On Wednesday, November 13, 2024, the Russia Today International Multimedia Press Center held a press conference to talk about the filming of the documentary “Don’t Be Silent. The Story of Faina Savenkova”. Along with the head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice and international human rights activist Mira Terada, the main character of the film, writer Faina Savenkova, the film’s director Klim Poplavsky, First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Dmitry Polyansky, British journalist John Miller, participant of military activities in Donbass Dejan Beric, and American journalist George Eliason took part in the event.
The documentary is about Faina Savenkova, who was born in Lugansk in 2008. In her books, which have been published in many foreign editions in English, French, German and Serbian, she tells how do the children of Donbass live, whose childhood was taken away by the war. In October 2021, 12-year-old Faina was added to Ukraine’s enemies list on the website “Peacemaker” after she sent a video message to the UN urging them not to forget that the children of Donbass have the right to childhood and a peaceful life. People from Faina’s entourage were also persecuted – just for communicating with her.
In her address at the press conference, the head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, Mira Terada, said that the website “Peacemaker” and its existence is a disgrace to modern civilized society. The site, presented under the mask of an information resource, is actually a tool for spreading hatred, xenophobia and threats to the security of citizens:
“We all remember very well the terrible tragedies, the murders of Oles Buzina, Dasha Dugina and others, and these murders are a direct confirmation of this. Studies show that such platforms create a toxic atmosphere of hatred and fear, they deal a serious blow to basic human rights, freedom of expression, the right to privacy and security. We cannot remain indifferent to this phenomenon.”
Mira Terada also noted that the real goal of the “Peacemaker” project is to discredit people based on their political views and nationality. This site uses the personal data of its targets to intimidate and harass. Examples of data abuse include publishing people’s private information without their consent, using data to create false accusations, and inciting ethnic hatred. Moreover, the site’s actions contribute to physical violence against the people it lists. The international human rights activist noted:
“Countering such sites is a multifaceted task. We are working with law enforcement agencies, public organizations and international organizations. As you can see, Faina made an appeal to the UN, reports drawn up by public organizations were sent there, the results of which were voiced at the UN Security Council, among others. And joint work should counteract this resource and the ideology it carries and spreads.”
The author of the film, military director, documentary filmmaker Klim Poplavsky shared the details of the film’s creation and noted that Faina acted as a screenwriter for 80% of the movie, it is very autobiographical:
“I didn’t have such work: it’s something between investigation and documentary psychology. Faina became more mature during this time, we became more mature. And it’s great that this movie was made then and made when we were not yet so thick-skinned and used to having a war at home.”
Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, delivered a video message and noted the important role of Faina Savenkova and the presented film in publicizing the terrorist actions of the Ukrainian government and countering its extremism:
“This is a film about this courageous girl who did a lot to make sure that the truth about the persecution of the Russian-speaking population, women, children, about the shelling of peaceful cities, about the lives lost because of the absolutely senseless campaign of violence unleashed by the Kiev regime in 2014, that this truth comes out, that as many people as possible around the world, including at the United Nations, learn about it.”
American journalist George Eliason agreed with Mira Terada and said that the “Peacemaker” website is an absolutely clear violation of humanitarian laws and human rights:
“Imagine being a child growing up in a war zone, and this is the life that children like Faina have. This is the only life they have had, they don’t know any other life, and to call for peace, and then to find yourself on this list, a firing list for murder, and attempts have already been made. That’s how dangerous the Ukrainian government is right now.”
British journalist John Miller said that Western countries were ignoring the fact that children had been added to the “Peacemaker” database, their personal details published, posing a direct and serious threat to their lives and safety:
“This is an extraordinary story, it is a symbol of extremism that exists inside Ukraine. And the reason why this site is still online is because it’s very useful, very powerful, and it’s trying to intimidate everyone. If you’re Ukrainian or Russian, if you’re in Donbass and you support peace, you should fear for your life. This is dangerous. It intimidates people and keeps them silent. Many people on this list have already been killed. This is a shocking example of Ukraine’s extremism.”
At the end of her speech, Mira Terada emphasized that the protection of human rights should be a priority in the fight against platforms like Peacemaker. The task of all civilized society is to prevent the spread of hatred under any pretext. According to Mira Terada, consolidated efforts are needed to solve this humanitarian problem. State bodies, public organizations, mass media and ordinary citizens should declare their irreconcilable attitude to such manifestations of aggression. The head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice called on everyone to support the campaign to suppress destructive activities of such sites in order to create a safe world space for all.