This week: a round-up of Russian cultural news

A Moscow court will demand the return of seven precious Jewish books from a US library; rock star Victor Tsoi’s house in St Petersburg is to be turned into a hotel; and Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky is preparing a law to regulate culture in Russia. A quick look at this week’s top news stories.

A Moscow court has upheld a claim from the Minster of Culture and the Russian State Library demanding that the US Library of Congress return seven precious Jewish texts from the Schneerson collection - a source of contention between both countries who both lay claim to the collection - with the court awarding a $50,000 fine for each day of non-compliance.

Talks are underway to turn the St Petersburg house of legendary Russian rock star Victor Tsoi into a hotel, with negotiations between potential investors already underway.

Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky finally receives his honorary fellowship from the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, after the university’s students and staff contested the award due to his “illiberal” views.

Cannes prizewinner, director Taisia Igumentseva, is set to direct a film about the recent unrest in Crimea, with potential funding from the Russian state.

Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has stated that a new law ‘regulating’ culture is being devised, which the Minister hopes will create a unified cultural philosophy in the country. The first draft will be announced by June, with the legislation covering all culture, from film to advertising.

Plans to develop high-speed magnetic levitation trains are underway: 9,300km of track will run from Moscow to the Siberian city of Vladivostok, cutting journey times to less than 20 hours.

Twitter now has limited access to the page of Ukraine’s ultranationalist Right Sector group in Russia, after repeated demands from Russia’s media watchdog Roskomnadzor, who have already blocked the page on Russian social networking site VK.

And… eight-hour working days will be introduced for film professionals in Russia, with a 40-hour work week the maximum for anyone working in film.