[7] Trofimova embedded herself with a Russian battalion, as it makes its way across eastern Ukraine, getting a rare glimpse of an often ramshackle army in a regular state of disarray.

The soldiers depicted are often volunteers who say they went to the front for various personal reasons: vague patriotism, avenging fallen friends, protecting loved ones, preventing their children from going to war in the future, or, more commonly, for money.

[10] Trofimova, Canadian producer Cornelia Principe and co-producer Sally Blake noted that the production of this film started as an anti-war project to reflect the perspective of Russian citizens and soldiers regarding the conflict in Ukraine.

Taking advantage of a lax approach of local commanders, she eventually embedded herself with a Russian battalion, as it made its way across the Donetsk or Luhansk regions of Ukraine.

[14] Deadline Hollywood's Melanie Goodfellow described the film depicting "botched military sorties; hiding, petrified in dug outs; shrapnel-shredded dead comrades being slung into trucks in body bags, and commanders in shell shock as they relive the day’s horrors.

Any initial patriotic fervor dissipates, with the handful of subjects who survive to the end of the film questioning why they are there and expressing their lack of desire to fight, but suggesting they have no choice but to follow orders.

"[15] At the beginning of October 2024, after several festival premieres were cancelled, film producers were "considering minor adjustments prior to the pending global release of Russians at War, including a factual, contextual card in the opening titles".

[28][29] During the screenings, there was a visibly enhanced presence of police and security personnel preventing any major interference from Ukrainian-Canadian protesters[30][19][20][17] In his open speech before the screening on February 17, 2024, Cameron Bailey reiterated that Trofimova's film went through a "rigorous selection process and was invited based on its artistic merits and on its relevance to the horrific, ongoing war prompted by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine."

"[19] Anita Lee, TIFF's Chief Programming Officer wrote that "Trofimova assembles a spellbinding tale of sacrifice and disillusionment in which soldiers resemble pawns in a nefarious game.

[32] In response to this protest, the festival issued a statement noting that "the film Russians at War was selected to provide further insight into a tragic conflict which is still ongoing.

[37] Keyston-ATS news agency also cited the director of ZFF Christian Jungen saying: "It was understandable that Ukrainians are unhappy", but insisted that "films should incite discussion".

[38] Ukraine's Ambassador to Switzerland Iryna Venediktova arranged a meeting with the ZFF Artistic Director Christian Jungen on September 24, 2024 and, as stated in her X post, "urged @zurichfilmfest to ban the screening of 'Russians at War' to avoid being weaponised by Russian propaganda.

[19][47] Most reviews acknowledged the professionalism and surprisingly rare access to the daily routines of soldiers fighting on the Russian side during the Ukrainian-Russian war: Many critics praised Trofimova’s bravery,[58] calling the film "courageous".

[49][55][59] The Globe and Mail evaluated the film as “a brave and exceptional documentary: “A talented filmmaker, without an official posting or even a press pass, followed Russian fighters, almost all the way to the front so that we could know about it.

[49] TVO in their statement from September 6, 2024 praised the film pointing out that "it is unauthorized by Russian officials and was made at great personal risk to the filmmaker, who was under constant threat of arrest and incarceration for trying to tell an unofficial story.".

[10] Following these events, the film sparked backlash from some regional experts, Canadian politicians and the Ukrainian-Canadian community, who characterized it as "Russian propaganda".

[64][65][66][67] Trofimova admitted to entering Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories without Ukraine's permission while making the film, while embedded with Russian soldiers invading the country.

[68] Russian director Vitaly Mansky said that "it is quite obvious that the author is on the side of their heroes" and called the film's screening in Venice "a mistake by the festival."

[71][72] Ukrainian MP Yevheniia Kravchuk stated that the film is a "striking example of how Russia, thanks to its soft power, is trying to promote its narratives about a ‘more comprehensive understanding of the war’.

"[73] Ukraine's consul-general in Toronto Oleh Nikolenko urged TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey to remove the film from the festival schedule and criticized the Canadian government for helping to fund the documentary.

[22] Point of View magazine wrote: "Protesters, who by all accounts hadn’t seen the film given the inaccuracies of their characterizations of it, decried the doc as Russian propaganda and picketed the first press and industry screening, which preceded the public events by several days.

"[24] Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland made a denouncing statement about Russians at War while speaking to reporters in Nanaimo, British Columbia on September 10, 2024.

[78] The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications included director Trofimova in its list of people posing a threat to the national security of Ukraine (Order No.

This film shows the increasing disillusionment of Russian soldiers as their experience at the front doesn’t jive with the media lies their families are being told at home.

The film was produced by an Academy Award nominee with the support of cultural agencies in France and Canada because it is a documentary made in the tradition of independent war correspondence.

The most important point is that government and government-funded entities — Ontario’s public broadcaster, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), TIFF, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and other MPs — successfully conspired to keep people from seeing the film and judging for themselves.".

[22] Point of View magazine wrote: "Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who also hadn’t seen the film, bought into the misinformation campaign of the uninformed protesters and denounced both the doc and the festival for allegedly white-washing Russia’s crimes (which it doesn’t).

"[29] The editors of Canadian magazine Point of View stated: "TVO’s decision to withdraw support comes at a moment of seismic change for the documentary community.

"[75] Marsha Lederman from The Globe and Mail noted that censoring art is never a good idea: "Keeping this film under wraps is denying the public of more than the experience of seeing an excellent movie.

As The Globe and Mail reports, in a letter dated September 19, 2024 and addressed to TVO board and management, lawyer Danny Webber wrote that the network’s decision to pull support for the film "represents a clear violation of the filmmaker’s rights, not only under the broadcast agreement but also in terms of the broader principles of fairness, editorial independence, and respect for artistic integrity.