Ottawa Blacklists Russian Oscar-Winning Filmmaker Among Others

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov, star of "Burnt By The Sun." Mikhalkov was among 18 Russians censured for supporting the war in Ukraine. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

Ottawa has placed Academy Award-winning director Nikita Mikhalkov on a blacklist for his support of Russia.

Mr. Mikhalkov and 18 other Russian nationals were rebuked on Aug. 2 for backing the invasion of Ukraine, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

“The individuals include Russian celebrities who use their art to promote Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, and said Mr. Mikhalkov was “promoting Kremlin propaganda.”

OpenSanctions, an international database of persons and companies of “political, criminal, or economic interest,”  lists Mr. Mikhalkov as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s public supporters.

The webpage states that he has been vocal “in spreading Kremlin propaganda narratives on Ukraine since 2014” and that he has “expressed support for the annexation of Crimea and the recognition of the independence of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk Republics.”

“He has justified Russia’s war of aggression, in order to protect Donbass from alleged crimes of Ukraine that took place against the civil population. He has blamed Ukrainians for so-called Russophobia, saying the ‘conflict’ between the two countries was inevitable,” it said.

Mr. Mikhalkov’s Oscar-winning 1994 movie, “Burnt By The Sun,” tells the story of a senior Red Army officer and his family during the Great Purge of the late 1930s in the Stalinist Soviet Union.

In 2009, Mr. Mikhalkov directed a Russian remake of the 2009 drama “Twelve Angry Men.”

“I can’t say I am satisfied with what is happening in our government, to put it mildly,“ he earlier told an Associated Press reporter. ”Our leaders have gone the way of blood and violence,”

The blacklisting of Russian artists under the Special Economic Measures Act was acknowledged by the foreign affairs department as being largely symbolic.

“It is likely the newly listed individuals and entities have limited linkages with Canada and therefore do not have business dealings that are significant to the Canadian economy,” the department said.

Engaging in commercial transactions with Mr. Mikhalkov is prohibited for Canadians and carries potential penalties including fines of up to $25,000 and five years in prison. Also, any assets held within Canada can be frozen.

More Blacklisted Artists

Others added to Canada’s blacklist include rapper Timur Yunusov, known by his stage name Timati, who was featured alongside Snoop Dogg in the 2009 music video, “Get Your Groove On,” singer Phillip Kirkorov, and singer Zarifa Mgoyan, performing under the name Zara, recognized as a 2016 UNESCO Artist for Peace for her efforts in advocating inclusion for individuals of all ages with disabilities.

Russia’s culture minister, Olga Lyubimova, along with her deputy, was also placed on the blacklist. The list includes historian Mikhail Piotrovsky, the director of St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum, and singer Yaroslav Dronov (stage name “Shaman”), who released the 2022 war song, “Rise Up,” in addition to performing for Russian troops stationed in Ukraine.

In 2022, Roger Waters of the British band, Pink Floyd was put on a blacklist by Ukraine’s notorious Mirotvorets website.

According to the website statement, its administrators said the musician’s remarks about Crimea was “an attack on the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” reported Russian news agency TASS.

“I don’t feel very much about it, at all,” Mr. Waters told TASS at the time. “It’s just a waste of breath by propagandists. There, that’s their job. They’re told to sit and write this nonsense about me because it’s part of their job.”

“I can’t take any of it seriously,” the musician said.

The foreign affairs department said that “Russia is using its celebrities in the cultural sector to promote the Kremlin’s propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine.” It added that, as part of its continuous disregard for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, Russia is engaging in a deliberate and systematic campaign to dismantle Ukrainian culture.