New Film 'Klondike' Depicts Life on the Border During the Russia-Ukraine War

There are many who don’t realize the Russo-Ukrainian War began long before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

In 2014, Ukraine’s pro-Russia president, Viktor Yanukovych, was overthrown in a popular revolution, and as Ukrainians began looking to the West, Russian forces started infiltrating Ukrainian border regions Donetsk and Luhansk, where they started pro-Russian separatist movements. Those areas have been in turmoil ever since, first declaring themselves independent republics and then annexed by Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian filmmaker Maryna Er Gorbach’s harrowing new movie “Klondike” is set during the conflict between Ukraine and the Donetsk and Luhansk separatists. The end result is a masterpiece in storytelling that depicts life for average Ukrainians caught between competing armed forces.

After the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 comes crashing down in Ukraine after it was shot down by Russian separatists in the region, a family in the village of Grabove, Donetsk, finds itself caught up in the aftermath. Irka (Oksana Cherkashyna) and Tolik (Sergey Shadrin) are expecting their first baby, but their village is slowly becoming more and more unsafe.

The plane crash and the international attention it receives sparks the simmering tensions in Grabove, but Irka refuses to leave her home. People start taking sides, but the family doesn’t want any part of either side; they just don’t want to leave the home they built. Tolik has many separatist friends who expect him to join the fight, but his brother, Yaryk (Oleg Shcherbina), refuses to betray Ukraine.

The movie is set against the backdrop of many historical events in Ukraine. In February 2014, months before the MH17 shootdown, Yanukovych fled Kyiv amid an impeachment vote, only to show up in Russia declaring he was still president of Ukraine. With his ouster, Luhansk and Donetsk took up arms, supported by Russian weapons and troops.

During that same month, Russia seized and annexed the Crimean Peninsula. Fighting along the border regions of the two breakaway areas continued for nearly eight years to the day, when Russia finally invaded Ukraine with a fully equipped armed force.

A powerful and timely depiction of the horrors of war on everyday civilians, “Klondike” has received awards from the Sundance, Berlin, Istanbul, Seattle and Sarajevo film festivals, just to name a few. Two of its actors, Oleg Shcherbina and Oleg Shevchuk, are currently serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

“Klondike” is not yet available for streaming, but the North American streaming rights were purchased by Samuel Goldwyn and it will be available later this year, according to Variety.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, or on LinkedIn.

Keep Up With the Best in Military Entertainment

Whether you're looking for news and entertainment, thinking of joining the military or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to the Military.com newsletter to have military news, updates and resources delivered straight to your inbox.