Ukraine awoke to another day of war with Russia but also a bit of good news
Ukraine awoke Monday to another day of war — Russian drone attacks blasting buildings in the Kharkiv and Odesa regions — but also the news it had won its first Oscar.
The best documentary victory for Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” a harrowing first-person account by The Associated Press journalist of the early days of Russia’s invasion in 2022, was bittersweet.
“This is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history, and I’m honored,” an emotional Chernov said Sunday at the Academy Awards. “Probably I will be the first director on this stage to say I wish I’d never made this film, I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine.”
Back home in his native Ukraine, the award was applauded for exposing the brutal devastation of the war and the message Chernov had sent to the world from one of the biggest stages.
“The first Oscar in (Ukrainian) history. And how important it is now,” Andriy Yermak, head of the Presidential Office, said on the Telegram messaging app. “The world has seen the truth about Russia’s crimes. Justice always prevails.
