As expected, Ukraine’s National Security Service (SBU) has formally banned Yulia Samoylova, Russia’s representative for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, from traveling to Kyiv, where the competition will take place this May. Samoylova is now forbidden to enter Ukraine for the next three years.
Ukrainian officials cite Samoylova’s visit to Russian-controlled Crimea, where she performed at a concert in 2015, as a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. The SBU’s official spokesperson, Yelena Gitlyanshakya, made the announcement on Facebook on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, the Russian television network Channel One selected Yulia Samoylova to represent Russia in this year’s Eurovision contest, where she was expected to perform “Flame Is Burning.” Immediately after the announcement, SBU officials signaled their plans to ban her from entering Ukraine.
In the past few weeks, Samoylova has told reporters that she doesn’t view Eurovision as a politicized contest, and said she hoped merely to sing her best.
Anton Gerashchenko, an aide to Ukraine’s interior minister, Arsen Avakov, has reportedly threatened to detain Samoylova, if she attempts to enter Ukraine, saying, “Our Western partners will understand this decision.”
Jon Ola Sand, the European Broadcasting Union's executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, says any decision about allowing Samoylova into Ukraine can only be made by Ukrainian officials. The competition’s organizers, he told reporters, “fully respect and observe” the laws of Ukraine.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
