\u201c20 Days in Mariupol\u201d wins the Oscar for best documentary. Ukraine builds three layers of fortifications that stretch 2,000 kilometers. Ukraine brings home five more children from Russia-occupied areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mstyslav Chernov\u2019s \u201c20 Days in Mariupol\u201d won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. This is Ukraine\u2019s first-ever Oscar victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chernov took to the stage with photographer Yevhen Maloletka and producer Vasylisa Stepanenko. The team worked together in besieged Mariupol in the early days of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history, and I\u2019m honored,\u201d Chernov said. \u201cProbably I will be the first director on this stage to say I wish I\u2019d never made this film, I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities,\u201d Chernov continued. \u201cI wish I could give up all the recognition for Russia not killing tens of thousands of my fellow Ukrainians. I wish for them to release all the hostages, all the soldiers who are protecting their lands, all the civilians who are now in their jails. But I cannot change the history. I cannot change the past, but we all together: you. I\u2019m calling on you, some of the most talented people in the world. We can make sure that the history record is set straight and the truth will prevail, and that the people of Mariupol, and those who have given their lives, will never be forgotten. Because cinema forms memories and memories form history,\u201d the film director said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c20 Days in Mariupol\u201d captures the first days of the Russian full-scale invasion and the destruction the city of Mariupol faced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Video journalist Mstyslav Chernov, photographer Yevhen Maloletka and producer Vasylisa Stepanenko arrived an hour before Russia began bombing the port city. Two weeks later, they were the last journalists working for an international outlet in the city, sending crucial dispatches to the outside world. The team\u2019s reporting out of Mariupol has also won the Pulitzer Prize for public service last year. Earlier this year, the film team won the national Shevchenko prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The film topped last year\u2019s box office rankings among documentaries in Ukraine. It grossed UAH 500,000 (USD 13,000) in the domestic box office over its opening weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi met with top government officials and military commanders to discuss the situation on the frontlines, weapon supplies, and construction of fortification lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAn important topic: fortifications. [I heard] a report from Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on the time it takes to construct new defensive lines. Three lines of fortifications 2,000 kilometers long is an extensive task, but it is progressing at a good pace. I count on its timely completion,\u201d Zelenskyi said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President also heard detailed reports from top military commanders \u2014 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, head of the General Staff, Major General Anatoliy Barhylevych, and field commanders of the situation on the frontlines, including in the Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka directions, and in the south. They also provided an account of the marines\u2019 operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A rescue mission returned five Ukrainian children from Russia-occupied areas of Ukraine, head of the Kherson regional military administration, Oleksandr Prokudin said on Monday. The youngest child is two years old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five children and their family members, and an 18-year-old orphan returned to the government-controlled part of Ukraine. The children are between two and 18 years of age. The adults and children are in a safe place. They receive medical treatment and psychological support. Prokudin thanked the Save Ukraine humanitarian organization for the rescue mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n