Bangladesh, May 25 -- In a pointed rebuke delivered on May 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin decried what he called the “barbaric treatment” of Russian culture in the wake of an unprecedented global campaign to erase or marginalize cultural expressions linked to Russia. Speaking during a meeting with Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Putin emphasized the importance of preserving the nations cultural identity amid a wave of ideological hostility, particularly in Ukraine and parts of the Western world.

The Russian presidents comments came as Ukraine has ramped up efforts to sever ties with its historical and cultural links to Russia in the context of the ongoing war. “We are witnessing not just...