The Frontline Job. New European Documentary about Ukraine Eventually Winning

The incredible patriotism and heroism of Ukrainians impressed the whole world. The uniqueness of the Ukrainian nation lies in the fact that we do not shy away from any work; we unite to defeat the enemy and rebuild Ukraine, and we are not alone.

I am convinced that one day a movie will be made about the representatives of the media. Firstly, about those who in any way participated in the victory over the Kremlin occupier, a book of exploits will be written. Our word is our weapon. Instead, we know how to care for the wounded, hide them from bombings, help surgeons, and do medical manipulations. The Ukrainian nation never gets tired of impressing every day. And the small and fragile paramedic Olga Bashei «Krokha» never gets tired of driving aid crews to «ground zero» and uniting directors, surgeons, operators, and sappers for a sure and unconditional victory. Risking life and not allowing yourself mistakes and weaknesses.

Film director Tetyana Suchkova-Ladik and her husband, cameraman Yevgeniy Ladik, recently returned from a rotation in the Bakhmut direction. They were invited to participate by «Krokha», which has been saving the lives of our soldiers since 2014. During this time, a lawyer by education saved thousands of lives. Her car also has the name Krokha. «We went to see with our own eyes and understand what was really happening at ground zero, to make a film about paramedics.» I wanted to shoot it back in 2015, but I didn’t have enough material for the film. Instead, this trip took place not only for the sake of the movie. But because of the desire to help people in their work at «ground zero», to understand what is really happening there, because in Kyiv we cannot know everything, we read Facebook, talk to someone, and that’s it. So, Olga gathered the crew and gave us clothes. I didn’t know anything about paramedics; I had never experienced them, so I only assisted at first, and my husband was the driver. «Instead, we learned everything there in two weeks», says Tetyana.

Bullet and shrapnel wounds, concussion, contusions… Wounded people from almost the entire Bakhmut front are taken to the stabilization point in the Bakhmut direction. Here, they save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers until they are taken to the hospital. Groaning, screaming, and blood—the usual routine «We got to know the doctors and paramedics at the stabilization point, where they bring wounded soldiers, who are carried out by their comrades from the battlefield, loaded onto some kind of car to be brought here. Fighters have injuries of various degrees, from burns to the loss of limbs. It is not so easy to take people out because it can sometimes take up to four hours. The cases are different. Many concussions are contusions, which are very dangerous because the brain is damaged and can swell and form a tumor. A person loses hearing and vision and experiences dizziness. The wounded need drips. Concussion is not yet a fully studied story, a person can scream at night, that is, be subject to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When a heavy fighter is brought in, everyone mobilizes in a second, puts on gloves, and goes to their place. Surgeons of various fields, anesthesiologists, doctors of various specialties, many volunteers, and paramedics. The main task of the stabilization point is to undress the wounded, normalize the condition in general, put the necessary bandages on the broken limbs, sometimes there are people with almost 40 bullets in the body; connect them to breathing apparatus, etc.; sometimes remove the bullets from the body».

In the stabilization point, nurses and volunteers describe the manipulations that were performed on each fighter (such descriptions are called «hundreds»), with which they are directed to hospitals, and the crews take them away. There are several such crews. It happens that up to 13 wounded people need to be transported immediately, including those with concussion, shrapnel wounds, and fighters with lost limbs. «We had to help put on the first tourniquets to take him to the hospital. The Bakhmut road is very dangerous, under constant shelling. «So we had to run at a speed of 150 km/h because recently two trucks of doctors came under fire and simply burned down», says the film director.

Unfortunately, in front of TV screens or on Facebook, it is not possible to understand and realize that the war is real; it is blood and death, and Ukrainians continue to fight, corrupt, and divide. Ukrainian soldiers, paramedics, and generally everyone who currently defends the country at «zero» are heroes who give their lives for our present, for the future, and for the next generations. «Despite all the difficulties, everything works very well in the stabilization center — 4 operating tables, 3 tables for concussion, — and volunteers prepare clean clothes instead of the ones cut off from the injured and bloodied. Wounded soldiers first worry about their loved ones — their children, their brothers, and sisters — so as not to upset them with their wounds. I want to emphasize that there is no indifference there at all. The commanders and comrades are worried about the wounded; they ask where they have been sent and what their condition is. There are days when no one is there for 5–6 hours, which is very good, but in general, the explosions do not stop.

Water and food are delivered to the stabilization points, and there are basements where you can hide during the bombing. Once, during one of them, two bombs got stuck in the wall. So the doctors simply took them and pulled them out on the blankets with their hands, took them out into the street, and waited for the sappers because each of them could explode. You gradually get used to this, to bombings and shelling; besides, the «stabik» is dark, everything there runs on generators, and everyone cleans up — doctors, volunteers — without any complaints. «As soon as the operation is over, everyone cleans and washes the operating rooms in a coordinated manner, reminding ants of speed», says Tetyana.

Volunteers from Poland

Journalists, in particular from the Netherlands, Germany, and France, come to the «stabik» and write about the paramedics, who are definitely impressive. Journalists from Al Jazeera they were so impressed by what they saw that they couldn’t stand it and left, despite the statement that it was a normal job for them.

Al Jazeera journalists

This time, volunteers from Poland, the Netherlands, and Germany, as well as journalists from foreign media, came here.

Tatiana Suchkova-Ladik and a Dutch journalist

The famous French film director Bernard-Henri Levy came; he is making his third film about Ukraine, and thanks to Bernard, Europeans have a lot of information about us. He is an adviser to Macron, a powerful figure in France. «I met him in Paris, and then I met him in Ukraine at a «stabik.» It was extremely unexpected. I advise you to watch his films about Ukraine and listen to what he says about our motherland. In my opinion, the help of foreign journalists makes sense because they cover the events of the front without fear, risking their lives. «It is important to see such brave people,» adds Tatiana. The French intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy has no doubts about Ukraine’s victory in the war. He calls on the world to provide us with more effective weapons. He writes about his observations that Ukrainians use weapons sparingly. «When the Ukrainians make one blow, the Russians make six or seven of them».

Bernard-Henri Levy

The most important thing is that the wounded fighters who got to the stabilization point prefer to survive, recover, and return to the front line because their comrades are there. «During these two weeks, we gained great and essential experience.» At the end of October, we will go on rotation again. At the same time, I hope that the war is coming to an end. There used to be 100–150 wounded every day; now there are about 30, and this is gratifying. The situation is terrible because, after the war, we should think about how to demine all this, every scrap, every piece of our land, first in Luhansk Oblast. The real Ukrainians must be freed and resettled there. Because when you see Ukrainian boys and girls winning, you are very inspired by the fact that you are Ukrainian and by the fact that you were born in such a country. «Glory to Ukraine!» emphasizes Tetyana Suchkova-Ladik.

For reference:

 Levy’s 95-minute documentary «Glory to Ukraine!» is reminiscent of a war diary; each chapter describes a distinct location, though all chapters are engulfed in a flow of rage and resistance. Levy begins his journey in the shadow of war: a shot of a teddy bear left on an empty swing; a bloodied church icon in the rubble after an explosion; numerous destroyed buildings; a woman pushing a stroller (she tells Levi that she lives in a dungeon for safety); mounds of sand in the forest that mark mass graves. In the middle of the film, he talks about the foreign legion on the front line of the counteroffensive and about the drone attacks he saw, which almost destroyed the car of one cameraman. And yet, life goes on—in Kyiv, children play and people casually talk to the wail of sirens. «The big surprise for me was that there was no fatigue,» Levy told the Guardian. «Usually after six months, eight months, or a year, you get tired. But the fatigue was in the West, not in Ukraine.» Perhaps Western audiences are tired of reading about Putin’s unnecessary and brutal invasion of Ukrainian territory; many may not even know that the war is going on. According to him, Levy made his film to argue for the urgency of support and to demonstrate «the indomitable, untamed resistance, the high spirit, the courage, and the optimism of these people, despite the ruin, despite the loss, despite the disaster.» Bernard-Henri talks about the war, both on and off-screen, as a conflict for the soul of Europe, the future of liberalism, and the sanctity of human rights. «I think that without the resistance of the Ukrainians, perhaps at this moment there would have been an invasion of the Baltic States.» Of course, the Chinese would start their operation in Taiwan, and so on,» he said. «I’m not sure the West really understands what’s at stake,» he added. «I made these films to try to convince you.»At least to remind the truth, and if possible to convince.» The expression that he heard most in his many conversations with Ukrainians—be they soldiers, mothers, miners, children, or grandmothers —мwas «we protect not only our motherland, we protect yours, because we protect Europe.» «Ukrainians often thank us for our help.»It should be the other way around,» Levy said. «We have to thank them.»This has always been my feeling — it is not they who should be thankful, but us.»

Maryna Kovalchuk, V5 Media project manager (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland), deputy editor-in-chief