Russia–Ukraine relations in the Eurovision Song Contest

Lore & Background

Until 2014, Russia and Ukraine had positive relations in the contest, exchanging top-3 points. A minor dispute arose in 2007 over Ukraine's entry "Dancing Lasha Tumbai", whose title was alleged to be a mondegreen of "Russia goodbye"; the performer Verka Serduchka denied this, claiming the phrase was meaningless or Mongolian for "churned butter", though a native Mongolian speaker on a Russian talk show said the phrase does not exist in Mongolian. In 2009, Russia was represented by Ukrainian singer Anastasia Prikhodko, who had won the Russian national selection after being disqualified from the Ukrainian one; she later denounced Russia's actions after the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Reader's Guide

The relationship deteriorated sharply after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. Russian entrants at the 2014 and 2015 contests were booed by the audience, leading to the installation of 'anti-booing technology' in 2015. In 2016, Ukraine's winning song "1944" by Jamala, about the deportation of Crimean Tatars, was criticized by Russian officials as political; Russia's entrant Sergey Lazarev congratulated Jamala but was later sanctioned by Ukraine for supporting the invasion. In 2017, Russia's entrant Julia Samoylova was banned from entering Ukraine for violating a travel ban to Crimea; the EBU offered a remote performance, but Channel One Russia withdrew. Ukraine withdrew from the 2019 contest after its national final winner and runners-up refused a contract clause barring touring in Russia. In 2022, following the Russian invasion, Russia was excluded from the contest, and Ukraine won; Ukraine was initially set to host in 2023 but the EBU deemed it unsafe due to the invasion, so the United Kingdom hosted on Ukraine's behalf.

Did You Know?

• In 2007, Ukraine's entry "Dancing Lasha Tumbai" was alleged to contain a mondegreen of "Russia goodbye", but the performer claimed it was a meaningless phrase.
• The 2016 Ukrainian winner Jamala stated her song "1944" was about her great-grandmother's deportation, but also referenced the current state of Crimea post-annexation.