GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – A local Ukrainian group and the Mauthe Center co-sponsored a free screening of an award-winning documentary on Tuesday night.
’20 Days in Mariupol’ tells the story of Ukrainian civilians living in Mariupol when Russia laid siege to the city during the early winter and spring months back in 2022.
Associated Press journalists trapped in the city during the siege captured the footage shown in the documentary. It’s very graphic and difficult to watch showing mass graves, children dying in hospitals, and the aftermath of a maternity ward getting bombed among other atrocities.
Organizers said part of the reason the documentary is important is because it cuts through any propaganda that suggests that civilians haven’t been targeted in the war.
“In reality hospitals, apartment buildings, universities, theaters, it keeps going that civilians are targets,” said Oksana Kobzar who is a member of Wisconsin Ukrainians and an organizer of the event.
Although difficult to watch in some parts, organizers of the documentary screening say the graphic nature of the documentary makes it more powerful to watch.
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“To bring awareness to people and communities about what is happening in Ukraine,” said Oksana Kobzar who was one of the organizers of the event.
“20 Days in Mariupol” won an Oscar award for Best Documentary Feature. About fifty people came out to the Mauthe Center at UW-Green Bay to watch. Many people broke down into tears while watching the documentary.
“Just realizing how bad it is,” said Yevgen Melnykov who said he’s from Ukraine but has been living in the United States for about 10 years now. “Being in the war for two years, it’s still hard to believe that it’s going on.”
Two years since the start of the war, Ukraine is still fighting. Organizers of the event said they hope the documentary will show that Ukraine can’t be fighting alone.
“I think the message is here that the world needs to stop it, to stop what is happening in Ukraine,” said Kobzar. “I hope that people who watch ’20 Days in Mariupol’ will not be silent, they can’t be silent after seeing what happened just in one city in Ukraine. Justice needs to be brought and those responsible for the atrocities in Ukraine need to be in court.”
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Just a few hours before the screening of the documentary, the U.S. Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid package that will send $61 billion to Ukraine. The bill passed 79-18 in the Senate after getting through the House over the weekend.
It now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk.
Senator Tammy Baldwin released a statement following the passage of the bill saying in part:
“This bipartisan package delivers the resources we need to keep our families safe from threats at home and abroad. After months of delays, Democrats and Republicans finally came together to help our allies defend their freedom, deliver humanitarian aid, and keep our country safe.
Senator Tammy Baldwin
Senator Ron Johnson voted against the bill saying in a statement:
“Securing our own border before helping other nations secure theirs seems obvious to me, but apparently it is not to a majority in Congress. For months, I have insisted that securing our border would be a precondition to my support for any foreign aid supplemental. I also object to bundling disparate pieces of legislation into one package which prevents any differentiation between good and bad. Since this $95 billion package does not secure our border and further plunders our children’s future, I voted no.”
Senator Ron Johnson
