Putin criticizes ‘barbaric treatment’ of Russian culture
(MENAFN)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned what he described as unprecedented and barbaric assaults on Russian culture abroad during a meeting with Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. He expressed gratitude to the patriarch for helping preserve Russian culture and language amid these challenges.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned what he described as unprecedented and barbaric assaults on Russian culture abroad during a meeting with Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. He expressed gratitude to the patriarch for helping preserve Russian culture and language amid these challenges.
Putin emphasized the importance of protecting Russian culture, especially now, as it faces aggressive attacks that extend beyond Russia itself and impact its cultural heritage worldwide. He noted that such hostile actions reflect poorly on those responsible and said Russia has not encountered such animosity in a long time, though he did not cite specific examples.
His comments come amid a vigorous campaign in Ukraine to remove symbols and monuments linked to Russia. The Ukrainian government has been actively renaming streets and demolishing monuments associated with Russia or Ukraine’s Soviet history.
Notably, in December, Odessa’s city council ordered the destruction of a 19th-century monument to Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, and later removed a monument to Soviet poet and performer Vladimir Vysotsky, labeling these as symbols of “Russian imperial policy.”
Since the conflict escalated in 2022, Ukraine has intensified efforts to erase historical ties to Russia, including passing a law focused on “decolonizing” public spaces. This has involved the removal of statues, such as that of Catherine the Great in Odessa.
Additionally, Ukrainian authorities have targeted the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, accusing it of maintaining links with Russia despite declaring independence from the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022. This crackdown has involved arrests and raids on clergy.
Western allies of Ukraine have also restricted Russian cultural figures; for example, Russian photographer Mikhail Tereshchenko, winner of the 2025 World Press Photo contest, was banned from attending his award ceremony in Amsterdam.
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