Yulia Samoilova

Yulia Samoilova – a Russian singer who will represent Russia at the "Eurovision 2017" contest with the song "Flame Is Burning" . In 2010, she graduated from the Faculty of Psychology of the Modern Humanitarian Academy.

Samoilova worked in heavy alternative music. In 2008, she founded the band "TerraNova". The band existed until 2010. The singer is a finalist of the third season of Alla Pugacheva's project "Factor A". Pugacheva personally honored her with the "Alla's Golden Star" award.

In 2014, in Sochi, at the opening of the Winter Paralympic Games, Samoilova performed the song "Together".

She writes the music and lyrics for her songs herself. The singer has used a wheelchair since childhood and has a Group 1 disability.

A scandal broke out in Ukraine over her possible arrival. According to the "Maidan of Foreign Affairs" project, Samoilova performed in annexed Kerch together with Gazmanov and Lolita. As a rule, all Russian cultural figures who supported the annexation of Crimea are included in the Ministry of Culture's "blacklist" and are banned from entering Ukraine.

The SBU has already started checking whether Samoilova really performed in Crimea after the annexation. The agency stated that the SBU's position "will be based exclusively on the norms of Ukrainian legislation and the interests of national security".