The National Public Television and Radio Company of Ukraine (NOTU) and the Ukrainian television channel STB announced the selection of applicants for participation in Eurovision 2020.

According to the organization’s press service, this year the rules for participation in the set itself have undergone major changes. In particular, the terms “on restricting the performances of contestants in the aggressor country” were introduced in them (recall that according to the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada, Russia is recognized as the “aggressor state” in Ukraine).

“Now, a performer or a team that has not performed concerts in Russia since 2014, does not plan to do this and does not announce it during the competition until the Eurovision final, and also did not enter the territory of Crimea in violation of Ukrainian law, can be a participant in the National selection "- said in a statement NOTU.

The Director General of the National Television Company Zurab Alasania explains this decision with the special status of Eurovision: the contest, among other things, allows you to present your country to the world.

“Therefore, for us, as the Public Broadcaster of Ukraine, it is important to organize the selection together with STB so that the representative of Ukraine is not only a talented and vibrant artist, but also one who fully understands this responsibility, shares the position and values ​​of Ukrainian society and is ready to comply contest rules; someone who can better represent our country in the international arena, ”he said.

Lyudmila Semchuk, managing director of the STB television channel, notes that the decision of the broadcaster was preceded by very specific events.

“After last year’s final, we seriously thought about what changes are needed to ensure that our country annually attends Eurovision. Together with colleagues from NOTU, we held a series of meetings to develop all the necessary amendments to the Rules, and this year we plan to pay special attention to the selection of the representative of Ukraine, ”said Semchuk.

Maruv and the general boycott

Apparently, by “last year’s finals” Semchuk means a scandal over Ukrainian singer Maruv, who won the national selection at Eurovision-2019. Then Maruv was criticized for being on tour in Russia and communicating in Russian.

  • MARUV at the Burger Fest music and gastronomic festival in Gorky Park in Moscow, July 27, 2019
  • © Vitaliy Belousov / RIA News

February 25, it became known that Maruv will not go to the contest. The runner-up at the national selection, Freedom Jazz, also declined to represent the country in a music competition. Kazka collective refused to go to Israel. The artists explained that their mission is to unite people, and not to sow discord. The members of the Brunettes Shoot Blondes team, who took fourth place in the national selection, warned in advance that they did not intend to represent Ukraine at the competition, if offered.

However, it didn’t come to this: on February 27, NOTU announced that Ukraine would not send its representative to Eurovision-2019. Then the organization published a list of requirements for artists representing the country at the song contest. Among other things, representatives of Ukraine were forbidden to go on tour to Russia from the moment of signing the contract and until the expiration of three months after the end of the competition.

Later, a member of NOTU Alexandra Koltsova, on the air of the Direct channel, said that if Russia won the Eurovision-2019, Ukraine would refuse to participate in the competition in 2020. Sergey Lazarev took the third place.

Sanctions for children

In July, NOTU already forbade musicians who had been on tour in Russia after January 1, 2014 to participate in another Eurovision - children.

The organization’s decree said that a participant in a national selection trying to hide information about appearances in the “aggressor country” could be removed from him at any stage. The NOTU also explained that the organizing committee has the right to refuse to participate in the selection, to terminate the participation of the musician in the selection for the competition, as well as to cancel the results of the qualifying round if it turns out that the artist planned a performance, performs or previously toured in an “aggressor state”.

According to media reports, such measures were taken just in connection with the incident at the national selection for adult Eurovision.