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Newsletter: Ukrainian Love Story Written by on July 20, 2015 | 1 Comment

After a summer hiatus the ESC Insight Newsletter is back in action! Featuring as always the latest news from around the Eurovision world, read the latest copy here or sign up for the Newsletter to be emailed directly to your inbox.

This week we look at Sweden’s decision to award Eurovision 2016 to Stockholm, and also a dark secret hidden away in SVT’s basement. We also have our regular Robertson’s Reflection feature, where Newsletter Editor Ben Robertson reviews a different part of the Eurovision news. With it being the holiday season Ben has just got back from adventures in Ukraine, meeting Eurovision fans on his journey to Kyiv.

However on the whole most of Ukraine is calm, welcoming, safe, attractive…and ready. This is not a country that does standing still and the wider world is ready to welcome Ukraine as well. Last week the Eurovision fans I met were giddly with excitement that the country is back in Junior Eurovision once more and is looking to hold a National Final. Their format last year for Junior, taking twenty acts away for a two week training camp in the mountains at the end of the summer holiday season, was fantastic and should be used as a role model to other countries in how to develop youth talent. Their selection show is back, and Ukraine is back in Eurovision family.

The reasons for the excitement firstly is that Junior matters in Ukraine and has a very high standing as a competition and as an important event, far more than any countries further west would want to admit. Secondly though, it means that we are coming ever closer to a situation where Ukraine can come back to sing in the Contest each May as well. If Russia would have won in Vienna we could have forgotten about that possibility. Sweden’s victory is safe for Ukraine, who even awarded Sanna Nielsen their last douze points, and the blue and yellow flag combination, amongst everything else that we all know about Ukraine, will guarantee them a huge warm reception in Stockholm.

The Newsletter is schedule for a fortnightly publication during the summer months, so keep checking up here for your one stop location for Eurovision updates.

About The Author: Ben Robertson

Ben Robertson has attended 23 National Finals in the world of Eurovision. With that experience behind him he writes for ESC Insight with his analysis and opinions about anything and everything Eurovision Song Contest that is worth telling.

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Have Your Say

One response to “Newsletter: Ukrainian Love Story”

  1. Great article yet again Ben – I loved the link to the Örnsköldsvik video (getting boats in as extra accommodation? Genius!) and also that you liked my ‘EBU’ post on my blog. By all means add your likes and dislikes but I am delighted you read it and found it worth commenting on and directing people to! I shared it amongst a lot of the Facebook groups – it brought out lots of comments and interest, most of which was positive 🙂

    I feel like I’ve arrived on the Eurovision blog scene! lol

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