Avdei Ter-Oganian's 1998 Icon Destruction Performance Leads to Criminal Trial in Moscow

On April 20, 1999, the Khamovniki district court met regarding artist Avdei Ter-Oganian, who had executed "Desecration of Holy Objects" on December 4, 1998, at Moscow's Manezh exhibition hall, where he used an axe to destroy images of Russian Orthodox icons. The Moscow prosecutor's office accused him of inciting national and religious hatred, which could lead to a prison sentence of two to four years. Media discussions scrutinized the connection between the Orthodox Church and the government, with nationalist painter Ilya Glazunov being implicated in the case. Ter-Oganian's act, which drew attention to the contrast between miracle-working icons and their photographs, coincided with criticism from Yevgenii Trubetskoi regarding the reconstruction of Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior, reflecting a change in cultural policy focused on political symbolism.