War in Ukraine - A European war in 10 voices | DW Documentary

Bombs and flight. Atrocities and suffering. As the war in Ukraine shakes the world, Russia spreads propaganda, falsely claiming that this war is about the "denazification" of Ukraine. In this film, 10 people tell their stories - and give the war a human face.

Ten people talk about their experiences of the war in Ukraine. All were interviewed immediately after the war began. Yaroslav is 17 and had to flee from Kharkiv to Germany without his parents. The war turned him into an adult within a very short time: "Damn, what I would give to hang out with my buddies again in Kharkiv, even to go back to school, to class! Why do you only start to appreciate something when you lose it?" Alla, 69, spent more than half her life in Moscow and has now lived in Cologne for many years. She is ashamed of Russia and stunned by what happened: "For me, there are no halftones. There is only black or white. Russia is the aggressor." Roman, 40, sees it differently. He was born in Odesa and has lived with his family in Germany for more than 30 years. "This is a military operation, to protect the population of the Donbass region. This is my personal opinion."

Everyone in the film has a direct connection to this conflict. They’re all a part of this European war - a term Europeans have had to reintroduce into their daily vocabulary 77 years after the end of World War II. Valerij, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church in Wiesbaden, is Ukrainian by birth: "It is a fratricidal war. The history of mankind begins with murder. One brother kills another. Cain killed Abel. Why?"

Vitali is a renowned director from Moscow with Ukrainian roots. He has made documentaries about Gorbachev and Putin, among others, and now lives in exile in Latvia: "If every Russian citizen hung a Ukrainian flag in his window, this government would collapse under the weight of Ukrainian flags. And now let's take a look around: How many flags are hanging in Russian windows? Three, four? Ah, none at all?! Then what else do you want!"

Ten interviews with 10 people. No archive pictures, no clips from the news, no commentary. Nothing that distracts from the speakers - so that viewers can really hear their voices.

#documentary #dwdocumentary #ukraine #russia #war
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