Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom

Not really, but it still is quite the ordeal and quite the ... well almost crazy thing to be watching this right now. While there is a war going on in Ukraine - a war that is unnecessary. Not that any war is actually and really necessary. But this one is especially hard to stomach.

Bill Maher made a joke about one of Russias reasons to invade Ukraine (2022 that is): they claim that they are afraid Ukraine might get WMDs ... anyone who has a little knowledge of history knows the Americans did something similar some time ago ... that aside when I heard about the invasion I felt sick to my stomache. There is no reasoning and no valid reason for this to happen - no even if Ukraine or their politics "provoked" (mocked?) Vladimir Putin ... this is not even close to a valid argument for war. Don't even go down that road.

So what to do, than to watch this documentary? Yes a glutton to punishment - no pun intended. I can watch this documentary from the safety of my couch or wherever I sit and watch, but the people here where fighting for their lives. And the camera does not shy away - we see the consequences of violence, we see the results of people being beaten or shot at. And it does not look pretty ... and yet the people of Ukraine will not give up .. they will not surrender, they will not give in.

Harrowing and really grim, this may be a history lesson but one that I would imagine not many want to watch. Sean Penn apparently is in Ukraine right now - and he is allegedly doing another documentary about what is happening right now ... as if the pandemic was not enough madness this had to happen ...

The Maidan(square) in Kyiv, Ukraine. Year 2014. The 4th president of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych promised Ukrainians that Ukraine would join EU. But his meeting with Putin was a game changer. That would sabotage Ukrainians dream of being part of Europe. The country got its independence from Russia in 90s and already had seen The Orange Revolution since the turn of this century triggered by a rigged election that was marred by a presidential candidate Yanukovych. The 2014 revolution rightly known as The Revolution of Dignity started with few hundreds gathered at the Maidan as a response to a FB call put out by the journalist Mustufa Nayyem and in the days to come, the Maidan would be filled with hundreds of thousands of protesters. It ended after 93 days that left 125 people killed. 65 missing and some 1900 injured! It resulted into Berkut (special police forces) being disbanded, Yanukovych fleeing to Russia and was given asylum by Putin and Ukrainians triumphing as it signed for EU.

This documentary is a horrendous veracious account of the events that took place during those 93 days. A direct diatribe against Russians ongoing meddling into country's politics. It will hit your bloodstream and nervous system. It may seem single dimensional but this is a revolution against a leader who was merely a Russian puppet. How Bertuts rifles got loaded with live ammo instead of the standard rubber bullets against the peaceful protesters. The triumph however, was short-lived as soon Russia sent military forces to assist pro- Russiann separatists and annexed Crimea in southern Ukraine and also, the ongoing pro-Russian protests in other parts of the country that has been escalated into violent wars... crisp editing, superb footage.. Despite of missing a comprehensive history aspect, it does not fail to achieve visceral impact. A MUST see.

The Good: It's easy, as a person fascinated by geopolitics and political science, to sometimes "dehumanize" the people involved. We talk about the powerful people and speculate about the power dynamics at play; what the "Russians" are planning and what the fate of "Ukraine" will be. Often, without thinking about the human beings whose lives, welfare, hopes, and aspirations are at stake. I think it's important for anyone interested in world politics to go beyond the strategy, the ideologies and macro trends to watch documentaries that illustrate the humanity of these sweeping historical moments. Winter on Fire does this incredibly well.

The footage captured here is AMAZING. Not only because of how raw it is, but how visually stunning these scenes are. Yes, it's a little weird to say this, but the contrast between the snow covered rooftops of Kiev, with the piles of burning tires, the lines of policemen and protestors, the blood, the chaos...it's honestly quite the sight to see. I also loved how this film didn't romanticize or shy away from the trauma, the violence, the desperation, and resolve required to overthrow a government. It really humanizes these events for audiences who may tend to view these things as abstract and distant.

Yet, in the bloody street battles and sieging captured in this film, there are countless beautiful moments of humanity. There's a tendency to talk about Ukraine as a doomed country; how it's the second poorest country in Europe, destined to be swallowed by Russia, whose young people are either fleeing or not having enough children to maintain the country into the future. But it's hard to think this way after watching this film, honestly.

The documentarian also does a fantastic job introducing us to people whom would eventually be seen as heroes in the "new Ukraine." Yet, it doesn't valourize anyone to the point where we lose sight of the broader social movement that Maidan really was.

The Bad: The movie is a tad bit on the long side, which I can see being an issue for some. After several repeating scenes of street battles, they do sometimes blend together. I also felt the film missed a bit on the context; while I was aware of a lot of Ukrainian history up until 2014, and I can see why someone unfamiliar with this history may be a bit confused. I see it primarily as an artistic choice and completely understand why they would prefer focusing on the Maidan, but you kind of need to know a bit about the Ukrainian-Russian relationship to fully get the picture.

The Ugly: Winter on Fire is essential for anyone who is fascinated by this region of the world. The event post-Revolution are what the international media focus on; the proxy war between the EU and Russia, the Donbass War and annexation of Crimea. Yet, almost forgotten is the 93 day struggle that led to the sea change in European geopolitics seven years ago. It is one of the most compelling, accessible, and enthralling documentaries I've seen in quite a while, and perhaps, even more important today than in 2015.

I've been to Kyiv and seen Maidan Square. I've seen the photos of the people who died lining the street. This is the story of a country fighting to be a free, democratic nation, free from the grip of Putin. As you can see by current events, Putin will do anything to stop Ukraine from being truly free.

An inspiring documentary about the Ukrainian people's uprising against an oppressive regime and their successful demands that the Ukraine join the European Union.

Two years ago, my wife and I watched all of the Academy Award nominees for Best Documentary Feature before the big show. One of them was "The Square," about a similar situation in Egypt. Yet things ended badly in that film; the people fought to overthrow the regime in place but didn't have anything to replace it with, so they exchanged one bad set of leaders for another. In "Winter on Fire," a major difference is that the Ukrainian people were able to organize themselves into a de facto political party, with specific demands. Their ability to focus on a specific set of objectives is largely what made their effort successful, and the sheer joy of watching people unite and effect change for the greater good made me absolutely love the Ukrainian people and hope that Americans could do the same if faced with similar challenges.

Grade: A