Documentary film 'Donbas Seasons' caused a scandal in diplomatic circles
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Tallinn, Viktor Kryzhanovsky, requested that an Italian documentary film called Donbass Seasons not be broadcast in the European Union. A major scandal has emerged in diplomatic circles over the Italian documentary film about the situation in eastern Ukraine.
According to Rus.err (Estonian Public Broadcasting website), Kryzhanovsky appealed to the Estonian authorities with a request not to allow the screening of the documentary film Donbas Seasons in Estonia.
As noted in the letter to the Estonian Minister of Culture, Indrek Saar, Kryzhanovsky indicated that the Italian journalist, Sarah Reginella, illegally visited the territories that are beyond Ukraine’s control. A copy of the letter was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The documentary film was shot during the trip.
“Sarah was trying to break the information blockade and show a real picture of the situation in Donbas to EU residents. The true and therefore tragic picture,” the Russian annotation says.
"This documentary is part of the ideological hybrid war of the Russian Federation. It is aimed at the promotion of the illegal separatist groups in eastern Ukraine and is designed to refute the notion of Russian military aggression against my country,” Viktor Kryzhanovsky wrote.
Taking into consideration the friendly relations between Estonia and Ukraine, the Ambassador called on authorities of the country not to allow the screening of this anti-Ukrainian propagandistic film. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this documentary film has been distributed across the European Union.
“We don’t know whether they want to show this documentary film in Estonia but we consider it our duty to warn the authorities. It isn’t in our jurisdiction to prohibit its broadcasting. However, we would like to know that this anti-Ukrainian documentary film will not be broadcast on Estonian TV Channels,” Viktor Kryzhanovsky explained.
It is not yet known whether Ukrainian diplomats have sent such letters to other countries. The documentary film Donbas Seasons was released in February 2016. On the 2nd of February, another documentary about Ukraine – The Masks of the Revolution was broadcast on a French TV Channel despite the protests of Ukraine, Korrespondent.net reported.