Recently, reports surfaced that Bulgaria’s entrant into this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, Kristian Kostov, had entered into the Russian-annexed territory of Crimea in 2014. Today, the Bulgarian delegation have released a statement.
The Bulgarian delegation explain:
“On June 1, 2014, Kostan Kostov visited Crimea for a few hours as part of the group of participating youths in the musical reality show โThe Voice Kidsโ on Russian public television. The concert, organized by โThe Voice Kidsโ, was dedicated to the International Childrenโs Day. Kristian Kostov performed two songs โ one in English, the other โ a Ukrainian song by the famous performer Roden Anousy.
At that time Kristianย Kostov was 14 years old and was not accompanied by his parents. No consent was sought for his participation in the concert.”
What does Ukraine say?
The State Border Security Service of Ukraine agree that at the time of the visit, Kostov was a minor. Thus, he is not responsible in this situation.
They add that the Ukrainian laws which prohibit Kostov from entering Crimea in certain ways, only came into force at the end of 2014. Therefore, there were no laws prohibiting his visit in June 2014.
So, what does all this mean?
This means that any news of Kostov illegally entering Crimea, as Yulia Samoylova did, are false. Samoylova was banned after she illegally entered Crimea in 2015. Thus, at the time of Samoylova’s visit, the Ukrainian laws existed, and Samoylova broke these laws through her entry into Crimea.
Kostov was a minor at the time, and therefore not fully responsible in this situation. Also, the laws prohibiting his entry did not exist at the time of his visit. So, in the eyes of the law, Kostov has done nothing wrong.
What do you think of this news? Do you agree that Kristian Kostov is innocent in this situation? Let us know in the comments below!
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