Ukraine sanctions hit Russian pavilion reps
Reports say Ukraine has imposed sanctions on five representatives tied to the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, naming commissioner Anastasia Karneeva and cultural envoy Mikhail Shvydkoy among those sanctioned. Coverage also says the EU is considering removing Biennale funding if Russia remains involved. (lamilano.it)
Ukraine has sanctioned five people tied to Russia’s return to the Venice Biennale, widening Kyiv’s campaign against what it calls wartime cultural propaganda. (president.gov.ua) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Decree No. 305/2026 on April 9, and Ukraine’s Culture Ministry said the measures target five people involved in organizing and presenting the Russian pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. (mincult.gov.ua) Ukraine’s ministry named commissioner Anastasiia Karnieieva and Mikhail Shvydkoy, the Kremlin’s special representative for international cultural cooperation, and said Russia’s 2026 project is called “The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky,” a musical performance with more than 50 participants. (mincult.gov.ua) The Venice Biennale had reinstated Russia’s pavilion after a four-year absence, with the 2026 edition scheduled to run from May to November. Organizers said they reject “any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art.” (politico.eu) The fight is no longer only between Kyiv and Venice. On March 10, European Union commissioners Henna Virkkunen and Glenn Micallef said Russia’s return was “not compatible” with the European Union’s response to the war and warned they could suspend or terminate an ongoing grant to the Biennale Foundation. (politico.eu) The Art Newspaper, citing the Financial Times, reported that grant at about €2 million. The same report said 22 European culture ministers had already urged Biennale leaders to reconsider Russia’s participation. (theartnewspaper.com) Pressure then spread inside the European Parliament. On March 27, The Art Newspaper reported that at least 34 members of the European Parliament had signed a letter calling for all European Union funding to be suspended if Russia’s participation goes ahead. (theartnewspaper.com) Ukraine’s Culture Ministry said the sanctions were proposed by the ministry and framed Russia’s pavilion as part of a broader effort to restore Russian cultural presence abroad despite the war. Minister Tetyana Berezhna said participation by representatives of “an aggressor state” was not a neutral cultural act. (mincult.gov.ua) Russia has argued the opposite. Politico reported that Italy’s Culture Ministry opposed the Biennale’s decision, while Shvydkoy praised the return as proof that Russian culture is “not isolated.” (politico.eu) For now, the sanctions put named Russian pavilion figures under Ukrainian restrictions, and the Biennale faces a separate European Union funding threat if the pavilion stays in the program. The next test is whether Venice changes course before the 2026 exhibition opens. (president.gov.ua)
