Ukrainian community in Oslo demands cancellation of Russian propaganda film screening

OSLO – The Ukrainian community in Norway, joined by activists and other Ukrainian organizations, is demanding the immediate cancellation of the scheduled screening of the propaganda film “Russians at War” at the Vega Scene cinema on May 15.

In an official appeal to the event organizers — the Fritt Ord Foundation and Oslo Dokumentarkino — the community denounced the film as a dangerous vehicle for Russian disinformation and plans to stage a protest rally outside the Norwegian Parliament on the same day.

“We oppose lies and misinformation and reject Russian propaganda in Norway,” the community said.

Activists have expressed outrage over the invitation of the film’s director, Anastasia Trofimova — a former employee of the propaganda channel Russia Today — to participate in the question-and-answer session after the movie screening.

In their letter, the Ukrainian warns that in the time of war and information warfare, Norway’s cultural institutions bear a heightened responsibility. 

“Curating and screening films at this time is not merely an artistic choice. It is a political and ethical act — one that can either strengthen society’s democratic resilience or leave it vulnerable to new threats,” the appeal said.

The film “Russians at War” dangerously distorts the reality of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, portraying the war as an unfortunate accident with no one to blame — a narrative alarmingly close to absolutism.

“We believe that humanizing the occupying forces without highlighting the suffering of the victims transforms “Russians at War” from a documentary into a tool of Russian disinformation,” the community said.

The “Russians at War” film tells the stories of Russian occupiers, interspersed with only brief snippets of real combat footage. 

Trofimova insists that she made an “anti-war” film and wanted to showcase “ordinary people.” 

The film was intended to challenge the notion that all Russian soldiers are criminals, she claims.

Earlier, the Zurich Film Festival canceled public screenings of the film. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress led a campaign against the film’s screening, which resulted in the suspension of screenings in Canada. However, on Sept. 17, the Toronto International Film Festival ignored these calls.

Screenings of the film were successfully canceled in Greece thanks to the efforts of the Ukrainian community in October.