Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Intervision Song Contest, an alternative to the Eurovision Song Contest, has “sparked great interest,” including among countries in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
“The contest has already sparked great interest. Artists from many countries, including those represented at today’s meeting, have confirmed their attendance,” emphasized the Russian president during an SCO meeting on Monday.
Founded on June 15, 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization includes members such as China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, representing approximately 40% of the global population.
This year’s meeting also invited leaders from several countries, including Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Maldives, Nepal, Turkey, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
In June, the Intervision organizers informed the Russian state agency TASS that “this year, 20 countries will participate in the contest,” namely “Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, and Vietnam.”
The contest is set to take place at the Live Arena in Moscow on September 20, 2025.
On February 3, Putin signed a decree to allow the Intervision to take place, appointing Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Chernyshenko as head of the organizing committee. This decision came three years after Russia was excluded from Eurovision due to the invasion of Ukraine.
During the Soviet era, a contest with the same name was held among USSR allies, with several attempts post-collapse to reactivate the format.
Since the fall of the USSR, Russian television has aired various smaller-scale programs under the same name. In 2014, Russia announced its intention to relaunch the contest, but efforts have been unsuccessful so far.
23 Entries and a Victory: Russia’s Journey in Eurovision
Russia participated in Eurovision from 1994 to 2021, winning the European contest in 2008 with Dima Bilan and the song ‘Believe.’ The event was hosted in Moscow the following year.
Besides the victory, the country achieved other notable results in Eurovision. In 2010, 2006, 2012, and 2015, Russia secured second place. In 2023, 2007, 2016, and 2019, the nation finished in third place.
On February 25, a day after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes Eurovision, announced that “no Russian artist” would participate in the contest.
“This decision reflects the concern that, amid the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, including Russia in this year’s contest would bring the competition into disrepute,” stated the EBU at the time.
