Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has asked Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova to “exclude Vladimir Zelensky and Alexander Rodnyansky from Russia’s cultural agenda.”

According to Shoigu, the Ministry of Defense is engaged in the formation of a positive attitude of Russians towards Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine. However, films and TV shows with Zelensky’s participation continue to be shown in the country, and projects by the Ukrainian media manager Rodnyansky are being implemented. Shoigu noted that this interferes with the Ministry of Defense and the leadership of Russia.

Rodnyansky is one of the founders of the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1. In Russia, he is known as the producer of Andrey Zvyagintsev’s films. Previously, they opposed the war with Ukraine.

According to a brief, provided by the Russian film source, the letter reads, in part, that “as part of a special operation, the Ministry of Defense is taking measures to shape a positive public opinion of Russian citizens in support of the country leaders and the actions of the Russian armed forces. At the same time, in the cultural sector of the Russian media space, films and TV programs with the participation of V.A. Zelensky continue to be shown, as do the creative projects of a major Ukrainian media manager, A.E. Rodnyansky. Popularization of these persons in the current conditions does not contribute to the implementation of decisions taken by the country leaders and the Russian Ministry of Defence. Taking into account the above, I ask you to work through an issue about the exclusion of V.A. Zelensky and A.E. Rodnyansky from the cultural agenda of the Russian Federation.”

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter via text message, Rodnyansky said he was aware of the letter. He said it was “interesting that a Russian minister responsible for running the war in Ukraine took the time to single out me and Volodymyr Zelensky and write an actual letter to the Minister of Culture. Formally, this will have no effect on my projects. There is no way I would ever take money from [the] Russian state after February 24 (the date of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine).”

Rodnyansky is Russia’s most acclaimed and successful film producer, with credits that include Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Oscar-nominated Leviathan (2014) and Loveless (2017), and Kantemir Balagov’s Beanpole (2019).

Rodnyansky said the Russian culture minister has already “canceled” all of his future projects, including “the next films by Andrey Zvyagintsev, Kantemir Bagalov, Kira Kovalenko” and several television projects. “This is quite an experience,” Rodnyansky noted, wryly.

Netflix in the U.S. recently resumed streaming of Servant of the People, which originally streamed on Netflix from 2017 to 2021, in response to what the company said was public demand.