Stefan Romaniw, co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, said the program provided a platform for Russian propaganda and gave Russian soldiers free rein to justify the invasion of Ukraine.

“It is nonsense for the ABC to pretend this was fearless journalism, bringing us ‘extraordinary access’ to the ‘other side’,” he said.

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“It was a stage-managed, Kremlin-controlled media exercise.”

Romaniw said he would be writing to the ABC board, managing director David Anderson and the communications minister about the program, which he said had caused “profound distress for the Ukrainian-Australian community”.

An ABC spokesperson said the documentary was “challenging but legitimate”, offers a rare insight into the lives of Russian soldiers during the war, and that Australian viewers should make their own judgment on the program.

“It adds to our understanding of this tragic conflict and shows the full, horrific impact of the war. The reporter challenges the Russian soldiers and civilians featured in the film about their beliefs and opinions.

“The documentary is being seen internationally and is considered an important contribution to the reporting of the war. We believe Australian audiences also have the right to watch it and make up their own minds.”

The spokesperson said the ABC had aired other programs exploring the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and that it will be meeting with Myroshnychenko to discuss his concerns.

According to ratings agency OzTAM, the episode had a national average audience of 606,000, with a total reach of 1.045 million. Comparatively, last week’s episode The Forever War, led by global affairs editor John Lyons, had an average audience of 609,000, while the episode on Cranbrook School the week prior, Old School, had an average audience of 801,000.

The program aired in the United Kingdom last month, with former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith calling it a “mistake” from the network, coming only days after the death of Russian dissident and Putin critic Alexei Navalny.

An ITV spokesman said at the time the documentary is “an example of independent journalism, which tells a human story of the impact of war”.

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