The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemns the premiere of the propaganda film Russians at War by Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova at the Venice Film Festival.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Italy sent a letter to the President of the Venice Biennale, which states that it is inadmissible to show a pro-Russian film when Russia continues to wage war against Ukraine.
In addition, the Consulate General of Ukraine in Toronto appealed to the Toronto International Film Festival organizers to cancel the film Russians at War screening.
“The screening of this film in Venice and the planned premiere in Toronto is an insult to the victims of the war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. It distorts the reality of Russian aggression and serves as a propaganda tool for the Kremlin,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry also called for an end to attempts to provide Russia with an international cultural scene, which Russia uses to “whitewash its crimes.” “Russian soldiers who commit atrocities in Ukraine should not be speaking out at prestigious film festivals, but in the dock,” the statement said.
As reported, Russians at War is a documentary by Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, who spent more than six months with a Russian battalion in eastern Ukraine.
The film was created by a co-production between Canada and France. The description states that it tells the stories of Russian soldiers, which will allegedly “help to understand this war more deeply.”
Russians at War was screened on September 5 in the Venice International Film Festival’s non-competition program. Three more screenings were scheduled for September 6.