Editor’s Note: Ukraine has pulled out of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Tel Aviv on May 14-18. The National Public Television and Radio Company took the decision after the three top acts in the national competition to select Ukraine’s entry for the competition refused to sign a contract. The first to refuse was Maruv, who won the selection competition, but sparked controversy over the fact that she continues to perform in Russia, which invaded and occupied the Ukrainian territory of Crimea and which launched a war of aggression on Ukraine in the country’s eastern Donbas region in 2014. In response to the controversy, the national television company added a clause to its contract banning Ukraine’s entry from performing in Russia before Eurovision, and for three months after. But that decision provoked an outcry from another section of the public over such a sudden change of rules and what was seen by some as the politicization of the selection process.
Bohdan Shehda, student
“Yes, and I believe Eurovision is a political competition, just with singing and concerts. If people have already chosen Maruv – so be it. However, during the next year’s national selection we have to change the rules. Culture and art go hand-in-hand with politics, that’s the way it has always been.”
Liubov Oblat, retiree
“No, I guess not. What does Eurovision have to do with politics? It should be a non-politicized contest. Art and talent are incompatible with politics. However, I’m not following the situation around the selection competition for this year’s entry since I simply have no time.”
Valerii Kushnir, retiree
“So now, as far as I know, no one will represent Ukraine in Tel Aviv. In general, I believe that political views have to be taken into account, because the selected contestant represents our country and hence has to be a patriot. Without any doubt, Eurovision is a politicized contest.”
Olha Cherkaska, stage manager
“When I read news about the national selection for Eurovision, I saw a lot of hype created from nothing. In general, I don’t take Eurovision seriously, and it will be good if no one goes there from Ukraine at all. Next time, I think, we should take into account the political views of singers because politics and art are inseparable. However, you need to be tolerant whenever possible.”
Kostiantyn Skrypnychenko, doctor
“I don’t think so because art and politics aren’t linked. Contestants go to Eurovision to sing, not to campaign for something, don’t they? However, it’s better to find out at once if an artist is spreading bad ideas from a political point of view, and if so, avoid getting involved with him or her. If singers claim that they are going to Russia in order to reconcile people and make things better, then let them go.”
Natalia Yatsiv, executive assistant
“Of course! The singers aren’t just going to a song contest – they represent our country. Although Eurovision is supposed to be non-politicized contest, politics play a very large role there, which can be seen from the results in previous years. The organizers are to blame for the situation with Maruv: they should have made the absence of ties with Russia a condition for participating in the selection competition from the start. However, I think it’s right that she will not take part in Eurovision.”
