EU sanctions Mikhail Piotrovsky, director of the Hermitage

The European Union has added Mikhail Piotrovsky, the 81-year-old director of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, to its sanctions list as part of the 20th package of measures against Russia. Brussels accuses him of publicly supporting the war in Ukraine and of conducting archaeological excavations by the museum in occupied Crimea. His assets in the EU are frozen and he is banned from entering European territory.

This move marks a significant escalation in cultural sanctions, targeting one of Russia's most prominent cultural diplomats who has led the Hermitage since 1992. It signals that the EU is willing to hold senior museum figures accountable for their political stances and actions in contested territories, potentially reshaping the landscape of international cultural exchange with Russia.