Russian President Vladimir Putin has decreed the establishment of an international song contest, Intervision, to be held in Moscow and the Moscow region in 2025. The event aims to promote international cooperation in the fields of culture and humanitarian affairs, according to a document published on Monday.
High-ranking officials have been appointed to lead the organization of the event, with Vice Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko taking the reins of the organizing committee and Vice Chief of the Presidential Administration Sergei Kiriyenko heading the supervisory board.
Russia had previously been a fan of the Eurovision Song Contest, with a winner in 2008, four second-place finishes and four third-place finishes. However, the country’s exclusion from the contest has led to discussions about seeking alternative, non-Western-dominated platforms.
The Russian Culture Ministry had proposed the idea of a rival contest as early as 2023 and Chinese support for the Intervision project was announced last year. According to Putin’s cultural advisor, Mikhail Shvydkoi, around 20 countries, including all BRICS nations, are expected to participate in the inaugural event this fall.
The concept of Intervision was also discussed during political talks between Moscow and Beijing, with China’s support for the project seen as crucial. Putin stated in a May 2024 interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua that China would be Russia’s main partner in the Intervision project, aiming to “multiply and popularize national song schools”.
Since the start of the Russian military operation in February 2022, Russia, along with Belarus, has been excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest. The new project presents an opportunity for Russia to develop a serious alternative to the European song contest.
Notably, the idea is not entirely new, as Russia is reviving the Intervision project, which was first held in the Eastern Bloc countries from 1965 to the 1990s and then revived in 2008 and 2009, before being put on hold. The first attempt to revive the project was made in 2008, with a music competition held in Sochi, featuring artists from ten former Soviet Union states and Latvia.
Now, the third attempt is underway, with the Intervision project being presented at the International Cultural Forum in St. Petersburg in November 2023 and receiving a 6 billion-ruble budget allocation from the government in December.