speeches in the East. Gloria Geinor, Petula Clark and Bonnie-M performed intervals.

After the fall of communism, Russia and Eastern Europe have adopted political changes that swept the continent and sought to compete in Eurovision. I saw that in 1996, when, because of the fate, I presented a Russian television song contest for Europe to select a record in Eurovision.

I talked to the director of the show during a Russian television excursion. When I told him I was a great Eurovision supporter, he asked me to return that evening to help secure the program. I will never forget how excited everyone is in the studio that night: not only about Eurovision, but also that Russia was part of the European family.

But as the Kremlin’s relations with the Western and Moscow attacks on Western liberalism and “unconventional values” intensified, as well as Russian beef with the Eurovision Song Contest.

Especially after the Austrian Queen of Tulls Cocking Wurst won Eurovision in 2014.

“Giving the first place to the bearded lady is a slight humanity,” Russian MP Valery Rashkin told me at the time.

Mr. Rashkin urged Russia to leave the Eurovision and organize its own Eurasian Voice Competition. Another MP suggested “Goodvision” as possible.

At that time, it was clear that the Eurovision Song Contest and Russia were on the collision rate. Eurovision has made a point of greeting LGBTC -community, introducing itself as a showcase for inclusivity and variety. Unlike this, Russia has launched a gay rights repression and criminalized by public expressions.

There will be no features of the camp at the interview song contest.

But will people watch it? Will singers and songs intervene in the fantasy of the public on many continents? Significant differences between the countries involved are most likely excluding the type of overall viewing you get with Eurovision.

And there will be no public vote. Just a jury: one member in the country. But how will the vote take place?

“The voting system is specially invented by a very famous scientist and mathematicians,” says Russian television intervention columnist Jan Churikov. “Especially for intervention.”

Returning to the rehearsal hall, Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan, Haniyev, admits that he does not know the intricacies of the voting system. He is just glad to be here. Just as his mother. She proudly watches as her son rehearsed.

Despite the fact that his country is not in Eurovision, Shoruhmirza tells me that the competition is known in Uzbekistan. However, now he focused on his performance here.

“I am very glad to come to the interview,” he tells me. “I leave Eurovision in the past.”