Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the revival of the Soviet-era Intervision Song Contest, positioning it as an alternative to the Eurovision Song Contest, from which Russia was banned in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday to stage an international song contest – “Intervision” – reviving a relic from the Soviet era after Russia’s 2022 expulsion from Eurovision.

Russia took part in Eurovision 23 times from 1994 but as ties with the West steadily soured it began to consider reviving the Soviet-era Intervision, especially after Conchita Wur

Putin looks to be starting a new singing competition this year with a series of 'friendly' Russian allies in response to the on-going Eurovision ban due to his invasion of Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Feb. 3 ordering the revival of the Intervision song contest, the Soviet Union's equivalent to Eurovision. The Eurovision Song Contest banned Russia from participation in 2022 following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's love affair with Eurovision reached a peak in 2008, when the singer Dima Bilan was crowned the winner of the competition.

Intervision has its roots in the 1960s and 1970s when it took place in Czechoslovakia and replaced the International Song Festival in Sopot. The contemporary edition holds particular significance following Russia's exclusion from Eurovision.