Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said insulting Prophet Muhammad doesn’t count as the expression of artistic freedom, according to TASS.

Insults to the prophet are a “violation of religious freedom and the violation of the sacred feelings of people who profess Islam,” he said during his annual news conference.

While praising artistic freedom in general, Putin said it has its limits and it shouldn’t infringe on other freedoms.

Russia has evolved as a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional state, so Russians, he said, are used to respecting each other’s traditions. In some other countries, this respect comes in short supply, he said.

Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency