Pictures: Suspilne

Alina Pash will not sing at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. In a post shared on Wednesday afternoon, she made it clear that the ongoing saga of her 2015 visit to Crimea has become too much for her.

“I don’t want to be part of this dirty story anymore,” she said, just hours after it was revealed that one of her team members had forged travel documents to make it look like she’d traveled to the region legally.

In her statement she said:

“I am a citizen of Ukraine. I follow the laws of Ukraine. I try to carry the traditions and values of Ukraine into the world. What’s been poured into this story is not at all what I put into my song.”

“I am an artist, not a politician. I do not have an army of PR people, managers, lawyers to resist all these attacks and pressure, the break-in of my social networks, the threats. And also the absolutely unacceptable words that people allow themselves without understanding the situation and forgetting about the dignity of every citizen of Ukraine. I don’t want this virtual war and hatred. The main war now is an external one, which came to my country in 2014.”

“I don’t want to be in this dirty story anymore. With a heavy heart I unfortunately withdraw my candidacy as the representative of Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest. I’m really sorry.”

“We will contact the public broadcaster [Suspilne] and sign all the necessary documents.”

“Separately, I want to thank everyone who supports and helps me, who hears my song and important message, rather than gossiping about me. Thanks! We have a story going on with you, and we have to decide what it will be.”

She finished her statement with a heart emoji.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Alina Pash (@alinapash)

Day by day, hour by hour. So it has gone for Alina Pash and Ukraine at Eurovision 2022.

Her official withdrawal came just ninety minutes after she posted about her upset after learning a team member had forged her travel documents. 

Yesterday the CEO of Eurovision broadcaster Suspilne said that “crooks” should not represent Ukraine and that he was awaiting official confirmation from the border agency about whether Alina entered Crimea illegally in 2015.

This morning Alina addressed the ongoing speculation that the travel documents she submitted to the broadcaster were fakes. 

She said that while she and her team were waiting for an official response from the country’s border service about obtaining the documents, someone in her team had decided to “help” by locating the information as soon as possible and potentially creating a fake document.

Alina says she is now removing this person from her team.

Interestingly, and as Depo reports, the State Border Guard Service said that they deleted the travel information from the database, so could not provide Pash with a travel certificate. All of the information about border crossings is stored for five years, and Alina went to Crimea in 2015.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Alina Pash (@alinapash)

The caption reads roughly as follows:

“As promised, the first thing we did was to find out the circumstances within the team that gave rise to the SBGS [border control] spokesman’s statement about the illegitimate certificate. It turned out that while we were waiting for an official response to my request from the Border Guard, a member of my team tried to find this information as soon as possible and chose the wrong path, which neither I nor any of us would agree with.”

“It looks official. It contained the real dates of entry into the temporarily occupied Crimea, correctly indicated by the Chaplynka checkpoint, through which I crossed the administrative border. No one on the team had reason to believe that the certificate was not valid.”

“Exactly how and from where a member of our team could obtain the document provided to the Public is currently unknown. If the information provided by a member of our team to the Public Broadcaster is forged or false, law enforcement and the court must draw their own conclusions. For our part, we are ready to help establish the truth.”

“On behalf of my team, I want to apologize to Ukrainians, to the Public Broadcaster, to everyone who observes this negative noise around me. It is a pity to realize that such heavy and unpleasant sticks are pushed into the wheels. I understand that the person on my team was driven by the desire to help, but this kind of help is unacceptable. I am a citizen of Ukraine, I follow the laws, support traditions, bring Ukraine into the world! For me, dignity and honor are much more important than winning any competition.”

“Today I am breaking off relations with my director, this is already being done by lawyers. I received an answer to my own request to the SBGS today at 11:00. [The information is currently with the Public Broadcaster]. To be continued…”

UA:PBC has now responded. You can read their full statement here.

Do you hope that Vidbir runners-up Kalush Orchestra will get the spot at Eurovision? What do you make of all this? Let us know in the comments box below.

331 Comments
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El Tigre
El Tigre
2 years ago

I have trouble to understand one thing, I’m not sure anyone mentioned yet.
Why she applied for Vibdir in a first place? She and her team knew the rules.

And honesty, I’m bit overwhelmed by Ukraine, pushing her political agenda, periodicly from 2005.

There are other countries in ESC having political troubles, still, they never (to my knowledge) used the stage for political propaganda. Either trough songs or as a hosts.
Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Turkey, Greece, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ireland, just to name a few.

Just my opinion.

Branko86
Branko86
2 years ago

UA:PBC has now responded. You can read their full statement here.

There is no link to read the full statement?
?

Agent 008
Agent 008
2 years ago

I don’t like how Wiwibloggs can never grasp the full situation. You are making her sound as if she is innocent and is withdrawing out of the goodness of her heart. In fact, it is for damage control, she literally forged documents and is blaming her team, as if she had no choice. When in reality, why would her team do it without her knowledge? It makes no sense to do it without her knowledge

Strongpoint
Strongpoint
2 years ago

Look, Suspilne mismanaged the situation on many levels but it is not what they wanted. A vocal group of people + Pash action’s caused this. Pash had 3 options 1) Admit that she was in Crimea Illegally, ask for forgiveness, and hope for an exception in rules. She could be denied but considering how minor this thing really is, I think there would be a good chance for her to still go. 2) Ignore the social networks and go by innocent till proven guilty. Hate in social networks would continue but she would still go to Turin 3) Play an… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Strongpoint
From
From
2 years ago

I think Ukraine will follow the path that Belarus has gone.

Mark
Mark
2 years ago
Reply to  From

The Belarusian Broadcaster was kicked out of the EBU for crimes against humanity. What crimes did the ukrainian broadcaster commit?

El Tigre
El Tigre
2 years ago
Reply to  Mark

They didn’t kill anyone, crime against humanity is a bit harsh word.

just me
just me
2 years ago

This is simple. She should clearly say: Yes, I visited Russia at that time or no, I didn’t. That’s all. If she did, well, it’s her own fault.

tetiana
tetiana
2 years ago
Reply to  just me

a lot of people here don’t understand – it’s not about visiting russia and “politics”, it’s about disrespect of international laws and ukraine’s integrity: crimea is officially ukraine (no country in the world confirmed it’s a russian territory despite annexation). by entering crimea from russia’s side you violate ukraine’s laws, borders and integrity.

Karl
Karl
2 years ago

Shadows of forced withdrawals

Agent 008
Agent 008
2 years ago
Reply to  Karl

it’s not forced, she knew what she was doing when she forged those documents lmao

pinkrhirhi
pinkrhirhi
2 years ago

The last winning Vidbir song that actually went to Eurovision was in 2018. I just thought that was interesting

Ffs
Ffs
2 years ago

Great news !

Fast Food Music Lover
Fast Food Music Lover
2 years ago

This is sad but kudos to her for withdrawing herself nstead of letting this shenanigans go on.

Justyna
2 years ago

She was apparently disqualified before withdrawing :/

Agent 008
Agent 008
2 years ago

please, she did it for damage control so she could control the narrative and gain the people’s sympathy. how people still feel sorry for her when she literally broke the law and forged documents, i will never understand

Mqe
Mqe
2 years ago

Well this is an unfortunate mess… While I do feel this nationalistic pressure brought on artists for the “sin” of travel to a particular (albeit problematic) region is absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary, providing falsified documents is also not the best move. Why they need to provide them for participation in a song contest is beyond me in the first place, but Ukraine really needs to sort itself out. While I understand its troubled relationship with Russia and condemn imperialistic tendencies, I see no reason why this is even an issue within the context of Vidbir/Eurovision. What, do they think they… Read more »

Masha
Masha
2 years ago
Reply to  Mqe

It’s not a restriction on travelling to the region, she just had to follow the law and go through a proper checkpoint. The inconvenience is that you can’t fly there and not break Ukrainian law. So instead of going there by car or bus legally, Alina flew there through Moscow – and with that broke Ukrainian law. Moreover, she then forged the document making it look like she passed through a legal checkpoint.
That’s not someone Ukrainians want to represent them on a European stage.

Mqe
Mqe
2 years ago
Reply to  Masha

I fully agree on the forgery point – trying to circumvent the rule in this way is unacceptable. But I do think this rule placed on artists by the broadcaster is frankly a tad ridiculous. I am sympathetic to Ukraine in its political struggles with Russia; however, the way the broadcaster forces artists to became a tool in their anti-Russia propaganda (and I wish to stress I am not saying ‘propaganda’ in a negative, but purely neutral sense) is not something I approve.

Agent 008
Agent 008
2 years ago
Reply to  Mqe

it’s a bit tiring for YOU, i hope you will never feel what it is like to have the constant threat of invasion for 8 years. we ukrainians don’t want someone who forged and lied to represent ukraine

Mqe
Mqe
2 years ago
Reply to  Agent 008

Of course I am not at all trying to downplay the seriousness of the political situation and of course I agree that forgery should not be tolerated. But is she were upfront and admitted she visited Crimea in the way she did, she would also not be allowed to participate. And that to me is a bit too harsh of a condition for a song contest with heavy political undertones. Perhaps Maruv was a better example of this. Again, I do not approve of forgery – it is right that she was disqualified for this reason – I have an… Read more »

Nat
Nat
2 years ago

The girl broke the rule, of course she will face consequences. All logical, no?

Im so fab
Im so fab
2 years ago

Another singer that was shamed by their own country. Disgusting.

Masha
Masha
2 years ago
Reply to  Im so fab

She broke the law and then tried to forge documents.
This might be alien to you, but most Ukrainians don’t want such people representing our country in ESC!

Agent 008
Agent 008
2 years ago
Reply to  Im so fab

shamed? she broke the law, she should be held accountable

Jo.
Jo.
2 years ago

oh Ukraine, you make it so hard to love you

Mark
Mark
2 years ago
Reply to  Jo.

Alina is an individual. Don’t hate an entire country for the actions of an individual.

Agent 008
Agent 008
2 years ago
Reply to  Jo.

stop villanizing a whole country for the actions of an individual. why would ukrainians want to be represented by someone who breaks the law?

Jo.
Jo.
2 years ago
Reply to  Agent 008

interpretation is everything, isn’t it?!

dominic
dominic
2 years ago

so sad about this, no other song in the selection will even come close to replicating the result alina would’ve achieved 🙁

Last edited 2 years ago by dominic
Mark
Mark
2 years ago
Reply to  dominic

What? Ukraine’s first None Qualifier?

Maria
Maria
2 years ago

If we can’t prioritize contestant selection for a song show, does that mean our country needs to be attacked?

Greg
Greg
2 years ago

I wouldn’t believe her. She pretends to be so innocent, but in fact she isn’t. A wolf in the sheep’s clothing. There wouldn’t have been such a scandal if she agreed with what she had said before Vidbir about her trip to Crimea. But she invented so many different stories… Even her statement about her withdrawal is a lie. She got disqualified for the fake document, it was not her decision. There was nothing the broadcaster could do with that, they really wanted her to perform, but too many people got furious because of her lies.

Kian
Kian
2 years ago

I haven’t kept up with the drama but I’m gutted! Her song was so good

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago

I’ve been avoiding all this drama, because it’s hard to affirm who’s the victim here (if there’s a victim, besides obviously the Eurovision fans, especially the Ukrainian ones) and I can’t even imagine how it feels living in Ukraine under the current circunstances, but forging an official document would put someone in trouble in any country. If it was indeed someone on her team and Alina had no idea, I hope she gets rid of that person and finds a way to clear her name. Vidbir is such a strong national selection when it comes to music, it’s a pity… Read more »

Leendert Jan
Leendert Jan
2 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

Hear hear

Mark
Mark
2 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

It’s not Vidbir’s fault the law is the way it is

Little Miss Sassy
Little Miss Sassy
2 years ago

What in the ham sandwich

Xxx
Xxx
2 years ago

Not my top 3 withdrawing… I…

Kalla
Kalla
2 years ago

So so so soooo disappointing. Of course Europe feels for Ukraine during the current situation, but the way they are acting politics with this (and by no means not the first time) makes it difficult to feel any empathy for them. Such a shame for Alina, she probably would have won with this type of song and what’s going on at the moment. I’m surprised any artists would want to be risking their career by winning Vidbir.
Can’t imagine KALUSH will be going to Eurovision with their beef with the broadcaster. Maybe see you in 2023 Ukraine.

Jacob S
Jacob S
2 years ago

ukraine u really suck!

Mark
Mark
2 years ago
Reply to  Jacob S

The song, you mean, yeah?

Agent 008
Agent 008
2 years ago
Reply to  Jacob S

please stop villanizing a country for the actions of a person. maybe it seems alien to your little brain, but why would anyone want to be represented by someone who constantly lies, forged documents, and most importantly, broke the law?

Max
Max
2 years ago

So sad, really

Agent 008
Agent 008
2 years ago
Reply to  Max

no, she broke the law. there is nothing sad about it

ESC Stan
ESC Stan
2 years ago

Two things. I’m not sure how she couldn’t have known. At least not to this extent. This seems… I don’t know. Secondly, she was a deserved winner. There were three possibles in my eyes. I hope this scandal hasn’t stuffed it up for the next contestant because, of the three that I saw winning, there was a real chance we were going to Kiev next year. So sad.

Mark
Mark
2 years ago
Reply to  ESC Stan

No chance

Sebastian
Sebastian
2 years ago

No way!!! That’s a shame. I feel bad for her

Mark
Mark
2 years ago
Reply to  Sebastian

I don’t. She knew the rules before she entered the contest. She’s a fool if she thought she could get away with it.

Denis
Denis
2 years ago

Honestly, why isnt Ukraine banned yet? The way they use a selection show and artists as political weapon and mistreats artists. Do they get sympathy due to current situation or what? Belarus got banned for using politics, so why is Ukraine here? If Ukraine expects everyone to be 100% guilty free they better look abroad and dig out someone who isnt even Ukrainan to represent them…

Eurovision fan
Eurovision fan
2 years ago
Reply to  Denis

It seems EBU sanctions only count for pro-Russia countries

Kai189
Kai189
2 years ago
Reply to  Denis

Originally Belarus was asked to change the song due to the political message. Later on they were removed from EBU for other, more serious reasons, not because of a song or selection process.

You can’t compare the “mistreatment of the artists” to what Belarus did (and is still doing) to their people. Of course Ukraine could handle this situation better, but EBU should not ban them for this reason.

Denis
Denis
2 years ago
Reply to  Kai189

Ukraine is using their artists as a political weapon, that is the issue. Not only that they use ESC itself as a political weapon. Constantly looking at which artists have been here and there to see if they obey some proxy law. That should be the main reason for banning someone..

Masha
Masha
2 years ago
Reply to  Denis

She broke the law and then tried to forge documents. It’s not some artists rule, it’s actual Ukrainian law!
This might be alien to you, but most Ukrainians don’t want such people representing our country in ESC. The organizers announced her as the winner and were happy with it.
The public started raising this issue and it went viral. Because we do not condone her actions and have other beloved and well-respected artists who are way more suited to represent our country.

Mark
Mark
2 years ago
Reply to  Denis

Belarus was torturing people live on TV. They were committing actual crimes against humanity. Stop comparing that to a silly song contest.

Kaija
Kaija
2 years ago
Reply to  Mark

Exactly. Eurovision fans are putting Eurovision above everything, as if it is the most important thing to exist for the participating countries.

Sad to see her withdraw, but you should check if you comply with all the rules before applying to the selection, and have the paperwork ready, especially knowing the 2019 situation.

Mary M.
Mary M.
2 years ago

I’m not sure until what extent I can have an opinion on this since, I am another fan of Eurovision, and I cannot really judge on things I don’t know about (and there is a lot to know about on this specific topic). I know there has been talk on forged papers, which seems pretty bad, but the entire system looks like a mess for… this could have been sorted out before the national selection?

Anyway, my question here is, Ukrainian fans; how do you feel about this?
I want to know about your opinions, please.

tetiana
tetiana
2 years ago
Reply to  Mary M.

we – just observing it like a circus show. the one to blame here for sure is suspilne broadcaster – they organized a shameful vidbir (too many fu*kups during show), they promoted alina pash to the utmost (gave her the most favorable – last place to perform, suspilne jury gave low points to kalush, main alina’s competitor, and they did not check her certificate about border crossing). hope suspilne organizer will dismiss as he threatened to do so. that would be fair regarding alina – i suspect she’s not sincere, in previous interviews she did not object crossing crimean border… Read more »

Mary M.
Mary M.
2 years ago
Reply to  tetiana

Thank you for educating me on the topic, seeing everything from your perspective is… a whole new thing.

UaleWonka
UaleWonka
2 years ago

Such a shame. No other words needed.

Justyna
2 years ago

Well, I really doubt she even suspected that going to some wedding in 2015 would make her so much in trouble 7 years later…

Serafina
Serafina
2 years ago

Why do these people even bother to try if they know they’ve been to Crimea illegally? And she even tried to lie lol shadows of forgotten travels i guess

Last edited 2 years ago by Serafina
margustoo
margustoo
2 years ago
Reply to  Serafina

She probably went there legally. But Border Police only kreps records for 5 years. That means that she can’t prove her most likelt legal action..

Shuma
Shuma
2 years ago

Now there are concerns about Tymofii Muzychuk’s, from Kalush Orchestra, travel history too, so looks like they’re not going either.
Is it Go-A again???

ESC Stan
ESC Stan
2 years ago
Reply to  Shuma

It’d be wellboy then. I wanted Kalush but not mad about it. I feel sad for him, getting in this way though.

Yeva
Yeva
2 years ago
Reply to  Shuma

Kalush easily refuted these rumors

Strongpoint
Strongpoint
2 years ago
Reply to  Shuma

Going to Moscow isn’t even prohibited by Suspilne’s rules. The rules are that one can’t visit occupied territories in an illegal way (there are legal ways to go there) or one can’t perform in Russia or occupied territories.

Roelof M
Roelof M
2 years ago

Welp, this is already the worst thing to happen this ESC season. I’m guessing that Kalush might just step up, but at this point I don’t even care what happens anymore, this is completely ridiculous and a broadcaster should NEVER have to publicly shame an artists that provides entertainment FOR them. Even tho Vidbir is my absolute fave NF every year, Ukraine should select internally until the situation is resolved/ stable. My heart hurts, I really REALLY hate this.

Masha
Masha
2 years ago
Reply to  Roelof M

The organizers weren’t the ones to initiate the shaming. The organisers announced her as the winner and were happy with it.
The public started raising this issue and it went viral. Because we do not condone her actions and have other beloved and well-respected artists who are way more suited to represent our country, people were pretty mad that she was qualified to participate in Vidbir in the first place.
Only after a few days of Ukrainians going crazy about this topic online, the organisers decided to take action and ask her for the documents and so on.

James
James
2 years ago

First Maruv and now this wtf Ukraine

Esc_ukraine
Esc_ukraine
2 years ago
Reply to  James

Maruv was different. There was some new rules added to the agreement. Pash new all rules before the selection and accepted it.

Colin
Colin
2 years ago

I agree. While Vidbir is a musically good festival, it’s been too cruel to many of its participants and winners, publically humiliating them year after year. If Ukraine decides to stay, they should hold all of their selections internally, by handpicking the most faithful musicians who have a spotless political history. I’d rather have musically less stellar selections who treat their participants with respect.

Andi
Andi
2 years ago

Oh for f***s sake! I just began to love this song and now…. pooof….gone. FML

Xxx
Xxx
2 years ago
Reply to  Andi

But it’s not gone, it’s still there for you to enjoy, it’s just not competing.

Andi
Andi
2 years ago
Reply to  Xxx

Yes at least that

Tim
Tim
2 years ago

People which defending her in the comments, you do not understand that she was lying intentionally just to go to Eurovision. I agree that it’s also Suspilne’s fault not to check docs beforehand. But you can’t defend Alina, she’s a liar and it was her disgrace to all Ukrainian people.

Colin
Colin
2 years ago
Reply to  Tim

.

Last edited 2 years ago by Colin
AlexK
AlexK
2 years ago
Reply to  Colin

Democracy and human rights don’t stand well against war. Ukraine has rather strict laws regarding occupied territories. If there were no occupied territories, there would be no such laws.

Agent 007
Agent 007
2 years ago
Reply to  AlexK

LOL the state border agency has no issues with her.

Eurovision fan
Eurovision fan
2 years ago
Reply to  Tim

Ukrainians should blame their bad politicians for political crisis they are in.

Last edited 2 years ago by Eurovision fan
MartyMcCu
MartyMcCu
2 years ago

I’ll be honest listening to this , despite Ukraine being a victim of all these hostilities , this is no way to treat an artist, a national , and pursue this process to select a song for a song contest . As I said before the EBU have no power overruling how a song is selected , but I wish they put a clause in their rules stating that a country should be removed from the competition if they bring the reputation of the contest to disrepute .

Bernardo Santos
Bernardo Santos
2 years ago

Second time in 4 years…as much as we like Ukraine in Eurovision (one of my favorites in general, and my 2021 favorite) I think this incompetence is worth a disqualification. They are trying to use artists as political weapons and can’t even check these things before Vidbir? I can’t even think of what Alina Pash is going through now, after having the highest of highs just 4 days ago earning a chance to represent her country in the biggest music competition in the world to now this…She didn’t deserve this.Ukraine doesn’t deserve this. Eurofans also don’t deserve a national selection… Read more »

Masha
Masha
2 years ago

I see where you are coming from. But this is absolutely the organisers fault (and Alina’s since she broke the law and forged docs).
Ukrainians were the ones who started raising this issue and it went viral. Because we do not condone her actions and have other beloved and well-respected artists who are way more suited to represent our country.
It’s just sad that it had to come to this and she wasn’t just disqualified prior to participating in Vidbir 🙁

Bella
Bella
2 years ago

We lost a talented performer and one of the best songs in the contest so far, due to IMO a very poor management of the national selection by the broadcaster. I understand Ukraine is in a tough situation right now, but that’s all the more reasons to be diligent and make these verifications before choosing a representative (especially since the same issue happened in 2019 in Ukraine).

I wish good luck to Alina with her career and will keep checking her stuff on Spotify.

Kee
Kee
2 years ago

Just ban Ukraine already!Enough with all this political propaganda and mistreatment of their artists.

Kåre
Kåre
2 years ago

Since Alina withdrew, I’m wondering how Chanel didn’t. She received way more hate than Alina and completely ignored all of it

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
2 years ago
Reply to  Kåre

chanel is representing a first-world country with no absurd laws that could create legal precedents, all she has to face is bitter fans

Patrick
Patrick
2 years ago

first-world country” – and Sweden is literally a third-world country, how does this matter in the 21st century? Just say poor or rich, don’t be shy.

Steven
Steven
2 years ago
Reply to  Kåre

I’d say that Spain and Ukraine are in different situations, and consequently, Ukrainians and Spaniards are sensitive to different things at the moment. Alina just does not want to be portrayed as an enemy of her country.

Strongpoint
Strongpoint
2 years ago
Reply to  Kåre

If Pash just ignored all of it… she would go, I am 99% sure of this

But she continued to produce unconvincing excuses (including a fake document) in an attempt to defend herself… Suspilne got no other choice, really it isn’t their fault.

It was done by politically obsessed canceling crowd AND pash own mistake of trying to defend herself instead of ignoring haters

Eugene
Eugene
2 years ago
Reply to  Strongpoint

She did not withdraw her participation, she was withdrawn by the Ukrainian Broadcaster company (Suspilne) due to forged documents. So you’ve failed with your 99% sureness.

Strongpoint
Strongpoint
2 years ago
Reply to  Eugene

Did you even read what I wrote? I said if we she ignored everything and didn’t try to defend herself with interviews AND this document

Shuma
Shuma
2 years ago
Reply to  Kåre

Some people are weak and resign too easily. Strong people stay and fight.

Im so fab
Im so fab
2 years ago
Reply to  Kåre

Did you REALLY bring Chanel into this???

Erik
Erik
2 years ago

She can return next year. If Julia Samoylova could do it, so can she.

Tzs
Tzs
2 years ago
Reply to  Erik

With Maruv and guy who Ukraine cancel before they have chosen Aisha – Sweet people …

Erik
Erik
2 years ago
Reply to  Tzs

???

Colin
Colin
2 years ago
Reply to  Erik

The difference is that Samoylova wasn’t banned by her own broadcaster from Russia, but by the Ukrainian goverment, who were hosts of the 2017 edition. So, her own broadcaster wasn’t hesitant to send her again in 2018, once it was on Portuguese soil, and Ukrainian laws didn’t apply. On contrary, Ukraine themselves probably won’t send Pash again, unless the situation in the country changes. I feel sorry for Alina.

Erik
Erik
2 years ago
Reply to  Colin

Banned? This was Alinas own decision

Colin
Colin
2 years ago
Reply to  Erik

But did she have a choice?

Otis
Otis
2 years ago

and now Ukraine will ask the Romanian Aris to represent them in 2022 with Do Svidaniya that says

I’m not your Russian doll
You ain’t a Russian spy jajajajja
😛

Tzs
Tzs
2 years ago
Reply to  Otis

Noo Dolly Style are ready

JSU12
JSU12
2 years ago

All of this is a shame. But, in complete honesty, while she had a powerful performance, I did not see the song winning. It did not “ring” in my ears. It felt “off” to some degree. There was nothing I could sing to, that caught my ear, nor did I want to listen to it again and again. On the other hand, Kalush Orchestra’s song has a great hook! “Stefania, mamo, mamo, Stefania.” Their performance was a mess, which is what I think cost them. But, if they go to EV-22, I think Ukraine’s staging directors can make this song… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by JSU12
vamoss
vamoss
2 years ago

In fact, in an interview some days ago, the head of the Ukrainian public broadcaster Yaroslav Yodigiv said they actually pray to come second and not first. So yeah, they don’t want to win.

Last edited 2 years ago by vamoss
dygh
dygh
2 years ago

They publically shamed her. I hope she can recover from this witch hunt.

The broadcaster has the right to chose who represents them, but Suspilne seems to have political motives. Belarus was kicked out for this.

Eugene
Eugene
2 years ago
Reply to  dygh

Poor Alina, thought that she had forged documents and nobody’s gonna know, let’s blame the rational protest against it a “witch hunt”. Ridiculous.

Strongpoint
Strongpoint
2 years ago
Reply to  dygh

She’ll be fine, she got many new fans in Ukraine and the cancellers will forget about her existence soon and switch to some other area they don’t really care about.

Ukrainian Eurovision fans are among the most harmed by those pseudo virtuous pseudo patriots who barely know what ESC is.

It is so sad that Pash’s team cracked under pressure and did this stupid, stupid thing with the fake document

Oh, and Suspilne isn’t happy to do this, they were forced by the canceling crowd

Last edited 2 years ago by Strongpoint
Erik
Erik
2 years ago
Reply to  dygh

What do you mean about ”shamed her”. This was HER OWN decision

Maria
Maria
2 years ago
Reply to  dygh

Belarus was removed from the competition because of a political song, the lyrics of which were degrading to the Belarusian people. How is this similar to Alina’s situation? She was disqualified for giving false information.

Eugene
Eugene
2 years ago

It’s a lie from her side. Ukrainian national broadcaster Suspilne decided to stop her participating in Vidbir 2022 based on the rules due to the fact of providing of the inaccurate information (forged documents) and she did agree with that. She did not withdraw her participating, she was withdrawn – that’s important.

Colin
Colin
2 years ago

Another “might have won” entry withdrawn thanks to politics. Alina’s song is beautiful, and I will continue listening to it. Now it depends who takes her place. If it’s sore runner-ups from Kalush Orchestra, I might just ignore the entry altogether. If it’s Wellboy, I have nothing against him. I’m just sad that the victory would be handed to him in such manner. Overall, a sad day for Ukraine and for ESC.