Sofia Fisenko won the national final on 16 August 2016 with the song "Zhivaya voda" (Russian: Живая Вода).

[4] The Russian broadcaster, Russia-1, announced on 29 April 2016 that they would be participating at the 2016 Contest, taking place in Valletta, Malta, on 20 November 2016.

At the time of the announcement, it was also stated that the national final would take place in the city of Sochi,[5] which had also hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics.

[9] The table below lists the sixteen young artists along with their respective songs, which were performed during a televised broadcast on 16 August 2016.

On 6 October 2016, the Russian organisation team announced that Sofia Fisenko would now perform her winning entry along with Aleksandra Abrameytseva, Kristina Abramova and Madonna Abramova under the stage name Water of Life Project, with the title of the song "Zhivaya voda" (Russian: Живая Вода) also changing to "Water of Life", gaining an English final chorus.

[12] Carousel later reported Sofia Fisenko herself initiated the proposal to create The Water of Life Project, stating: "I sang and saw the eyes of all the children in the hall, my close friends sang along with me in the front row, and then I clearly realized that the "Water of Life" is us, the children, this is the energy and strength that spills with our voices around the planet.

Alongside lead vocalist Sofia, Sasha Abrameytseva and sisters Christina and Madonna Abramova also form the Water of Life Project.

Sasha is 13 years old and has already taken part in many international competitions and her original songs regularly broadcast on Russian television.

The girls used headset mics and started off on the floor before sitting up and launching into a polished routine, which had hints of an interpretive dance.

However, this year, points will be awarded based on a 50/50 combination of each country’s Adult and Kids' Jury, to be announced by a spokesperson.