Yulia Samoilova to represent Russia at 2018 Eurovision

Singer Yulia Samoilova will represent Russia at the 2018 Eurovision song contest that will be held in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon on May 8 - 12, Russia's Channel One broadcaster reported.

"Julia Samoilova at the second attempt will try to conquer the Eurovision song contest. A young woman with a character and a song with a core," the broadcaster announced in the program "Vremya."

Samoilova was chosen to represent Russia at the 2017 Eurovision song contest in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev but the Ukrainian authorities banned the singer from entering the country over her performance in Crimea, which is considered by Kiev as an occupied territory.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) offered Russia to broadcast the singer's performance through a satellite, or to replace the contestant but the initiative was rejected by the Russian party. As a result Russia boycotted the last year's song contest, which was won by Portuguese singer Salvador Sobral.