Santa Claus Branded ‘Foreign Agent’ in Russia

Ahead of Christmas, a pro-Kremlin activist has pushed for Santa Claus to be branded as a “foreign agent” in Russia, according to the Russian outlet Meduza.

Vitaly Borodin, the leader of the Federal Project on Security and Combating Corruption, sent a letter to Russia’s Prosecutor General imploring the iconic Christmas figure be designated a “foreign agent” due to his “popularity in ‘unfriendly’ countries,” which use his image to “undermine traditional Christmas values,” Meduza said, citing the letter.

Borodin is known for filing police reports against purported enemies of the state, including journalists, singers, songwriters, and even a chocolate manufacturer.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian government for comment via email.

Borodin’s concern is not that Santa Claus will overshadow Jesus, but Father Frost, a Russian New Year figure. He is also “outraged by the fact that the American is replacing the image of our traditional Santa Claus, since his recognition is close to 100 percent,” according to the Russian outlet Life.

Borodin is not the only one calling for the end of Santa Claus’ influence in Russia, as the deputy of the Bryansk regional parliament, Mikhail Ivanov, called for Santa Claus items to be removed from store shelves and replaced with Ded Moroz, also known as Father Frost, and Snegurochka, the daughter of Ded Moroz also known as the Snow Maiden, which are Russian festive cultural figures.

Regarding Santa Claus’ growth in terms of popularity, in an interview with the Russian outlet Life, Ivanov said: “Santa Claus has become not so much a symbol of Christmas as a symbol of commerce and mass production. His omnipresence in shop windows is not an accident, but the result of a targeted marketing strategy, from which the true spirit of the holiday is leaving and our values are being destroyed.”

He continued: “We need to support domestic manufacturers who create truly high-quality and beautiful holiday attributes that can give a real fairy tale. Let’s cleanse the space of foreign symbols together to celebrate the holidays with a real Russian soul. It’s time to bring Father Frost back to our homes and hearts! This is the only way we can preserve and pass on to our children the true values and traditions that make our people unique and strong.”

Russia has made other efforts to revive the popularity of Russian Christmas figures during the holiday season. In 2022, the Ded Moroz train, known as the Poezd Deda Moroza, which traveled thousands of miles so that children could meet the famed figure, had to be rerouted due to the war with Ukraine.

According to Christmas Tree World’s Spirit Index, the countries that believe in Santa Claus the most include Ireland, Australia, the U.K., the U.S., and New Zealand, going by the number of Google searches gpt “Is Santa real?”