The Russian Pavilion will be accessible to the public only during the Venice Biennale’s pre-opening vernissage (May 5–8), Italian news outlets report, as the European Union threatens to withdraw funding from the prestigious exhibition amid mounting sanctions on Moscow.
For weeks, voices across Europe’s cultural and political spheres—including Italy’s culture minister—have urged Venice Biennale organizers to shutter the Russian Pavilion, as the country’s war against Ukraine remains ongoing. Now, a compromise appears to have been reached: the pavilion will open during the preview period (May 5–8) for live performances tied to the exhibition “The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky.” It will then close from May 9 through the remainder of the Biennale, with digital documentation of the performances presented on screens installed in the building’s windows.
The plans were first reported by Italian outlets Open and La Repubblica, which cited email correspondence reviewed by their reporters between Biennale Foundation president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, Biennale general director Andrea Del Mercato, and Russian Pavilion commissioner Anastasia Karneeva. According to the reports, the framework for Russia’s participation began to take shape in June 2025; by January of this year, Karneeva had submitted key details of the exhibition, including didactic materials and renderings.
An excerpted November 2025 email between Karneeva and Del Mercato shows the latter’s efforts to help secure a travel visa for pavilion curator Petr Musoev, citing his correspondence with an official tied to Italy’s diplomatic mission in Russia.
Responding to the published correspondence, the Biennale Foundation said in a statement to Il Giornale on April 27 that planning for Russia’s participation had been carried out with “absolute respect for the rules,” adding that it had acted “in strict compliance with applicable national and international laws and within the limits of its powers and responsibilities.”
“No European sanctions were circumvented, as reported in the press,” the statement continued. “The sanctions were rigorously applied.” The Foundation added that, in line with protocols for all national pavilions in the Giardini, “the feasibility of the Russian Federation’s project and its compliance with current regulations were rigorously evaluated.”
Russia’s return to the Venice Biennale—its first since invading Ukraine in February 2022—has provoked sharp backlash in Italy, despite the backing of Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. Culture minister Alessandro Giuli said this week he will boycott the opening over the Russian Pavilion and called on the ministry’s board representative, Tamara Gregoretti, to resign, arguing that she had failed to inform the ministry of Russia’s return and had “expressed herself in favor of its participation—despite being fully aware of the international sensitivity surrounding the issue.”
Gregoretti has declined, emphasizing the board’s independence, while Matteo Salvini, the country’s deputy prime minister, also reiterated support for Moscow’s participation.
Earlier this month, the European Union said it intended to withdraw its reported €2 million in funding for the Venice Biennale in response to Russia’s return. “While Russia bombs museums, destroys churches, and seeks to erase Ukrainian culture, it should not be allowed to exhibit its own,” said Kaja Kallas, vice president of the European Commission, who described the country’s inclusion as “morally wrong.”
Ukraine, which is also returning to the Venice Biennale this year, has sanctioned five individuals associated with the Russian Pavilion and has lobbied for the revocation of participants’ visas.
