Five Monopolies of Citizen Mikhalkov.
Who Controls Russia’s Cinema Billions?

The squire Mikhalkov came before the President with a demand for money. 390 days, he says, the government has failed to carry out the directive on quotas for foreign cinema. And nobody asked the obvious question: if Russian cinema already holds 70% of the market without any quotas — what exactly is he asking for?

88% of state-subsidised films failed at the box office in 2025. Forty billion roubles of public money per year. And the answer to every failure is the same: more.

A staged performance. A slip by Medinsky. The one honest remark of the evening. And a monopoly that just received the personal blessing of the President.

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Release Date: March 29, 2026
Editorial Board “The Eastern Post”
Publisher: The Eastern Post, London, United Kingdom, 2026.

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