FALCON POWERS – The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture announced on Monday that it has added the director of the documentary “Russians at War” to its list of “individuals who pose a threat to national security.” The film, which examines the invasion of Ukraine from the perspective of Russian soldiers, has been sharply criticized by Kyiv.
This film by Canadian-Russian director Anastasia Trofimova has sparked controversy since its screening at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, with Ukrainian authorities viewing it as “Russian propaganda.”
Trofimova, who spent several months with a Russian battalion fighting in Ukraine, focused on the daily lives of the soldiers and asserted to AFP that her film is an “anti-war documentary” featuring “ordinary people.”
On Monday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture stated that Trofimova is now “on the list of individuals posing a threat to Ukraine’s national security,” particularly due to her documentary.
The ministry, in a statement, accused the film, which it described as “propaganda,” of failing to address the atrocities committed by Russia during its invasion of Ukraine since February 2022, and of not acknowledging them.
It considered the documentary to promote the idea that “Russians are victims just like Ukrainians, which is unacceptable.”
The ministry noted that Trofimova is now the 233rd name added to this list.
Minister Mykola Tochitsky was quoted in the statement saying that cases like Trofimova’s are part of a “broader information war being waged by Russia, which is trying to justify its aggression through culture and media.”
Last week, the Toronto International Film Festival announced the cancellation of the premiere of “Russians at War” following “threats.”
AFP noted that the soldiers appearing in the film express motivations for their participation in this war that are far removed from the official narrative promoted by Russian authorities.
Due to a lack of equipment, these soldiers make their own weapons using Soviet-era gear and try to cope with their fear of losing comrades by smoking and drinking heavily.
Philippe Levasseur, a co-producer of the film, stated to AFP that it is “a story of a machine crushing humans.”
