Taiwan Alarmed by Russian Screening of Soviet Film Amid Regional Tensions

In a modest meeting room inside a downtown Taipei office building, Russian diplomatic staff recently hosted an unusual cultural gathering. Around twenty guests from Taiwan’s academic, journalistic, and business circles gathered to watch an 81-year-old black-and-white film detailing Soviet military campaigns at the close of World War Two. Despite the diminutive size of the gathering, the event has alarmed Taiwan’s government, which views Moscow’s actions as a calculated diplomatic manoeuvre to support Beijing’s regional strategy.

Moscow Screening of Soviet Documentary Sparks Security Concerns in Taipei

Taiwanese authorities interpret the private screening as a direct alignment with foreign information operations. Officials within Taiwan’s security apparatus suspect that Russia is actively assisting China in promoting a modern iteration of a new militarism line against Japan, an unofficial yet crucial democratic partner for Taipei. The documentary shown to the invited guests was originally released in 1945 as The Defeat of Militarist Japan, though the local Russian office translated the title for social media promotion as Smashing Militarist Japan. Staff from the Russian office, including the deputy representative, Sergey Chudodeev, declined entry to Reuters reporters, saying it was an invitation-only event.

The film itself features archival footage of Soviet offensive operations against Japanese-occupied Manchuria and the Kuril Islands, accompanied by voiceover narration denouncing the robber philosophy of the divine superiority of the Japanese race and showing footage of Japanese atrocities against Chinese civilians. While Taiwan protects freedom of speech under its constitution, the island’s legislative framework includes tools like the 2019 Anti-Infiltration Act aimed at preventing hostile foreign forces—chiefly China—from covertly influencing its politics. There was no police presence outside the screening and no effort was made to shut it down.

Official Reactions and Warnings Over Cognitive Warfare Cooperation

Taiwan’s National Security Council, its highest government body overseeing security and counter-intelligence, told Reuters it was closely monitoring Chinese-Russian military and cognitive warfare cooperation when asked about the screening. In an official statement, the council observed that the two countries are attempting to amplify specific topics and distort historical facts and political issues.

The two countries are attempting to amplify specific topics and distort historical facts and political issues,

National Security Council, Taiwan

Security planners in Taipei note that Russian diplomats posed a new challenge because Moscow could approach some Taiwan contacts with less immediate legal scrutiny than if Chinese officials were to do so, as their activities are subject to Taiwan’s security laws. The Russian office in Taipei opened in 1996, and it has always had a more understated presence in Taiwan compared with the de facto embassies of countries like the United States, European Union and Britain, diplomatic sources say. Russian diplomats in Taipei have generally kept a very low profile since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, according to diplomatic sources.

Diplomatic Context Surrounding Tokyo and Regional Alignments

The timing of the screening coincides with heightened regional friction between Beijing and Tokyo. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last year suggested a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response, causing a diplomatic crisis between Tokyo and Beijing and prompting repeated warnings from Beijing that Japan is seeking a return to its aggressive past. In August, China and Russia issued a joint statement warning against remilitarisation in the Asia-Pacific.

After the screening, the Russian representative, Pavel Lapin, said Moscow’s Taipei office hoped to organise similar events in the future, a person who attended the event said. A person who attended said those present included former journalists, business figures, academics and other public-facing figures.

The Soviet Union and the Chinese people endured the heaviest casualties in that war. The contributions they made toward crushing German fascism and Japanese militarism are indisputable and cannot be diminished,

Russian office in Taipei

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s foreign ministry told Reuters that around 20 people from the “academic worldhad been invited to the screening. While Taiwan respects thelawful conduct of normal exchanges, activities held by the Russian officeshould also respect historical facts and conform to universal values such as democracy and freedom, the ministry added. China's foreign ministry said it was unaware of the screening of the old Soviet-era film, adding that Allied powers, including China, Russia and the U.S., had defeated Japanese militarism, and thatupholding and promoting a correct historical view of World War Two is the shared responsibility of the international community”. Russia’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.