Putin orders screening of pro-Ukraine assault documentaries in theatres

President Vladimir Putin ordered his government on Tuesday to ensure by February the screening in cinemas of documentary films dedicated to his assault on Ukraine and the fight against "neo-Nazi" ideology.

The Kremlin said in a statement that the culture ministry had until February 1 to implement the order.

Putin shocked the world by sending troops to Ukraine on February 24 last year, saying the pro-Western country needed to be "demilitarised" and "de-Nazified".

Putin ordered the defence ministry to render assistance to Russian filmmakers who will produce documentaries dedicated to "the heroism of the participants of the special military operation", the Kremlin said, using the official term for the offensive.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has been ordered to report to the president on those efforts by March 1.

Since the start of Moscow's military campaign, state television channels have ramped up propaganda lauding Russian troops fighting in Ukraine as heroes.

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Independent media outlets have been suspended or shut down in Russia, with many journalists leaving the country.

Criticism of the offensive in Ukraine is now punishable with jail time, while words such as "war" and "invasion" are banned.