September 25th, 2024

A protester holds up a sign outside the TIFF Lightbox before a screening of “Russians At War” at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 17, 2024. Photo by Chris Young / The Canadian Press.

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After several weeks of protest, Russians At War, directed by former state media outlet Russia Today (RT) documentarian, Anastasia Trofimova, has been removed from screening at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Critics, including Professor Popova, lambasted the documentary for having a clear pro-Kremlin agenda, and attempting to mislead viewers unaware of the intricacies of the conflict to directly sympathize with Russian forces. By “humanizing” the Russian soldiers, the authors of the article claim that a dialectic that misconstrues the fact that the Russian side even is at fault for starting the war — an especially inappropriate position to take by the director and the , in an environment where war crimes committed by the Russian Army are a daily occurrence.

Profs. Garner and Popova conclude that, “ultimately, Russians at War is neither an anti-Putin, an anti-regime, nor an anti-war film. It contains no criticism of the Kremlin whatsoever. There is no mention of corruption in the Russian army, which is a favourite topic of the many state-sponsored Russian military correspondents when they criticize the war effort. Putin himself is not once mentioned in the film. Despite their losses in war, the film’s heroes remain determined to fight against Ukraine, which Trofimova — by repeating debunked Kremlin propaganda narratives — portrays as a monstrous mirror of Russia.”

Ian Garner is currently an Assistant Professor of Totalitarian Studies at the Pilecki Institute in Warsaw, and the author of Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth. For more information on Prof. Garner, visit his website.