Ukraine's Security Service opens criminal case against director of Russians at War propaganda film Trofimova
The Security Service of Ukraine has opened a criminal case against Anastasia Trofimova, director of the propaganda film Russians at War.
Source: Yaroslav Yurchysyn, Chair of the Committee on Freedom of Speech of the Ukrainian parliament
Details: The Office of the Prosecutor General announced the launch of a pre-trial investigation under Art. 436.2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on "justification, recognition as lawful, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants" and the dissemination of materials on this topic.
Quote: "Last week, the Canadian National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians acknowledged that the state cannot fund such films and discussed the threats posed by Russian disinformation. I am grateful for the reaction, but I would like to see stricter punishment for violations of Ukrainian law. And it is Ukraine that should be the first to initiate Trofimova’s case."
Why Ukrainians are against Russians at War:
Anastasia Trofimova, a Russian-Canadian director, created the documentary film Russians at War.
Trofimova was born in Moscow. She has worked in the media for almost 10 years, contributing to documentary projects in Canada, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Russia. She produced a number of films for the Russian propaganda outlet Russia Today.
The film Russians at War depicts Trofimova's seven-month deployment alongside the Russian military in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. However, the film does not depict the destruction and casualties that the Russians are inflicting on the people of Ukraine.
One of the soldiers in the film openly denies the accusations that Russian troops are committing war crimes. Trofimova herself claims there that she did not witness anything like that while she was filming.
The Venice Film Festival hosted the international premiere of Trofimova's film.
Before the film's showing at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Ukrainian community in Canada staged a series of protests. The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine, Oleh Nikolenko, Consul General of Ukraine in Canada, and others joined the appeal not to screen Russians at War.
Finally, the organisers of the festival declared that they would not show Trofimova's film, citing security concerns. However, after the film festival had officially closed, two separate screenings of the film were announced on 17 September.
Trofimova was recently added to the list of individuals who pose a threat to Ukraine's national security.
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