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Russian documentary accused of falsely showing invading soldiers as victims
Anastasia Trofimova’s film Russians at War criticised for ‘distorted picture of reality’ in Ukraine after Venice premiere
On Friday, CNN published drone footage filmed during fighting in August near the embattled city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, showing an apparent execution by Russian troops of three surrendering Ukrainians, the latest in a series of gruesome clips to emerge. When asked at a press conference in Venice about Russia’s actions in Ukraine, Trofimova said the soldiers she lived with for seven months were “absolutely ordinary guys” and claimed she saw no signs of war crimes during her time near the front. Ukrainian producer Darya Bassel, whose documentary Songs of Slow Burning Earth depicting the suffering of Ukraine also premiered at Venice, criticised the decision to screen the Russian film, saying it “presents a very distorted picture of reality, spreading false narratives”.
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