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Ukraine bars Russia Eurovision contestant
Journal Staff Report

KIEV, March 22 - Ukraine’s domestic intelligence agency, the Security Service of Ukraine, said on Wednesday that it had barred Russia’s Eurovision contestant Yulia Samoylova, from entering the country, The New York Times reported.

The singer’s appointment by Russia earlier this month stoked controversy in Ukraine, where it was seen as a deliberate provocation because Samoylova had performed in Crimea, a contested territory that Russia annexed without consent from Ukraine in 2014.

Entering Crimea without going through Ukrainian border controls is illegal, and some in Ukraine considered the move an insult because of the charged relationship between the countries in the region.

The security service said that it would examine reports that Samoylova had visited the peninsula without permission from Kiev and react accordingly. The service said on Wednesday that it had barred the singer for a “breach of Ukrainian laws,” but did not specify what those laws were. The service said she would be barred for three years.

Samoylova’s appointment ended a period of intense speculation over whether Russia would participate in this year’s Eurovision at all, or might boycott the contest because of its testy relationship with the host country and a belief by some Russians that Eurovision had become too politicized.

Last year’s winner, Jamala, an ethnic Tatar from Crimea, came from behind to win, beating favored candidates like Sergey Lazarev of Russia. Her winning song, “1944,” made apparent reference to the abuses perpetrated by the Soviet Union in the region during Stalin’s rule.

Each year, roughly 180 million people around the world tune in to the contest, which features contestants from around 40 countries, mostly in Europe. Each year’s contest takes place in the home country of the previous year’s winner.

This year’s festivities have already been mired in controversy: In February, 21 of the show’s producers abruptly resigned amid allegations of corruption.

Samoylova had been set to compete with her song “Flame Is Burning.” On Wednesday, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Grigory Karasin, called the decision to ban the singer from Ukraine a “cynical, inhumane act.”

The Eurovision final is set to take place May 13 in Kiev. (nyt/ez)




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