Ukraine on Fire is a documentary
detailing the history of revolution and civil war in Ukraine throughout that
nation’s existence, with a focus on the 2014 revolution. The film makes its
point mainly by using narration over existing archive and news footage.
However, there are also several original interviews conducted by executive
producer Oliver Stone. The pace is fast for a documentary which allows its
message to feel urgent. It is well made and never boring, though its intention
is to inform in a way that engages viewers, not necessarily to entertain.
However, by the end, its barrage of information was exhausting, which I do not
think is what the filmmakers were aiming for.
As
I understand it, the popularly accepted version of events goes something like
this: In November 2013, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych pulled away from
negotiations with the European Union and instead chose to establish ties with
the Russian Federation. Citizens opposing this decision took to the streets in
protest. In February 2014, those protests became violent. Due to the rising
civil unrest (and the rising death toll) Parliament voted to remove Yanukovych.
Immediately after Yanukovych’s ousting, Russia began making plans to annex the
Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops in
to take control of Crimea. After the troops were in place, a vote was held
where 97% of Crimean citizens voted to join Russia. The United Nations ended up
invalidating that referendum and declared that Crimea was still a Ukrainian territory.
These
are the events according to Ukraine on
Fire: Yanukovych pulled away from a potential agreement with the European
Union because it would have negatively impacted his people, whereas Putin was
offering much better terms. This led to peaceful protests. The violent protests
were provoked by the sudden emergence of three new television networks and the
involvement of ultra-nationalist groups. These networks and some of these
groups were being funded by foreign sources, some coming from the United States.
After Yanukovych was forced to flee (and was taken in by Putin), not everyone
supported the new government. Crimea, which had been Pro-Yanukovych, held a
vote to decide if they wanted to stay with this new regime or become part of
Russia. Putin sent troops in to provide citizens with protection against
Ukrainian forces that would prevent the vote from taking place. Russia did not
meddle in the vote at all and the decision of an overwhelming number of Crimean
citizens to join Russia was completely on the level.
That
is the Cliff's Notes version of both stories, but you can see why this film could
be considered very controversial. Its version of events differs in many
significant ways from the version preferred by the United States government. Ukraine on Fire presents Russia and
Vladimir Putin (one of the subjects interviewed by Stone for the film) as
relative innocents in the whole affair and the United States as interlopers
helping to stage a coup to protect their own interests.
I
know very little about what has been going on in Ukraine. However, I am very
aware of the United States’ stance on Russia. After the events of the last
year, Vladimir Putin has never been more of a villain in this country than he
is right now. Seeing him and his government portrayed in a positive light in
this film was surprising. It is certainly not a popular opinion at the moment. I
am not sure if the way Ukraine on Fire
presents events is true or not, but it is very convincing. It was interesting
seeing the media coverage of these events and then seeing that point-of-view
immediately refuted. It is a compelling film with a different viewpoint than
what is regularly seen in the media.
Despite
the ease with which anyone can obtain news these days, it is harder than ever
to know what is true and what is “fake news.” In order to really understand
what is going on in the world, you need to gather as much information as
possible (even from sources whose beliefs you do not share) and decide for
yourself. There is no such thing as unbiased media and Ukraine on Fire is no exception. It is a decent piece of
documentary filmmaking that is more valuable for its urgency and the historical
information it contains than for its artistic merit.
Score
-Ben Pivoz