Kyrgyzstan has banned the screening of Russian propaganda feature films about the Donbas war and the occupation of Crimea.
This was stated by the Minister of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth of Kyrgyzstan Azamat Jamankulov. According to him, the Kyrgyz State Cinema Center has revoked the lease certificates previously issued for the screening of those films and banned the screening.
According to the minister, the decision was made “in connection with the current international situation.”
The screening of the films was planned by the Russian Cultural Center “Harmony”. In Bishkek և In Osh, the audience would be offered “Crimea”, “Donbass”, “The Girl from the Mighty World” – other films that justify the occupation of Crimea, the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Activists have criticized the idea of showing the films in Kyrgyzstan, but on April 21, a cinema in one of Bishkek’s largest shopping malls refused to screen them.
In the streets and squares of Bishkek, there are large posters advertising these propaganda films, and a leaflet displaying them is posted on the website of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan’s State Security Committee has previously called on citizens not to wear the military uniform with the letter Z on May 9.
The agency clarified that “such uniforms contribute to the spread of ethnic hatred.” Those who ignore the demand will be held accountable.