Russia’s “Traditional Values” Music Contest: Can Moscow Out-Sing the West’s Cultural Influence?
As Russia revives its Soviet-era Intervision contest with Middle Eastern allies, the Kremlin’s latest cultural offensive reveals both its ambitions and anxieties about losing the global soft power game.
From Cold War Relic to Culture War Weapon
The original Intervision Song Contest, launched in 1977 as the Eastern Bloc’s answer to Eurovision, died with the Soviet Union itself in 1980. Its resurrection in 2024 by presidential decree signals something far more significant than nostalgia for bygone musical competitions. This is Vladimir Putin’s Russia attempting to construct an alternative cultural universe—one where “traditional values” serve as both shield and sword against what Moscow characterizes as Western decadence.
The timing is hardly coincidental. As Russia faces unprecedented isolation following its invasion of Ukraine, with Western sanctions biting and cultural exchanges severed, the Kremlin is desperately seeking new avenues of influence. The presence of contestants from the UAE and Egypt at the relaunched competition reveals Moscow’s pivot toward non-Western partners who might be receptive to its message of cultural conservatism and resistance to perceived Western hegemony.
The Irony of “Traditional” Innovation
There’s a delicious paradox in Russia promoting a “traditional values” competition while simultaneously touting its use of “modern technologies.” This contradiction encapsulates the broader tension in Putin’s Russia: a desire to embrace 21st-century tools while rejecting 21st-century social values. The appearance of Dima Bilan and Polina Gagarina—both veterans of the very Eurovision contest Russia now denounces—only underscores this awkward straddling of cultural worlds.
What exactly constitutes these “traditional values” remains deliberately vague, functioning more as a negative definition—anything that isn’t Western liberalism—rather than a coherent positive vision. This ambiguity allows Russia to market Intervision to diverse audiences, from Middle Eastern autocracies to African nations skeptical of Western influence, all united more by what they oppose than what they support.
Soft Power or Soft Delusion?
The deeper question is whether this cultural gambit can succeed where other Russian soft power efforts have largely failed. Eurovision, for all its camp and controversy, commands a global audience of nearly 200 million viewers and has launched international careers. Its power lies not in any particular values it promotes, but in its sheer entertainment value and the organic cultural connections it fosters.
By contrast, Intervision appears to be a top-down creation, mandated by presidential decree rather than arising from genuine cultural demand. The participation of nations like the UAE and Egypt may reflect diplomatic courtesy or economic incentives more than authentic enthusiasm for a Moscow-centric cultural sphere. History suggests that cultural influence flows most effectively when it appears effortless and attractive, not when it’s branded as ideological resistance.
As Russia stages its opening ceremony with former Eurovision stars performing under the banner of “traditional values,” one can’t help but wonder: In an age where soft power increasingly trumps hard power, can a competition built on rejection and resentment truly compete with one built on inclusion and celebration—however flawed that inclusion might be?
