A protest starts with students holding signs in Kyiv…and ends with a president fleeing the country in the middle of the night.
I found this one through Luc Haasboek at Collider.
Trailer for “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- A peaceful student protest on November 21, 2013, turns into a full-blown revolution in just 93 days. It’s complete with burning barricades, Molotov cocktails, and mass shootings.
- Protesters build an entire fortified city in Kyiv’s Maidan Square—kitchens, medical tents, prayer stations—while under constant assault from riot police and snipers.
- In February 2014, government forces open fire on unarmed civilians. Over 100 protesters are killed in what becomes known as the “Heavenly Hundred.”
Watch “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom”
You can watch “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” on Netflix.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 91/100
- IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 92/100 (Audience); 89/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Directed by Evgeny Afineevsky, this 98-minute Netflix-produced documentary drops you right into the chaos—using raw footage, interviews, and on-the-ground filming from inside the protests.
Release Date: October 9, 2015
Other Unique Stuff
- Priests walk into the line of fire, holding crosses between protesters and riot police like human shields.
- Underground field hospitals pop up in tents—doctors operating on gunshot victims while bullets are still flying outside.
- The entire revolution runs on Facebook and text chains—thousands of people mobilized in hours with no central leader.
Wrap Up:
“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” feels like you lived through a revolution. It’s intense, emotional, and a clear look at how fast history can change.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc