The War in Ukraine — Films to Help Better Understand the Russia-Ukraine War

The recent democratic revolutions in Serbia in 2000, Georgia in 2003, and the Ukraine in 2004 all seemed to follow a quick and easy pattern: the exposure of rigged elections, followed by massive street protests, and a regime that collapsed without a fight. But the film reveals the lengthy and meticulous preparations behind these seemingly spontaneous demonstrations, showing how modern marketing techniques have combined with revolutionary politics to transform the region's governments. Features interviews with founding members of the opposition political parties--OTPOR in Serbia, KMARA in Georgia and PORA in the Ukraine. The democratic revolutionary game plan doesn't always succeed as in the case of the failed 2005 attempt in Azerbaijan.

The Distant Barking of Dogs is set in Eastern Ukraine on the frontline of the war. Oleg lives with his beloved grandmother, Alexandra, in the small village of Hnutove. Having no other place to go, Oleg and Alexandra stay and watch as others leave the village. Life becomes increasingly difficult with each passing day, and the war offers no end in sight. In this now half-deserted village where Oleg and Alexandra are the only true constants in each others' lives, the film shows just how fragile, but crucial, close relationships are for survival.

Battle for Ukraine: The unrest in Ukraine in early 2014 has provoked one of the biggest confrontations between Russia and the United States since the Cold War. FRONTLINE's James Jones (Secret State of North Korea) delivers a chilling look at both sides of the ongoing fight--revealing firsthand the deep-seated hatreds between right-wing Ukrainian nationalists with historic ties to the Nazis, and violent pro-Russian separatists vying for control of the country. Drawing on personal and dramatic footage, Jones paints an up-to-the minute portrait of a conflict with no end in sight. Arming the Rebels: FRONTLINE continues its groundbreaking reporting on the war in Syria. Reporter Muhammad Ali crosses into the war zone, and finds Syrian rebel fighters who say they're being secretly armed and trained by the United States out of Qatar.

The Gas Weapon is a clear and much-needed examination of how Ukraine and, to a lesser extent, much of Europe are dependent on Russian gas -- and the role gas plays in recent Ukrainian politics.

A biography of Vladimir V. Putin, a former KGB agent who rapidly rose from a minor political figure in St. Petersburg to become president of the Russian Federation in the late 1990s. Argues that his ascendancy was "the result of a power struggle between factions of the country's ruling oligarchs and a behind-the-scenes political deal" brokered by Boris Yeltsin.

Twenty-four-year-old Jani lives in a small town in western Ukraine, and is part of the minority Hungarian community. This film tells the story of a mother and son living in the shadow of the military conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Jani's fight for adulthood unfolds over the nine months of his military service and the time after his discharge.

If the world remembers one image from Ukraine's Orange Revolution, it is the terribly scarred face of opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, a result of near-fatal poisoning. But the story of this historic election is far more intricate, intriguing, and resonant.

Filmed over the course of three years, this film introduces Western viewers to the small and prototypical provincial Russian town of Yelnya where people admire Vladimir Putin for making Russia great again. Yelnya has remained economically marginalized ever since the Soviet Union collapsed. But people have regained pride. They believe that president Putin is bringing back glory and power to the Russian nation. Not many object to the constant propaganda claims that fascism is threatening once again from the US and Europe, and that Russia must stand ready to defend itself.