American film director, screenwriter and actor Woody Allen has been added to the database of the Ukrainian website Peacekeeper (As the Russian news agency TASS reported and other sources confirmed, the reason is allegedly "public support for Russian aggression".
The Mirotvorec website was launched in 2014 and has long been criticized by human rights organizations. It illegally collects and publishes the personal data of political, cultural and media figures who, according to the site's administrators, have violated Ukrainian law or supported Russia's actions. The list includes people who, for example, visited Crimea after its annexation, travelled to Donbass without Kiev's consent, or made public statements in a way that the site's creators consider hostile to Ukraine.
A number of internationally known celebrities have found themselves on Mirotvorec in the past, including French actor Gérard Depardieu, American musician Steven Seagal and director Oliver Stone. Critics warn that publishing addresses, phone numbers and other personal information puts those affected at risk of physical attack or harassment. Human rights organisations, including the UN, have repeatedly called on Ukraine to abolish the database.
The administrators of the project claim that their goal is to "protect Ukraine's national security".
Woody Allen has not yet publicly commented on the matter. The controversial New York filmmaker, who has won four Oscars, joins a list of Western artists who have found themselves at the centre of controversies over culture, politics and war. The news has sparked attention not only from the media but also from the film community, which has drawn attention to the growing interconnection between art and geopolitical conflict.
TASS/gnews.cz - GH
English 
Czech 
Spanish 
French 
Italian 
Russian 
Chinese 
German