Switzerland Cancels Screening of Russian Film “Maidan: Road to War” Promoting War Propaganda

Switzerland has canceled the screening of the propagandist film Maidan: Road to War, created by the Russian media outlet Russia Today, according to Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on January 12.

He mentioned that Ukrainian civil society activists and diplomats had raised objections to the screening, and their concerns were acknowledged.

“Kremlin propaganda has no place in public venues. Free speech must not be a shield for disinformation or war justification. For years, Russia has poisoned European cultural stages, using culture as a tool of war and propaganda. The goal has always been the same: to undermine European societies and manipulate public opinion. But the reality of war is far from the clichés created by Russian literature, theater, and ballet,” Sybiha remarked.

He further pointed out that with all the books on the “mysterious Russian soul” in the background, Russia has raised a generation of war criminals who have murdered, raped, looted, and tortured people in Ukraine.

“This film is only one example of how toxic Russian war propaganda tries to make its way to European audiences. This isn’t about freedom of expression; it’s state-sponsored propaganda that should be banned,” the minister added.

At the same time, Ukrainian artist Iryna Winnik pointed out that the film promotes typical narratives of Russian propaganda, portraying the events of the Revolution of Dignity as the cause of the war and accusing the Ukrainian army of shelling civilians in Donbas from 2014 to 2022.

She described this as a classic tactic of hybrid information warfare, with the aim of legitimizing Russia's aggression in the eyes of European audiences, particularly Italian-speaking ones, discrediting Ukraine, and creating the illusion of an “alternative perspective.”

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Anti-Fake

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According to Winnik, those responsible for organizing the screening of the Russian propaganda film in Switzerland include Vincenzo Lorusso, the founder of Donbass Italia organization, who openly supports the “ DPR / LPR ,”  raises funds for Russian occupation forces, and spreads Kremlin disinformation in Italy and Switzerland.

Also involved is Eliseo Bertolazi, a journalist with long-standing ties to Russian state media, including RT, who has frequently visited occupied areas of Ukraine as an “international observer” at Russia’s illegitimate “referendums and elections.”

Earlier, it was reported that in 2025, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine resulted in the destruction or damage of 307 cultural heritage sites and 261 cultural infrastructure objects, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Culture.

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