Barbie may be the premiere of the year in the world, but at the moment it will not arrive in Russia. For a year and a half, Hollywood companies have left the Russian market, and the bulk of new films have officially disappeared from the country's theaters.. Some theaters have begun to show pirated versions without the permission of the copyright holders, taking advantage of the fact that films in Russian are being released in other countries such as Kazakhstan and Georgia.. According to various media outlets, in the case of Barbie, even the pirated copies have stopped short, to the misfortune of many fans and the delight of some hard-line Putinists.

The deputy of the State Duma (lower house of Parliament) Vitaly Milonov has proclaimed the “toxicity” of Barbie. In his opinion, Russian culture is rich in characters worthy of increased attention.

Barbie has long been among Milonov's obsessions, known for his ultra-conservative crusades. A lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party, he has earned a reputation as a moral hawk for his anti-gay rhetoric. His historic contribution to Russian legislation is the law that prohibits “gay propaganda” in Russia, effectively vetoing any content about this group. During his time as a politician in St. Petersburg, he was famous for organizing raids on nightclubs, although he always played it down: “I can't close a single fag club.”

“Russia is a traditional country and it is a democratic right of society to choose its laws, and we chose a law that does not allow spreading propaganda about non-traditional family lifestyles,” Milonov explained in an interview with EL MUNDO in 2017.. His was the idea to ban Beauty and the Beast because it has a gay character who violated his law against the propaganda of homosexuality.. Ultimately, the children's film received a 16+ rating.

Milonov – who sometimes wears an “Orthodoxy or Death!” T-shirt – thinks Barbie has little to do in Russia.. “She's quite a distinctive American pin-up girl, somewhat silly by Russian tradition, not like the boys and girls who are considered good in our country.”

Milonov wanted to ban Barbie dolls designed with gender inclusion, without male or female features. In 2019 he referred to them as “abnormal dolls”. He also warned that anyone who sold these dolls in Russia should be arrested for acts of depravity towards children.. Those who reported to authorities where the dolls were sold would receive “a plaque,” Milonov suggested, even though none of the dolls were being sold in Russia.

Now, he regrets “that parents think that Barbie is something healthy for their children,” the parliamentarian said in an interview with the Podmoskovye Segodnya publication.

Anton Sirenko, general director of the Content Club company, told the Vedomosti outlet that Barbie will not be released at the Russian box office until the fall, since films with sufficient resolution for screening appear online, as a rule, as the result of a premiere. official digital -that is, legal- to be able to copy the content.

Barbie is in the center of the hurricane, and the Russians are waiting for her.