Alina Pash, the winner of the national selection for «Eurovision-2022» refused to participate in the song contest. She announced this on her Instagram page, noting that she has no army of lawyers and managers to resist the attack and pressure, threats and hacking of her social networks.
«I am a citizen of Ukraine, I follow the laws of Ukraine, I try to bring the traditions and values of Ukraine into the world. What this story turned out to be is not at all what I put into my song… I don’t want to be in this dirty story anymore. With a heavy heart, I withdraw my candidacy as the representative of Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest. Unfortunately. I’m really sorry,» – she wrote.
Read also: Visits to Moscow and covers in Russian. How Alina Pash won the National Eurovision song context
Pash added that she did not want virtual war and hatred.
Later, it became known that the organizing committee of the National Selection for Eurovision-2022 decided to stop the participation of Alina Pash in the selection. Hence, the singer will not represent Ukraine at Eurovision-2022. This is stated in a statement of the organizing committee, Ukrainian National News reports.
It will be recalled that the final of the National Selection for Eurovision, which will be held in Turin (Italy) on 14 May, took place on 12 February in Ukraine. According to the voting results, the singer Alina Pash won with the song «Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors», and the Kalush Orchestra took second place, receiving one point less. After the announcement of the results on social networks, a scandal broke out, and the Kalush Orchestra declared the results to be falsified.
Immediately after the announcement of the results of the national selection, comments started appearing on the Eurovision Instagram page about the falsification of the results and the fact that Alina Pash cannot represent Ukraine. In addition, people also began to resent on Facebook, noting that Alina Pash was admitted to the contest in violation of the rules due to performances in the occupied Crimea and a tour in Russia. Read more here.
Later, state media «Suspilne» reported that the singer received a certificate from the State Border Guard Service, saying that she crossed the border legally. At the same time, famous Odesa-based activist Serhii Sternenko, citing his own sources, said that the singer forged it, and later the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine specified that border guards didn’t issue such document for Alina Pash.
We will add that, according to the Rules of national selection for participation in the Song Contest of Eurovision-2022, the participant guarantees that he did not act in the Russian Federation and in the occupied territories after 15.03.2014, namely did not carry out concert activity, performances, participation in any public and/or private events organized by state bodies, institutions, economic entities, etc. of the aggressor country or in the territory of the aggressor country, in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and/or in the other occupied territory of Ukraine after 15.03.2014 and does not plan, will not announce performances both in the period before and during the selection, and in the period after the National Selection until the date of the final of Eurovision-2022 inclusive.
Translated by Vitalii Holich
You can read a Ukrainian language version of this story here.
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