Russia has released a propaganda film about the destruction of the Mariupol Drama Theater, filming it on the reconstructed stage of the building. Dmytro Lubinets appealed to the UN, ICC, UNESCO, and other international bodies, urging them to assess Russia’s attempts to falsify the circumstances of a war crime.
Mariupol
Russia has released a pseudo-documentary film about the destruction of the Mariupol Drama Theater, with filming conducted directly on the theater’s reconstructed stage. The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, appealed to international organizations, calling for an assessment of this Russian Federation information campaign.
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets announced this on Facebook.
According to him, the film in question is the Russian production “Witnesses,” in which the authors attempt to distort the circumstances of the destruction of the drama theater in Mariupol on March 16, 2022.
Lubinets emphasized that the Russians used the stage of the rebuilt building for the filming – the site where the bodies of deceased citizens remained after the airstrike.
“This is not just a lie. It is a desecration of the memory of the deceased and an attempt to turn a crime scene into a set for its denial,” stated the ombudsman.
At the time of the strike, the theater served as a shelter for hundreds of civilians. The word “CHILDREN” was written in large letters near the building, visible from the air.
Lubinets recalled that an Associated Press investigation at the time concluded that about 600 people inside and near the theater may have died as a result of the strike. Amnesty International also established that the most likely cause of the building’s destruction was a Russian airstrike, likely using two 500-kilogram aerial bombs.
The ombudsman noted that the Russian version of an alleged “internal detonation of the theater” is not based on an independent investigation and was disseminated by Russian propaganda even before the attack.
Due to the film’s release, Lubinets sent appeals to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, the International Criminal Court, Amnesty International, UNESCO, the European Parliament, and the PACE.
He urged international structures to consider the Russian information campaign when documenting war crimes. Additionally, the ombudsman proposed considering the possibility of imposing EU sanctions against individuals, media, and other entities involved in the systematic denial and falsification of Russian war crimes.
“The Mariupol Drama Theater is a crime scene, not a backdrop for Russian propaganda,” emphasized Lubinets.
It is recalled that earlier it was reported that a fuel crisis had reached Mariupol: gasoline is being dispensed via coupons, and queues are growing.
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