Russian screening of Soviet-era film to tiny audience in Taipei alarms Taiwan

Posters displaying Russia's role in World War II in East Asia at an exhibition held by the de facto Russian embassy in Taipei, Taiwan, on Sept. 3. | REUTERS

REUTERS

Sep 11, 2026

TAIPEI – In a small meeting room in a downtown Taipei office building, Russian officials hosted an unusual screening of an old Soviet documentary called “Smashing Militarist Japan” for some 20 Taiwanese guests.

Despite the small audience, the screening of the 81-year-old film has alarmed Taiwan’s government.

Russia, it believes, is helping China push its narrative of a rising military threat from Japan, and is seeking to sow discord over Taipei’s relations with Tokyo and other Western partners.

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