Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom

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.

This documentary is raw and bloody, and it describes the internal struggle of the Ukrainian people to overthrow a dictator who betrayed them. Ukraine wanted to become part of the European Union and to move away from Putin's Russia in late 2013.

The pro-Russian leader of the Ukraine Victor Yanukovich stunned the people of his country by refusing to sign an agreement to join the EU and, instead, endorsed a plan to become part of Putin's Russian alliance. The Ukrainian people took to the streets of the capital city. What followed was a bloodbath as armed troops murdered unarmed civilians. The film shows an incredible degree of courage and determination to fight back against the government troops even when much blood was running in the streets.

As the people took to the streets in greater numbers, Yanukovych assumed greater dictatorial power through the Parliament and attempted to rule an unwilling public through force. The film covers a period of about 90 days from the beginning of the uprising to the resignation of Yanukovych, who fled to Russia for protection from his people. The government escalated the violence throughout the uprising, but the Ukrainians were relentless in pursuit of a free country and their desire to become part of the European Union.

I wonder why we didn't get much news about this in our media, although I am grateful that we got the full story on the Kardashians while this was happening. Is Lamar out of rehab yet?

I'm a Ukrainian. After watching the trailer I got goose bumps. Whatever was going on in Ukraine and things that are still happening, turned all the people very patriotic, people could see the beauty of our country, they could see how unique it is. I guess this movie means a lot for all of us. We want to stop the war in our country, so we want to create the awareness among individuals from other countries. I recommend you to watch it, so you could see what's happening on your own. In the modern world, it is so easy to manipulate people using media, so I guess this is a great opportunity for everyone to decide what he or she thinks about it, not what society does. Revolution is basically a war with society. Its aim is change for better. Many Ukrainians passed away as they wanted to bring a change. Ukrainians have not reached their aim yet, but this movie can help us to take an enormous step towards it.

Filled with amazing and powerful images of resistance on both a personal and mass scale, this film is what can result when you have a revolution in the age of ubiquitous cell phones and personal drones. And it leads to a kind of combination of visceral immediacy and near epic scope in the telling of the Ukraine's 3 month long citizens' revolt against a corrupt, unresponsive and lying government that would have been near impossible a handful of years earlier. This is experiencing a revolt from the inside; scary, intense, exciting – a powerful emotional roller coaster.

What it isn't, is an intellectually rigorous overview of the issues and conditions that led to the revolt, or what changes did and didn't result in the long term. Those are touched on, of course, but it's a fair criticism that's been leveled against the film, that the uninformed viewer (like me) comes away with only a schematic and simplistic view of the uprising. But, for me, that was enough.

The power of this film is the reminder that it is still possible for people to come together from very different places, Muslims and Catholics, left-wing students and aging military men, the poor and the middle-class – and to band together to overthrow a tyrant with a remarkable limiting of blood-shed. It's a film that will make you shed a tear for the potential for good and for change in the world, and that outweighs whatever shortcomings the film may have.

This astonishing documentary tells the story of the Ukrainian uprising of 2014. Considering what's happening in 2022, everyone should see it. Although it doesn't offer an in depth analysis from all sides, which isn't really surprising given the odious nature of the regime at the time, it was filmed within the demonstrations and by the demonstrators, and is often a devastating and horrific account given the brutality of the regime's reaction. It is often hard to watch, however, it's also ultimately inspiring and impressive, and is a great tribute to the tenacity and fighting spirit of the Ukrainians, their hopes for their country then , and now.