Russian LGBT Crackdown: A Russian court sentenced the owner of the Pose nightclub and two staff to prison terms under the “LGBT movement” extremism ban, in one of the first criminal cases treating support as extremism. Latvia Language Policy: Latvia’s culture minister ordered Russian removed from cultural institutions’ public-facing materials, potentially affecting the Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre and the Daugavpils Theatre. Russia Encourages Museum Visits: Russia is pushing museum trips as a way for residents to reconnect with their past. Chess in Education: Viswanathan Anand won’t seek re-election as FIDE deputy president; Arkady Dvorkovich will run again with Kazakhstan’s Timur Turlov, as chess expands through school programs. Ukraine Cultural Resilience: Kyiv’s Dovzhenko Film Studios hosted a summer festival amid war, underscoring how culture keeps going even as families grieve. Ukrainian Refugee Support: NORAD will fund Ukrainian media and civil society with €1.5m, aimed at strengthening independent journalism against cognitive warfare. Global Culture & Heritage: Finland’s National Museum highlights Arctic and Northwest Coast collections, including rare ethnographic works tied to Russian imperial-era expeditions.