Saudi Arabia Will Not Host Russia’s Intervision Song Contest This Year, TASS Reports
The decision leaves the future of Russia’s alternative to Eurovision uncertain a year after Moscow revived the Soviet-era competition.
Saudi Arabia will not host Russia's Intervision song contest this year, according to TASS, an unidentified source told the state-run news agency. The event may be postponed until 2027, though the exact reasons for the cancellation were not disclosed. The decision to move the competition away from Saudi Arabia leaves Russia's alternative to Eurovision uncertain, just a year after Moscow revived the Soviet-era contest.
Riyadh had already expressed doubt about the event's dates, participants, and program in August. Saudi officials said at the time that Russia had not formally transferred responsibility for organizing the event. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had hoped in May that ongoing tensions in the Middle East would not disrupt plans for the second edition.
After being barred from Eurovision in 2022 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russia revived Intervision. Eurovision's organizers had deemed Russia's participation detrimental to the competition's reputation. President Vladimir Putin signed an order in February 2025 to revive Intervision, allocating 750 million rubles ($9.3 million) for its staging.
The Moscow contest in 2025 featured participants from 22 countries, with Russia represented by pro-Kremlin singer Shaman. Vietnamese singer Duc Phuc won the competition, followed by Kyrgyzstan's Nomad group and Qatar's Dana Al Meer.
Written by urgent.news from The Moscow Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
