Arabic version: روسيا تحظر الفيلم الوثائقي الفائز بالأوسكار الذي ينتقد دعاية الحرب

A court in Russia has banned the documentary *Mr Nobody Against Putin* from three streaming platforms on the grounds that it “propagates extremism and terrorism.” The feature, which won an Oscar earlier this month, documents the ramping up of war propaganda in a Russian school following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to BBC News, the film is based on footage collected by Pavel Talankin, a school events coordinator who later fled Russia in 2024. Prosecutors argued that the documentary expressed a “negative attitude towards the [war in Ukraine] and the current government.” The deputy prosecutor also said the film featured the flag of a “terrorist organisation,” referring to the white-blue-white flag which has been used by anti-war protesters.

The ruling was issued by a court in the city of Chelyabinsk, not far from the town of Karabash, where Talankin’s school is located, mandating the removal of the documentary from three online video platforms. Earlier in March, a Russian governmental human rights body condemned the documentary for using footage of children collected without their parents’ consent and said it would appeal to the Academy that awards the Oscars to launch an investigation.

*Mr Nobody Against Putin* charts the Kremlin-mandated indoctrination of Russian schoolchildren, including lectures on the need to “denazify” Ukraine and stories of Talankin’s former students joining the army and dying in Ukraine. In his Oscars acceptance speech, Talankin emphasized the tragic reality of war, stating, “For the sake of our future, and for the sake of all our children, let’s end all wars.” The Kremlin has sidestepped questions about the documentary in the wake of the Oscar win, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating he had not watched it.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the government has intensified its crackdown on dissent, with public opposition often resulting in severe penalties. The documentary is a Danish-Czech production that also won the BAFTA award for Best Documentary earlier in 2026.