Russian film director Nikita Mikhalkov has been added to the database of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. His name appears in the section on Russian propagandists on the “War & Sanctions” portal.
The stated reason for his inclusion is Mikhalkov’s systematic support for the actions and policies of the Russian authorities. His profile notes that he supports Vladimir Putin’s policies, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea.
Ukrainian intelligence also states that since 2012, Mikhalkov has been a trusted associate of the Russian president. The database says that the director supported Russia’s recognition of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics on 24 February 2022, as well as the subsequent invasion of Ukraine.
Mikhalkov also placed on international wanted list
According to data published by the Ukrainian side, on 4 March 2022, Ukraine’s prosecutor’s office ordered the director’s arrest in absentia and placed him on an international wanted list on charges of encroachment on the country’s territorial integrity.
Mikhalkov is a People’s Artist of the RSFSR and a recipient of the Order of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called. He directed films including “Burnt by the Sun”, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, as well as “The Barber of Siberia” and “12”.
The director has not made a public comment specifically about his inclusion in the database. In an interview with TASS on 20 October, he said: “The West’s actions towards itself are destructive; constructive dialogue between Russia and the West in the field of culture is impossible.”
More than 450 public figures on the list
The “War & Sanctions” portal has maintained a list that has been updated since the beginning of 2022. The sections titled “Kremlin Mouthpieces” and “Champions of Terror” contain information on more than 450 public figures, athletes and artists whom Ukrainian intelligence links to Russian propaganda.
Russian cultural figures already listed include conductor Valery Gergiev, actors Vladimir Mashkov and Ivan Okhlobystin, singers Oleg Gazmanov, Grigory Leps and Stas Mikhaylov, as well as television presenter Mikhail Galustyan. Inclusion in the database takes place alongside individual sanctions decisions by Ukraine, the European Union, Canada and Switzerland.
Sources: tass.ru, tass.com, life.pravda.com.ua