Russia in April 2026: the most important developments in society
In April 2026 the most widely reported Russian social and cultural story was the dispute over Russia's place at the Venice Biennale. On 21 April Latvia led a call to exclude Russia from the art exhibition, citing the war in Ukraine. On 23 April the Biennale's jury vetoed awards for Russia and Israel and a grant was cancelled; Moscow called the moves politically motivated. On 30 April the jury resigned. Related arguments over Russian participation ran in sport, where restrictions on Russian and Belarusian swimmers' flags and anthems were dropped and World Boxing allowed Russian and Belarusian boxers to compete as neutrals, while Estonian and Ukrainian athletes objected.
Flooding in Dagestan affected more than 15,000 residents in early April, and a residential building collapsed. Putin ordered timely aid for the victims, and on 21 April he commented on the causes of the floods. The Zaporizhzhia region sent humanitarian aid, and Palestinians expressed solidarity with protests in Dagestan. Late in the month a rare spring snowstorm left at least three people dead and tens of thousands without power, and a fire at a Moscow construction site killed at least seven.
Orthodox Easter on 12 April drew Putin to a church service and a greeting from the Patriarch. Public opinion and culture were also in focus. A poll put Putin's approval rating below 30 percent for the first time since the start of the war, and several well-known lifestyle influencers criticised him publicly. Medvedev was appointed editor-in-chief of new history textbooks, with critics saying the aim is to control historical memory. Russia banned Stanford University as an undesirable organisation, and Putin proposed banning Western films from Russian cinemas.
Russia's dealings with neighbours also produced rows. State TV host Vladimir Solovyov insulted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. An exhibition on "Polish Russophobia" at the Katyn memorial drew outrage, and Russia described Latvia's ban on Russian-language schooling as Nazism. Families in Kenya and India said relatives had been coerced into fighting for Russia.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.