A documentary by The Kyiv Independent about Ukrainian military medics working on the front lines of Russia’s war will be screened in three European capitals in February, marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Can You Hear Me? The Invisible Battles of Ukrainian Military Medics” will be shown in Prague (Feb. 20), Vienna (Feb. 23), and Bratislava (Feb. 24).
Register to attend for free using the links below:
Prague. BIO OKO, February 20, 18:00
Vienna. Embassy of Sweden, February 23, 18:30
Bratislava. Kino Lumière, February 24, 18:00
The film will be screened in Ukrainian with English subtitles (in Slovakia, with Slovak subtitles). WARNING: The film contains graphic scenes. They are intended to reflect the harsh realities of war, but they may be distressing to some viewers.
Each screening will be followed by a discussion with the film’s authors, Kyiv Independent journalists Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko, as well as Sebastian Lindstrom, head of international cooperation at Repower, a Ukrainian charitable organization providing psychological rehabilitation for military medics. The screenings are organized in partnership with Repower and the Embassies of Sweden and Ukraine.
The documentary follows a group of Ukrainian military medics as they travel from the chaos of front-line service in Ukraine to the quiet forests of Sweden, where they take part in a short mental health retreat in spring 2024 — their first time away from the war since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
After years of witnessing constant streams of severe injuries and death, the psychological toll on military medics has become immense. Despite the critical role they play in sustaining Ukraine’s defense, their mental health struggles are rarely discussed and often overlooked, leaving many to fight an invisible battle on their own.
“There is never a bad time to talk about the enormous burden placed on the mental health of those tasked with directly facing the horrors of Russia’s war against Ukraine on a day-to-day basis, and never a bad time to recognize that Russian advances are held back first and foremost not by weapons deliveries, but by human beings,” says Farrell.
Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko reporting from the front line in Donetsk Oblast, July 2025. The Kyiv Independent.
Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko reporting from the front line in Donetsk Oblast, February 2025. The Kyiv Independent.
“Four years ago, all Ukrainians faced the question of the country’s future existence. Thanks to military resistance, Ukraine has endured, but this question has not disappeared, as Russia outnumbers the Ukrainian army and continues to systematically kill not only soldiers but civilians as well. That is why it is important to talk about and show the war, so that Europe does not forget it. For this reason, the opportunity to screen our film in different cities is especially valuable now,” says Zashko.
“Can You Hear Me?” premiered in Kyiv on Dec. 12, 2024, and has since been screened in 21 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, multiple European states, and China. Most of the screenings were organized with the support of Ukrainian and Swedish diplomatic missions. Some screenings were held at embassies and at the European Parliament.
The film was produced over nine months and included multiple reporting trips to the front line, as well as a 10-day mental health retreat in Sweden organized by Repower with special permission from Ukraine’s high command.
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