Lavrov assesses possibility of Russia's return to Eurovision

Dima Bilan won Eurovision 2008 
Representing Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia "will not meet criteria akin to Satanism" used to determine Eurovision participants, adding that instead, the country "feels perfectly fine" within BRICS and the SCO. The minister made these remarks when asked to comment on the possibility of Russia's return to the song contest, TASS.ru reports.

Photo: Sergey Lavrov

Earlier, Eurovision Executive Supervisor Martin Green stated in an interview with the British radio station LBC that, theoretically, Russia could be readmitted to the musical competition.

"I haven't heard that anyone in this organization called 'Eurovision' recently commented on anything related to Russia," Lavrov remarked during a press conference following talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Equatorial Guinea, Simeon Oyono Esono Angue.

"You know, we are already being mentioned, as it turns out, not only in the European Union when they say, 'Well, we'll think about whether to talk to Russia or not.' Now, it turns out, the so-called modern musicians are also saying, 'We'll think about whether to invite Russia.' I want to say right away: we will not meet the criteria that currently define Eurovision participants, which are truly the criteria of outright Satanism. We won't pull it off, honestly," Lavrov noted.

"Therefore, we feel perfectly fine in the structures we are in, BRICS, the SCO, and other multilateral associations with Russian participation. In addition to political, security, trade, economic, and investment issues, these organizations also deal with expanding cultural, humanitarian, educational, and other ties," the Russian Foreign Minister emphasized. Lavrov pointed out that this also applies to musical and sporting events.

"There are more and more initiatives, including through BRICS, aimed at holding relevant events in the spirit of traditional values, in the spirit of cultural, musical, and other traditions of the peoples included in BRICS in this specific case, to preserve and multiply the art that has developed over centuries in these territories. And 'Intervision' was born precisely in the context of such an alliance of traditional art from the countries belonging to the BRICS association," the minister added.

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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