Embassy of Ukraine in Belgium urges cancellation of Russian propaganda film screening

The embassy stated this on X, as reported by Ukrinform.

"The Embassy of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Belgium strongly condemns the planned screening of the propaganda documentary ‘Ukraine-Russie, derrière l'écran de fumée” and draws the attention of the public and relevant Belgian authorities to yet another attempt to spread disinformation related to Russian military aggression against Ukraine," diplomats said.

The event is organized by the group Kairos Presse under editor-in-chief Alexandre Penasse and was scheduled for March 19.

This initiative is part of repeated attempts to organize similar screenings in Brussels. A previous event on January 31, 2026, titled “Carnets de Russie”, was canceled following intervention by local authorities. Similar events were recently canceled in Portugal (March 11–13, 2026) due to the clearly propagandistic nature of the content, the embassy noted.

"The documentary serves as a direct tool of information warfare, systematically distorting the reality of Russian military aggression against Ukraine, whitewashing documented war crimes, and promoting narratives designed to justify the illegal occupation of Ukrainian territories and undermine international support for Ukraine," the statement emphasized.

The film was created based on trips to the Russian Federation and temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

"Any such activities conducted without the consent of the Ukrainian authorities constitute a violation of Ukrainian legislation and international law," the embassy said. "It is particularly concerning that the organizers have previously employed deliberate concealment tactics, including withholding the exact location screenings until 24–48 hours prior to the event in order to avoid public scrutiny and possible intervention by the authorities."

The embassy stressed that providing a public platform for narratives that relativize aggression, deny responsibility for war crimes, and serve the information interests of an aggressor state is incompatible with democratic values, the rule of law, and the principles upon which Belgium and the European Union are founded.

"Given the persistent pattern of such activities, the Embassy of Ukraine calls upon the competent authorities to take decisive and timely action," the statement said.

In this context, the embassy urges the cancellation of the planned screening and strongly calls on all relevant institutions to prevent the dissemination and legitimization of Russian disinformation and propaganda in the public space.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, Ukraine’s ambassador to Belgium Yaroslav Melnyk noted that with the growing number of Russian cultural events across Europe, including Belgium, it is important to remember that Russian culture supports dictator Vladimir Putin.