Country Russia Selection date(s) 12 March 1994 Selected song "Vechni stranik" | Selection process National final Selected entrant Youddiph Final result 9th, 70 points | |
Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 in Dublin, Ireland. This was Russia's first entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. The Russian entry was selected through a national final, organised by the Russian broadcaster Rossiya Channel (RTR). Youddiph represented Russia with the song "Vechni stranik", which placed 9th and scored 70 points at the contest.
Contents
National final
The Russian national final was held on 12 March 1994 at the RTR studios in Moscow, hosted by Vadim Dolgachev. Two songs were disqualified prior to the competition: "Oi oi oi" performed by Alena Apina was disqualified after receiving radio airplay prior to the competition and "Kogda vernus’ v Rossiyu" performed by Vika Tsiganova was disqualified with reasons such as the singer being accused of antisemitism and the singer deciding to withdraw the song herself being cited. The disqualified songs were performed as part of the interval act. The rules of the competition indicated that a jury of 16 voting members composed of 9 music professionals and 7 representatives of the public decided the result of the competition. Youddiph was the winner of the national final with the song "Vechni stranik".
At Eurovision
Russia performed 23rd at the 1994 Contest, following Hungary and preceding Poland. At the contest, the song was introduced under the English title "Eternal Wanderer", despite being performed entirely in Russian. On stage, Youddiph appeared with two acoustic guitar players: Igor Khomich and Vadim Chebanov. After the voting concluded, Russia scored 70 points and placed 9th.
The Russian conductor at the contest was song composer Lev Zemlinski. The voting spokesperson for Russia was Arina Sharapova.
Points awarded by Russia
Points awarded by the Russian jury: