Yeltsin Centre cancels talk by Nina Khrushcheva amid protests from pro-war activists

The Boris Yeltsin Presidential Centre in Yekaterinburg has cancelled a scheduled appearance by Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, following complaints from pro-war activists at her anti-war stance, Yekaterinburg regional news outlet E1.RU reported on Monday.

Khrushcheva had been due to give a talk at the centre on Tuesday to discuss her new book Nikita Khrushchev: A Leader Outside the System, but pro-war groups and politicians accusing her of “Russophobia” and “espionage” demanded that the event be cancelled.

Vitaly Milonov, a deputy in Russia’s lower house of parliament, described the event as “an exhibit of Russophobia”, while the Veterans of Russia movement called for the centre’s management to be held accountable for allowing the event to take place at all.

“The actions of such lecturers today are not much different from the propaganda of the fascists during the Great Patriotic War. We cannot allow hostile ideas to sow chaos and destruction in our society. Those who allow such people to speak must be held accountable,” said the Veterans of Russia deputy chairman Ildar Rezyapov.

According to Russian Telegram news channel SHOT, members of another pro-war group, Call of the People, demanded Khrushcheva be named a “foreign agent” and face an investigation for espionage, accusing her of “publicly promoting a radical anti-Russian position” for her condemnation of the war in Ukraine.

Nina Khrushcheva, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday, is a political scientist and professor of International Affairs at the New School in New York, and has in the past contributed to Novaya Gazeta Europe.