The director of the Hermitage called the incident with the visitor on the throne an act of vandalism.

On May 18, Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director General of the Hermitage, commented on a recent incident with a visitor when he climbed onto the Great Imperial Throne in St. George's Hall.

"We are dealing with a clear act of vandalism, and armed," Piotrovsky said, according to a statement posted on the museum's website.

He noted that museums around the world are increasingly becoming a place of scandalous self-expression. According to the director, such actions pose a threat to cultural institutions and require a tough response. Such actions interfere with other visitors and create danger, Piotrovsky added.

"Too many visitors is not an indicator of success"

Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director General of the State Hermitage Museum, talks about the museum's exhibition plans, artificial intelligence and the "second Petersburg"

In St. Petersburg, Rosgvardiya employees together with the Hermitage security service on May 17 detained a visitor who sat on the Great Imperial Throne in St. George's Hall. During the arrest, the man actively resisted.