Pushkin's descendants spoke about the situation with the monument to the poet in Hemer

Alexander Pushkin's descendants commented to Izvestia on July 2 about reports of the loss of a monument to the Russian poet in the German city of Hemer.

Maria Madeleine Durnovo-Pushkina said that first of all it is necessary to establish what exactly happened to the monument — whether it was stolen or dismantled by local authorities.

Russian Russians believe that if this government [removed the monument], it means that Germany wants a conflict with Russia. <...> Alexander Sergeevich is very important to the Russian people, because he is our everything. <...> Well, everyone knows that Germany is against the Russians. It doesn't change anything," she said.

Another descendant of the poet, Alexander Pushkin, noted that he did not understand the attitude of a number of European countries to Russian culture. According to him, culture and sport should not become an instrument of political confrontation.

He stressed that Alexander Sergeyevich had never opposed Germany, so it was difficult to explain the negative attitude towards his monument.

"It's very difficult for us to bear it, because we love the Russian language and, of course, Alexander Sergeevich," he added.

To whom the "Inspector General" is going: books stolen in Europe could be sold at the Litfond auction

And Western platforms sell stolen items from our libraries — Izvestia found lots with items from Interpol databases even at Sotheby's

On July 1, the Russian Embassy in Germany reported the theft of a monument to Pushkin in Hemer, Germany. The diplomats said they were "discouraged" by the very fact of such an incident. The Russian side is in contact with the local authorities. A reward of up to 1 thousand euros was announced for information about those involved in the crime.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on July 2 that the theft of a monument to the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin in Germany was another manifestation of the "culture of cancellation", which leads to lack of culture and the spread of misogynistic ideology. The diplomat said that official Berlin should remember its own history, since it was with the burning of books and the prohibition of works of art that Nazism began in Germany.

Anna Shperling, a Russian activist and member of the historical society Ar.kod.M.V, told Izvestia on the same day that the stolen monument to Pushkin was carefully treated in Hemer. The monument was well maintained and in excellent condition. She also expressed the hope that the monument was stolen for the sake of bronze, and not for political reasons or because of the poet's personality.