Ukrainians in Greece ax screening of ‘Russians at War’ propaganda film

The Ukrainian community in Greece has successfully canceled the screening of the Russians at War film, produced by Russian propagandist Anastasia Trofimova who worked for the Kremlin-funded Russia Today news outlet. Halyna Maslyuk, the leader of the community, shared this news in a statement to the Ukrainian World Congress. 

This is an unprecedented case for Greece, “where public opinion has unfortunately remained favorable towards Russia,” she said.

“While Greeks do not support the war, many still believe in Russian narratives claiming that ‘Russians and Ukrainians are brotherly peoples’ and that ‘the war was provoked,’” Maslyuk said.

The film showing was scheduled for Oct. 4 in Athens. As in France and elsewhere, organizers of the Athens International Film Festival said that “the cancellation of public screenings was decided for the safety of the audience and festival staff.”

The Ukrainian community statement said that Trofimova had “illegally entered Ukraine from occupied territories” and that the movie “should not be shown in democratic countries…The Russian army came to Ukraine to kill, destroy, rape, and deport children. War crimes should be prosecuted in The Hague, not glorified in films!” 

“This ‘small victory’ serves as a powerful motivation to demonstrate our unity, faith, and commitment to fighting for the truth,” the community added.

The film features the stories of Russian occupiers and only snippets of real battles. Trofimova claims she created an “anti-war” film to show “ordinary people.” The work was meant to challenge the notion that all Russian soldiers are criminals, the director has said in her defense.

Democratic nations are increasingly recognizing the harmful impact of covert propaganda, which can be just as dangerous as overt propaganda. Previously, the Zurich Film Festival also canceled public screenings of Russians at War, according to the Ukrainian Society in Switzerland.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) has also embarked on a campaign to cancel the film’s screening, succeeding at most venues. However, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) ignored calls for action and went ahead to show the movie on Sept. 17.

The UCC urged TIFF to take a principled stance, acknowledge its oversight, and recognize its complicity in promoting Russian propaganda through a film that has become another tool for the Kremlin to justify its brutal, unjustified aggression against Ukraine.