Directed by: Kars Tuinder
Genre: Documentary
Subgenre & tags: War, Drama, Tragedy, Biographical, Youth, Asian, Author Cinema, Independent cinema
Year: 2026
Running time: 29’56”
Country: Thailand, Nepal, The Netherlands

Synopsis

A 19-year-old foreign student earns a scholarship to attend a university in Russia. Within months, he’s pulled into the Ukrainian war, filming his surreal journey as a foreign soldier for the Russian military, capturing a story of lost innocence, identity, and the fight for survival.

Director’s Statement

When I first got connected with this young Nepali guy, I could’ve never imagined how things would unfold.
He was just a teenager, hopeful and excited about his scholarship to study in Russia.
Like many others, he came chasing the dream of a better future. None of us could have predicted that, just months later, he’d be on the front lines of the war in Ukraine, fighting in a Russian uniform.
What makes this story so unique is that he filmed it all himself on the iPhone he’d always dreamed of owning.
Through his lens, we see everything up close: army life, frontline fear, friendships, confusion, and quiet moments of reflection.
It’s an incredibly raw and human look at war from a perspective we rarely see inside the Russian military, but through the eyes of a foreigner.
This documentary isn’t about politics; it’s about survival, identity, and the strange paths life can take.
His footage and his story show us what war looks like when you strip away the headlines and see it through one young man’s eyes.
And I hope it reminds us how many people around the world get caught in situations they never asked for, just trying to find a way forward.
I hope this documentary makes people think about the cost of conflict, not just in numbers, but in individual lives.