Russia revels in Eurovision glory

By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia revelled in the feel-good factor on Sunday after winning the Eurovision song contest and Germans and Britons wondered why their singers were so unloved.

Dima Bilan, a lithe 26-year-old singer, beat 24 contestants to give Russia its first victory in the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with a rock ballad "Believe".

President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, rushed to congratulate their singer, who gushed with patriotism as he spoke to state television.

"It is really great that the prize is coming to Russia," Medvedev was quoted by the Kremlin as telling Bilan by phone.

Bilan was shown chanting "Russia, Russia, Russia" down a mobile phone to Medvedev. State television ran the Eurovision victory as its top news story in Sunday broadcasts.

But Germans fretted after their most popular band of the last decade scored zero points from 40 of 42 countries in the contest and they ended up sharing last place.

"Why doesn't anyone like us?" asked Bild am Sonntag newspaper after Germany had yet another horrendous showing in the annual contest watched by more than 100 million viewers.

"Are we too stupid to win or is it simply we're not liked?" the Sunday newspaper said. "The fact is Germany's top recording artists have failed spectacularly in this contest. Do our singers simply have no chance abroad?"