Ukrainian activists shut down Kremlin propaganda film screening in Switzerland

Ukrainians in Switzerland have successfully blocked the screening of a Russian state propaganda film that sought to whitewash the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine and rewrite the history of the Maidan uprising, the LB.ua outlet reported. 

The documentary, “Maidan, the Road to War (Maidan, la strada verso la guerra)”, produced by Russian state broadcaster RT, was scheduled to be shown on Jan. 29, 2026, in the town of Muralto in Switzerland’s canton of Ticino. The film distorts Ukraine’s 2013–2014 Revolution of Dignity, falsely and blatantly blames Ukrainian forces for the shelling of civilians in the Donbas, and advances narratives designed to legitimize Russia’s ongoing aggression.

The event was organized by well-known pro-Kremlin actors, including Vincenzo Lorusso, founder of the disinformation group Donbass Italia, which openly supports Russia’s illegal proxy regimes in occupied eastern Ukraine. Another organizer, journalist Eliseo Bertolasi, has a documented record of collaboration with Russian state propaganda outlets RT and Sputnik.

The screening was canceled after sustained pressure from the Ukrainian community in Switzerland, including artist Iryna Vinnik, with the support of Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the State Film Agency. Their efforts underscored that freedom of expression cannot be used as a shield for state-sponsored disinformation that justifies war crimes and mass violence.

The decision in Ticino is part of a wider pushback across Europe against Russia’s cultural and information warfare. Russian outlets have admitted that authorities in the Italian city of Gorizia also shut down a similar event, though organizers continue attempting to hold screenings in other cities behind closed doors.

Ukrainian advocates warn that such films are not neutral cultural products but weapons of information warfare, aimed at eroding truth, confusing audiences, and normalizing Russia’s invasion. Stopping these screenings, they say, is an act of solidarity with Ukraine and a necessary defense of historical truth and democratic values in Europe.