Russians At War! Ukraine Unhappy With Canada’s Screening Of Alleged Propaganda Film; Wants It Removed

By
Sakshi Tiwari
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Although Canada has been a strong supporter of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, it has come under fire for allowing a major film festival to screen a film that has been branded as Russian propaganda.

The film, ‘Russians at War,’ is a Canadian-French-funded documentary directed by Anastasia Trofimova. The movie, which has now sparked diplomatic tensions between Canada and Ukraine, centers on the perspective of Russian soldiers engaged in the ongoing conflict that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The documentary premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier and will now screen at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 13 in its North American debut.

Ukraine, however, is not happy. Ukrainian government representatives have urged that the documentary about Russian soldiers be removed from the Toronto International Film Festival’s program.

A letter written by Ukrainian Consul General Oleh Nikolenko to TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said that ‘Russians at War’ purports to absolve the soldiers involved in the invasion of Ukraine.

Without mincing words, Nikolenko said in the letter: ”It is irresponsible to allow the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the most reputable world film stages, to be used to whitewash the responsibility of Russian soldiers committing war crimes in Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion.”

Nikolenko also noted that the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Ukrainian Consulate General in Toronto, and the Ukrainian Embassy in Ottawa had expressed dissatisfaction with the TIFF administration in the previous few weeks but received no suitable response.

Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside a Toronto theater on September 10 to voice their disapproval of the festival’s decision to disregard requests to halt the documentary’s screenings.

According to a TIFF media statement, ‘Russians at War’ was backed in part by government funds and funded by the non-profit Canada Media Fund.

The documentary offers an unvarnished account of the battle from the point of view of soldiers engaged in direct combat. As the conflict rages around them, they address the camera directly, talking of hope, death, and terror.

According to the film’s blurb on the TIFF website, the documentary shows Russian troops’ disenchantment with the conflict as they discover that the narrative they were sold in Russia is untrue.

This has failed to impress the Ukrainians, who have otherwise received significant diplomatic and military support from Canada.

“This is highly crafted Russian propaganda, and unfortunately, the festival has not demonstrated any willingness to address our concerns,” Nikolenko said in an interview.

Additionally, there has been some discontentment brewing against the film inside Canada. The movie and its inclusion in TIFF’s schedule were denounced by Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, a person of Ukrainian descent. She recently told the media about the serious concerns raised by the Ukrainian-Canadian community and Ukrainian diplomats during a Liberal Party retreat in British Columbia.

“It’s not right for Canadian public money to be supporting the screening and production of a film like this,” she said.

Demonstrators holding placards against TIFF’s screening of ‘Russians At War’ (Via X)

The Russian-Canadian director of the film, Anastasia Trofimova refuted claims that the film was propaganda. Instead, she said that the documentary was filmed without the Russian government’s consent, putting her in danger of facing criminal charges there.

“I want to be clear that this Canada-France co-production is an anti-war film made at great risk to all involved, myself especially,” she said in a written statement.

Assuaging concerns and defending the credibility of her film, Trofimova wrote, ”I unequivocally believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is unjustified, illegal and acknowledge the validity of the International Criminal Court investigation of war crimes in Ukraine.”

The remarks made by the director have failed to instill confidence among the film’s protestors. The development comes at a time when Russian troops are rapidly advancing inside Ukraine in a bid to capture the logistical hub of Pokrovsk, which will eventually allow it to control the entire Donbas region by cutting off supplies for Ukrainian troops.

Russia Advances In Ukraine 

With one of its military’s fastest advances since the beginning of the conflict, Russia is moving closer to a vital city in the eastern part of Ukraine. If it takes Pokrovsk, Russia will obtain a significant tactical edge in annexing the remainder of the Donbas territory.

Several of the Donbas’ road and rail networks converge near Pokrovsk. In the event of a successful Russian attack, Moscow’s forces would be in a position to threaten Ukrainian positions south of the city and cut off the primary supply routes for troops in the remaining Ukrainian strongholds throughout the region.

Two thick lines of Ukrainian defenses still separate the front line from the city. These lines are made up of several circular trenches to protect infantry and mortar troops and anti-tank ditches to slow down Russian tanks. Ukraine dispatched additional troops throughout last week to protect the trenches surrounding Pokrovsk.

The most effective portion of Russia’s attack in the Donbas this summer was the march into Pokrovsk. Despite Ukraine opening another front by launching an invasion of Kursk, Russian troops have barely budged from their position. Ukrainian troops were retreating more than a mile per day on some days last month.

Russia said on September 10 that its forces had advanced by 1,000 square kilometers (390 square miles) in eastern Ukraine in August and September. Additionally, it has ruled out the possibility of talks with Ukraine, which means that a ceasefire is impossible between the two sides.

Thus, the screening of the documentary ‘Russians At War’ at TIFF occurs at a particularly challenging time.

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