Putin Revives Soviet-Era 'Intervision' Song Contest to Rival Eurovision

The Russian president has signed a decree to relaunch the Intervision competition, aiming to counter Western cultural influence after Russia's Eurovision ban.

Vladimir Putin has announced plans to resurrect the Intervision song contest, a Soviet-era alternative to Eurovision, which last took place in 2008.
The move follows Russia's exclusion from Eurovision in 2022 after its military invasion of Ukraine, a decision Putin has criticized as politically motivated.
Intervision aims to promote international cultural and humanitarian cooperation, with potential participation from BRICS nations and former Soviet states, though no official date has been set.
The competition, originally created in 1965 during the Cold War, was designed to counter Western cultural influence and featured participants from Eastern Bloc countries and allies like Cuba.
Past efforts to revive Intervision in 2008 and 2014 were unsuccessful, but Putin's latest initiative reflects his broader strategy to assert Russian cultural influence globally.