‘Everything from love to heroic death’

The Kremlin’s new cultural policy puts the war against Ukraine front and center in Russian art

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the Kremlin has increasingly cracked down on artists, musicians, and writers unwilling to follow the party line. Now, according to a cultural policy document obtained by the Dossier Center, Moscow aims to make the war an integral part of all new Russian art. To achieve this, the Russian authorities need to fully consolidate their control over the arts in Russia — and they plan to bring back Soviet-era methods to do so.

The Kremlin plans to make its war against Ukraine a central theme of Russian cultural policy, reviving Soviet-era controls over art through creative unions and ideological requirements for state-funded projects, according to a policy memo obtained by the Dossier Center.

The document was written at the end of 2023 by Sergey Novikov, who heads Russia’s Presidential Directorate for Social Projects. Sources previously described him to Meduza and iStories as a “hunter of ideological enemies.” Novikov’s subordinates compile so-called blacklists of artists and musicians who have criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and then restrict or completely ban them from performing in Russia. He also oversees “atonement” projects, where backlisted individuals make trips to occupied territories and donate to “approved” charities in an effort to regain favor with the authorities.

The Dossier Center notes that Novikov’s main goal is to “weave Putin’s war with Ukraine into the lives of Russians.” In the document, Novikov describes changing the attitude Russians have toward the “special military operation” as an “existential task.”

“This task can only be accomplished through artistic means,” the document states. “Political and informational methods are fundamentally insufficient here: war is a terrible thing if it’s just shown on TV. But as an artistic model, it possesses the power of a nuclear reaction.”

Journalists at the Dossier Center say the cultural policy document suggests the Kremlin is worried about the low level of active support for the war among Russians. Since the war has become the cornerstone of Putin’s policy, it should also be the foundation for Russian society, uniting everyone “on a single value system set by the president.” The Kremlin is particularly focused on changing the attitudes of young, middle-class city dwellers toward the war, the Dossier Center reported.

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To achieve this, Russian officials have decided to revive the Soviet-era system of cultural management. The cultural policy document states that “the key objective of the state mandate for cultural and art institutions [is] to promote traditional spiritual and moral values, prioritizing patriotism, service to the Fatherland, responsibility for its fate, and support for the ‘special military operation.’”

According to the Kremlin’s plans, half of all state-commissioned works should align with this “new mandate” by 2024–2025. The Dossier Center reports that, in addition to Novikov, Metropolitan Tikhon Shevkunov (a Russian Orthodox bishop said to be Vladimir Putin’s personal confessor), Deputy Culture Minister Andrey Malyshev, and Andrey Pisarev, the deputy general director of the state news network Channel One, will be responsible for the ideological control over new cultural works. Grants will be distributed through the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, Rosmolodezh (the federal agency for youth affairs), the Institute for Internet Development, the Cinema Fund, the Regional Cinema Development Fund, the Education Ministry, and the Culture Ministry.

According to Novikov’s document, the topic of the “special military operation” should become the “framework” for projects, an “integral part” of any artistic work, and the “starting point” for any discussions of a work’s value. Novikov believes the war is a “painfully repressed” and “localized” issue because Russians prefer to live normal lives rather than to become heroes. The new cultural policy is aimed precisely at these citizens and is meant to make the war the backdrop for the ups and downs of everyday life.

As an example, Novikov proposed filming a “Marvel-style” biopic about Russian-born “separatist” commander Arsen Pavlov, nicknamed Motorola, who was accused of torture and admitted to killing Ukrainian prisoners of war. The Dossier Center describes the concept as: “A former [store] security guard escapes from his boring life and becomes a hero in a ‘stylishly shot’ fantasy action film, encompassing everything from love to heroic death.”

Another of Novikov’s ideas is a slice-of-life sitcom called “The Donbas Palace Battalion,” where the staff of a Donetsk hotel observe life around them in the occupied territories. According to the official, this type of content should help society overcome fatigue with war-related topics and shift the focus to ordinary life amidst the war.

Novikov’s plan suggests that the state should continue providing basic support to apolitical art, but only controlled, ideological projects about the war will get significant funding. “Those who are not against us are with us,” the document states, before listing minor subsidies available for apolitical projects. “It’s actually a great way to engage with the public culturally. In short, you won’t starve. But beyond that, you’re on your own. [Or] the opposite: state contracts. That’s where serious money tied to the state will be. But those contracts will be extremely specific, modeled after the practices of the [post-war] USSR. To put it bluntly, it’s bureaucratic PR in the most vulgar sense. No abstract values, goodwill, love for the homeland, or other easy money.”

The new cultural policy’s main tool will be creative unions. The Kremlin plans to require state-funded theaters and orchestras to include works written in Russia this year, selected by a special artistic council at the regional branch of the Russian Union of Theater Workers.

Writers are being encouraged to travel to occupied Ukrainian territories to write about “establishing peaceful life,” “liberating cities,” and the lives of “legendary combat units,” as well as to work with young writers in Russia. Novikov also wants to create a “trendy glossy” literary magazine about the war and to establish a literary prize (“akin to the Stalin Prize”) with a Kremlin-sanctioned winner.

Artists seeking state grants will also need to visit the occupied territories to paint portraits of Russian soldiers, create street graffiti, hold performances, and produce war-themed installations. Additionally, the Kremlin proposes establishing art spaces for exhibitions and concerts in occupied cities. One proposed venue is the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, which, along with almost the entire city, was destroyed during Russia’s siege in 2022.

The Dossier Center noted that some of Novikov’s plans have already been implemented. For instance, the Golden Mask, a prestigious theater award in Russia, has been reestablished with a Kremlin-loyal jury panel, in accordance with his new cultural policy.