Volodymyr Zelenskyy has imposed sanctions on russian participants in the Venice Biennale

The relevant decree has been published on the website of the Office of the President.

According to the President’s press service, they “justify the aggression and spread russian propaganda at international events”. Furthermore, they are all linked to russia’s participation in the 61st Venice Biennale.

In particular, sanctions have been imposed on Anastasia Karneeva, this year’s curator of the russian pavilion and daughter of the sanctioned deputy director general of Rostec. Also included on the sanctions list is Mikhail Shvidkoy, russia’s representative for international cultural exchanges and a former culture minister, who supports the war in Ukraine and believes that culture is separate from politics.

According to him, russia’s admission to the international exhibition means that “russian culture is not isolated”.

The sanctions list also includes russians who will be participating in the Biennale, namely violinist Valeria Oleinik, who has visited the temporarily occupied Crimea on numerous occasions since 2014; singer Ilya Tatakov, who contributed to the creation of a russian propaganda film in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk Oblast; and vocalist Artem Nikolaev, who last year took part in propaganda events in Crimea.

Vladislav Vlasyuk, the President’s adviser on sanctions policy, said that russia’s participation in the Venice Biennale “is not about culture”, but about using international platforms to legitimise aggression and spread propaganda.

Source: Culture