VIENNA — The 70th Eurovision Song Contest concluded in an absolute frenzy at the Wiener Stadthalle in Austria. While the headlines on Sunday morning belong to Bulgaria's historic, first-ever Grand Final victory, talks of a potential reinstatement of Russia in the contest were raised.
Dara’s "Bangaranga" Smashes the Scoreboard
Dara’s "Bangaranga" Smashes the Scoreboard
In what turned out to be an absolute runaway victory, Bulgarian superstar Dara secured the trophy with her high-octane dance anthem "Bangaranga," capturing a total of 516 points.
The victory marks a momentous milestone for Bulgaria. Dara managed to take the top spot in both the professional jury voting and the public televote. This marks the first time any country has achieved a clean-sweep double victory at Eurovision since 2017.
The artist delivered a masterclass in maximalist pop staging, edging out a controversial second-place finish from Israel's Noam Bettan.
Russia’s "Theoretical" Return
While Dara celebrated in the green room, the press center was already on fire following a bombshell interview given by Eurovision Executive Supervisor Martin Green to British news station LBC.
When pressed on whether Russia, which was banned alongside Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine, could ever return to the contest, Green dropped a rhetorical grenade by answering: "Theoretically, yes."
"Let me be clear: there are no discussions about the return of the Russian broadcaster to Eurovision, and there are no plans for that to happen," Green later clarified at a tense pre-final press conference.
However, his deeper explanation to LBC revealed a massive technical loophole that has left European broadcasters furious. According to Green, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) did not ban Russia purely because of the war itself. Instead, the exclusion was based on a technicality. According to Green, the state television and radio company VGTRK failed to prove its independent journalistic separation from the Kremlin.
Green admitted that if Russian broadcasters technically complied with membership values and proved independent framework rules, a return would be possible, stating that banning countries purely based on warfare lands the EBU in "very difficult territory of subjective assessments."
Political Backlash
The backlash from Western allies was immediate and fierce, completely eclipsing the typical grand final hype. British politicians explicitly attacked the contest’s leadership, accusing the EBU of bureaucratic spinelessness.
British MP Tom Gordon publicly slammed Green's remarks, calling them "moral cowardice" and a "terrible betrayal of allies." He pointedly added, "Now we have learned that this was never a principled position, but only a technical issue. Russia can return to Eurovision while its missiles are still falling on Kyiv."
MP Josh Newbery echoed the outrage, stating that the Executive Supervisor had effectively "destroyed his own argument in two words."
The timing of the controversy could not have been more awkward for the organizers. This year's Grand Final featured Ukraine's representative Leléka performing the deeply emotional track "Ridnym". The stadium environment in Vienna was already highly charged due to ongoing tensions surrounding Israel's participation, which had already prompted five independent broadcasters to boycott the 2026 cycle entirely.
Adding significant fuel to the fire, Belgium’s Flemish public broadcaster VRT announced right before the Grand Final that it is highly unlikely to send an artist to the 2027 contest in Bulgaria. Belgium alternates its selection duties annually between VRT and the French-language broadcaster RTBF (which managed the 2026 entry). VRT spokesperson Yasmine Van der Borght issued a stern warning, stating that the likelihood of them participating next year is "minimal" unless the EBU establishes an objective framework and allows a direct member vote regarding controversial participants like Israel. "We expect a strong message from the EBU against war and violence and in favor of respect for human rights," Van der Borght stated, signaling that the EBU's current handling of geopolitics is fracturing the core of the contest's alliance.
Looking Ahead to 2027
Looking Ahead to 2027
With Bulgaria officially taking the mantle to host Eurovision 2027, the EBU will be forced to navigate an increasingly fractured landscape.
Dara's victory proves that pure, unadulterated pop music can still unify the European public vote. However, as independent media networks continue to dissect Martin Green's comments, the road to Sofia will likely be defined by a massive geopolitical tug-of-war regarding where the contest's ethical boundaries truly lie.
Despite the "theoretical" door being left open by Eurovision leadership, there are no active plans or discussions regarding a Russian return to the contest. Instead, Russia has signaled a strategic shift toward its own contest, the Intervision Song Contest, which it relaunched in 2025 as a direct response to its exclusion from the European Broadcasting Union. Currently preparing for a major edition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in September 2026, allows Russia to bypass the restrictive membership rules of Eurovision while building a cultural network focused on its own geopolitical alliances. By positioning Intervision as a richer global competitor, Russia effectively maintains its own stage, suggesting it may have more interest in challenging Eurovision's dominance than in seeking a compromise to rejoin it.
Written by Manios Themis
Intervision Song Contest specialist. Combines a Computer Science background with exhaustive knowledge of every edition (1965 Golden Clef, 1977–1980 Sopot era, 2025 revival, and Saudi Arabia 2026). Author and curator of the most complete independent Intervision archive online.
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