Eurovision 2017

With Russia threatening to withdraw from future contests I think it unlikely they would send another contestant. They'll either resolve this and their current song will enter, or they won't participate.

Good. The Kremlin knew exactly what they were doing sending such an artist. I'm more disgusted at the cynical decision to send a disabled singer to avoid any baying and booing in Kyiv.

Well I'd say the cause would be Russian invasion 3 years ago.

This is unfortunate news, the Eurovision Song Contest is supposed to be above this kind of stuff. I hope a solution is found, though it's obvious that Russia's participation has been less warmly received in recent years, for many reasons. I still have some doubts that the contest will go ahead in Ukraine, but I'm sure the EBU will do all it can to ensure it does. Any standby country taking over would be the first to do so since NOS did in 1980 following a second Israeli win on the trot.

It is but the contest can't do anything about a country's border controls or visa requirements, which seems to be what this is about - the Russian contestant being ineligible to enter Ukraine because of an earlier entry to Crimea which Ukraine determines illegal, given they claim Crimea as part of their country.

One wonders whether Russia are quite pleased at this... They will have known - surely - that their performer couldn't legally enter Ukraine...

Massive publicity for them. Russia seem absolutely determined to win the thing again.

Look out for more issues ahead. The Armenian entrant could now also face a ban. Artsvik reportedly visited Crimea some time ago for a small performance and is under investigation by Ukrainian authorities. I think the EBU will grudgingly accept if Russia is banned. If it grows to two countries, expect an intervention.

The EBU has taken this all wrong. They should tell Russia that they are out, and if Armenia suffers the same issue, they should too withdraw.

Ukraine will not change their mind on this.

So they should allow the politics of one country to dictate the rules of a supposedly apolitical contest.
It is really no different to FIFA telling a country not to take a gay player to the Qatar world cup.

The EBU have had several chances and more than enough good reasons to move the competition out of Ukraine. Bit late to be moaning about the laws of the land at this late stage.

Seems the EBU are offering Russia a satellite input into the contest now.