Russians ban traditional Ukrainian Christmas celebrations in occupied territories

The National Resistance Center informs that Russian occupation authorities have imposed strict bans on Ukrainian Christmas traditions across occupied territories, marking another attempt to eradicate Ukrainian culture from occupied territories.

The move is part of a wider scope of policies aimed at suppressing Ukrainian culture, identity and language in occupied territories.

According to the Center, educational institutions have received directives prohibiting any mention of Saint Nicholas, requiring instead the exclusive presence of Russian New Year characters “Ded Moroz” and “Snegurochka” at all holiday events. The ban encompasses traditional Ukrainian Christmas carols and nativity plays (vertep), fundamental elements of Ukrainian Christmas celebrations.

The occupying authorities have also conducted what they term “preventive” conversations with children, aimed at discrediting Santa Claus and other Western holiday characters. The Center describes these actions as part of a broader campaign to eliminate Ukrainian traditions from public life in occupied areas.

This cultural suppression mirrors recent actions in Belarus, where authorities have similarly banned Santa Claus and English-language Christmas songs in schools, while promoting Russian New Year traditions.

As was previously reported, Russian occupiers prepared crackdown on Holodomor commemorations in occupied territories of Ukraine. The Russian occupiers aimed to silence the memory of the Holodomor, genocide by starvation conducted by Stalin’s communist authorities. Also, Ukrainians in occupied territories faced healthcare denial without Russian passports.

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