KIEV (Sputnik) — Earlier Thursday, the European Broadcasting Union suggested that Samoilova perform via satellite for her to be able to still take part in the song contest.
"Broadcasting Samoilova's performance by Ukrainian TV channels — is a violation of Ukrainian laws, just as her entry to Ukraine. The European Broadcasting Union had to take this into account," Kyrylenko wrote on Twitter.
Гастролі та телепередачі за участю персон нон-ґрата в Україні заборонені. Рішення-у зміні учасника від РФ. А позиція ЄМС політизує конкурс.
— В'ячеслав Кириленко (@KyrylenkoVyach) March 23, 2017
On March 12, Russia announced that Samoilova, the winner of the internal competition, will represent Russia at the 2017 Eurovision contest in Kiev. Samoilova, who has been wheelchair-bound since childhood, will sing the song "Flame Is Burning."
The Russian singer visited Crimea in 2015 with a concert without obtaining a permit from the Ukrainian authorities. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had launched an investigation into the case despite the fact that Crimea has been a Russian region since 2014.
The 2017 Eurovision contest will be held in Kiev from May 9 until May 13.
Crimea rejoined Russia in March 2014 following the national referendum, with almost 97 percent of the residents having voted for the reunification. Ukraine still considers Crimea as an occupied territory.
