RT-Engels: 06-05-2026,
Ukrainian feminists tried to block the entrance to the exhibition after EU funding cuts and boycotts failed to ban Russian art from being displayed
Russia’s national pavilion has opened at the Venice Biennale in Italy, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious art festivals, despite EU pressure, funding cuts, boycotts, and a Ukrainian feminist protest that attempted to block access to the exhibition.
It’s the first time Russia has taken part since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, as Russian performers, conductors, athletes, and cultural institutions have faced widespread cancellations across Europe. Moscow has called the discrimination an attempt to erase Russian culture from public life.
On Wednesday, around 50 members of the anarchist group Pussy Riot and the feminist organization FEMEN rushed the exhibition, waving Ukrainian flags and setting off pink, blue, and yellow smoke flares to protest the display of Russian art.
The demonstrators reportedly blocked the entrance to the Russian pavilion for around half an hour before being dispersed by police.
Pussy Riot и Femen провели протестную акцию у российского павильона на Венецианской биеннале.
В акции приняла участие в том числе Надежда Толоконникова.
В самом павильоне на время акции закрыли двери: предположительно, внутри находился российский посол в Италии.
Художники,… pic.twitter.com/lBrMhwxFof
— SOTA (@sotaproject) May 6, 2026
The Russian pavilion is hosting an exhibition called ‘A Tree Rooted in the Sky’,