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WINTER OF THE BRAVES

КРУТИ 1918

By Alexey SHAPAREV

STEWOPOL MS - as PROD / FIN

True Story - Completed 2018

1918. Ukraine suffers the Civil War. London, Paris and Kyiv secretly start negotiations on the establishment of so-called "Southern Bloc" to resist the enemies. Information leaks to the Bolsheviks and the Red Army starts offensive on Kyiv. Students and cadets enter into battle to defend the capital.

- Year of production
- 2018
- Genres
- True Story, Drama, Historical
- Countries
- UKRAINE, POLAND, ITALY
- Languages
- UKRANIAN, ENGLISH
- Budget
- 1 - 3 M$
- Duration
- 120 mn
- Director(s)
- Alexey SHAPAREV
- Cast
- Ostap STUPKA
- Producer(s)
- Artem KOLIUBAIEV (Mainstream pictures), Maksim LESHCHANKA (Stewopol), Taras BOSAK (Good morning film)
- Synopsis
- 1918, nations that were suffering under the reign of the Russian Empire are struggling for their liberation. Ukraine, France and England negotiate creation of the “Southern Bloc”, an alliance aimed at resisting Germany and its secret allies – the Bolsheviks. Information about these negotiations leaks to the Bolsheviks and they start offensive on Kyiv while sending their agents to the capital city of Ukrainian National Republic (UNR) to incite the workers to rebellion. Central Rada (UNR’s parliament) adopts the act on defense of Ukraine’s independence.
  Family of general Savytskyi, head of the UNR’s counterintelligence, lives through all these events. The general has two sons – Oleksa, a military officer, and Andrii, a student. The two brothers both fall in love with the same young woman – Olga. After watching documentary footage of anti-Jewish outrages organized by the Reds, Andrii decides to enter military service and joins cadet corps.
  Ukraine’s counterintelligence headed by general Savytskyi is tracing the Bolsheviks’ agent named Berg and a ‘mole’ passing secret information to the enemy.
  One day in January all the men able to bear arms including cadets and students go to the front to defend Kyiv. Anrii and Oleksa are also among them. Young men arrive to the railroad station Kruty, a god-forsaken place with a track and a ruined building. The units take up defensive dispositions together with Black Haidamaks (Cossacks).
  Meanwhile, the fifth column excites a rebellion in Kyiv, an armed revolt at the Arsenal Plant resulting in capturing the plant and the armory by the Bolsheviks. Haidamaks set off for Kyiv while the cadets and the students are left face to face with the advancing Red Guard units under command of Mikhail Muravyov. The mission of the UNR’s forces is to keep their positions for one day until a troop train comes for them at night. The young men fight up to the last ditch. The mission is completed and it is time to leave the positions but one platoon is missing, it has lost on the area while retreating at night. The commander of Ukrainian troops takes decision to withdraw Kruty. While on the train, Andrii sees a captive from the Red Guard holding his brother’s cigarette case. Andrii rides back to Kruty to find Oleksa.
  Meanwhile, the lost platoon are taken captives. Oleksa appears to be a traitor whose mission was to undermine the defense from within. At the same time general Savytskyi learns from agent Berg captured in Kyiv that his son Oleksa was the ‘mole’. The general heads to Kruty.
  Next morning the cadets of the captured platoon are executed and the Reds continue offensive. A short reunion of the Savytskyis family takes place at the railroad station. General Savytskyi determines Oleksa’s fate and punishes him. Andrii joins the troops. The army of the UNR sets off to fight Kyiv back.
  2016, descendants of the Ukrainian heroes come to the Kruty Heroes Monument to honor the memory of young men who gave their lives for Ukraine in 1918.