An intense account of the large-scale war in Ukraine, told through the eyes of a Ukrainian platoon. It’s the documentary 2000 meters to Andriivkathe second film by the team that won the Oscar for best documentary with 20 Days in Mariupoldirected by Mstyslav Chernov. Award-winning Ukrainian director, war correspondent for the Associated Press and novelist, Chernov, together with producer and editor Michelle Mizner and producer Raney Aronson-Rath, has returned to tell the story of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this time shifting his gaze from the drama of civilians to the life – and death – of soldiers on the front line.
In 2023, Chernov and Associated Press colleague Alex Babenko followed a Ukrainian platoon tasked with liberating the Russian-occupied village of Andriivka in the Donetsk region. To do so, the platoon had to travel through 2,000 meters of forest: a labyrinth of trenches, mines and enemy fortifications. 2000 meters in Andriivka is a historical testimony and a fundamental document for understanding the dynamics of the war in Ukraine and human resilience in extreme conditions.
On Thursday 5 February the documentary was screened in Milan on the occasion of an event organized by the Cesvi Foundation, which has been working alongside the Ukrainian population since 2022. «We are present both in Kharkiv and Donetsk, even if the situation is now very critical. We work in the southern area of Kharkiv, the last to be reached by trains, where the influx of displaced people is constant. Our operators, protected by anti-drone networks, bring psychosocial support in a context marked by bombings, extreme cold and lack of essential services. Ukraine is one of the most mined countries in the world and raising awareness about unexploded mines is fundamental for the safety of the population”, he said in the panel that preceded the screening Marzia Lazzariarea manager of Cesvi.
The Foundation is involved in emergency humanitarian aid, interventions for the protection of children and vulnerable categories; also reconstruction and rehabilitation of school buildings and construction of air raid shelters; supported the health system by providing medicines, medical equipment and ambulances, and by deploying mobile clinics in the front areas. Today it is particularly involved in the Kharkiv and Donetsk Oblasts with the psychological support to the population and with training to reduce the risk of accidents linked to mines and unexploded ordnance, through awareness sessions aimed at local communities, with particular attention to displaced people, repatriates and healthcare workers. For information visit the Cesvi Foundation website.
