Ukrainian entry suspended

According to BBC News, the Ukrainian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, “Tini zabutykh predkiv” has been suspended. Again, it has something to do with the fact that she visited Crimea. That is legal in Ukraine, as long as one travels via the Ukrainian border. Every contestant who visited Crimea after Russia annexed it, must provide documents which prove that the visit was legal.

And that is where the problem starts for Alina Pash, the winner of the Ukrainian final last Saturday. Alina had the requested documents, but now they seem to be forged. If Alina traveled to Crimea via Russia, her Eurovision participation is in serious danger.

NTU, Ukrainian broadcasting corporation, is now waiting for the border control service to investigate Alina’s documents. Until everything is clear, Alina’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest is suspended. Contracts are not signed yet and will only be signed if the documents are proven to be authentic.

In 2019, Ukraine withdrew. National final winner Maruv had performed in Crimea after the annexation. NTU decided that therefore, she couldn’t represent Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest. Other participants in the national final did not want to replace her.

Martijn

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