The world is fed up with “liberal values”, Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and Western sanctions should help Russia return culture to its original path with conservative values, patriotism and orthodox faith, said Russian actor and director Sergei Bezrukov in an interview with AFP released on Tuesday, August 16.

“We must take advantage of Russia’s isolation to reconnect with our traditions. Instead of looking to Hollywood, Russia should build its own culture, cleansed of Western influences. For the past 30 years, we’ve lived in the Marvel Universe. It’s time to create our own.” own”, – said the 48-year-old artistic director of the Moscow Provincial Theater.

Bezrukov noted that, of course, it is impossible to return to the times of the USSR, but Russia, according to him, can try to restore faith in its own forces. The European Union recently imposed sanctions on Sergei Bezrukov for supporting a Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

Condemnation and support for the war between cultural figures of the Russian Federation

Many Russian artists publicly condemned the actions of the authorities after the invasion began, some of them left the country. Director Kirill Serebrennikov, Bolshoi Theater cousin Olga Smirnova, musician Ivan Dremin, performing under the pseudonym Face, director Ivan Vyrypaev, musician Yuri Shevchuk, director Kantemir Balagov and many others opposed the war. “Those who start a war always lose. Those who rape, kill, torture civilians are war criminals. So are those who justify them. It is impossible to sympathize with sadists and murderers,” wrote Kirill Serebrennikov.

At the same time, many Russian artists refused to condemn the war and left with the support of the Kremlin. More than 150 of them signed a corresponding appeal to Putin in March.

The Kremlin accuses the West of “canceling” Russian culture

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities regularly accuse Western countries of “canceling” Russian culture. “The notorious ‘cancel culture’ has turned into ‘cancel culture’. Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov are excluded from concert posters. Russian writers and their books are also banned,” Putin said.

Russian state media, in particular, focused on the cancellation of a concert featuring Tchaikovsky’s music at the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra. It was Tchaikovsky’s military overture “1812”, which the organizers called “inappropriate at the moment” because of the military theme and the sounds of artillery pieces that sound in it.

At the same time, since the beginning of the war, performances based on Russian works and classical music by Russian composers have been staged all over the world, DW’s analysis showed. Operas and theaters in Milan, Vienna, New York, Paris, Riga and other cities regularly present Russian classical music and stage Russian performances.

Suspension of Russian cultural figures from work due to war support

Some Russian artists have lost their positions in Western countries or faced cancellation of concerts for failing to condemn the war. For example, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra suspended Russian conductor Valery Gergiev from work.

International platforms also stopped cooperation with opera singer Anna Netrebko. She later released a statement condemning the war and lamenting that her “past actions or statements may have been misinterpreted”. After this part, some concert organizers resumed cooperation with her. But some of them still refuse to give her a venue to perform—in July, her show was canceled in Stuttgart.