Meet the man behind Russia's rival Eurovision
14 May 2025
What do you do when you're booted from Eurovision for invading a neighbor? Simple – you bring the Cold War back to the stage. Russia is reviving Intervision, the Soviet-era answer to Eurovision, with a flashy comeback show slated for September.
Initially set in the 1970s in Poland, the programme united Soviet Bloc countries in singing shows. Today, three years after Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022, president Vladimir Putin ordered the hosting of the first show in September 2025. Organisers promised to build a 'non-political' music competition to attract singers from BRICS countries. They said two dozen singers, including Brazil, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia, have confirmed participation.
Russia has always been very serious about Eurovision, as it is in any competition. Konstantin Ernst, the Kremlin's most prominent TV producer, offered Putin to set up Intervision to substitute Eurovision.
Ernst is no stranger to big TV glamour: in 2009, he organised the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, making it the third most expensive show in the contest's history, and directed the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games ceremonies. Ernst has a new win-win deal with the Kremlin. By setting up Intervision, Ernst got a new expensive toy, and the Kremlin gets a chance to demonstrate that Russia isn't isolated from the outside world.
Ernst chose Ukrainian singer Anastasia Prikhodko to sing for Russia back then – unthinkable today. This year, Shaman, a notorious pro-war singer known for his fascist aesthetics, will sing for Russia at Intervision. Shaman rose to stardom following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine after the state popularised his song "I am Russian."
The show will likely be broadcast on Channel One Russia, a TV station owned by the company headed by Alina Kabaeva, the long-rumoured mistress of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hinting, it is set for one viewer only – Putin himself. This time, however, Ernst must act cheaply. The government has given just over €7 million to Intervision, compared to €27 million for Eurovision in 2009. Meanwhile, Basel allocated €35 million for Eurovision this year.
 | Sascha Roslyakov |
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