Riding on unprecedented access to a Russian battalion in Ukraine, ostensibly gained unofficially, Russians at War unfolds from the perspective of the Russian soldiers, hence easy to assume as partisan. However, despite keeping the death and destruction in Ukraine entirely out of sight, the film manages to paint an unflattering picture of the reality of the invasion and the idea of war itself.

The Russian soldiers are, in fact, a discontented lot, not entirely convinced about what they and Russia at large stand to gain. In the time she spends with them, the director cannily draws the soldiers out as they speak with rare candour and courage on the many casualties of war.

The united past of the two nations, cultural unity, troubled political strife and the misinformation in the media about the conflict provide the bare-bones version of a complex context. The takeaway is simple: that war can never be the solution.

– Namrata Joshi

With support from Institut Francais en Inde.