Canadian Broadcaster Cancels 'Russians at War' Documentary After Public Backlash

The publicly funded TV network TVO (formerly TVOntario) released a statement on September 10 announcing no longer airing the 'Russians at War' documentary.

“We have listened to the Ukrainian-Canadian community and their thoughtful and heartfelt input. TVO’s Board of Directors has decided to respect the feedback we have received, and TVO will no longer be supporting or airing Russians at War,” TVO stated. 

The statement came out following the public backlash that the movie received and the protests from the Ukrainian-Canadian community against the film being included in the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie was filmed in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, without official authorization. Trofimova stated seeing “absolutely ordinary guys with a sense of humor” and “no signs of war crimes during her time near the front.”

The movie received funding from various Canadian organizations, including the Canada Media Fund, and was produced in collaboration with TVO. 

“TVO will be reviewing the process by which this project was funded and our brand leveraged,” TVO statement concluded.

‘Russians at War’ was directed by the Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, who formerly worked with Russia’s state-sponsored RT news agency. The documentary was made from footage filmed during her seven-month stay with a Russian battalion in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.