Russia Criticizes Ukraine's Ban
On Ossetia War Documentary

MOSCOW, November 13 (Itar-Tass) - Ukrainian authorities are trying to conceal the truth about real events in South Ossetia, which became the target of an armed punitive operation by Georgian Armed Forces in August, and about the Ukrainian trace in them, officials at the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday with regard to a disruption of the public show of a documentary tilted 'War 08/08/08: the Art of Betrayal' in Kiev.

The documentary exposes, among other things, the role that the Ukrainian authorities played in the notorious events in the Caucasus.

"Prohibitions and restrictions of this kind can scarcely fit into the commonly accepted norms of and notions about democracy, freedom of speech and independence of mass media," an official said.

He rejected the explanations offered by the Ukrainian Security Service that claimed the documentary is based on untruthful facts and concoctions of a Russian Internet publication.

The official also refuted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's claims against the Russian embassy in Kiev.

"The film depicts the facts selected in an unprejudiced way and the evidence of Georgia's attack on South Ossetia, as well as the amassed supplies of Ukrainian offensive armaments to the Georgian Armed Forces," the official said.

"Incidentally, many authoritative experts, international organizations, mass media and responsible politicians in quite a number of countries don't call these facts into question any more."

"The obvious problem is that the Ukrainian authorities are using all sorts of pretexts to conceal truth about real developments in South Ossetia and their own involvement in them," the official said.

"Such actions can't be justified and cause a feeling of deep regret," he indicated.