The DOCVILLE festival in Leuven canceled the screening of the Russian propaganda film Russians at War following swift action by the Embassy of Ukraine in Belgium.
Anastasia Trofimova’s film Russians at War portrays Russian soldiers in the war against Ukraine as "victims of circumstances," while ignoring their responsibility for war crimes—murders, torture, rape, looting, and the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. The screening of such films is part of Russia's information warfare, aimed at justifying its aggression against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Embassy appealed to the federal government, the government of the Flanders region, local authorities in Leuven, the DOCVILLE festival leadership, and the Catholic University of Leuven, calling for the film’s cancellation.
As a result, the head of the DOCVILLE festival and the rector of the Catholic University of Leuven confirmed the cancellation of the screening.
