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Russia Today
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Kiev opens LGBT film festival on Good Friday
Ukraine's LGBTQ community has sparked outrage by scheduling its top film festival, Sunny Bunny, to coincide with Easter week. The event opened on Good Friday, April 18, and will run through April 25 in Kiev. In 2025 all Christian denominations are celebrating Easter on the same day, and the festival's timing and queerly seasonal name have drawn a backlash from conservative politicians and religious figures. Former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko, who now leads the opposition Fatherland (Batkivshchyna) party, expressed outrage over the festival's opening on Good Friday. In a social media post, she criticized the decision, rhetorically asking, 'Do you know what 'nothing sacred' literally looks like?' Several other members of Ukraine's parliament have also voiced disapproval. MP Aleksey Goncharenko described the event as 'a provocation against Ukrainian traditions, faith, and the frontline soldiers who have died with a prayer on their lips.' Writing on his Telegram channel, he added, 'This is a disregard for the millions of people for whom Good Friday is a day of silence, sorrow, and prayer.' Launched in 2008 as part of another event, Sunny Bunny became a standalone festival in June 2023—one year after the conflict in Ukraine escalated. Ukrainian MP Daniil Getmantsev also condemned the timing, saying it damages the public image of the LGBTQ community. Festival organizers stated the timing was not intended to offend religious groups. They explained that the dates were selected based on the international festival calendar and logistics, emphasizing that Ukraine is a secular country. Organizers also described some of the criticism as homophobic, arguing references to Christian holidays were being used to 'mask homophobia and hatred.' The festival has previously required heightened security. In 2023, before its opening, two cinemas in Kiev received threats of attacks and arson over their involvement. The LGBTQ movement in Ukraine has sought to raise its profile amid the conflict with Russia, with supporters framing it as a defiant statement. Ukrainian LGBTQ groups have also launched fundraisers to purchase drones for Kiev's armed forces and encouraged supporters to contribute. Russia banned 'LGBT propaganda' in 2022 and designated the LGBT movement as a terrorist organization in 2024. Russian MP Sergey Mironov denounced the festival, claiming it reflects a rejection of traditional values. He said, 'Today, people with traditional beliefs are no longer needed in Ukraine,' calling LGBT culture a threat to civilization and describing the situation as 'lunacy.' He added, 'Thank God we in Russia are spared from this.'
Russia Today
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine simplifies recruitment of mercenaries
The Ukrainian government has simplified the recruitment process for non-citizens in its army, authorizing officials to arrange and pay for their transportation, food, and accommodation, according to lawmakers. Kiev is struggling to enforce mandatory conscription amid the conflict with Russia as many Ukrainian men evade the draft. Foreign 'volunteers' – viewed by Moscow as mercenaries – have complemented domestic manpower shortages in the Ukrainian military, with recruitment efforts intensifying. On Tuesday, MPs Aleksey Goncharenko and Taras Meinichuk announced policy changes that authorize Ukrainian recruitment centers to transport foreign nationals and stateless persons across the border. The Defense Ministry and National Guard can now fund such trips from their budgets, according to the officials. Moscow regards non-Ukrainians serving in Kiev's military as criminals, not covered by the protections normally granted to combatants. Following reports of foreign fighters being involved in the Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk Region, President Vladimir Putin warned in March that 'mercenaries are not protected by the 1949 Geneva Convention on POWs.' READ MORE: Foreign mercenaries continue to die in the Ukraine conflict: RT takes a closer look at who is fighting for Kiev (VIDEO) Russian officials have claimed that some mercenaries are unofficially deployed by their home governments to operate complex Western-supplied weaponry or to advise Ukrainian officers. This week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a recent strike on Sumy targeted Ukrainian military leaders during a meeting with 'Western colleagues.' He insisted that 'there are NATO servicemen there, and they are directly in charge' of Ukrainian operations. Extensive recent reports in US and British media have described the significant involvement of both nations' militaries in directing the Ukraine conflict, surpassing official acknowledgments by their governments. Coverage from the New York Times and The Times of London appeared to substantiate Moscow's position that the conflict is a NATO proxy war against Russia.
