Russia will stage a rebooted Intervision this weekend, positioning the event as a cultural counterweight to Eurovision after Moscow’s exclusion from the European contest in 2022. The final is scheduled for 20 September 2025 at Live Arena in Novoivanovskoye, just outside Moscow, with host broadcaster Channel One airing the show domestically and feeds offered to participating networks. The organisers bill the theme as “unity through music”.
President Vladimir Putin ordered the revival by decree in February, casting it as a vehicle for “international cultural and humanitarian cooperation”. Russian officials say Intervision will showcase “traditional” and “spiritual” values, an implicit contrast with Eurovision’s liberal, LGBTQ-inclusive identity. The Kremlin expects participation mainly from BRICS, CIS and Global South states. Early lists have fluctuated, but organisers say 20-plus countries will compete.
How Intervision works
Unlike Eurovision, which combines professional juries and public voting, Intervision will be decided by an international professional jury assembled from each delegation’s national juror. Contest rules set 2-3 minutes for songs, cap six performers on stage, and assign production control to the Russian host. The official regulations confirm the date, venue and broadcaster and require participating channels to ensure two-way satellite or internet links for live transmission. Russian press guidance indicates a 3½-hour final, starting 20:30 Moscow time.
The politics behind the pageant
Intervision’s return follows the European Broadcasting Union’s decision to bar Russia from Eurovision 2022 after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine; Russia’s EBU members were later suspended indefinitely, making re-entry impossible. Moscow’s new contest seeks to fill that void at home while signalling cultural alignment with non-Western partners. Critics interviewed by independent outlets describe the project as a soft-power exercise rather than a like-for-like rival to Eurovision.
Who’s taking part
Participant lists released over the summer have included countries such as China, Cuba, Brazil and Serbia, with late additions and withdrawals common as bilateral negotiations continue. Russia’s own act is expected to be mainstream, pro-government fare, symbolic of the event’s values-first pitch. Organisers say the show will be carried “in all participating countries”, with Channel One and other Russian networks broadcasting nationally.
A made-in-Moscow spectacle
The Live Arena -an 11,000-capacity venue in Moscow’s western suburbs- has been rebranded across Intervision materials simply as “Moscow”, underlining the capital’s role as host. Production credits include veteran Channel One producer Konstantin Ernst; the staging and graphics draw on Russian modernist motifs, according to organisers.
Why it matters
For the Kremlin, Intervision offers a televised statement of cultural sovereignty at a time of deep isolation from European media architecture. For viewers, it will be a test of whether a jury-only, values-framed contest can generate cross-border buzz beyond Russia’s political orbit, or whether it remains largely a domestic showcase with invited guests.
Reporting based on official Intervision documentation and site materials, and on independent coverage from Reuters, the Financial Times, the Guardian and RFE/RL.
