Russia revives Eurovision rival contest

With artists from 23 countries, hopes for a billion-plus viewers and a generous sprinkle of glitter, Russia hosts Intervision tomorrow, a song contest championed by Moscow as a rival to Eurovision.

- 

Originally a festival for the Soviet Union and its satellite states, Intervision is returning as a soft-power tool, heavy on anti-Western narratives with Moscow banished from Eurovision over its Ukraine offensive and striving for new cultural and political alliances.

Traditional allies Brazil, India and China, as well as former Soviet republics Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, are despatching artists to Moscow for the spectacle, which is being hyped with installations in central Moscow.

The US is also set to be represented Vasiliki Karagiorgos, known as Vassy, an Australian pop singer and songwriter, will perform for the US tomorrow night.