NEMO remains committed to upholding and fostering the principles of democracy and the exchange of ideas within the cultural sector and expresses its full support to Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova. The case of Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova highlights the increasing politicisation of cultural institutions, a trend reflected in the recently published NEMO Barometer, which shows growing political influence on European museums. For Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova, this pressure extends across national borders.
The news about Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova’s arrests warrant was first covered by independent Russian-language media outlet Mediazona, which reported that she was facing criminal charges under Russia’s laws against ‘fake news’ about the military, allegedly for political reasons. The court hearing took place in mid-January, though she had reportedly been on Russia’s Interior Ministry search list since summer 2024.
At the NEMO European Museum Conference 2024, which dealt with polarisation and its effect on museums, Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova shared her experiences working at the Narva Museum, which is located on the Estonian Russian border. On 9 May 2023 and 2024, a banner reading ‘Putin is a war criminal’, was hung on the castle walls. The date is significant since Russia marks ‘Victory Day’ while Estonia celebrates ‘Europe Day.’ The banner was large enough to be clearly visible from Ivangorod, the Russian town across the Narva River. Despite demands from Russian border guards to remove the banner, Estonian authorities refused.
Speaking to ERR, Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova responded to the ruling: ‘To sum it up briefly, I consider this a great honor. The only thing I'm surprised about is that it took so long for this judgement to be handed down. I've been expecting it from as far back as 2023. It is very good that this judgement has now been handed down. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Now I can plan my strategy for traveling to different countries,’ she said, adding that the banner will be displayed from the castle wall again on May 9 this year.