Russia is boycotting the 2023 Oscars, moving further away from the West as the Kremlin war continues in Ukraine.

As reported for the first time by the AFP news agency, the Russian Film Academy announced on Monday that it would not present a Russian film to compete in the International Feature Film category of the Oscars.

The move comes as part of Russia’s latest effort to distance itself from the West and in particular the United States, which has continued to send aid to Ukraine since the sovereign nation’s controversial invasion by President Vladimir Putin on February 24.

“The Presidium of the Russian Film Academy has decided not to nominate a domestic film for the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar Award in 2022,” the Russian academy said in a statement. .

The surprise decision led to the resignation of Pavel Chukhrai, the head of the Russian Oscars selection committee responsible for choosing a film in competition. Citing that the Academy acted “behind his back”, Chukhrai’s decision was a protest against the decision.

While several international film festivals, including those in Stockholm and Glasgow, have already banned the premiere of Russian-backed feature films ahead of awards season, previous years have seen Academy selections film from Russia fared quite well in the international Academy Awards. Feature category. The most recent Oscar nominee was Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Loveless” in 2017; Kantemir Balagov’s “Beanpole” – which won the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes – and Andrei Konchalovsky’s “Dear Comrades” – which won the Special Jury Prize at Venice – were shortlisted in the years that followed.

Russia last won the Best International Feature Film Oscar in 1995 for filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov’s “Burnt by the Sun,” which followed life in Russia under dictator Josef Stalin.