Siberian Coca Cola lawsuit activist demands Putin ban Western Santa Claus & force foreign firms to use Slavic rival ‘Ded Moroz’

A Siberian man is suing Coca-Cola for “imposing” the Western image of Santa Claus on Russian society, instead of the Slavic ‘Ded Moroz’ and his granddaughter ‘Snegurochka’ which are traditional in the country.

Denis Amosov, a resident of Tomsk, explained that Coca-Cola is responsible for displacing local characters Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) and Snegurochka (Snow Maiden) in the mind of Russian people, and they should be punished for it.

“There is an association among children and adults that a happy new year is only possible with Coca-Cola and Santa Claus,” said Amosov in an Instagram post. “Russian traditions and centuries-old history are being lost.”

In his speech, Amosov, a specialist in marketing, noted that the holiday season no longer “gives him the same pleasure” as before, due to the “endless advertising in the run-up” and the constant appearance of Santa.

The lawsuit, for a whopping 30 million rubles ($411,000), has been filed for “compensation for moral damage” and “the creation of an association to protect the image of the Russian Snow Maiden.” Amosov also appealed to both the president and the Ministry of Culture to restrict the use of Santa Claus in the country, and wants to force Coca-Cola to use local imagery in the future.

Last month, Coca-Cola Russia released their 2020 Christmas advert, with the theme ‘Be closer like never before’. Like previous years, it includes the trademarked bright red truck, this time being driven by Santa Claus himself.

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