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Mstyslav Chernov, Ukraine, USA 2025
“The frontline was nearly inaccessible to journalists. Ukrainian forces were advancing, but the progress was slow, and the losses were devastating. It was the summer of 2023. The Ukrainian counteroffensive---the largest military operation in Europe since the Second World War was underway. Everyone had been waiting for it, anticipating victories. But the reality was different,” describes filmmaker and journalist Mstyslav Chernov in 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA.
During a world tour showcasing his Oscar-winning film 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL, Chernov thrust himself to film on the frontlines of war, to document another side of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He recalls, “It felt like moving between two epochs. One world was comfortable and set in the present. The other looked like something out of Remarque’s ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ Hemmingway’s dispatches from the Spanish Civil War, or a Paul Nash war painting.”
Chernov follows Ukrainian soldiers, Fedya and his unit, in the trenches and maneuvering minefields along a mile-long stretch of land, to battle within a heavily fortified forest, to reach and liberate the Russian-occupied village of Andriivka, two hours from Chernov’s hometown.
Chernov captures this special brigade while maneuvering in real time and we learn who they are, where they come from, and the incredible decisions they face. Communicating constantly to support one another to stay alive for the fight and to accomplish their mission. Each foot of advancement toward their goal is documented with bodycam video and original footage revealing gut-wrenching moments of reflection and wondering if their reality of war will ever end.
The unit keeps moving toward the goal relentlessly. Chernov’s 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA memorializes the silent times, the soldiers’ determination in movement and their communication at each advancement, the devastation observed of land and man, and the heartfelt remorse felt for a comrade lost who had been shot in the head.
Chernov reflects on the heroism of this one unit, but in essence they are the representation of the bravery of the whole Ukrainian army who daily put themselves on the frontlines for the love of country and the cost of freedom. A cause worth fighting for when one sees both sides of the coin and understands that freedom can be lost without a battle.
