Support The Moscow Times!

Police Seize Painting of Putin and Obama Comparing Genitalia

Alexander Donskoy (left), owner of the G-Spot museum and Museum of Power. Website of the Mayor of Arkhangelsk

St. Petersburg police have removed a print from an erotic museum that depicts Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama posing naked and boasting oversized multicolored appendages.

The copy of the painting, called "Wrestling," had been on display at the G-Spot museum before police took it away Tuesday, the establishment said on its Vkontakte account.

The museum's owner, former Arkhangelsk Mayor Alexander Donskoi, said that the police didn't provide any documents authorizing the search and didn't explain why the print had been removed, Interfax reported Wednesday.

The museum was also ordered shut by the police, Donskoi said.

The original was painted by Vera Donskaya-Khilko, who is known for depicting public figures naked.

It is unclear whether the original of the painting would also be confiscated from the museum's Moscow branch.

St. Petersburg police last week raided the Museum of Power, also belonging to Donskoi, and seized four paintings, including one of Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in women's lingerie.

The artist responsible for the paintings, Konstantin Altunin, has fled the country and requested political asylum in France.

Police on Tuesday briefly held the Museum of Power's director, Tatyana Titova, and three other people, saying a man had reported them acting suspiciously in his courtyard.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more