Main points
- Satoshi, Moldova's representative at Eurovision 2026, sparked controversy with remarks about Russian culture, but condemned the war and pro-Russian forces.
- He performed in Kyiv at the national selection, emphasizing his support for Ukraine, and his competition song “Viva, Moldova!” combines various musical elements.
Satoshi / Photo from Eurovision Instagram page
Moldova's representative, artist Satoshi, reached the grand final of Eurovision 2026. After that, calls began to spread on social networks for Ukrainians to refrain from voting for this artist.
What caused the discussions around Satoshi and what is his position on Ukraine and Russia – read more in the material of Channel 24.
Eurofans drew attention to an excerpt from a podcast that was released in December 2025 on the nokta.md YouTube channel, where Satoshi spoke about the Russian language and culture. He said that he does not support the idea of “abolishing” music in Russian and considers Russian cultural heritage to be part of his experience, not something bad. He also explained that the language an artist speaks should not automatically determine the national identity of the performer.
At the same time, in the same interview, Satoshi spoke out against the war, criticized pro-Russian political forces in Moldova, and condemned artists who support the so-called “SVO”. It is also important that he does not release songs in Russian. In addition, the artist supports the European direction of Moldova's development.
Interview with Satoshi: watch the video online
Let us also recall that in February 2026, Satoshi came to Kyiv and performed as a guest at the National Selection for Eurovision 2026. He published photos from the capital of Ukraine on his Instagram page.
On stage, he addressed the Ukrainians in Ukrainian: “Greetings, Ukraine! Moldova is and will be your friend and good neighbor.”
Satoshi spoke Ukrainian: watch the video online
What is known about Satoshi's participation in Eurovision 2026?
The artist's real name is Vlad Sabazhuk, he is 27 years old, he comes from the city of Cahul. The singer chose the stage name Satoshi under the influence of Japanese culture. His competition song for Eurovision-2026 is “Viva, Moldova!”. During his performance in the semi-final, the artist presented an energetic number that combined dances, drum parts, rap inserts, more lyrical vocals and various special effects, including smoke.
By the way, the Satoshi project has existed since 2019. During this time, Vlad has released three albums, and several of his tracks are already hits in Moldova.