Nations and businesses alike have united to impose strict sanctions against Russia, but some institutions have gone a step further,

erasing significant Russian historical figures from events in reaction to Vladimir Putin's war and to show support for a sovereign Ukraine.

The Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra, a well-regarded nonprofessional orchestra in Wales, announced in early March it would pull music of Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky from an upcoming program, asserting that performing the Romantic-era composer's music would be "inappropriate at this time."
The orchestra had programmed Tchaikovsky pieces like "1812 Overture," which celebrated Russia's military prowess against the French during the War of 1812, and "Symphony No. 2," which is nicknamed the "Little Russian" — a term often used to disparage Ukraine. 

The nonprofit Space Foundation quietly renamed its annual "Yuri's Night," celebrating Russian cosmonaut and first man in space Yuri Gagarin, as “A Celebration of Space: Discover What’s Next." In Luxembourg, a bust of Gagarin was covered.

In Italy, the University of Milano-Bicocca said it would cancel a course about the work of Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, but backtracked on that decision following backlash.
Though critics swiftly latched on to the decisions as evidence of “cancel culture,” sparking outrage online, international relations experts say that’s really all the cultural sanctions are good for: outrage. Still, Putin took the bait as an opportunity to further spread propaganda that the West is out to cancel Russia as a whole.

'Cancel culture': Helpful, harmful or inconsequential?

The groups all provided explanations for their decisions.
The orchestra attributed its choice to both the music's context and a symphony member's family ties to the conflict. The mayor of Mondorf-les-Bains in Luxembourg said covering the bust was a compromise for those looking to have it removed, while also protecting the statue from potential vandalism.
The Space Foundation said in a statement it wanted to "ensure the focus of the evening remained on our goals" and later told that its decision was made in part due to “derogatory and anti-Russia” comments on its social media. And the University of Milano-Bicocca said its decision was "to avoid any controversy, especially internally, during a time of strong tensions," according to Newsweek.

But that didn’t stop Putin from spinning a narrative of “cancel culture.” In a video conference for Russia’s Cultural Workers Day, Russia’s president on Friday claimed the West seeks to destroy Russian culture in a manner akin to Nazi’s burning books during the second World War.

“Today they are trying to cancel an entire 1,000-year-old country, our people,” Putin said. “...Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Rachmaninov are excluded from concert posters, Russian writers and their books are banned.”

International relations: Biden wants Russia out of the G-20. What is that?

Igor Lukes, a professor of history and international relations at Boston University, told that snubbing figures like Tchaikovsky, Gagarin and Dostoevsky “plays directly into the hands of Vladimir Putin and his war rhetoric.”

Putin for years has aimed to advance the view that Russia is surrounded by a Russophobic, or anti-Russia, world – with attacks mainly stemming from the West. The U.S. State Department lists Russia's claims of xenophobic Russophobia as one of the nation's top five "persistent disinformation narratives."

Affronting prominent figures in Russia's history just adds fuel to the fire, Lukes said. 

“This creature called ‘the Russians’ doesn't really exist … but they all share one thing, and that is that they are really proud of their culture," Lukes said, listing off a number of Russian figures and achievements, like the first man, woman and dog in space. 

"I think that undoubtedly this could serve as a confirmation of the Kremlin line that the West has gone berserk in its Russophobia, which of course would result in a sense of unity among everyone in Russia that would make it much more difficult to protest against the current wall," he added. 
Not all experts agree. Ted Gerber, director of University of Wisconsin's Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia, told that ostracizing historical figures doesn't really help or hinder the situation in Ukraine either way.

“To some extent, it’s what we’d call performative in today’s language," he said. "It seems like it's a way that some people can demonstrate to others their support for Ukraine, but I don't think it actually has any tangible consequences.”

That doesn’t mean the cultural sanctions are all for naught. 
“It probably has a marginal effect, but to the extent that Putin basks in the reflected glory of major Russian cultural stars, whether current or historical, this is one more way to stick it to him," Harvard historian Fredrik Logevall told. "It’s part of the spectrum of sanctions, if a minor part – part of the effort to deny him entry onto any international stage that serves to normalize his government.”

Similar examples in Israel, U.S.

It's not the first time that countries or groups have rebuffed prominent figures or cultures in light of current events.

In Israel, an unofficial ban still exists today on live performances of Richard Wagner, a 19th century German composer whose epic operas were over time marred by his reputation as an antisemite and his idolization by Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, the Daily Beast reported.

A former U.S. Congress member in 2003 suggested renaming French fries as "freedom fries" to protest France's opposition to a proposed U.S.-led military action in Iraq, according to the Washington Post.

But today's repudiations are uniquely modern, falling in line with present cultural trends of protest like cancel culture, Gerber said. 

"It's become part of the modern repertoire of expressing one's disagreement, trying to 'cancel' or trying to silence, as it were, people with whom one disagrees," Gerber said, though noting the term is "overused" by his measure. "Social media has clearly helped diffuse that model of demonstrating one's dissatisfaction with the situation.”

Still, when it comes down to it, the actions are more of a "sideshow," he added.

“I just don’t see dictators in the future fearing to start a war because 17th century musicians or 18th century authors from their culture are going to be shunned or canceled," Gerber said.