Russia will no longer be allowed to participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the European Broadcasting Union has said.
The EBU, which produces the event, said Russia’s inclusion could bring the competition into disrepute “in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”.
Russia launched an attack on its neighbour Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday.
Western governments have ramped up international sanctions in response.
State broadcasters from countries including Iceland, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands had called for Russia to be banned from the contest.
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The EBU stressed it was “an apolitical member organisation of broadcasters committed to upholding the values of public service”.
It said it remained dedicated to “protecting the values of a cultural competition which promotes international exchange and understanding, brings audiences together, celebrates diversity through music and unites Europe on one stage”.
The 66th edition of Eurovision is due to take place in Turin, after Italian rock band Maneskin won the 2021 contest.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have overshadowed previous editions of the song contest.
- Mixed feelings over Ukraine’s Eurovision triumph
Russia were favourites to win the competition in 2016, until Ukrainian singer Jamala stole a last-minute victory with a song that depicted the deportation of Crimean Tatars by Josef Stalin in 1944 – a horrific chapter the nation’s parliament has described as tantamount to genocide.
The lyrics were widely interpreted as a criticism of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Jamala, who is herself a Crimean Tartar, appeared to confirm the link when she told the press: “The main message is to remember and to know this story. When we know, we prevent.”
On the path to victory, her song picked up several important votes from former Soviet countries who have traditionally voted for Russia. Eurovision expert John Kennedy O’Connor called the result “a pointed slap in Russia’s face”.
A year later, Russian contestant Julia Samoylova was blocked from entering Ukraine, which was hosting the competition, because she had reportedly toured Crimea without entering it through the border with the Ukrainian mainland.
The Ukrainian government considers people who enter the territory via Russia to have crossed the border illegally.
Russian television station Channel One then announced it would not broadcast the contest or take part.
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