Intercepted by Oksana Karpovych

​Russian soldiers call home to their mothers, sisters and partners from the battlefields of Ukraine. They never mention where they are—because somebody could be listening in. The soldiers talk about the villages and towns they plunder, the prisoners they torture, the corpses they see. On the other end of the line we hear sobbing, or cheers … or just silence.

​The Ukrainian intelligence service has intercepted thousands of phone calls since Russia’s massive invasion of the country. Intercepted shares some of the conversations that were tapped from March to November 2022. While the Russian soldiers tell their stories and seek support from their loved ones back home, the images we see bear witness to both the devastation they have wreaked and the unyielding determination of ordinary Ukrainians to continue their daily lives among the ruins. While the extended static shots are crystal clear and serene, the short conversations are jumbled and intense. It’s a disturbing combination—one that evokes the sinister psychology of war.

​The film was selected for the Berlin International Film Festival and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

​俄羅斯士兵從烏克蘭戰場撥打電話給母親、姐妹和伴侶。他們從不提及自己的位置——因為可能有人在監聽。他們談論自己掠奪的村莊和城鎮，折磨的戰俘，見過的屍體。電話那頭，有人啜泣、歡呼，或只是沉默。自俄羅斯大規模入侵烏克蘭以來，烏克蘭情報部門截獲了數千通電話。本片呈現了2022年3月至11月間部分通話錄音。當俄軍士兵向家人訴說戰場上的經歷，尋求支持時，影像則展現他們所造成的破壞，以及普通烏克蘭人在廢墟中堅持生活的身影。靜態長鏡頭清晰而寧靜，對話片段則凌亂而急促。這種令人不安的對比，揭示了戰爭的陰暗心理。

​本片入選柏林電影節和阿姆斯特丹國際紀錄片電影節。