On Monday, March 18, the Australian national broadcaster ABC aired the documentary "Ukraineʼs War: The Other Side" on the Four Corners program, which caused sharp criticism of the Ukrainian embassy and the Ukrainian community in Australia.
The movie by the British director Sean Langan covers the war from the side of the Russian occupation forces. Langan filmed the war through the eyes of Russians and showed their life at the front.
Reaction of the Ukrainian side
The Embassy of Ukraine in Australia and Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko condemned the screening of the film. The diplomatic mission called the tape "the equivalent of a bowl of vomit", which repeated Russian propaganda, historical distortions, many of blatant lies and played on the Kremlinʼs narrative in every possible way.
The embassy believes that the showing of the film humiliated thousands of innocent Ukrainians killed by the Russian invaders.
"An Australian TV channel should be ashamed of itself for airing such utter rubbish," the statement said.
Ukrainian Ambassador Myroshnychenko separately demanded a meeting with ABC managing director David Anderson and complained to Communications Minister Michelle Rowland. She told the ambassador that ABCʼs editorial staff is independent and any complaints should be directed to the channelʼs management.
The Federation of Ukrainian Organizations of Australia said the film gave Russian soldiers a platform to justify the brutal invasion, with viewers in the tape seeing Langan shaking hands, hugging and smiling at the occupiers while listening to "vulgar lies, hatred and calls for genocide".
ABCʼs answer
As The Guardian writes, the TV channel has decided to defend its position and claims that this "complex" film offers the audience a rare look into the lives of Russian soldiers and is an "important contribution" to reporting on the war. The ABC says the film is just one of a series of programs on the Russian-Ukrainian "conflict" broadcast on Four Corners.