Putin announces pro-Russian knock-off rival to Eurovision song contest…despite similar showcases flopping in Soviet era

VLADIMIR Putin has announced his own version of the Eurovision song contest despite Russia's similar Soviet attempts being a huge flop.

The bitter tyrant is set to take on the world famous competition by staging his own anti-Western version after his country was booted out following his terror invasion of Ukraine.

Putin issued a decree on Monday to set up a Moscow-led song contest called Intervision, which will be hosted in Russia's capital.

More than 25 of his ally countries are set to join his contest - including North Korea, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela.

Mad Vlad has already said his bizarre idea has been backed by his "Chinese friends".

This sad attempt at recreating Eurovision will reportedly ban LGBT performers.

In Russia, rules now ban anything deemed to promote homosexuality, and the international LGBTQ movement is seen as an extremist organisation.

Putin's move has been seen as an attempt to revive two similar flopped music contests from the Soviet era.

Communist Russia tried to set up a competition also called Intervision in the 1960s.

This was also aimed to bring together its allies in Eastern Europe and across the world, like Cuba.

Intervision ran between 1965 and 1968, and later between 1977 and 1980.

It is unclear if it will use its bizarre communist-era voting system when TV viewers turned their lights on or off to cast votes, with the results measured by electricity consumption.

The 2025 version of the competition will reportedly showcase "traditional universal, spiritual and family values".

This would be a sharp contrast to the flamboyance, art, and colour brought through Eurovision - like it's 2024 winner Nemo from Switzerland.