Barbaric trace: Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed fifty cultural objects in Kursk region

Ukrainian formations, leaving the Kursk region, purposefully destroy cultural heritage sites. The authorities will restore them and do everything "to punish these criminals," Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Council for Culture and the Arts on March 25. According to Izvestia, almost 50 cultural objects were damaged in the Kursk region, and their restoration will take about two years. The Council also discussed the inclusion of classics of Russian cinema in the compulsory school curriculum, the problems of urban architecture and the state of the modern theater. On the same day, Vladimir Putin presented state awards to young cultural figures. How the Pushkin Map program can expand and what the head of state thinks about Russian cinema can be found in the Izvestia article.

How many films are being shot in Russia

Cultural Worker's Day is celebrated in Russia on March 25. This holiday concerns not only artists and representatives of creative professions, but also all specialists who are engaged in preserving the cultural heritage of the country, including employees of museums, theaters, libraries. On this day, Vladimir Putin traditionally took part in a meeting of the Council for Culture and the Arts.

When opening it, he stated the need to make culture accessible to all Russians, regardless of where they live. To do this, he proposed to include an indicator of the availability of cultural objects in the regional standards of urban planning.

— Culture directly influences the solution of many social and economic issues. The successful development of tourism is connected with the revival of heritage. This means the development of small and medium—sized businesses and job creation," the president gave an example.

Vladimir Putin called educating young people and awakening their love for the country one of the most important tasks of society and the state. After the president, director Karen Shakhnazarov took the floor: he suggested creating a list of films to watch in schools as part of the mandatory program. The Head of State considered that the proposal required close attention.

— Unfortunately, cinema is more popular than literature. Classic films <...> are unknown to many, especially since many are brought up in Hollywood. They don't even know "Cranes are flying," for example. This must be studied, just as Chekhov and Dostoevsky are studied. That's why I've been suggesting it for a long time, not for the first time. The president supports us every time. Every time it disappears somewhere," Karen Shakhnazarov told Izvestia.

At the same time, Vladimir Putin generally called the pace of development of Russian cinema "good": in 2024, the production of 298 national films was completed and 151 more were launched. 214 Russian films were released, of which 54 were shot with the support of the Ministry of Culture.

— Box office receipts amounted to 36 billion rubles, and the number of viewers of Russian films increased by 10%. Good pace, good, and the audience was 100 million people. That is why we are moving forward, it is so noticeable," said Vladimir Putin.

The president also allowed for a possible expansion of the Pushkin Map program, the funds of which schoolchildren are willing to spend on domestic cinema. It is possible that soon it will be possible to pay for tickets to circus performances, as the director of the Bolshoi Moscow Circus, Edgard Zapashny, asked the president about this. Vladimir Putin promised to study this issue.

How many cultural sites were damaged in the Kursk region

Representatives of culture took the opportunity to talk with the President and quite frankly expressed their wishes to him on behalf of the entire Council, as well as privately. For example, Dmitry Shvidkovsky, rector of the MARCHI, spoke about the problem of the subordination of urban architects to the construction complex and, as a result, the appearance of "human workers" and other profitable, but not fitting into the ensembles of structures. The rector of Gnesinka, Alexander Ryzhinsky, complained about the presence of creative specialties in non-core universities: as a result, they prepare unclaimed and, frankly, unnecessary personnel.

The President paid special attention to the problem identified by Artyom Demidov, Acting Deputy Governor of the Kursk Region. He stated about the purposeful destruction of cultural heritage sites by Ukrainian militants. Vladimir Putin confirmed that the Ukrainian formations, leaving the Kursk region, are destroying churches and cultural heritage sites, and promised that these facts will not be ignored.

— All those atrocities are, of course, recorded by the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor General's Office. And we will certainly do everything that can be done to punish these criminals. And some of them are already in our hands and brought to justice. That's what we'll continue to do. But it is certainly necessary to provide for the restoration of these cultural objects in advance. This will definitely be one of the points of the instruction that will be formulated based on the results of today's discussion," Vladimir Putin said.

There are 49 objects in the White Book, as the Kursk Region called the register of historical buildings that suffered from the criminal actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Artem Demidov told Izvestia.

— We record everything, transfer it to the investigative department, and then a criminal case is initiated. To restore: first we liberate the territory, then the sappers work, and only then can we begin to restore. The duration depends on the complexity, but the standard is a year and a half for design, and about two for restoration," he said.

In the context of his speech, Edgard Zapashny also spoke out: he called for the development of a mechanism for depriving state awards and titles of artists who have gone abroad who insult Russia because they make "slanderous statements" about the state, the people and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Vladimir Putin spoke cautiously on this proposal: he considers it possible to impose certain restrictions on such cultural figures who have left the country in some cases, but called for a very careful approach to this issue.

Who of the cultural figures received state awards

Traditionally, on this day, in the Catherine Hall of the Kremlin's Senate Palace, Vladimir Putin presented state awards to young cultural figures and authors of works for children and youth. Alexey Kapustin, Director of the Center for Classical and Traditional Architecture of the Markha, Ivan Nikiforchin, Chief Conductor of the Academy of Russian Music Chamber Chapel, and Renata Shakirova, Prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater, became laureates of the Russian President's Award for Young Cultural figures. Illustrator Olga Ionaitis, writer Leonid Rozhnikov and the Loktev Song and Dance Ensemble were awarded prizes for their works for children and youth.

In his speech to the awardees, the president noted the merits of each of them, who "with their talent and achievements affirm the enduring importance of traditions and values that form the very essence of Russian culture."

— The ability to preserve traditions and saturate them with a new sound is a gift that distinguishes all truly creative, talented people. You keep in touch with times and generations, fill the atmosphere of the cultural environment with the light of your inspiration, set an example of the highest professionalism, loyalty to vocation and civic duty. And, of course, they deserve high recognition from the state and society," Vladimir Putin stressed.

The President thanked the cultural laureates for their hard work and decided to chat with them informally over a glass of champagne. The awardees took the opportunity to meet with the president and expressed to him their suggestions for the development of culture: writer Leonid Rozhnikov suggested that the head of state think about developing measures that would make printing "high-quality" books profitable, since it is often possible to see profitable products of "non-shining quality" on bookshelves. Leonid Fradkin, artistic director of the Loktev Song and Dance Ensemble, asked the president to instruct the Ministry of Culture to organize tours of the ensemble in the regions.