Ukraine will not take part in the international song contest "Eurovision-2019". This was reported by the National Public Television and Radio Company (NOTU).

“In the current situation, following the law on public broadcasting, as well as in conditions of excessive politicization during the national selection, the Public Broadcaster decided to refuse to participate in the International Eurovision Song Contest 2019,” the broadcaster said in a statement.

The NOTA noted that they could have independently chosen a contestant from among the participants of the national selection, but would not do that. After all three prize-winners of the Ukrainian musical contest refused from a trip to Eurovision, the broadcaster will not appoint a new candidate, since “he respects the choice of the audience”.

According to the Ukrainian TV people, the last national selection revealed a "systemic problem of the music industry in Ukraine", namely, "the connection of artists with show business in the territory of the aggressor state, which are still very close in the fifth year of the military conflict."

“For a part of the society, this fact is acceptable, the rest of them cause outrage and rejection. The laws of Ukraine do not impose any restrictions on the work of performers and artists on the territory of the Russian Federation, despite the great public demand for resolving this situation, ”noted the NOTA.

It is emphasized that in order to solve this “problem”, the broadcaster suggests starting a public dialogue in the format of talk shows and forums. The purpose of the discussions should be “the formulation of the position of the Ukrainian society” on this issue, as well as the development of a draft law that could “resolve the situation with the cooperation of Ukrainian artists with the aggressor state for the future.”

  • Singer maruv
  • globallookpress.com
  • © Aleksandr Gusev

“Creativity cannot have geography”

Decision NOTU in a conversation with RT commented singer Natalia Podolsk. She noted that only a few creative people are really politicized.

“Creativity is a multifaceted thing, broad, it can not have geography. If your songs are loved and want to hear, you can not come to the people who want to see you and hear. This is just stupid. It seems to me that this violates human rights, ”said Podolskaya.

Music producer Yevgeny Fridland considers the behavior of the Ukrainian authorities in this situation inappropriate.

“The authorities in Ukraine are people with a complete lack of reality, they solve some of their tasks, ... they do perfect folly, which makes no sense to discuss a sensible person. The musicians, whatever their views on relations between Russia and Ukraine, are adequate people, they understand everything perfectly. People stop playing this game, ”he explained.

State Duma deputy from the Republic of Crimea Ruslan Balbek called the refusal to participate in the European vocal competition "forced coming-out of the Ukrainian government."

“In Ukraine, holding back tears and gritting my teeth, they admitted that it’s impossible to break with Russia - the guest workers go, the artists go on tour, the relatives communicate, and therefore Eurovision is the last one chosen,” Balbek said.

He stressed that, despite the efforts of Kiev, Russia remains in the hearts of the majority of Ukrainian citizens.

“And since it is impossible to send Poroshenko or Groysman to Eurovision, the rest have a tight schedule, one thing remains: to refuse to participate in the competition,” the parliamentarian added.

According to him, the country's vocalists "do not want to dirty themselves with politics."

“Without this, in today's Ukraine there will be no career or art. So you have to slam the door and declare yourself an opportunist. But the people had a different opinion: “Politics and creativity, as they say in Odessa, are two big differences,” the deputy concluded.

"No need to win at any cost"

On February 27, it became known that all artists who took the first three places in the national selection refused to represent Ukraine at Eurovision.

At first, reluctance to sign a contract was expressed by the winner of the selection, singer Maruv. She called the terms of the contract proposed to her to the “bonded” NOTOT and declared that she did not want to be a “bat on the political arena.”

After her refusal, an offer to go to Tel Aviv was received by the musical group Freedom Jazz, which took second place in the national selection. Those answered NOTU with refusal and at the same time informed the fans that they were just negotiating with the promoter to organize a tour of Europe.

Then, Ukraine was offered to represent Ukraine at the international song contest to the Kazka group's bronze medalists. But they decided to give up this opportunity.

“We would like and would consider it an honor to represent Ukraine at Eurovision. We have invested in this desire a lot of effort, energy, time. We followed this to the national selection. But we do not need a victory at any cost. Our mission is to unite people with our music, and not to sow discord. Therefore, we have a clear answer to the NOTU proposal: we will not go to Eurovision in 2019, ”the musicians wrote on the social network.

  • Freedom Jazz group
  • globallookpress.com
  • © Aleksandr Gusev

History pages

Over the years of participation in Eurovision, Ukraine refused to send its artists only once, in 2015: then Kiev explained its decision by the unstable financial and political situation in the country.

It is noteworthy that Ukraine has repeatedly tried to use Eurovision as a platform for political statements. In 2004, after the so-called “Orange Revolution”, Kiev sent the Greenjola team to the contest with the song “Raz us bagato - we were not underwhelmed,” which was considered the unofficial hymn of the 2004 revolution. Then the organizers of the competition forced the Ukrainian side to modify the fragments with political overtones.

12 years later in the song Jamala “1944”, viewers saw political overtones associated with the Stalinist deportation of the Crimean Tatars from the peninsula.

In 2017, Ukraine, being the host country of Eurovision, banned entry to the country's territory from Russia, Yulia Samoilova. As a result, the European Broadcasting Union has fined the National Public Television and Radio Company of Ukraine.