Ukraine urges visa ban

Ukraine is pressing Italy to deny visas to Russians selected for the 2026 Venice Biennale, widening a fight over whether Moscow should return to one of Europe’s biggest art shows. (en.interfax.com.ua) Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on April 21 that Kyiv had already sanctioned the Russian participants and now expected Italy, as host country, not to issue entry visas. The 61st International Art Exhibition opens in Venice on May 9, 2026, with preview days on May 6-8. (en.interfax.com.ua) (labiennale.org) The visa push followed weeks of Ukrainian objections to Russia’s planned pavilion and a joint Ukrainian government statement last month calling Russia’s participation “inadmissible” while the war continues. Ukrainian officials have tied that case to reported destruction of cultural sites and the deaths of Ukrainian artists during the invasion. (unn.ua) (kyivpost.com) Latvia has moved in parallel. Its foreign ministry said on April 22 that it raised the issue at the European Union Foreign Affairs Council and called for Russia to be barred from the Biennale, alongside sanctions on cultural figures it says are tied to the Kremlin. (mfa.gov.lv) That campaign has spread beyond one capital. Latvian public media reported on March 11 that ministers from 22 European countries, including Latvia, backed a call for Biennale organizers to reconsider Russia’s participation; later reports put the number of supporting countries higher. (eng.lsm.lv) (yahoo.com) The dispute centers on Russia’s national pavilion in the Giardini, a permanent building that has represented Russia at the Biennale for decades. Russia’s 2022 presentation collapsed after its artist and curator withdrew after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the pavilion stayed closed that year. (artnews.com) In 2024, the pavilion was used by Bolivia instead of Russia. Trade publications reported in March that Russia planned to return in 2026 after that hiatus, reopening a cultural front that had been largely frozen since 2022. (artnews.com) (news.artnet.com) Italy’s visa role matters because the Biennale is staged on Italian territory even though national pavilions are organized by participating countries. Public reporting this month also described disagreement inside Italy and pressure from European Union lawmakers over whether Russian participation should proceed. (euronews.com) (labiennale.org) La Biennale’s 2026 edition is still scheduled to run from May 9 to November 22. Whether Russian artists actually reach Venice may now depend less on curatorial plans than on whether Italy turns Ukraine’s appeal into visa policy. (labiennale.org) (en.interfax.com.ua)