On April 9, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Decree No. 305/2026, which imposed sanctions against five cultural figures of the Russian Federation who “justify aggression and spread Russian propaganda at international events.” All of them are related to Russia’s participation in the 61st Venice Biennale.
The following have been added to Ukraine’s sanctions list:
- Anastasiia Karneeva (Анастасия Карнеева), the daughter of Deputy General Director of Rostec State Corporation (the corporation produces weapons for the Russian army) and retired FSB General Nikolai Volobuev. In 2021, she was appointed commissioner of the Russian pavilion of the Venice Biennale and will represent Russia there this year;
- Mikhail Shvydkoi (Михаил Швыдкой), former Minister of Culture of Russia, is now the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation;
- Valeria Oleinik, violinist, has been a member of the Russian National Orchestra since February 2024;
- Ilia Tatakov (Илья Татаков), singer. Since 2010, he has been a soloist of the Sretensky Monastery Choir;
- Artem Nikolaev (Артём Николаев), artist and soloist of the Intrada vocal ensemble.
The Venice Biennale is an international art exhibition held every two years in Venice. In 2026, the Biennale will run from May 9th to November 22nd. Russia will participate in the exhibition this year, although it did not participate in 2022 and 2024.
“Russia’s participation in the Venice Biennale is not culture, but the use of international platforms to legitimize aggression and spread propaganda,” said Vladislav Vlasyuk, the Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy.
