2000 Meters to Andriivka

A squad of doughty Ukrainian soldiers are given a mission. They have to advance to relieve the beleaguered town of Andriivka. It’s not far, a mere 2 kilometres - a distance you could walk in quarter of an hour at a decent pace. These fellas have no road, though, no path or trail. Accompanied by a video-journalist, they have to get down on their bellies and crawl, under sniper fire, uncertain as to what waits behind the next burnt out building. Their terrain, well it looks like the product of a scorched-earth policy. The trees have been reduced to sticks, the soil a black and grey mix of dirt and ash, and yet these young men remain remarkably stoic about their task. Their’s is a mission from God to protect their homeland from the Russian invaders, and they are content to put their lives and limbs on the line to achieve their goal. We see something of their determination and sense of team spirit here, but unlike so many dramatised versions we will have seen over the years, this almost smells real. Death is there for these men. We see it, we hear it. We watch them hunker down in what’s left of their forests, we see them only marginally more safe inside their armoured vehicles. And all for what? When we reach the conclusion we expect, and get, scenes of decimation. The town looks like it has been hit by a meteor. There isn’t a building left with it’s roof intact. All they can find is a kitten, and boy are they going to get that to safety. The banter between the men and between the men and the journo really goes to show us just how these young men, barely out of their teens, are dealing with fear, anxiety, anger, lack of sleep - you name it, but never do we see them contemplate retreat. Watching them, though, you can’t help but think of the futility of their exercise. Despite their endeavours, the war is being lost. It’s being lost miles away by aerial bombardments from a far superior force that’s destroying their infrastructure. No food, water, medical supplies or fuel. How can they hope to prevail against such odds? We can see that from our cinema seats and I suspect many of them can too from their dugouts, or their funeral processions - but their commitment remains undiminished and you just can’t help but admire and like them and their attitude, cheek and sense of purpose. It isn’t an easy documentary to watch, but by then end I did feel I had got to know these men a little, and that I did have some skin in their game.