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The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has condemned the Zurich Film Festival’s intention to include the documentary “Russians at War” in the program.
The ministry said this in a post on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns any attempts to provide Russia with a cultural stage to whitewash its war crimes, while Russian troops continue to commit atrocities against Ukrainians,” the ministry said.
It added that Russian propaganda behind the screen of a cultural product has no place on the international cultural stage and red carpets.
“Russians at War” is a documentary by Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova, who spent more than six months with a Russian battalion in eastern Ukraine.
The film was a co-production by Canada and France. The description says it tells the stories of Russian soldiers, which will allegedly “help viewers better understand the war.”
Despite calls by the Ukrainian community, the film was included in the screening program of the Toronto International Film Festival, which took place in early September. Ukraine’s Consulate General in Toronto protested against the intention to show the film “Russians at War” at the Toronto International Film Festival. The organizers initially canceled all screenings, but the Russian propaganda film was included in the program again, despite protests from the Ukrainian community and diplomats.
“Russians at War” was shown on September 5 in the out-of-competition program of the Venice International Film Festival.
