14 October 2015 - "Boris Godunov. From a courtier to the Sovereign of All Russia" Exhibition Opening ceremony took place at the Moscow Kremlin Museums. The Moscow Kremlin Museums for the first time turn to the personality of Boris Godunov, one of the most controversial historical figures, whose name has been associated with many myths and legends for centuries.

"It is no secret that the personality of Boris Godunov was interpreted in different ways by his contemporaries and followers, depending on the alignment of political forces. It is also important that the number of sources telling about that era is very limited: no reliable intra-vitam image of Boris Godunov does exist, very few of his personal belongings have survived, and artifacts associated with his reign are housed in different museums. By gathering in the Moscow Kremlin Museums everything that is somehow related to his personality, we want to introduce Godunov as a remarkable strategist and politician, open to all possible innovations, and as the sovereign, who initiated a series of major reforms, founded cities strategically important to Russia, whose foreign policy was successful. I hope that the visitors will have no doubt that Boris Godunov is fairly considered to be one of the most famous leaders of the Russian state ",  says Elena Gagarina, Director General of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.

On display are more than 150 unique objects dating back to the 16th -17th centuries, associated with extraordinary and tragic fate of Boris Godunov – the first elected Russian tsar. The exhibition includes objects from the leading Russian museums (the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the State Historical Museum, the State Hermitage Museum etc.), as well as by the largest libraries and the Russian State Archive of Ancient Documents.