When the Russian military occupied Yahidne in Chernihiv region, they forced the locals into the basement of the school. “We went there, looked into the gym, the biggest room, and it was hell. You walk in like that and the first impression is that you are entering hell,” says Olga, a resident of Yahidne. Taking them hostage, they created a human shield and set up their headquarters on other floors of the school.

More than 350 people were in the basement without ventilation, including the elderly and children. There was limited time to use the toilet, so buckets were provided for people. A few days later, the first man died in the basement. “There was a lack of oxygen. People were losing their minds. They were screaming and shouting and, as they say, going crazy,” says Ivan Pului. The bodies were not always allowed to be taken out immediately, sometimes children were playing next to the deceased. The locals lived in such conditions for almost a month. Ten elderly people died. Another seven were shot by the Russians.

The film, based on the diary of one of the hostages, recreates the gruesome details of the Russian war crime. The journalists managed to identify the Russian units that turned the residents of Yahidne into human shields and talked to a Russian officer involved in the crime.