A Simple Soldier

When Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, filmmaker and cinematographer Artem Ryzhykov leaves his life behind the camera and joins the army to defend his country. Shot over three and a half years on the front lines, the film follows his transformation from observer to participant, from artist to soldier. Moving through trenches, ruined cities, and devastated landscapes, Artem confronts fear, loss, exhaustion, and the daily absurdity of war. Told from inside the conflict with rare intimacy, it is a powerful portrait of survival, brotherhood, and the human cost of defending one’s homeland.