Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the country has found itself cut off from much of the Western cultural and sporting world. Banned from international platforms such as the Olympic Games and Eurovision Song Contest, Moscow has responded by attempting to construct a “parallel world” — a set of alternative events and institutions meant to replace the Western ones it can no longer access.

While these new initiatives lack the prestige of the originals, they serve a deeper political and cultural purpose: reinforcing national pride and reviving the Soviet-era spirit that President Vladimir Putin often invokes with nostalgia.

A Nation of Substitutes

Following the bans, Russia launched several domestic replacements for global events. These efforts, though modest in international appeal, are designed to project resilience and self-sufficiency.

According to Anton Barbashin, editorial director of the Russian journal Riddle, “The majority of Russians believe that Russia was unfairly excluded from most international events, so these substitutes make sense in terms of providing some alternative.” He notes that while most citizens know these efforts are not the “real deal,” they are widely accepted as “better than nothing.”

For older generations, these imitations evoke memories of Soviet-organized festivals and competitions, reinforcing the government’s narrative of national revival and resistance to Western dominance.

The Soviet Echo

The Kremlin has long characterized its global isolation as “Russophobia”, painting Russia as a victim of Western hegemony. This rhetoric has accompanied its push for a “new global order”, one in which Russia leads a community of nations outside the Western sphere.

One of the most ambitious of these projects was the World Friendship Games, a proposed alternative to the Olympics. Announced in 2023, the event aimed to showcase global athletic cooperation under Russian leadership. However, after criticism from the International Olympic Committee — which called it a “cynical attempt” to politicize sport — the games were indefinitely postponed in late 2024.

The Return of Intervision

Russia saw more tangible success with the relaunch of the Intervision Song Contest in September 2024, a revival of the Soviet-era alternative to Eurovision. The event was promoted as a celebration of cultural diversity among nations outside the West, drawing participants from 23 countries.

Although the contest faced skepticism and accusations of propaganda, it concluded with a win for Vietnam’s Duc Phuc, marking a symbolic success for Moscow’s effort to reshape its cultural narrative. Notably, the U.S. contestant withdrew at the last minute — a reminder that geopolitical tensions still loom large over cultural diplomacy.

A “Parallel” Identity

While Russia’s alternative events may not rival the international prestige of their Western counterparts, they serve as an instrument of soft power, internal cohesion, and historical continuity. To many within Russia, these “import-substitution” efforts are not merely about sports or music — they are about identity, sovereignty, and defiance.

As Barbashin puts it, this strategy stems from “pure necessity.” Yet for Putin and his government, necessity has become opportunity: the chance to craft a world in which Russia stands apart — and proudly so.