September 16, 2025

Intervision: Russia's Eurovision


Intervision: Russia's Eurovision
Russian Singer Shaman | Okras Wikimedia commons

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European singing competition Eurovision announced that Russia would no longer be permitted to compete.

This year, Russia opted to revive Intervision, a Soviet-era singing competition that functions in the same way, with participating countries selecting a representative musician to compete before a panel of judges. Intervision will take place on September 20, and will be aired on Russia’s Channel One.

Intervision’s conception in the 1960s is key to its marketing. The contest was invented in Czechoslovakia, though this fact is not promoted. And it was initially conceived as a tool for soft diplomacy. Intervision’s website notes this bit of history, calling the show “a cultural bridge between East and West.” Despite this, participating countries are largely Eastern, and neutral to or supportive of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s representative will be Shaman, an artist whose popularity has been bolstered by support from the Kremlin. Shaman rose to stardom with songs like “Ya Russki,” (“I am Russian”) a patriotic anthem declaring Russian pride in the face of an ambiguous global enemy.  The song includes lines like, “I’m Russian. I’ll fight to the end,” and, “I’m Russian to spite the whole world.”

One dark horse in the list of participants is the US, to be represented by Brandon Howard, stage name B Howard, an artist most notable for the rumors surrounding his paternity. Speculation has it that he is the son of pop legend Michael Jackson, due to his resemblance to this singer and the connections of those close to him. None of the claims have been substantiated.

Intervision’s Instagram page currently has just over 6,000 followers, as compared to Eurovision’s 2.2 million. With an odd mix of participants, and its confused message on diplomacy, it is unclear if the contest will pop or burn.

You Might Also Like

Where Is Polina Gagarina?
  • October 04, 2023

Where Is Polina Gagarina?

A pro-war concert promised great stars on the stage, but instead had only ultranationalist poets.
Not-Russia Does Great Figure Skating
  • April 25, 2021

Not-Russia Does Great Figure Skating

The non-doping "Russia" won three out of four events at the recent world figure skating championships and swept the ladies' podium.
Pop Star Politics
  • September 23, 2020

Pop Star Politics

“Just know that you don’t give away your loved one… Belarusians, we are a force.” – a group of Belarusian and Russian pop singers, singing in a patriotic music video to support President Lukashenko
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955