At a Moscow concert hall, Shohruhmirzo Ganiyev is crooning about love and his motherland, Uzbekistan. Put your legs together like a man, suggests his voice coach and choreographer. And spread your arms wider!
It's just a rehearsal, but Shohruhmirzo is singing his heart out. He's performing traditional Uzbek melodies to a modern beat and playing a doira, the ancient drum of Central Asia.
Uzbekistan is among 23 countries competing at the Intervision Song Contest.
It's Russia's answer to Eurovision. With less kitsch – and more Kremlin.
Intervision 2025 is Vladimir Putin's brainchild. He signed a decree reviving the Soviet-era songfest with the aim of developing international cultural and humanitarian co-operation. The more obvious objective is creating an international song contest in which Moscow can actually take part. In 2022, Russia was banned from competing in Eurovision after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A pattern's emerging. When Team Russia was banned from the Olympic Games, Moscow tried to create alternatives, like the Games of the Future and the World Friendship Games. Now the Kremlin's come up with its own version of Eurovision.
For Intervision, the Russians have cast their musical net far and wide, inviting allies from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The starting line-up reflects the political and economic alliances of which Russia is part, like the Brics group of nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The list of participating countries includes China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam, Venezuela, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Madagascar: a very different musical map from Eurovision, and an opportunity for the Kremlin to show that, despite its invasion of Ukraine, Russia still has friends.
Mr Kiriyenko, President Putin's deputy chief of staff, chairs the song contest's supervisory board. He made a brief appearance this week at an Intervision press conference alongside Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. I know some people think there's an element of politics in Eurovision, I tell Mr Lavrov. But look who's represented here: the Kremlin, the foreign ministry, and the Russian government. Isn't that proof that Intervision is a purely political or geopolitical project?
In Ukraine, there are fears that Moscow is using Intervision to divert global attention from the war. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine considers that the Intervision 2025 song contest organized by Russia is an instrument of hostile propaganda and a means of whitewashing the aggressive policy of the Russian Federation, the ministry stated back in May.
Representing Russia at Intervision 2025 is Yaroslav Dronov, better known by his stage name Shaman. Last year the European Union sanctioned him for supporting actions and policies that undermine the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. His previous hits include I'm Russian, a patriotic pop song that declares: I'm Russian, I go to the end… I'm Russian, to spite the whole world. Not exactly Love Shine A Light or Save Your Kisses for Me.
But Russia is using Intervision to project a softer image than the one forged by three-and-a-half years of its war in Ukraine. The official goal of the contest is to get to know the unique cultural traditions and achievements of participating countries [and] promote universal, spiritual, family, cultural, ethical, and religious traditions of different nations. The international performers have read the rulebook. My song tells about culture from Vietnam, Vietnamese entrant Duc Phuc informs. I need to share the culture of Vietnam with everyone.
Intervision aims to create a vibrant tapestry of global music, in stark contrast to the controversies that have marked Eurovision in recent years. However, whether it can capture the world's attention and resonate with audiences remains to be seen.
