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Russian Lawmakers Tell Culture Minister He Needs to Redo His Homework

Kremlin Press Service

Russian lawmakers have rejected this year’s annual report by Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky, complaining that his presentation addresses 2015, not 2016, and focuses too much on events staged by the government, rather than offering an analytical picture of Russian culture as a whole.

Duma deputy Yelena Drapeko, a deputy chairperson on the parliament’s culture committee, told the news agency RIA Novosti that Medinsky needs to prepare a “fresher” report. The ministry, she says, also needs to get outside its own offices, in order to grasp developments in Russian culture. She suggests visits to recreation centers and concert halls.

In an interview on Tuesday, Drapeko said Medinsky’s report has been postponed until the spring. The Culture Ministry’s report is 300 pages “with a lot of figures and various kinds of data,” she said.

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