Ukraine bars Russia's Eurovision entry

Russia's entry for this year's Eurovision has been barred by hosting nation Ukraine.

Russian Eurovision singer Yulia Samoylova

Russia's entry for this year's Eurovision has been barred by hosting nation Ukraine. Source: AP

Ukraine has barred Russia's entry for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest from entering the country because she violated Ukrainian laws, the spokeswoman for Ukraine's state security service says.

Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 sent relations with Ukraine to an all-time low, and now even sporting or cultural events are potential sources of tension between the two.

Watch: Russian contestant banned from Ukraine Eurovision



Ukraine, which won the right to stage the 62nd Eurovision event after its contender won the 2016 competition, has previously said it would deny entry to certain Russian singers it deemed anti-Ukrainian.

"The Security Service of Ukraine has banned the citizen of the Russian Federation Yulia Samoylova from entering the country for a period of three years," Olena Gitlianska wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

SBS will broadcast the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in May, with Australia again in competition alongside 42 other countries.

Watch: Australian contestant Isaiah Firebrace - Don't Come Easy  


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Published 23 March 2017 8:34am
Updated 23 March 2017 11:48am
Source: AAP


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