Russia no longer allowed to compete in Eurovision 2022 following Ukraine invasion

cancelled a series of shows in Moscow and St. Petersburg in protest against the war last month – held a live-streamed concert in Istanbul on Tuesday (March 15) in a bid to raise money for Ukrainian refugees.At one point, Oxxxymiron – real name Miron Yanovich Fyodorov – paused the performance to make a plea to those Russian people who are in favour of the action being taken by President Vladimir Putin.Jonny Tickle, an English journalist who is based in Moscow, subsequently shared a clip of the moment along with an English language translation of the rapper’s speech.“It seems to me – rather, I’m sure – that the people who are for this war are in fact against this war,” Oxxxymiron began.

A tearful Russian soldier has blasted Vladimir Putin on camera for killing civilians and children during their invasion of Ukraine.

TikTok star Sam Ryder is reportedly being lined up to represent the UK at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.According to the The Mirror, BBC bosses are preparing to reveal the viral star as this year’s entrant with his recent single ‘Space Man’.Ryder found viral acclaim after he started posting covers and at-home karaoke tracks at the beginning of lockdown in March 2020. By the end of the year, he was crowned TikTok’s most popular artist account.With 7.7million followers and a range of famous fans including Justin Bieber and Alicia Keys, Ryder recently performed for an NME Home Sessions performance.It was announced last year that TaP Music – the global music publishing and management company behind the likes of Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey – will collaborate with the BBC to choose a track and artist to represent the UK at the Song Contest.Meanwhile, Russia was recently banned from competing in this year’s Eurovision following backlash to an earlier statement from organisers saying the country would be allowed to compete despite launching a military assault on Ukraine.Ukraine officially severed diplomatic ties with Russia, and declared martial law, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation last month.Ukraine’s entrant, Alina Pash, will also no longer represent her home country at this year’s event, the competition also recently announced.

Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova has spoken out in a new interview against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, calling the Russian leader “insane”.Tolokonnikova and her Pussy Riot bandmates have been longtime critics of Putin’s regime, with Tolokonnikova herself spending two years in a Siberian prison for dissenting. Earlier this year, she and bandmate Nika Nikulshina were labelled “foreign agents” by the Russian government.In a new interview with The Guardian, Tolokonnikova discussed her fears for the people of Ukraine and the jeopardy facing Russians who speak out against Putin.“Putin just signed a law that said you’re going to get 15 years in jail for even discussing the war in Ukraine,” she said.

Netflix is no longer serving customers in Russia amid the Ukraine invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin.

Actor Sean Penn has told fans that he 'walked miles' to the Polish border after being caught up in the Ukraine invasion.

Franz Ferdinand have cancelled their upcoming shows in Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine last week.The Scottish band have become the latest act to axe their planned Russian gigs in the wake of the widely condemned Vladimir Putin-ordered military assault, with Yungblud, Green Day and the Russian rapper Oxxxymiron also scrapping shows in recent days.After speaking out in support of the “open and welcoming” people of Kyiv last week, Franz Ferdinand have confirmed this morning (March 1) that their scheduled gigs in St Petersburg and Moscow on June 29 and July 1 will no longer take place.The band said in a statement that “the only reason for this is the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian state”.“We love Russia. This great country has inspired our band through its art and literature and since we first played there 17 years ago, we have built a rich and deep relationship with our Russian fans,” the band said.“Since Thursday morning [February 24], we have spoken to many of our friends in Russia via social media and have encountered unanimous opposition to this violence and solidarity with our Ukrainian friends.

New sanctions have been announced targeting Russia's central bank.

Oxxxymiron, a Russian rapper and activist with a significant following in his home country, has canceled his first headlining tour in five years in protest of President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, The New York Times reports. The sold-out shows were set to take place in Moscow and St.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Russian invasion of Ukraine is reverberating in the classical music world, where star conductor Valery Gergiev, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is being forced to cancel engagements at La Scala in Italy as well as Carnegie Hall and other venues in the U.S.Gergiev, known to be an old friend and vocal supporter of Putin, last conducted Tchaikovsky’s opera “The Queen of Spades” on Wednesday evening at Milan’s famed La Scala opera house, where he was lightly booed, according to Italian press reports.On Thursday, as Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala, who is the president of La Scala, publicly urged Gergiev to condemn Russia’s invasion, saying that if the conductor — who has not commented Putin’s move — did not issue a statement, “the collaboration will be over,” he said. Gergiev is next scheduled to appear at La Scala on March 5.