Museum attendance in Moscow, which competes with Saint Petersburg as Russia’s cultural capital, jumped 30 percent last year, Mowcow Deputy Mayor Natalya Sergunina said. On a stormy evening, the 45-year-old marketing specialist was heading to a Sergei Prokofiev opera at the Bolshoi’s historic stage. Immediately hit with sanctions, Russia has been pushed off the world stage — athletes banned, artists’ shows canceled and tourist visas harder to obtain. “We’re not even going to see specific works of art, we’re grounding ourselves, as if we’re connecting to something familiar,” he said. Outside of the Chagall exhibition in Moscow, former piano teacher Irina refutes the idea of trying to escape from the war.

Source: Taipei Times February 18, 2026 18:17 UTC