Ukraine's Embassy in Australia says ABC's program humanizing the Russian troops is "a bowl of vomit"

The Ukrainian Embassy in Australia called the program "Ukraine’s War: The Other Side" aired on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's channel Four Corners, which serves to humanize the Russian army, a "bowl of vomit".

The Embassy's statement was posted on Facebook on March 19.

"The program aired last night on Four Corners “Ukraine’s War: The Other Side” was the journalistic equivalent of a bowl of vomit. It unquestioningly repeated and aired countless blatant lies, historical distortions, racist claims and propaganda narratives emanating from the Kremlin. Inasmuch, it completely served the interests of Russia’s dictator, Putin," says the Embassy.

They added that the program minimised and denigrated the deaths of Ukrainians who have been killed by Russian soldiers in an illegal and brutal invasion, which was "strongly condemned by Australia and the majority of countries through the UNGA resolution in March 2022," reminds the Embassy.

"The Australian Broadcasting Corporation should be ashamed that it put such total garbage to air," the statement reads.

The Embassy will ask the Minister for Communications for a meeting with the Managing Director of the ABC and the Executive Producer of Four Corners to understand what process led to the airing of this pro-Putin and pro-violence propaganda piece by Australia’s national broadcaster. The Ambassador will "share with them the facts that the program totally disregarded."

On March 18, the ABC announced the Four Corners program "Ukraine’s War: The Other Side", saying they were offering "a rare insight from the other side" two years since Ukraine was invaded by Russia.

"Filmmaker Sean Langan's groundbreaking documentary offers a human perspective on life on the Russian frontline. He explores what it's like to be both a Russian soldier risking their life, and a Russian civilian under daily threat of bombardment. It's extraordinary access and a compelling exploration of a conflict which has killed or wounded an estimated 500,000 soldiers on both sides — and one which refuses to subside," reads the announcement.

In the trailer, a Russian soldier says, "We're not monsters, we're humans, and we're protecting our Motherland..."

In April 2023, the France 24 filming crew visited a training camp for the Russian occupation forces, which are fighting in an aggressive war against Ukraine. In the report, the journalist called Ukraine's counteroffensive "the enemy's counteroffensive," while the Russian soldiers boasted that their weapons were better than Western ones. The France 24 took the report down following the backlash. The government-funded France24 said the report where the journalist had called Ukraine's counteroffensive "the enemy's counteroffensive" was an "unfortunate mistake."

In June 2023, the French TV channel TF1 released a story about Russia's Kadyrovites who were transferred to "guard" Russia's border in the Belgorod region against "enemy invasions."

In February 2024, Armin Körper, the journalist with the German broadcaster ZDF who runs the channel's Moscow bureau filmed a report which painted a false picture of the life in Russian-occupied Mariupol.