ST. PETERSBURG, June 16. /TASS/. Anti-Russian sanctions have almost not affected at all the cultural sphere in the Russian Federation, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said Thursday during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
"It is surprising, but in the sphere of culture the sanctions probably influenced us the least. I feel such strengthening of ties at the level of professional work: our museums and creative associations keep working, we have many exhibitions and tours, joint projects," Golodets said.
She cited an exhibition of cosmonauts that opened in London in 2015 and recently moved to an exposition center in Moscow.
"All exchanges continue, and I am glad that humanitarian ties are alive," Golodets said.
Sanctions and import substitution
For incorporation of Crimea after last year’s coup in Ukraine, Russia came under sanctions on the part of the United States and many European countries. The restrictive measures were soon intensified following Western and Ukrainian claims that Russia supported militias in self-proclaimed republics in Ukraine’s southeast and was involved in destabilization of Ukraine.
As countermeasures, Russia imposed on August 6, 2014 a one-year ban on imports of beef, pork, poultry, fish, cheeses, fruit, vegetables and dairy products from Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United States and Norway.
The Russian authorities have repeatedly denied accusations of "annexing" Crimea, because Crimea reunified with Russia voluntarily after a referendum.
A system of import substitution had to be introduced in Russia in connection with imposition of Western sanctions on Russia for developments in Ukraine and Moscow’s countersanctions.