2025 Intervision – Russia’s response to Eurovision has less kitsch, more Kremlin

In a concert hall in Moscow, Shhhruhirkirzo Ganiyev lies about love and his homeland, Uzbekistan.

“Put your feet together as a man,” suggests his voice trainer and choreographer. “And spread your hands worse!”

It’s just a rehearsal, but Shorukhiriro sings his heart. He performs traditional Uzbek tunes of a modern rhythm and plays Dora, the ancient drum of Central Asia.

Uzbekistan is among 23 countries competing in the interview competition.

This is Russia’s response to Eurovision. With a smaller kitsch – more Kremlin.

The 2025 Intervil is the birth of Vladimir Putin. He signed a decree that revives the song of the Soviet era in order to “develop international cultural and humanitarian cooperation”.

The more obvious goal is to create an international song contest, in which Moscow can actually participate. In 2022, Russia was banned from competing in Eurovision after its full -scale invasion of Ukraine.

An emerging model.

When a team Russia was banned by the Olympics, Moscow tried to create alternatives, such as the games of the future and the world’s friendship games.

Now the Kremlin came out with its own Eurovision version.

But how does it look and who participates?

For interviews, the Russians have thrown their music network far and wide, inviting allies from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. The starting lineup reflects the political and economic unions of which Russia is part, with the BRICS Group, the Shanghai Organization for Cooperation and the Community of Independent States.

The list of participating countries includes China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam, Venezuela, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Madagascar: a very different Eurovision music card and the ability for the Kremlin to show that despite its invasion of Ukraine, Russia still has friends.

The United States also participates: a sign of thawing in American-Russian relations after Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Defrost does not mean seamlessly. The original American participant Brandon Howard removed himself on the eve of the race.

“Unfortunately, I had some … family problems that happened here in the country that I was not (I went) to go abroad and do it,” the singer, who presents himself as B.howard, tells me, tells me a call from the US.

“However, I really believe this is such a wonderful event.”

“Were there people who told you,” Brandon, should you not go because of the war? “I asked.

“Some fans would mention some things and expressed a slight concern. In their biggest, however, everyone was very supportive to go there, sent to be a beacon of light.”

B.Howard has been replaced by the singer of the Australian-Horac Vasi, who lives in Los Angeles.

“4.3 billion people live in the 23 participating countries,” praised Kremlin’s senior official Sergei Kirienko. “This is more than half of the world population.”

G -n Kirienko, Deputy Chief of President Putin’s headquarters, chaired the Supervisory Board of the Song Contest. He made a brief appearance this week at a press conference for a press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernishenko.

“I know some people think there is an element of politics in Eurovision,” I say to G -Lavrov. “But look at who is presented here: the Kremlin, the Foreign Ministry and the Russian Government. Isn’t this proof that interviews are a purely political or geopolitical project?”

“If the governments of some countries do not make efforts to create cultural support mechanisms, this is their choice,” replies G -Lavrov. “In our country, the state deals with the promotion of the arts. Your question is rooted in the fear of competition.”

In Ukraine, they are afraid of something completely different: that Moscow uses interviews to divert global attention from war.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine believes that the 2025 song contest, organized by Russia, is a tool for hostile propaganda and a means of whitening the aggressive policy of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said in May.

The war is in the minds of some people in an interview.

“The scary thing is with the war, with everything that is happening. These are the things we thought,” says Rene Krueger of the South African group Mzansi Jikelele.

“But we were sure,” Just come, boys, nothing is right. “

He presents Russia on Intensision 2025 is Yaroslav Dronov, more known by his stage name shaman. Last year, the European Union sanctioned it for “supporting actions and policies that undermine the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.”

His previous hits include II Russian, a patriotic pop song that declares:

“I’m a Russian, I’m going to the end … I’m Russian to make the whole world.”

Not exactly love shines light or keep your kisses for me.

But Russia uses interviews to design a softer image than one, for three and a half years since its war in Ukraine.

At the official song contest, to decide the order, international delegations are treated with a Russian holiday, including villa and ginger pancakes that exercise in the interview logo. While folk dancers release a grand show, volunteers give out giant bread necklaces, a symbol of Russian hospitality.

One by one, the participants approach a giant samovar, choose a tea cup and fill it with hot water. Magic mugs reveal the slot’s number for each country.

From the folk costumes to Bulis, the emphasis here is on the tradition.

It’s the same with the songs. The official goal of the competition is “to get acquainted with the unique cultural traditions and achievements of the participating countries (s) encourage universal, spiritual, family, cultural, ethical and religious traditions of different nations.”

International contractors have read the rules.

“My song tells of the Vietnam culture,” Vietnamese participant Duc Phuc informs me. “I have to share Vietnam’s culture with everyone.”

“How were you chosen to present your country?” I ask.

“The Ministry of Culture has chosen me.”

“Our song is about a woman called Maria,” says Brazilian participant Tis Nader. “Maria is like any Brazilian woman. She works hard to live. But she always smiles and her eyes shine.”

“Have you heard of Eurovision?” I ask.

“We actually sought online for interviews and found Eurovision! We didn’t know about interviews or Eurovision before. It’s new to us.”

And for many Russians, interviews are something new. In fact, this is a ghost of communist times called by the previous song contest.

The original interview contest was born behind the Iron Curtain at a time when East and West competed in everything. In the Cold War there was a space race, a competition with weapons and wars for culture.

Since the mid-1950s, Eurovision has quickly established itself as a major work in Western Europe, while in the festivals of the Eastern Bloc Festivals in Czechoslovakia and Poland have acquired the casual label of Interviews.

However, there was some crossover. Finland participated in both Eurovision and interviews, and big names from the West made visiting appearances to the east. Gloria Gainor, Petula Clark and Bonnie-M all performed at Interision.

After the fall of communism, Russia and Eastern Europe adopted the political changes that moved the continent and were eager to compete in Eurovision. I saw this first hand in 1996, when, through the strangeness of fate, I jointly presented the song of Russian television for Europe to choose a Eurovision record.

During a guide tour of Russian television, I had talked with the director of the show. When I told him I was a huge Eurovision fan, he asked me to go back that evening to help me secure the program. I will never forget how excited everyone was in the studio tonight: not only for Eurovision, but also that Russia is part of the European family.

But as the Kremlin’s relations with the West bombarded and Moscow’s attacks on Western liberalism and the “unconventional values” have intensified, as well as Russia’s beef with the Eurovision Song Contest.

Especially since the Austrian Queen of Drag Conchita Rain won Eurovision in 2014.

“Giving in the first place to the beard is light for humanity,” Russian MP Valerie Rashkin told me at the time.

Rashkin called on Russia to throw out Eurovision and organize his own voice competition for Eurasia. Another MP suggested “GoodVision” as a possible replacement.

At the time, it was clear that the Eurovision and Russia song contest was on clash. Eurovision made a point to welcome the LGBTQ community, posing as a showcase for inclusion and diversity. In contrast, Russia has launched a repression of gay rights and criminalizes the public expressions of LGBTQ identity.

There will be no signs of a camping camp.

But do people watch it? Will the singers and songs for interviews of the imagination of so many continents be filmed? The significant differences in the time between participating countries will probably rule out the type of shared viewing attempt you receive with Eurovision.

And there will be no public vote. Just a jury: One member of a country. But how will the vote be held?

“The voting system is specifically invented by a very famous scientist and mathematician,” Jana Churikova’s interviews told me. “Especially for an interview.”

Returning to the rehearsal room, the participant in Uzbekistan Korukhirirzo Ganiyev admits that he does not know the intricacies of the voting system. He is just excited to be here. So is his mother. She looks proud as her son rehearses.

Although his country is not in Eurovision, Shorukhiriro tells me that the competition is known in Uzbekistan. At the moment, however, he is focused on his performance here.

“I’m very glad to come to an interview,” he tells me. “I leave Eurovision in the past.”