Museums in Russia used for ‘ideological indoctrination’ over Ukraine

Museum collections in Russia are being increasingly used to show propaganda relating to the invasion of Ukraine, according to new research.

Ksenia Lavrenteva, from the University of Exeter, examined activities organised by Russian museums, as well as legislation, cultural policies and museum practices, before and after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The work included analysis of the Russian Museum, State Hermitage Museum, the State Historical Museum, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, and the State Catalogue, alongside a national database of digitised museum objects and 25 Russian museum websites.

Lavrenteva’s research found the use of propaganda in museums and their digital collections has increased since the 2022 invasion.

Examples from the last three years included hosting exhibitions which represent occupied territories as historically and culturally Russian, framing the invasion of Ukraine as a fight against Nazism and NATO and glorifying the invasion and individuals who served in the Russian Army.

Lavrenteva said the findings show how museums within authoritarian regimes can be weaponised to reinforce state ideology, suppress dissent, and obscure the history of those who do not conform to state narratives.

“This study underscores the need to scrutinise who controls access to cultural data and for what purposes,” she added. 

“There is a need for a more critical and context-sensitive approach to open access – one that balances its potential for inclusivity with safeguards to prevent the amplification of oppressive ideologies.”