COLOMBO — March 11, 2026
The Netherlands’ ambassador to Sri Lanka, Wiebe de Boer, has accused Russia of attempting to restrict what Sri Lankan audiences can see after the Russian Embassy demanded that photographs depicting Moscow’s war in Ukraine be removed from a traveling international photojournalism exhibition currently on display in the country.
In an exclusive interview with Jaffna Monitor, Ambassador de Boer said the objections raised by the Russian Embassy reflected an effort to impose the same restrictions that exist inside Russia on the people of Sri Lanka.
“Russia wants to apply the same rule they have in Russia to the people of Sri Lanka,” he said. “To see things that are freely available on the internet — it’s quite curious.”
The dispute centers on the World Press Photo Exhibition 2025, an annual showcase of award-winning photojournalism organized globally by the World Press Photo Foundation.
In Sri Lanka, the exhibition was organized jointly by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Sri Lanka Press Institute, and the World Press Photo Foundation.
The exhibition opened in Colombo on Feb. 27 and is scheduled to move to Sahas Uyana from March 13 to 17.
“Celebrating Freedom of Expression”
According to Ambassador de Boer, the decision to host the exhibition in Sri Lanka was intended to highlight the importance of press freedom and the role of independent journalism in documenting global events.
“We think it is important to celebrate freedom of expression and to show what freedom of expression and freedom of the press bring around the world,” he said.
“It is important to have these exhibitions around the world and also to protect the free press.”
The Russian Embassy in Colombo issued a statement on Wednesday accusing the exhibition of presenting “biased and anti-Russian” material about the war in Ukraine.
The statement argued that the photographs ignored what it described as atrocities committed by Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine between 2014 and 2022.
Ambassador de Boer rejected that claim.
“Well, they can say whatever they want,” he said. “But we are talking about the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine. They started this war, and I think it is fairly well documented how they murder innocent people and how they target civilians.”
“Attempt to Censor Sri Lankan People”
De Boer said Russia’s demand to remove the photographs amounted to an attempt to control what Sri Lankan audiences are allowed to see.
“The fact that they are trying to censor the Sri Lankan people shows you how aggressive this regime is and how little they care about democracy,” he said.
He added that the Russian Embassy’s own statement reinforced the concerns raised by the Dutch mission.
“Their press release is exactly underlining our point,” he said. “They are not denying it. They are trying to withhold information from the Sri Lankan people.”
Russia Raises Colonial Past
In its statement, the Russian Embassy also accused the Netherlands of hypocrisy and suggested that the Dutch government should address its colonial past by returning historical artifacts taken from Sri Lanka.
Responding to that criticism, Ambassador de Boer said the Netherlands maintains a strong relationship with Sri Lanka and has already worked with the Sri Lankan government on historical restitution.
“We have a very good relationship with Sri Lanka and a strong political dialogue with the Sri Lankan government,” he said.
He noted that the Netherlands had returned several objects of historical importance to Sri Lanka, including the ceremonial ‘Cannon of Kandy,’ one of six Kandyan royal artifacts returned by the Netherlands in 2023 and now held by the National Museum authorities in Colombo.
But the ambassador said Russia’s argument about colonial history was unrelated to the current dispute.
“They are talking about something in the past,” he said. “But what they are doing at the moment is trying to colonize their neighbors.”
He added that Russia’s actions had created deep anxiety among countries bordering it.
“There is not a country neighboring Russia that is not living in fear,” he said.
“Sri Lankans Can Form Their Own Opinion”
Despite the sharp disagreement, de Boer said Russia remained free to present its own narrative in Sri Lanka.
“They are free to send out their propaganda in a free country,” he said. “But it’s the usual mix of lies and untruths.”
Ultimately, he said, Sri Lankan citizens should be able to judge the issue for themselves.
“I think the Sri Lankan people understand that Russia is trying to undermine freedom of expression in this country,” he said.
“And it is up to the Sri Lankan people to form their own opinion.”
He also suggested that the Russian Embassy’s request to remove the photographs had initially been made quietly, before the issue was raised publicly by the Dutch mission.
“This was a sort of behind-the-scenes operation that they were doing,” he said. “That is why we called it out.”
The dispute highlights how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to generate diplomatic tensions far beyond Europe, including in countries like Sri Lanka that maintain relations with both Moscow and Western governments.
