Russia will never abandon the traditional upbringing of children, Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov said on Tuesday while commenting on this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which featured non-binary performers.
The 68th edition of the contest, which took place in Malmo, Sweden, included artists from 37 countries. First place was awarded to Swiss contestant Nemo – a flamboyant non-binary musician who performed his song ‘The Code’. Second place was given to Croatia, with Ukraine in third. Russia did not participate.
Speaking at a plenary session of the State Duma, Kravtsov said that while he did not watch the entire show, he was sent some clips from the event, which he described as “terrible.”
“Today they are destroying the system of education, upbringing, human foundations. A striking example is the Eurovision final,” Kravtsov stated, adding, “what happened there is terrible.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also slammed the contest, saying, “Eurovision 2024 has surpassed any orgy, coven or ritual sacrilege.”
The diplomat shared a clip featuring several performances from the event, including Ireland’s non-binary Bambie Thug, Finland’s Windows95man, who wore little more than a T-shirt with the Windows logo, and others.
“The funeral of Western Europe is going according to plan. No surprises,” Zakharova wrote.
Kravtsov insisted that Russia will never abandon the traditional education system and vowed to work towards improving it by resolving the issue of staff shortages, raising teachers’ salaries and increasing the prestige of the profession, and reducing the costs of state textbooks.
He noted that pedagogical education has become the second-most sought-after area of studies among Russian university applicants over the past few years. Nevertheless, he added that “we must continue to actively work” in this direction.
Kravtsov said the Education Ministry has a clear plan to address these issues in accordance with the decrees of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He added that the ministry has also begun drawing up a comprehensive strategy for further developing the education system by 2036.