In 2016, Ukraine's Jamala won the contest with the song '1944', whose lyrics referenced the deportation of the Crimean Tatars. Interactions between Russia and Ukraine in the contest had originally been positive in the first years of co-competition, however as political relations soured between the two countries following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the war in Donbas, so too have relations at Eurovision become more complex. Main article: Russia–Ukraine relations in the Eurovision Song Contest This again contravened Eurovision rules on political gestures and resulted in disciplinary action being levied against Armenian broadcaster ARMTV. Controversy erupted again in 2016 when Armenia's Iveta Mukuchyan was shown waving the flag of the Republic of Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway state internationally recognised as a part of Azerbaijan but largely inhabited by ethnic Armenians, at the contest's first semi-final. Armenia's entry to the 2015 contest received a name change following claims that it contained a call for recognition of the Armenian genocide, in contradiction to the contest's rules regarding political messaging in competing songs. In 2009, a number of people in Azerbaijan who voted for the Armenian entry were reportedly questioned by Azeri police.

The continuing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has affected the contest on numerous occasions since both countries began competing in the late 2000s. Main article: Armenia–Azerbaijan relations in the Eurovision Song Contest

Esc ukraine 2020