Tactical move comes after Turkish president ordered historic Istanbul site to be turned into a mosque

Growing unease as the special relationship between the two countries gains momentum during the Covid-19 crisis

Petition to museum management raises alarm over frames in "critical condition" from improper storage

Unveiled in a business centre in Moscow, the statue by contemporary artist Alexey Garikovich was commissioned by top Russian e-commerce and foodtech companies

Plus, art under threat in Putin's Russia and George Shaw on Thomas Jones. Produced in association with Christie's

His Art Russe Foundation has made offers to preserve monuments of Theodore Roosevelt and Alexander Baranov that have been the target of protesters in the US

Russia's arts community rallying behind Yulia Tsvetkova whose trial starts in July

Accused of embezzling funds while staging a contemporary arts festival, Serebrennikov faced six years in prison but was handed a suspended sentence

Artist Pyotr Verzilov was sentenced to 15 days in prison for "petty hooliganism" in latest clampdown on the arts in Russia

Police say the body-positive images, accompanied by captions like ‘Real women have body fat and it’s normal,’ violate pornography laws

Many Unesco World Heritage sites that are also working monasteries have been accused of reacting slowly to the pandemic

Loss of tourism and oil market crash because of coronavirus pandemic wreak havoc as institutions seek state help

Appointed in January, Olga Lyubimova is the third Russian government minister to announce a Covid-19 diagnosis in the past week

Art historian Andrey Sarabyanov is planning a new exhibition of forgotten pieces by Kandinsky, Rodchenko and Stepanova

The team at Russian Art Focus were lucky enough to film the exhibition before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the Moscow museum into lockdown

Hermitage officials dismayed after city council refuses planning permission for new venue, citing multiple concerns

Russia has banned Chinese citizens from entering the country, slashing attendance at cultural institutions in Moscow and St Petersburg

Several Indian private museums are lending works for an exhibition due to open at the State Tretyakov Gallery

But Vladimir Medinsky, who has been replaced by Olga Lyubimova, will 'not be left without work' in culture, the Russian President says

Igor and Olga Toporovsky linked to controversial show of Russian avant-garde works in Ghent

Directors of the State Hermitage Museum and State Tretyakov Gallery are part of a team enlisted to create laws that will allow the president to remain in power

We look back at the biggest stories of the year

The Hermitage has opened a branch in Siberia, the Pushkin is renovating a Constructivist landmark in Samara and more agreements are in the works

Bronze sculpture gets new wings in a collaboration with Berlin’s Antikensammlung

Electronic visas pave the way for ever greater visitors numbers, creating major logistical problems at Tsarskoe Selo and the Hermitage

An avid patron of the arts and sciences, the emperor gave Russian society a new perspective on the world and elevated the country’s place within it

Collaboration spearheaded by the State Hermitage Museum was made official in Damascus this week

Exhibition showing "unique slice" of art from Europe will coincide with the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War

State Tretyakov Gallery among 23 Russian museums planning to store and show works near former killing field Kommunarka

Investigators find paintings and rare books missing from private museum belonging to banker Alexei Ananyev accused of alleged financial crimes