The Bulgarian five-a-side winner is said to have questionable Russian connections.
Dara won Eurovision with her song Bangaranga. INKA SOVERI
Bulgaria’s Eurovision winner Dara allegedly has questionable connections to Russia.
The artist’s Eurovision song Bangaranga is partly Greek by Dimitris Kontopoulos composed by In previous years, Kontopoulos has been involved in composing several Russian five-pieces.
Ukrainian United24 Media says that one of Kontopoulos’ long-term collaborators is singer Philipp Kirkorov, who is known as an open supporter of Vladimir Putin’s regime.
Kirkorov has played a central role in Russian visa projects and participated in several visa projects in collaboration with Kontopoulos. They have composed songs by Sergey Lazarev together You Are the Only One (2016) and Scream (2019) and the Tolmačova sisters’ verse song Shine (2014).
by UA News Kirkorov claims that he was also involved in the background arrangements for Dara’s Eurovision performance.
Philip Kirkorov and Sergey Lazarev in 2019. PDO
A video has spread on social media in which the singer claims to have had a direct influence on the implementation of the show. In the video, Kirkorov has said that he participated in the preparation of the show and according to him, his team worked on the staging of the Bulgarian singer.
– I have dedicated so many years to Eurovision, guided and helped so many. I have stood under different flags: Belarus, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moldova… It would be a sin not to stand under the flag of my second homeland, Bulgaria… When Bulgarian television asked me to support Bulgaria this year, I could not deny myself this joy, he said.
In addition, Kirkorov called Bulgaria the 16th Russian Republic and said that Bulgarians long for the Russian Federation.
Dara’s official representatives and the Bulgarian Broadcasting Company have so far not commented on the allegations in any way.
RBC-Ukraine the alleged connections started a campaign on social media urging not to vote for Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Kontopoulos is said to have continued his contacts with the Russian entertainment industry even after Russia launched a war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022. Russia was excluded from Eurovision in the same year.
Dara scored Bulgaria’s first Eurovision win, collecting a total of 516 points. Israel came second Noam Bettan with 343 points.
Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen finished with their song Flamethrower sixth.
