Ukrainian Documentary “Special Operation” Premieres at the Berlin International Film Festival

The feature-length documentary Special Operation, directed by Oleksiy Radynski, about the events in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone during the Russian occupation, had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale). The film was produced by Liuba Knorozok (Kinotron Group) and co-produced with the Lithuanian studio Studio Kinema (co-producer – Jurga Kē).

While the film’s team was presenting the premiere to audiences in Berlin, a fire caused by a Russian drone strike was being extinguished at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Director Oleksiy Radynski emphasized that over the past three years, the international community has done everything possible to prevent the collapse of the Russian army in Ukraine, fearing "nuclear escalation." This, he noted, has led to the opposite outcome. “Tolerating war crimes means legitimizing them. Turning a blind eye to nuclear terror in Chornobyl means accepting it as normal,” stated the film’s producer Liuba Knorozok.

Not everyone interested managed to get tickets to the premiere — the screening hall was packed, and the vibrant discussion afterward lasted nearly as long as the film itself. International film critics praised the documentary. Dozens of reviews were published the next day, including in one of Germany’s leading newspapers — Frankfurter Allgemeine.

Here are a few quotes:

“Some documentaries immerse you in the heart of a historical moment, but few do it with such unfiltered intensity… This film doesn’t need to create tension — it’s embedded in every frame.”

— Chris Jones, Overly Honest Reviews

“The film immerses the audience in a terrifying symphony of silent military logic.”

— Bita Habibi, Universal Cinema

“The director manages to create an oppressive atmosphere without manipulation. This is a raw experiment in documentary form that tries to speak for itself.”

— Sebastián Zavala, Loud and Clear

Special Operation offers an inside look at Russia’s nuclear terror in Ukraine. The film is composed of footage documenting every stage of Russia’s occupation of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant — from the armed seizure of the station to the withdrawal of Russian troops following their defeat in the battle for Kyiv. During the occupation, Chornobyl workers risked their lives to preserve these video recordings for history. The footage was later included in the criminal investigation into the armed seizure of the plant. With the assistance of Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General, some of these materials were made available for the creation of the documentary.

The film Special Operation was produced as part of and with support from The Reckoning Project — an initiative of Ukrainian and international reporters, analysts, and lawyers who document Russian war crimes in Ukraine and gather legally admissible evidence for future court proceedings against war criminals.

Oleksiy Radynski is a film director and screenwriter. His films have received awards at the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, Docudays UA, Molodist IFF, the Kyiv International Short Film Festival, and have also earned the Kinokolo and Golden Dzyga awards. In 2023, he created the short documentary Chornobyl 22, which also focused on the Russian occupation of the Chornobyl Zone.

Liuba Knorozok is a producer of both documentary and narrative films that have been featured at festivals in Venice, Rotterdam, Berlinale, Oberhausen, Docudays UA, Molodist IFF, the Kyiv International Short Film Festival, and others. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards. She is also a producer with The Reckoning Project.

The film was produced with support from RIBBON International and the ESFUF: European Solidarity Fund for Ukrainian Films.