Russia has been accused of deliberately trying to provoke Ukraine by choosing a performer for the Eurovision contest they knew would get banned.
Julia Samoilova, a disabled pop star, was yesterday banned from performing at the annual competition, which Ukraine is hosting, as part of a continued diplomatic dispute over Crimea.
Ukrainian authorities said Samoilova would not be allowed in because she performed in Crimea in 2015 and publicly said she supported the annexation.
The Kremlin said it was “outraged” by the “cynical and inhuman” ban – but critics accused Russia of using Samoilova as a shield from criticism of its political actions.
A BBC news reporter in Moscow, Sarah Rainsford, said “Some suspect this is precisely what Moscow wanted when it chose Julia Samoilova”.
Television producer Sergey Kalvarskiy wrote on Facebook: “They are knowingly sending a young woman with a disability so that they can later report on the ‘inhumane Ukrainians’ who boo the Russian artist (if any of that happens)”
A reporter from Ekho Moskvy, Vladimir Varfolomeyev, continued this theme by saying: “Most probably Moscow wants to avoid any possible problems for its representative in Kiev (nobody will want to boo a disabled singer) or even hopes to win the contest by stirring up sympathy.”
This continues the controversy that started at last year’s contest, which Ukraine won with an overtly anti-Moscow song.
Jamala’s winning track was “1944”, a song that criticised Stalinist Russia’s treatment of the Tatar people, and was seen as a commentary on present-day Russian aggression towards Ukraine.
Eurovision has long been an arena as much for political manoeuvring as showcasing exciting music.
Countries routinely give large numbers of points to political allies, regardless of the quality of the acts on display.
