Moscow criticises ‘Mr Nobody Against Putin’ for using images of minors without parental consent and calls for an international investigation.
David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, Helle Faber and Alzbeta Karaskova win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film for “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” during the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake
: Russia has formally condemned the Oscar-winning documentary ‘Mr Nobody Against Putin’, criticising its use of footage featuring children filmed without parental consent.
The government’s human rights council stated that images of minors were used without obtaining the necessary permissions from their parents or legal guardians.
It further argued that the footage, originally intended as an internal school record for educational purposes, was later exploited for commercial gain.
The council has called upon the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and UNESCO to launch an investigation into the matter.
The documentary, which won the Academy Award, was co-directed by Russian school videographer Pavel Talankin and US filmmaker David Borenstein.
Talankin, 35, was instructed by his school administration to film pro-war patriotic lessons introduced in Russian schools during the Ukraine offensive before fleeing the country with the smuggled footage.
He now openly opposes the war and secretly collaborated with the US director on the project.
Moscow has not commented on the substantive content of the film, and state-controlled media has largely ignored its Oscar win.
The documentary has proven divisive even among Russians critical of the Kremlin, with some echoing concerns about the ethical use of the children’s footage.
Since the onset of the military offensive in Ukraine four years ago, the Kremlin has suppressed domestic opposition to the conflict.
Authorities have rolled out extensive patriotic programmes across the nation, particularly within educational institutions, which critics describe as a mobilisation and militarisation of society to support the war effort.