A Russian court has banned the Oscar-winning film “Mr Nobody Against Putin” from three streaming platforms, citing its alleged criticism of the government and the war in Ukraine.

The ruling, delivered in a court in Chelyabinsk, a city in west-central Russia, followed arguments by prosecutors that the film portrays a “negative attitude” towards Russia’s military campaign against the war in Ukraine and current leadership. 

According to the BBC, the prosecutors noted the inclusion of the white-blue-white flag, which they described as a show of a “terrorist organisation” associated with anti-war protesters.

The documentary was directed by Pavel Talankin, a Russian school teacher who documented life inside a Russian school, capturing how the war in Ukraine shapes the experiences, messaging, and daily realities of students and educators. 

The documentary won an award at the 2026 Academy Awards known as the Oscars. 

In his award speech, Mr Talankin said, “For four years we have looked at the sky for shooting stars to make a very important wish. But there are countries where, instead of shooting stars, bombs fall from the sky and drones fly. For the sake of our future, and for the sake of all our children, let’s end all wars.”

According to Russian media reports, the president of Russia Vladimir Putin, via his spokesperson Kremlin Dmitry Peskov, said he had not watched the documentary. 

Mr Putin, in a meeting with the culture council on Wednesday criticised Russian cinemas for screening what he described as “stupid and unnecessary” foreign films.

Before the ruling, Russia’s human rights council had already raised concerns about the film’s production.

In an appeal to the Oscars and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), it claimed that parts of the footage were recorded within a school setting by an employee for internal educational purposes.

The council noted that however, video materials containing images of underage students were later shared with third parties and used in a commercially distributed film without parental consent.