Zelenskyy sanctions five

Ukraine just moved a sanctions weapon into one of the art world’s biggest rooms. On April 10, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Decree No. 305/2026 against five Russian cultural figures that Kyiv says are tied to Russia’s participation in the 61st Venice Biennale. (president.gov.ua) (interfax.com.ua) The Venice Biennale is not a niche fair. La Biennale di Venezia says the 61st International Art Exhibition runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with 99 national participations and 31 collateral events in Venice. (labiennale.org) Ukraine says these five people were not punished for making art in the abstract. The presidential office said they “justify the aggression” and spread Russian propaganda at international events, and said all five are linked to Russia’s presence at this year’s Biennale. (president.gov.ua) (interfax.com.ua) One of the five is Anastasia Karneeva. Interfax reported that Karneeva has served as commissioner of the Russian pavilion since 2021 and is set to represent Russia again in 2026. (interfax.com.ua) That is why this landed in Venice instead of staying inside a normal sanctions list. Russia’s pavilion is reopening in 2026 after sitting out the 2022 and 2024 editions, according to ARTnews, and Russian state envoy Mikhail Shvydkoy said the pavilion would open in May. (artnews.com) Russia’s 2022 withdrawal was a direct result of the full-scale invasion. ARTnews reported that artist Kirill Savchenkov, artist Alexandra Sukhareva, and curator Raimundas Malašauskas stepped down after Moscow invaded Ukraine, and the pavilion then remained closed for that edition. (artnews.com) The 2026 comeback was already controversial before Kyiv acted. The Art Newspaper reported on March 6 that Russia’s project would be titled “The tree is rooted in the sky,” would involve a festival from May 5 to May 8, and had drawn protests from Pussy Riot and Ukrainian artists. (theartnewspaper.com) La Biennale di Venezia did not frame Russia’s participation as an endorsement. The Art Newspaper said the organizers argued that any country recognized by Italy can notify its intent to participate if it owns a pavilion in the Giardini, and said the Biennale rejects exclusion or censorship of culture and art. (theartnewspaper.com) Ukraine has been building this argument for months. In a February 24 sanctions announcement, Zelenskyy’s office said Russia uses culture, history, and museum property as part of hybrid warfare, and sanctions commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk called it “cultural colonization.” (president.gov.ua) So the April 10 decree is not just about five names. It is Ukraine saying that when a state uses a national pavilion, a commissioner, and an international exhibition to project legitimacy during a war, those cultural roles can be treated like part of the political machine. (president.gov.ua) (artnews.com) (theartnewspaper.com) Kyiv also said it will send partners the information needed to synchronize sanctions in other jurisdictions. If any allies follow, the fight over Russia’s pavilion could move from protests and open letters into travel bans, asset freezes, and formal legal restrictions around one of Europe’s biggest art events. (interfax.com.ua)