The Docville Film Festival, which takes place in the Belgian city of Leoven, has canceled the screening of the Russian propaganda movie "Russians at war" after a number of appeals from the Ukrainian Embassy. This decision was the result of the rapid and decisive action of Ukrainian diplomats who appealed to the Federal Government of Belgium, the Government of Flanders, Local Liven, as well as the leadership of the Docville festival and the Catholic University of Catholic, where the display was to be held.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Belgium has expressed its concern about the participation of a propaganda film in a cultural event. Diplomatic appeals emphasized that the demonstration of the movie "Russians in the war" is part of the Russian Information War and tries to justify the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The official message of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine indicates that the film is trying to present Russian soldiers as "victims of circumstances", silent their responsibility for war crimes, including murders, torture, rape, looting and forced deportation of Ukrainian children.
This enhances the Ukrainian belief that Russian propaganda materials should not have a place on cultural sites where they can manipulate public opinion and justify Russia's aggression. The official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sounds clear: "Russian propaganda has no place on cultural platforms."
Following the appeals of Ukrainian diplomats, the leadership of the Docville festival and the rector of the Catholic University of Catholic confirmed the cancellation of the film. This step has become an important signal that cultural events should be free from propaganda and should contribute to the development of constructive dialogue, not undermine democratic values and moral standards.
The movie "Russians in the War" , directed by Anastasia Trofimov, tries to feed Russia against Ukraine through the lens of Russian soldiers. However, the film is bypassed by serious military crimes committed by the Russian Federation during aggression against Ukraine, such as killings of civilians, rapes, torture and other crimes. Instead, the film creates the image of the Russians as "victims of circumstances", which is a clear example of manipulating facts within Russian propaganda.
