Culture Ministry official says Barbie and Oppenheimer movies do not promote Russia’s ‘traditional spiritual and moral values’

Russian Deputy Culture Minister Andrey Malyshev has rejected a proposal to release the films Barbie and Oppenheimer in Russian theaters, explaining that they don’t serve the purpose of preserving "traditional Russian values."

Earlier, State Duma Deputy Speaker Vladislav Davankov sent a letter to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in which he suggested showing the American blockbusters in Russia without permission from the copyright holders.

“We believe that the films that you have proposed for viewing for citizens of our country — Barbie and Oppenheimer — do not align with the goals and objectives set by the head of state to maintain and strengthen the traditional Russian spiritual and moral values,” Malyshev said in his response.

He added that Russian theaters are currently “full of high-quality domestic premieres” like the new Cheburashka movie and Witness, a propaganda film about the invasion of Ukraine. The Russian film industry, he said, is seeing the “positive aspect of reducing the number of films from Hollywood studios.”