Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova has admitted to entering Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories without official permits while making her controversial documentary "Russians at War."
The film is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sept. 10.
In her interview with the Globe and Mail published on Sept. 8, Trofimova emphasized that her focus was solely on the Russian soldiers, whom she described as hidden figures of the war, adding that her decision to embed with them was driven by the unique access she was offered.
Despite acknowledging that Russia's invasion is unjustified and illegal, Trofimova's film has sparked debate over its content and funding sources.
The film has drawn backlash since its debut at the Venice Film Festival, and has been criticized by Ukraine's consul-general in Toronto, Oleh Nikolenko, for allegedly whitewashing Russian war crimes. Nikolenko urged the festival committee to remove the documentary.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) reported that the documentary received funding from the Canadian Media Fund, a public-private partnership backed by the Department of Canadian Heritage, in amount of 340,000 Canadian dollars ($250,358).
Nikolenko in his letter criticized the Canadian government for helping to fund the documentary. He also said that by joining a Russian military unit on occupied Ukrainian territory, Trofimova "grossly violates Ukrainian legislation."
Trofimova issued a statement on Sept. 6 defending the documentary against what she characterized as attacks. "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.
Trofimova, who previously worked for the Russian state-controlled media company RT, , said that she lacked access to the Ukrainian side due to her Russian nationality and former association with RT. The company is banned in Canada.
"For me to go to Ukraine as a Russian, I would be branded a spy or attacked. The fact that I used to work for RT Documentary doesn’t help. I wouldn’t have been able to cover both sides of the front," she told the Globe and Mail. "Journalists travel to war zones often without permission of the state. This is how we’re able to get a story that’s not sanctioned by the state."
The documentary trailer reveals that the film echoes several stereotypes propagated by Russian state-controlled media in an attempt to legitimize its genocidal war against Ukraine, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
“Russia and Ukraine have always been inseparable. I miss the brotherly union,” one soldier says to the camera, reinforcing the false narrative that Ukraine cannot exist as an independent state.
Kate Tsurkan
