The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, the State Film Agency of Ukraine, the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Estonia, and the Ukrainian community in Estonia express their sincere gratitude to the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) for the opportunity to present Ukrainian films at such a renowned and respected festival. We deeply appreciate the special attention given to Ukraine and are sincerely grateful for the unwavering support the festival provides to our country, including the creation of the special program “Stand with Ukraine” as part of the 28th PÖFF.

At the same time, we are compelled to express our deep concern regarding the screening of Deaf Lovers, directed by Boris Guts, at the festival. We firmly believe that this film serves as a tool of propaganda, justifying Russian aggression and supporting the information strategy of the aggressor state. Such a decision undermines the efforts of the Ukrainian people and the international community to counter disinformation and to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

We respect the festival's right to independently shape its program, adhering to the principles of non-discrimination, pluralism of opinions, and artistic freedom. At the same time, we earnestly call on the organizers to reconsider their decision and remove this film not only from the competition program but from any further screenings as well.

Russian invaders are committing horrific war crimes. They abuse Ukrainian prisoners of war, abduct Ukrainian children, and subject civilians in occupied territories to torture and violence. This horrific list of crimes continues to grow, with each act becoming a wound that deeply pains the heart of the Ukrainian people. Every such crime demands an immediate, clear, and principled response from the international community, which cannot stand aside in this tragic time.

To conceal and justify its crimes, Russia actively uses soft power tools and seeks to promote its own narratives through participation in international festivals. An example of this is the film Deaf Lovers, which tells a love story between a “Ukrainian girl and a Russian boy,” with a clear emphasis on sympathy for the Russian character. Even in the festival trailer, the "boy from Russia" expresses a “weariness of war,” creating the impression that the countless victims among the Ukrainian civilian population are reduced to a mere backdrop in a narrative about reconciliation. Such an approach, which centers on the emotional comfort of the aggressor rather than the suffering of the victims, crosses the boundaries of acceptable ethical standards and distorts the real causes and consequences of war.

The film also includes accusations against Ukrainian soldiers of committing war crimes, specifically the torture of prisoners. Such claims, though presented as fiction, go beyond artistic narrative and become an example of advancing Russian imperial narratives through soft power tools. This tactic blurs responsibility for real crimes by employing post-truth methods and seeks to gain legitimacy through participation in prestigious international events, such as the Tallinn International Film Festival.

We express our gratitude for the festival’s decision to remove the film Deaf Lovers from the "Stand with Ukraine" program. However, we believe this is not enough. We urge the organizers to carefully consider our request and support it by removing Deaf Lovers from the main program of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.