Russia

DutchCulture condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s unprovoked, unjust, and illegal invasion of Ukraine.

 

Russia's unprovoked and illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine brought immense changes to the cultural cooperation of the Netherlands with Russia. All official collaborations with state-related cultural organisations has been stopped. At the same time the Dutch government encourages to keep nurturing (informal) relationships with individual artists and journalists and independent organisations - paying attention to the safety of the partners. Read the official position of the Dutch government on cultural collaboration with the Russian Federation and Belarus (in Dutch).

 

What is the official policy of the Netherlands regarding cultural collaboration with the Russian Federation and Belarus?

The official government position on cultural collaboration with the Russian Federation and Belarus is stated in a letter (in Dutch) by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science dated 9 March 2022.

The letter advises the Dutch cultural and creative sector to continue to support independent, critical organisations and individual thinkers and artists in the Russian Federation and Belarus. At the same time it asks to stop all formal and institutional cooperation with the governments of the Russian Federation and Belarus, as well as their associated cultural institutions.

How can I collaborate with Russian artists and cultural workers?

The Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises the Dutch cultural and creative sector to continue to work with and offer space and / or opportunities only to independent, critical individual Russian and Belarusian artists, journalists and independent cultural organisations.
Please note that The European Union (EU) has imposed a number of sanctions against Russia. Do you have questions about the sanctions and what the consequences are for your company? Read this document about sanctions related to cultural goods. You can also consult the frequently asked questions of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) or get in touch with their advisors.

I need to help someone in the Russian Federation to travel to the Netherlands. What do I need to know?

Travelling
As all air traffic to and from the European Union has been cancelled, you cannot travel to the EU directly.

Due to a decision of the Russian authorities to declare Dutch consular staff of the Netherlands embassy in Moscow persona non grata, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs suspended, from April 27th, 2022 onwards, the issuance of short-term visas to citizens of the Russian Federation.*

The consulate-general in St Petersburg will be closed from 20 February 2023 .The reason for the closure is a shortage of staff, since many Dutch diplomats have been expelled from Russia. Once enough staff are available, the consulate will reopen as soon as possible.

The Embassy in Moscow remains open for visa applications (long-stay visas only), consular certificates/declarations and to provide consular assistance to Dutch nationals in Russia.

* An exception will be made for applications on the grounds of compelling humanitarian reasons, MVVs, as well as for applications in cases in which it has been bilaterally agreed upon that they require priority treatment.

Netherlands Worldwide offers you up-to-date practical information about the situation in Russia. The Dutch page of Netherlands Worldwide is updated more frequently than the English version. You can consider using the Dutch site with Google translate for the latest information.

Partnerships with the embassy
In light of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, active collaborations or relationships with state institutions are stopped.
 
Information & advice
Feel free to contact our advisor Tijana Stepanovic with your questions.

Further reading

 

Advisor

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Image
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Tijana Stepanovic
Role
Advisor - Central and Eastern Europe
Email
t.stepanovic [at] dutchculture.nl
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Year:

Russia at a glance

PlaceArtist
199 registered activities in 2023
featuring 80 artists

Calendar
Number of activities
12 months (2023)

Discipline
Activities by
discipline in 2023

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Frequently asked questions

1. Where can I find funding within the Netherlands?

In the Netherlands, the means for international cultural cooperation are delegated to the national funds. The fund that works for your art form or discipline, has one or several subsidy schemes for internationalisation. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the travel advice for Russia has a huge effect on the funding policies of the national funds. The Dutch national funds do not offer to fund projects in Russia.

2. What VISA do I need?

Please check the last travel advice to Russia here: Reisadvies Rusland | Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken (nederlandwereldwijd.nl). If the advice is orange or red, we advise you to reconsider your trip.  

3. How can I find a residency, venue at which to perform, exhibition space?

Due to the situation in Russia, our advice is not to apply for projects or residencies in the Russian Federation where you have to participate physically. Online collaboration can be an option with independent artists and organizations. If you do choose to collaborate, then the DutchCulture Database can show you which artists from the Netherlands have worked at which venues, and you can start your research there. Click on the search icon in the upper left corner of the website, and search by discipline, country and city, or scroll down to ‘Russia at a glance’ further down this page. For residencies, DutchCulture’s TransArtists is a great research tool.