A prominent pro-Kremlin activist has called on Russian authorities to designate Santa Claus as "foreign agent", reports "Moscow Times".
According to him, the festive figure created by the West undermines traditional Russian values.
In a letter addressed to the Prosecutor General, Vitaly Borodin argued that the growing popularity of Santa Claus in Russia threatens Santa Claus, the cultural figure at the center of the New Year celebrations in Russia.
Santa Claus, presented as a native of Velikiy Ustyug in the Vologda region, is traditionally accompanied by his granddaughter and assistant Snegurochka. He was a key figure during the Soviet era and embodied the New Year spirit. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the spread of Western culture and capitalism, however, Santa Claus is gaining more and more popularity, especially in advertising.
Pointing to the $1.6 trillion worldwide value of Santa Claus trademarks, Borodin expressed concern that international corporations could use his image to undermine Russian cultural norms.
"There is a high probability that foreign companies will finance the image of Santa Claus in Russia in order to undermine traditional Russian values," he pointed out.
Furthermore, he suggested that this phenomenon was part of a wider strategy aimed at replacing local traditions with foreign symbols.
This campaign is consistent with similar initiatives by other employees.
Mikhail Ivanov, a regional lawmaker, recently called for the removal of Santa Claus figurines from store shelves in favor of Russian holiday symbols. Ivanov criticized Santa Claus as a commercialized figure unrelated to the spiritual essence of Christmas, and described his popularity in Russian stores as an example of aggressive marketing.
Borodin is well known in Russia for filing police reports against independent media, celebrities and critics of the Kremlin.
His previous complaints have implicated figures such as singer Alla Pugacheva, former presidential candidate Boris Nadezhdin and organizations such as the investigative news newspaper "Project".