You can’t really argue with Russia’s record at the Eurovision Song Contest. The top results achieved by the likes of Alsou, t.A.T.u., Dima Bilan, Serebro and (of course) the Babushki were accompanied by some of the most memorable performances in recent contests, and the country and its strong music industry can generally be relied upon to deliver the goods.

Given the current political situation in Ukraine and the wider region, this year’s Russian entry was always going to be one of the more controversial submissions, so it’s probably a bright idea for them to have got some steady old hands on board. Philipp Kirkorov, Dimitris Kontopoulos, John Ballard, Ralph Charlie and Gerard James Borg each have an established Eurovision pedigree in their own right, so combining their talents on a single song should be a sure-fire way of guaranteeing another strong result for Russia, right?

Well, yes and no. Shine was thrown together at the very last minute – after the EBU deadline, even – and whether the song was specially written for the occasion or simply dug out of a drawer and polished off, the haste involved in its production and recording shines through. It’s a thoroughly average 60s pastiche with little in the way of outstanding features – a pleasant album track, by all means, but far from the kind of thing that usually makes an impact at the contest even under normal (geo)political circumstances.

So what’s the other thing you do when your country isn’t necessarily at the height of popularity? Send an inoffensive performer who can’t be seen as a mouthpiece for the regime, and who should therefore draw less criticism. Enter the Tolmachevy Sisters – twins, in fact – who are remembered for winning the Junior Eurovision Song Contest back in 2006, as well as the role they played in the opening act for the first semi-final of ESC 2009 in Moscow. Now they’re old enough to participate in the grown-up event themselves, and here they are, ready to take on the world (and the collected boos of the Eurovision crowd) with what promises to be a visually appealing and tightly choreographed performance. Plus we know they can sing – so they may be able to drag some extra points out of an average composition with their “innocent” charm.

My verdict? There’s a lot of wishful thinking concerning the possibility of Russia being “punished” for Crimea to the extent that they won’t even qualify, but in a 16-song semi-final containing several true no-hopers, that seems too good to be true (even if they might deserve it from a strictly musical perspective). Regardless, though: as the response to Aram Mp3 from the Eurovision In Concert crowd shows, the fact is that this year’s Russian entry will be booed by a substantial number of fans in the arena, and that’s something that will undoubtedly be noticed by commentators, on social media and in the offices of the EBU. Whether any of this will have an impact in the voting remains to be seen: televoters and jurors are unpredictable at the best of times, but without a strong song to fall back on, aiming to be as uncontroversial as possible might actually end up being Russia’s downfall no matter how much glitter they throw at us on stage.

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