Bangkok Post

Poroshenko upholds Russian singer’s ban

- Russian singer Yuliya Samoilova.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday defended the decision to ban a Russian singer from the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev over a past performanc­e in Crimea, saying admitting her would be against the law.

Speaking in Riga, Poroshenko said the three-year entry ban on 27-year-old singer Yuliya Samoilova was justified as she had illegally entered the Russian-annexed peninsula to perform a concert in 2015.

“Ukraine allows people to visit Crimea only with a special permit. To do otherwise is against Ukrainian law. This is well known by the Russian side,” Poroshenko told journalist­s, saying the law must be applied equally to all.

“We offered several ways of addressing this question, starting with the possibilit­y of video broadcast and finishing with the possibilit­y of sending another participan­t.”

Russia’s Channel One state channel, which selected Samoilova as Russia’s contestant, refused Ukraine’s offer last month for her to participat­e remotely, saying that would go against the essence of the event.

“Russia didn’t want to participat­e in Eurovision but wanted a provocatio­n. I’m pleased that thanks to the actions of the Ukrainian government this provocatio­n will not be realised,” Poroshenko added.

Organisers of the Eurovision song contest have threatened to ban Ukraine from future competitio­ns unless it allows Russia’s entrant to enter the country and take part in this year’s show in the Ukrainian capital.

Moscow and Kiev has been at loggerhead­s since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and over Russia’s subsequent involvemen­t in a conflict pitting Ukraine troops against pro-Russian rebels in the east of the country.

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed since t he start of a Russia-backed insurgency.

The Eurovision song contest final will be held on May 13.

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