#RUSSIA | YULIA SAMOYLOVA TO WAVE RUSSIAN FLAG IN KYIV
The music has won in the end! Russia has finally made a decision to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 that will be held in their geopolitical rival Ukraine. Despite the fact that Russian head of the delegation will not take part in tomorrow's meeting of delegations.
On Sunday evening, Russia's Channel 1 announced their song and singer that will represent them in Kyiv, sending the wheelchair-bound singer Yulia Samoylova with the song "Flame Is Burning" to the contest.
She was born in 1989 with no health related issues. But following an inoculation, she slowly lost the function of her legs, with doctors suggesting that she might die within three to five years. She was also bullied as a child by being called names such as "cripple". By the age of 10, Yulia started singing in her school and she performed on a charity concert. After that she started to participate in various competitions.
Yulia first came to public attention in 2013, when she did an amazing and emotional cover of Serbian Eurovision winner Marija Šerifović's song "Molitva" on Russian version of the X Factor.
She is the second singer in Eurovision history to represent her country in a wheelchair. Her life story is an inspiration for everybody and fits nicely with this years Eurovision theme #CelebrateDiversity.
What is your opinion on Russian entry? Do you think we will be seeing Russia in the final this year? Tell us in the comments down below!
LISTEN TO HER SONG HERE:
YULIA SAMOYLOVA'S COVER OF “MOLITVA”:
