Ukraine on Fire

I think Oliver Stone has been a bit of an enigma his whole career. He actually doesn't have that much to do with the production of this movie, in fact the interviews he did with Putin were done on off days while filming "Snowden". We do need to give credit where credit is due though and acknowledge that as uncomfortable as Stone will make you feel with his research, he usually digs a lot deeper than others. (I'm referencing the "Winter on Fire" documentary specifically.)

I think what a person should do, is watch "Winter on Fire" then watch this movie. Reason being, in the very pro-west documentary, you won't think about some things in that documentary and other things you'll have questions about and wish they had dug deeper. Then this documentary explains why they didn't dig deeper.

I've read several comments that this is pro-Russia. I disagree, I think they explain how Russia has screwed over the Ukrainian people. They don't dwell on it the whole time because they want to explain the entire complexity of the situation. The reason Putin probably likes it is because it shows both sides of the story, and if we're frank about it, nobody looks good but at least you get the full story.

I'm American, but I lived in Russia from 1989-1993. I've spent a lot of time in Kiev. I can tell you from my first hand experiences, this documentary portrays the situation more accurately than anything else. The dots connected in this make more sense.

The reason I only gave it 8/10 is because the production value is lacking. It almost looks like they used an Envato template for some of the graphics. Everything outside of that is just great. It's more journalism than documentary.

Speaking of journalism, I think that will be the "red pill" moment for most people when comparing this and "Winter on Fire". Without giving too much away, look at how Tetiana Chornovol is portrayed in both documentaries. Considering there is footage of her doing some of these specific actions in this documentary, I think you can see why this one is likely closer to the truth.

It really is a fantastic documentary about the events that happened in Ukraine. Particularly interesting to see American journalists tell the truth about the events that happened in Ukraine and how American diplomats meddled in foreign affairs. Really eye opening and refreshing. Would have been a 10/10 but it's a 9 because I felt the flames on every scene change was a bit too much for my liking. The content, however, is a 10.

I am a Ukrainian citizen.The film reveals true facts about Ukrainian history and Maidan.

But there are things missing here like interviews with Georgian snipers hired to shoot peaceful protesters in Kiev and details on bombing of civilians in Donetsk and Lugansk. Horrible events.

I agree with another reviewer that suggested first watching Winter On Fire and then watching this one. And then I want to add take both with a grain of salt and do your own independent research.

Both documentaries seem to give the perspective of either side without really painting a complete picture.

Viewing both really helps you understand that this situation is not black and white but a very complicated gray.

A great podcast if you are looking to do more research on this topic and how the US Specifically has gotten involved in this conflict is Congressional Dish. This podcast also lists all of its sources (including congressional hearings, spending bills, everything is sourced). This podcaster is American and she does not dive too much into what Putin has done in this conflict but that is only because she operates on the fact that she has no control over Russia's government but since her (and all American's) tax dollars and her elected officials are making these decisions she is trying to inform other American's what is being done in our name.

Episode Numbers: 207, 244, 248.

I was positively surprised to watch this documentary, as I have had a hard time explaining people the real situation in the Ukraine. Most of the time the reaction was like: "Unbelievable, the media is saying something different. Why should all media lie?!". I was born in the Eastern Ukraine, near Donezk, and I still have many friends and relatives in the Ukraine, including Kiev. The relatives in Kiev were happy when the Maidan began, as they were completely against Yanukovich. Now they keep saying that life was much better before the Maidan revolution. It got worse. And my friends and relatives from the Eastern Ukraine told me many facts that did not get to the media, or the facts just got turned upside-down. There was a referendum in the Donbass, too. For the people there it was like a holiday, they were willing to stand in the cue for hours just to be able to vote against the NEW MAIDAN REGIME. When Ukrainian army took over some parts, people were asked to snitch their neighbours to be so called "separatists". Even urns were positioned to collect anonymous hints. People in black wearing masks to cover their face then went to these "separatists" and carried them away. This is just one story out of many. I have collected a lot of material and videos, even made a screenshot of a Ukrainian soldier's profile on vk, where he published pictures showing him working on the BUK systems near the town Konstantinovka (as GPS coordinates were uploaded with the pictures). And then I had to read that Ukraine does not own such systems, that shot down MH17?! Anyone can read from Ukrainian official sources that they own such systems, but why do the "free" journalists (in Germany for example) not do any researches that just take 2-5min in order to find out this info cannot be correct? I am so glad people like Oliver Stone fighting for the truth exist. Thank you!