Russia banned from Eurovision 2022
Russia will no longer perform at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, the European Broadcasting Union has announced.
On Thursday (24 February), organisers of the annual contest announced that they had no plans to prevent Russia from taking part in this year’s event, The Independent reported.
However, on Friday (25 February), the EBU backtracked and explained that Russia would no longer be allowed to compete.
“The EBU has announced that no Russian act will participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest,” the statement read.
The group said that they had “widely” consulted their membership on the matter and had made a decision based on “a recommendation earlier today by the Eurovision Song Contest’s governing body”.
“The decision reflects concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year’s contest would bring the competition into disrepute.”