KIEV, April 25 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has given instructions to ensure that the Eurovision song contest in May is broadcast to Ukrainian homes, a government press release said on Saturday.

The announcement by the premier follows a statement by the country's National Television Company that it was experiencing financial problems which could affect live broadcasts of the Eurovision Song Contest due to be held in Moscow next month.

"Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has instructed the National TV and Radio company to ensure live broadcasts of the final of Eurovision 2009 in Ukraine," the statement reads.

Strangely enough Russia is represented in the May finals by ethnic-Ukrainian singer Anastasia Prikhodko, who caused controversy when she won the Russian qualifying finals after being disqualified from the Ukrainian qualifiers.

There were also calls for Prikhodko, who appeared on the Russian equivalent of American Idol, to be banned from representing Russia after video footage of her was aired on You Tube making racist statements.