Countries boycott Eurovision because of its politicization, special envoy says

MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. International cultural venues are significantly politicized today, and that's the main reason other countries are starting to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest, presidential envoy for international cultural cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy said in an interview with TASS. "Today, all international cultural venues are largely politicized. Russia feels this more than any other country, and our non-participation in Eurovision is also a political act. The current Eurovision Song Contest isn't what it was back when it was created, when our country participated in it. And now we see a kind of mass boycott from other countries," Shvydkoy said. He said that it was a good thing Russia didn't take part, as that led to the creation of the Intervision competition, which is open to participants from all countries, including those unfriendly to Russia. The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 takes place in Vienna on May 12, 14 and 16. BBC said that Ireland, Iceland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia refused to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on national television. At the end of last year, these countries also refused to send their participants to the competition because of Israel's participation. The boycott was the largest in the entire 70-year history of the contest.