Ταινία The Adventures of Vanka the Occupier (2023)

The documentary project “The Adventures of Vanka the Occupier in the Kyiv Region” was produced for the 2+2 TV channel in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The film is based on personal recordings made by Russian soldiers, including a diary found on the grounds of a local school in the village of Katyuzhanka, which had served as a command post for the occupiers. In these writings, a Russian serviceman candidly describes how and why he was sent to Ukraine, questions the purpose of the war, criticizes the actions of the Russian leadership, and details the brutal interrogations of Ukrainian civilians. The found documents, firsthand witness accounts, and expert military analysis allowed the creators of “The Adventures of Vanka the Occupier in the Kyiv Region” to reconstruct the events that unfolded in Kyiv Oblast at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — from the crossing of the northern border and the occupation of territories from Chornobyl to Hostomel, to the Russian atrocities in Bucha and Borodianka: torture, sexual violence, the killing of civilians, and rampant looting.