Russia’s return to global stages sparks backlash in culture and sport

Russia’s return to international platforms is triggering fresh controversy across both culture and sport. Ukraine and several European officials have criticised the decision to allow Russia back to the Venice Biennale, while the reopening of participation under the Russian flag at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan-Cortina has prompted boycotts and renewed debate over whether international institutions should return to “business as usual” while the war in Ukraine continues.

Normalising aggression

Ukraine has called on the organisers of the Venice Biennale to reconsider their decision to allow Russia to reopen its pavilion at the prestigious art event, warning that such a move risks normalising Moscow’s war against Ukraine and undermining the principled stance taken by the international cultural community since the full-scale invasion.

In a joint statement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna urged the Biennale to maintain the position it demonstrated between 2022 and 2024, when Russian participation was effectively halted following the start of the war.

According to the two ministers, admitting Russian representatives to major international art events is unacceptable while Russia continues its military campaign in Ukraine.

They recalled that on 27 February 2022 – three days after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the organisers of the Biennale publicly condemned the aggression and expressed support for peace and dialogue.

The Venice Biennale, they stressed, is one of the world’s most authoritative cultural platforms and cannot become a venue for “whitewashing war crimes” that Russia continues to commit against the Ukrainian people and their cultural heritage.

Kyiv argues that Russia has for years targeted Ukrainian culture and historical memory. Since 2014, Moscow has deliberately destroyed cultural heritage sites in Ukraine, violating international humanitarian law.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has conducted what Ukrainian officials describe as a systematic war against Ukrainian culture, identity and historical memory.

The war has taken a heavy toll on the cultural and media communities. Since 2022, 346 artists and 132 Ukrainian and foreign media workers have lost their lives, according to the Ukrainian statement.

According to Kyiv, Russia continues to pursue a policy of cultural expansion and forced Russification in occupied territories today. Ukrainian language and culture are being pushed out of education, media and public life, Ukrainian books are being destroyed, library collections rewritten, and teachers, journalists and cultural figures persecuted.

Ukraine also argues that Russia openly uses culture as a tool of political influence.

Against this background, Ukrainian officials say allowing Russia to return to international cultural events sends the wrong signal.

Any relaxation of restrictions, the ministers warned, could send a dangerous signal of support for aggression, tolerance of Russian war crimes and the normalisation of the policies pursued by Russian occupying forces.

Preventing Russia from participating in international cultural platforms remains crucial, they argued, both to preserve the neutrality of such institutions and to protect the cultural sphere from state propaganda linked to the war.

Kyiv also expressed particular concern about reported links between Anastasia Karneeva, the declared commissioner of the Russian pavilion, and Russia’s military-industrial complex, saying this illustrates how culture in Russia is closely connected with the country’s militarised political system.

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže also criticised the decision to allow Russia to reopen its pavilion at the Biennale.

“Russia can’t bomb Ukraine, kill civilians, and walk the red carpet at the Venice Biennale. This is a dangerous normalisation of the aggressor. Until Russia ends its war there can be no business as usual,” Braže wrote on X.

Russia is set to participate in the Biennale for the first time since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Biennale team has not yet commented publicly on the reopening of the Russian pavilion.

The Biennale stresses on its website that it remains an open institution. According to the organisers, any country recognised by the Italian Republic may independently request participation in the exhibition.

In responding to requests from participating countries, the institution says it rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art.

“La Biennale, like the city of Venice, continues to be a place of dialogue, openness and artistic freedom,” the organisers say, adding that the event aims to foster connections between peoples and cultures while hoping for an end to conflicts and suffering.

The debate reflects broader tensions in Europe’s cultural sector. In recent months, a concert by Soviet-born Austrian pianist Elizaveta Leonskaya was cancelled in the Netherlands after criticism over her visits to Russia and performances with pro-Kremlin musicians. Earlier, a performance by Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko in Romania was cancelled following a campaign by the Ukrainian embassy and activists.

Russia’s return sparks Paralympics protests

The debate over Russia’s return to cultural events comes as similar tensions emerge in international sport.

At the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan-Cortina, athletes from Russia and Belarus marched behind their national flags for the first time since restrictions were imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Russian athletes have appeared with their national flag at the Winter Paralympics opening ceremony for the first time since 2014. It was carried by an Italian volunteer in Verona. Six Russian athletes are competing.
Ukraine and nine other countries boycotted the ceremony in… pic.twitter.com/49bE8ALeJP
— Brian McDonald (@BrianMcDonaldIE) March 6, 2026

The participation of Russia and Belarus in the Paralympic Games was the result of a democratic process, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons said on Thursday, a day before the opening ceremony.

Their participation sparked protests from several delegations, with teams from 11 countries – including Ukraine, boycotting the ceremony in Verona. Despite the absence of the Ukrainian delegation, the country still received one of the loudest cheers when its flag was carried into the arena by a volunteer. The Russian flag was met largely by silence but Some spectators booed Russia’s athletes as they marched under their own flag in the opening ceremony.

Parsons defended the inclusive spirit of the Games, arguing that sport offers “another way forward” at a time of global tensions. “These Paralympic Winter Games will honour our past, celebrate our present, and shape a more inclusive future,” he said, adding that differences in sport should be a source of strength rather than division.

⚡️ President Zelensky is slamming the decision to let Russian athletes compete under their flag at the Winter Paralympics as dirty and unjust.pic.twitter.com/LlbvaxQrnR
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) February 18, 2026

Sources: European Pravda, BBC, Reuters, Guardian, edited by k.n.

Caption: The opening of the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan-Cortina on 6 March was marked by a boycott from several delegations over the return of the Russian flag to the global sports stage. [@BrianMcDonaldIE on X]