Russia won't debut in the ABU TV Song Festival.

AIST (Alternative Irkutsk Studio of TV) of Russia, which is one of the elegible russian broadcasters to participate in the ABU TV Song Festival, has confirmed that they will not send an entry to Istanbul.

AIST is an associate member of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union. This Irkutsk based broadcaster is one of the few non state owned entities in Russia that belong to the ABU.

Russia has never participated in the festival since the event started in 2012.

Source: Eurovoix World