«Russians at War»: Canada Halts Broadcast of Film About Occupants.

Non-profit organization TVO has decided to halt support and broadcast of the documentary film «Russians at War» directed by Anastasia Trofimova. The board of directors listened to the Ukrainian-Canadian community and will review the project’s funding.

The film tells the story of the lives of Russian soldiers who invaded Ukraine. The director lived with them on the front line and stated that she did not see any signs of war crimes. Previously, TVO had justified the film by stating that it was banned in Russia because it portrays the Russian invasion in a negative light. The film was shown at the Venice Film Festival and was planned to be shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. However, after this, a wave of outrage began.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine insisted that the film exposes the reality of Russian aggression and is a tool of Kremlin propaganda. The Verkhovna Rada sent a letter to the Canadian Parliament calling for the film not to be shown.

MPs claim that the film is a result of Russian propaganda and ignores the crimes of Russian soldiers. The director also does not mention the Russian occupation of Crimea and calls the war crimes of Russians “impossible.”