Mstyslav Chernov is making sure we don’t forget. His devastating incredible 20 Days in Mariupol showed us how a war starts, and how a city dies in real time. He trades in time for distance in his follow up story. 2000 Meters to Andriivka shows us what war looks like in 2025 if you’re a soldier in the thick of it, reminding us as always: war is hell.
Chernov’s latest is about a year after the fall of Mariupol. We’re with a Ukraine brigade during their counteroffensive. They want to free the town of Andriivka in the Donetsk Oblast region. Options are limited though; there’s two giant minefields sandwiching a tiny, heavy forest 2000 meters away. Solution: get a battalion of troops to aid the Ukranian freedom fighters in Andriivka.
Mstytslav Chernov provides the go pros, and we’re in the middle of the Russia Ukraine War. What’s striking about Chernov’s coverage is how young and ordinary all these Ukranians are. The big heroes here are both under or around 30 years old, previously working as contractors or teachers or something else normal people do. They talk like locker room boys, clear in their goals, ready to strike fear into the heart of the Russians (we don’t see or hear any of them, this is a Ukrainian tale). They walk, talk, shoot, etc like a neighbor or friend we might have, thrust into these horrible circumstances.
Pretty incredible too, considering the nightmares we experience here. The trek through the forest straight up sucks: you dig your holes, go a few meters (2000 meters ~ 1 mile), flush the Russians out of their holes, then regroup to do it again. Machines are of no use here: Chernov shows us tank drop offs that get stuck in the mud, and have to be scuttled. Gunfire comes from out of nowhere when you’re shimmying through the branch laded hellscape, forcing you to quickly find cover and pray you get your gun to fire back before its too late. Fair warning: you see real people die in this documentary, their life leaving their body during battle as a sad friend watches on. And, we’re “lucky” that these brave men get a chance for a real funeral if Andriivka gets freed…great. 2000 Meters to Andriivka should be requisite viewing for all war mongers ready to battle at all times, so you see the real consequences of your beliefs.
Watching 2000 Meters to Andriivka is watching history unfold in close to real time. With permission slips, I think high schoolers should watch this too, so everyone can witness what war is really like today, and have it feel real and tangible. And hopefully, wish for a brighter future of peace and goodwill toward men.