Pash won the Ukrainian Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with the song Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. A day later, her name was published in a list of supporters of Russia compiled by nationalist activists in Ukraine. “With a heavy heart I sadly withdraw my candidacy as Ukraine’s representative in the Eurovision Song Contest. I am very sorry,” the singer wrote on her Instagram account.
“I am a citizen of Ukraine, I obey the laws of Ukraine, I try to bring the tradition and values of Ukraine to the world. What this story has become is not at all what my song is about,” Pash wrote. “I am an artist, not a politician. I do not have an army of public relations people, managers and lawyers who will resist all these attacks and pressure, hacking into my social networks and threats. And the words that are completely unacceptable to me. People allowed themselves to say things without understanding the situation.”
She added: “I do not want this virtual war and hatred. The main war right now is the one that started in my country in 2014. I do not want to be a part of this dirty story.”
According to the Kremlin’s government news agency, Pash visited the Crimean peninsula in 2015, about a year after being annexed by Russia. According to the site run by those activists, called Peacemaker, they consider it a “deliberate violation of the borders of the state of Ukraine”.
In 2019 it became known about the singer’s controversial visit, who said that because of this she and her family receive threats on their lives. She says she visited the Crimea for her friend’s wedding, claiming that since she started working with her band she no longer performs in Russia – except for a visit to Moscow in 2017 “as a private person”.
Yesterday, the director general of the Ukrainian public broadcaster, Suspilne, said that “crooks” should not represent Ukraine. One of her staff forged documents so that her visit to the Crimean peninsula, annexed to Russia in 2014, would be presented as legal.
This morning, Pash addressed allegations that her travel documents to the Crimea were in fact forged. She said she and her friends were waiting for official approval from the border control while one of her team members decided to “assist” in locating the information and thus actually created a fake document. In response Pash announced that it had decided to fire the same person from its staff. In Ukraine there are strict laws regarding visiting the Crimea. Travel to the Crimea is allowed only with a permit and through the border control of Ukraine. Getting to the place via Russia is considered illegal.