Putin has given the green light to resurrect a Soviet era song contest in a bid to rival Eurovision.

Eurovision became a big hit with Russians throughout the 2000s, drawing in millions of TV viewers.

First admitted to the competition in 1994, Moscow regularly sent some of its biggest stars to compete in the music jamboree.

Russia’s love affair with Eurovision reached a peak in 2008, when the singer Dima Bilan was crowned the winner of the competition.

The following year Moscow hosted an extravagant and spectacular Eurovision, costing an eye watering £34 million.

However, relations turned sour following Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which led to Russia being banned from the festival.

Now the Kremlin tyrant has decided to resuscitate a long-defunct Soviet rip off of Eurovision.

On Monday he signed a decree ordering officials to relaunch the Intermission song contest.

Scheduled to take place this autumn, it aims to “develop international cultural and humanitarian cooperation”.

Mikhail Shvydkoi, the presidential envoy, claims there is already a lot of interest from “friendly” countries in taking part in the competition.

He said “almost 20” countries, including Brazil, Cuba, India and China, have indicated a willingness to send teams to compete.

The Intervision song contest was originally the brainchild of the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

It was held intermittently from the 1960s to the 1980s in Poland and Czechoslovakia, becoming the eastern bloc’s response to Eurovision.

Artists hoping to perform at Intervísion have been urged to emphasise respect for “traditional universal, spiritual and family values”, according to documents seen by Reuters.

The Russian senator Liliya Gumerova told local media the Intervision contest would be a “chance to promote real music” and “not fake values that are alien to any normal person.”

She condemned Eurovision for including performers such as the Austrian drag performer Conchita Wurst.