Russian Media Responses to “Russians at War”: A Spectrum of Reactions or Calculated Propaganda or Both?

OSINT for Ukraine (OFU) was originally founded as a student collective at Leiden University, where the recent screening of the documentary “Russians at War” took place. As a group committed to transparency, critical analysis, and open discourse, we strongly uphold the principles of academic freedom and freedom of speech. At the same time, we believe this particular screening could have been approached with greater critical scrutiny. The content of the film and the background of its directors suggest a potentially biased portrayal of the war in Ukraine—one that risks legitimizing narratives aligned with disinformation or soft propaganda.

Since the screening, we have carefully discussed the most constructive way to address the surrounding controversy. We deliberately chose not to adopt a confrontational or overly activist stance, nor to position ourselves as opponents of free expression. Instead, we concluded that the best course of action was to let our research and analytical work speak for itself.

To that end, we have compiled 15 articles from Russian media sources—both state-affiliated and independent—that respond to the film's international screenings. This collection provides a valuable lens through which to understand how Russian media, across the political spectrum, have framed and interpreted the documentary and its reception abroad.

Our notes should be considered our view on each article but do not take them at face value. We strongly encourage readers to access and explore the articles themselves. Tools like Google Translate or DeepL can be used to read these pieces in English. Engaging with the original material is essential to forming a nuanced understanding of how information is shaped across different media environments.