In the dawning hours of February 24, 2022, a shadow crept across the storied land of Ukraine as Russian forces cast their grasp upon the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It was a place haunted by the echoes of history, now once more thrown into the unforgiving eye of conflict. As the invasion unfurled with relentless precision, these soldiers, bound by a mission to reach Kyiv a mere hundred miles distant, transformed the desolate site into a strategic military bastion.
The territory, fraught with spectres of past radiance and ruin, became a tableau of military machinations caught by the unblinking gaze of CCTV cameras. These mechanical sentinels documented the unfolding drama—a sombre chronicle of the occupation that stretched into weeks marred by the spectre of radioactivity.
In an evolving tapestry of video, Oleksiy Radynski, who feels documentary is in his blood, immerses his audience in a stark narrative—a horrifying symphony of silent military logic. In the heart of Chornobyl, history’s grave whispers reverberate, with each image serving as a stark testament to the perils wrought by human hands. Proof of the gravity of events captured during this tumultuous period lies in the vast trove of footage amassed by the director, culminating in nearly 1,000 hours of material. This expansive archive offered a comprehensive canvas from which the documentary was meticulously crafted, allowing the director to piece together a harrowing narrative thread and shed light upon the occupation at Chornobyl.
Each footage serves as both evidence and testament to the unfolding drama, preserving moments of tension and revelation in a haunting testament to the times. Radynski has finished two films on the Russians in Chornobyl. In his short Chornobyl 22 (2023), he used video from an unidentified source who had captured the Russians filming the nuclear plant.
As the film unfurls and the screens flicker to life, emerging from a shroud of stillness, a thought may whisper in the mind: “What rudimentary filmmaking this seems.” Yet, a second glance reveals the deeper story etched within each frame—a desolate, unyielding landscape brushed with the indifferent passage of Russian tanks and troops entering the realm of Chornobyl with unsettling nonchalance.
In this moment, something profound stirs within the heart: “Here lies the site of catastrophe past, and now, a new malevolence threatens to unfold.” You find yourself seated, transfixed before the surveillance screen, feeling the cold tendrils of empathy as they wrap around your soul. With each scene, you witness humanity’s repeated dance with oblivion, the persistent disregard for the unforgiving truths of existence. The austere footage transforms into a mirror, reflecting both the frailty and folly of mankind, as the echoes of history resonate anew within the silent confines of your observation.
At the film’s outset, a simple frame—a window—becomes the portal through which voices occasionally filter. Through this modest aperture, the world leans in to listen as a phone captures faint echoes of civilian life disrupted. These voices, tremulous and charged with urgency, speak of the depths of the assault, of structures crumbling under the weight of conflict, and of the countless refugees leaving to seek solace beyond the city’s perimeter. From this unique perspective, the window provides a profound insight into the human cost of war, as it unfolds in whispered fragments of desperation and hope. We can profoundly perceive the passage of time as it snows, turns dark, or transforms into light. Here we are in the eyes of God, observing his children through the lenses of CCTV.
The filmmakers aimed to give the collected historical events an audio life even while the raw CCTV material lay silently. Oleksiy Radynski worked with famed Lithuanian-based sound artist Vladimir Golovnitski for this challenging project, known for his emotive work. Golovnitski created a spooky soundtrack that gave the visuals an unsettling resonance, thereby accentuating the weight of the moments with layers of sound reflecting the uneasiness of the developing story.
At the 20th anniversary of Forum Expanded, which is part of the Berlin International Film Festival, the premiere of the Ukrainian film “Special Operation” by director Oleksiy Radynski would take place. “For me, it’s important that the premiere takes place in the Forum Expanded section, which combines experimental and political cinema,” says Radynski.
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