An artist from Omsk, Nikita Pozdnyakov, told Mediazona that he was invited to a conversation at the E Center because of the paintings with tanks.
According to the artist, yesterday, July 18, he received a call from Center «E» and was summoned to a conversation, today he came to her.
“I was told that there were questions to my paintings on a military theme, where I had tanks with the letters V and Z painted. We talked with an employee there, he also had questions on religious topics, asked how I feel about religion, what exactly I want to say with my paintings. I don’t want to say anything special with them — it’s just my artistic experiments, ”Pozdnyakov retells the conversation.
Pozdnyakov added that the security forces watched his telegrams and also photographed his tattoos.
“They said that if I violate the laws of the Russian Federation, they will attract me,” said the artist.
In 2017, the artist was fined for photographing his tattoo — a Buddhist symbol of prosperity and happiness in the form of a cross with curved ends. The protocol was drawn up under Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (demonstration of Nazi or extremist symbols). Later, the International Foundation for Slavic Literature and Culture complained about the artist's work to the UK, which saw the paintings as an insult to the feelings of believers.