Taiwan says Russia's screening of Soviet WWII film in Taipei aims to strain ties with Japan
Russia's representative office in Taiwan held a private screening of a Soviet documentary about Japan's WWII defeat, which Taiwan's government says is part of a joint effort with China to drive a wedge between Taipei and Tokyo.
About a week ago, Russia's representative office in Taiwan organized a closed-door screening of the 1945 Soviet documentary "The Defeat of Militarist Japan" in an office building in central Taipei, drawing roughly 20 attendees. The event was invitation-only, and Reuters correspondents were turned away at the door. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry told Reuters that the invited guests came from academic circles.
The screening has raised concern within Taiwan's government, which believes Moscow is assisting Beijing in promoting a narrative about a rising Japanese military threat and is seeking to undermine relations between Taipei and Tokyo, according to Reuters. Taiwanese officials described the event, organized by what amounts to Russia's de facto embassy on the island, as part of a wider campaign to reinforce China's messaging about a resurgence of "militarism" in Japan — an important, if unofficial, partner for Taiwan.
Taiwan's National Security Council said it is closely tracking cooperation between China and Russia, stating that the two countries are working to amplify certain topics while distorting historical facts and political matters. Russia's Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. China's Foreign Ministry said it was unaware of the screening, while stressing that the Allied powers — including China, Russia, and the United States — jointly defeated Japanese militarism, and that maintaining an accurate view of World War Two history is a shared international responsibility.
"The Defeat of Militarist Japan" was directed by Aleksandr Zarkhi and Iosif Kheifits using footage shot by frontline cameramen, documenting Soviet military operations against Japan.
The episode comes against a backdrop of tension between Japan and China. In 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response, sparking a diplomatic row with Beijing. Separately, on September 4, 2026, the Russian city of Khabarovsk unveiled a monument marking the Soviet victory over Japan, showing a Soviet soldier smashing a border post bearing Japan's chrysanthemum emblem. Takaichi has called for the monument's removal, saying the emblem is widely recognized as a symbol of Japan and that depicting its destruction is unacceptable.
