Vietnamese singer Duc Phuc won the first Intervision Song Contest in Moscow, receiving 30 million rubles. The contest, created after Russia's exclusion from Eurovision, features 23 acts and intertwines politics with performance. Russian officials claim it is not soft power, despite political ties. The event included a speech by contestant SHAMAN and a controversy over Australian entrant Vassy's withdrawal due to political pressure. Eurovision faces its own political tensions, with several countries threatening to boycott if Israel participates.