March 26, 2026

Chelyabinsk Court Bans Distribution of Film "Mr. Nobody vs. Putin" in Russia

The Central District Court of Chelyabinsk has banned the distribution of the documentary film "Mr. Nobody vs. Putin" in Russia, as reported by "Mediazona". According to the case file on the court's website, the lawsuit was filed by the Deputy Prosecutor of the Chelyabinsk region, with the regional administration of Roskomnadzor listed as the defendant. The prosecutor's office requested the court to prohibit access to the film on three platforms: VK-video, Yandex.kz, and Motion video. The prosecution argued that the film contains content that promotes militarization, expresses negative attitudes towards the special military operation and the current government, and displays the white-blue-white flag, considered a symbol of the "Freedom of Russia" legion, which they labeled as "propaganda of extremism and terrorism." Additionally, it was noted that the film shows the faces of schoolchildren without parental consent. The film "Mr. Nobody vs. Putin" won an Oscar for Best Documentary Film on March 16th. Subsequently, Putin's Human Rights Council lodged a complaint with the American Film Academy and UNESCO, asserting that the filmmakers used images of minors without parental consent, thereby violating children's rights. The film was shot by Pavel Talankin at a school in the city of Karabash, where he worked as an organizer. After the war began, he was tasked by the administration to film "patriotic" events. He later left Russia with the footage and gave it to American filmmaker David Borenstein.