Moscow’s Gulag museum won a Council of Europe prize for its honesty about Soviet terror. The state has now replaced it with a museum about the genocide of the Soviet people by the Nazis.
In late 2024, Moscow’s Museum of the History of the Gulag was temporarily closed over “violations of fire safety requirements.” Even then, it was clear that this state institution had little chance of a future in a Russia at war. Still, the museum kept operating behind closed doors. What many had feared came to pass in February 2026, when officials announced that a new Museum of Memory would open…
In late 2024, Moscow's Museum of the History of the Gulag faced closure due to "violations of fire safety requirements." However, it continued operating secretly. In February 2026, officials revealed the announcement of a new Museum of Memory, dedicated to the genocide of Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War. This decision came as no surprise; earlier, the Perm-36 museum of political repression had been transformed into a Gulag camp workers' museum.
Bereg, an independent journalists' cooperative, reported on the museum's turmoil and its replacement. The museum had been recognized for its honesty with a Council of Europe prize in 2021, being one of only three Russian museums to receive such an award. The museum's director under the Kapkov period, Romanov, had initiated several projects, including a social volunteer center and a Garden of Memory.
Despite good relations with the Department of Culture, changes in leadership led to a shift in priorities. When the new Museum of Memory opened, the old museum's name was removed from a nearby tram stop without explanation.
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