MANIPULATION: “20 Days in Mariupol” used footage from the Russian film “Toys for Poroshenko”

Russian Telegram channels are spreading a video comparing footage from the Ukrainian film “20 Days in Mariupol” and the Russian film “Toys for Poroshenko”. The publication claims that the Ukrainian director used these frames to create a fake story about the shelling of Mariupol by Russia.

This is manipulation. Mstyslav Chernov used footage from Associated Press archives, not from the Russian film.

We watched both films: “20 Days in Mariupol“, released in 2023, and the propaganda video “Toys for Poroshenko“, published in 2015 by Artem Grishanov. Indeed, both authors have a similar frame with a pink jacket. In Mstyslav Chernov’s film, this moment can be seen at 01:15:49, and in Grishanov’s at 04:29.

Through reverse image search, we also found that this moment with the pink jacket was used by “24 Kanal”. On the media’s website, this moment was shown when reporting on the consequences of the shelling in Horlivka, Donetsk region. The video is no longer available on the media’s website, but the preview shows the same frame used in both the Russian and Ukrainian videos.

In the film, Chernov does not claim that the frame shows Mariupol. Before showing the footage with the jacket, the voiceover says: “Sleepless night. Feverish thoughts about the past, present, and future race through my head. I want to stop it all, but I have no power over it. Memory takes me back again, home and to the war.” Most likely, Chernov illustrated his inner experiences using archival footage of Russian aggression since 2014.

Shortly after the moment with the pink jacket, Chernov’s film shows a funeral ceremony. Through reverse image search, we found that the footage shows a burial that took place on November 7, 2014. Two teenagers died from artillery shelling in Donetsk region, and Mstyslav Chernov photographed the ceremony.

Therefore, the moment with the pink jacket could also be from the AP archive. Especially since Mstyslav Chernov has been working with Associated Press since at least 2014 and created the documentary together with this media outlet.

Based on keywords about the events we learned from the “24 Kanal” website, we also found a report from Associated Press. It tells about the consequences of the Russian shelling of Horlivka in 2014. The frame with the pink jacket appears at 00:18 in the video. Moreover, Mstyslav Chernov was present at the scene and filmed the aftermath of the shelling. It is possible that the author of “20 Days in Mariupol” participated in creating the report about the Horlivka shelling and captured the moment with the pink jacket. Additionally, these video materials can be purchased on the Associated Press website.

Therefore, Ukrainian director Mstyslav Chernov did not use footage from the Russian video. He took archival reports from Associated Press, with which he has long collaborated.