The scandal with Russian Eurovision 2017 participant Yulia Samoylova continues to gain momentum. At the end of last week the European Broadcasting Union made yet another attempt to press Ukraine regarding the fact that Ukraine banned the Russian contestant from entering the country.

The outgoing head of the EBU Ingrid Deltenre wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman, in which she stated that because of the decision of the Security Service of Ukraine to prohibit entry for Samoylova, other countries may refuse to participate in the competition.

The Supervisory Board of NOTU – Ukraine’s new public broadcaster which organizes the event – sent out their official statement regarding EBU’s letter in which they asked the organization and its head to respect the sovereignty of the country.

Here are some excerpts from the letter of NOTU:

Members of the Board of NOTU are familiar with the contents of the letter from Director General of the European Broadcasting Union Ingrid Deltenre to the Prime Minister of Ukraine.

The Board paid special attention to a direct threat that NOTU "will be excluded from future events" (i.e. of "Eurovision") if the Russian singer Yulia Samoylova is not allowed to enter Ukraine for participation in Eurovision 2017".

Since the letter of Mrs. Deltenre directly contains threats of punishment, the members of the Supervisory Board of NOTU want to state the following:

1. Ukraine is a long-term member of the European Broadcasting Union, law-abiding and active participant of "Eurovision". Twice singers from our country became winners, receiving the honor to host the competition at home. Also we stress that the Ukrainian participants of "Eurovision" always respect the laws and regulations of the country-host.

2. By visiting Crimea without the consent of the Ukrainian government, Yulia Samoilova violated the sovereignty and laws of Ukraine. Besides Russia, no other country, has a reason to challenge this action since no other European country recognizes Crimea as Russian.

3. We fully share the negative sense of the members of the European Broadcasting Union over the fact that "this year's competition was used as means in the current confrontation between the Russian Federation and Ukraine." However, we are surprised by the fact that the European Broadcasting Union expresses its concern and grief not by the Russian side but by the Ukrainian side. This greatly contradicts the statements of Ms Ingrid Deltenre for "apolitical" "Eurovision" because Mrs. Deltenre actually sticks to the side of the Russian Federation arranged by Russia's political provocations.

4. NOTU is a member of the European Broadcasting Union and fully shares the fundamental values of democratic Europe, public service and public broadcasting. But it is coming from these values, JSC "NSTU" the situation under discussion can not ignore the interests of the Ukrainian society, or withdraw from the Ukrainian state, and when protecting its territorial integrity..

5. We ask Mrs. Deltenre and the European Broadcasting Union to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine, and not to make the European Broadcasting Union a t tool of political manipulation of others and not to interfere with such statements to the normal and proper conduct of the contest - both this year and in the future .