As the CSEEES Spring 2026 intern, one of my primary responsibilities was leading the coordination and execution of a cross-organizational film screening featuring 2000 Meters to Andriivka, a documentary directed by Mstyslav Chernov. The film follows a platoon from Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade on a two-kilometer mission to liberate Andriivka, a Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces, and has received significant recognition, including the Directors Guild of America Award and the FACT Award for Best Investigative Documentary. The screening event opened with remarks from guest speakers Nazarii Kharolskyi and Valerii Bondarenko, Ukrainian veterans who shared their firsthand perspectives and insights into the ongoing war.

As the event coordinator and as a Ukrainian American, this screening was impactful not only for me on a personal level, but also for the broader community. Serving as the primary organizer of this event provided me with the opportunity to further develop my leadership and organizational capabilities. I was responsible for securing grant funding to support the screening, and for coordinating communication across multiple participating organizations, including CSEEES, the Ukrainian Society at Ohio State, the Ukrainian Cultural Association of Ohio, the Ohio State Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures, and Razom’s Ukraine on Campus initiative. It meant a lot to me to have this experience of building on my personal and professional growth while contributing to a community-centered event that holds great importance in my life.

While organizing the screening contributed to my own development, its most significant impact was on the Ukrainian diaspora in Columbus. 2000 Meters to Andriivka is an incredibly difficult film to watch, revealing the realities and hardships faced by Ukrainian troops on the frontlines. Experiencing it alongside 75 other Ukrainians and other supportive community members made the screening especially meaningful. 

For many Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans, it is difficult to fully convey the weight and importance of this war to those outside the community, for whom it may not carry the same immediacy or personal resonance. Watching the film in a space shared with those who share similar personal, familial, and emotional ties to the war created a sense of comfort grounded in mutual understanding, which is something many Ukrainians in America do not often find in their everyday lives. 

Whether attendees were recent immigrants, first or second-generation Ukrainian Americans, or individuals seeking to better understand both the war and Ukrainian culture, their presence reflected the Ukrainian community’s continued resilience, active engagement, and unity. As Ohio State graduate and former Ukrainian Society member Darian Kulchytsky noted, “It shows that even thousands of miles away, we are united by common heritage, beliefs, and hope, taking example from the strength of the Ukrainian soldiers.”

The Ukrainian community stresses the importance of pride in the Ukrainian heritage, preserving its history, and cherishing its traditions. These responsibilities are framed within a broader understanding that the continued existence of Ukrainian identity is the product of the immense sacrifices made by our ancestors. Moments like this screening provide reassurance of its continuity across generations. As a current Ukrainian Society member reflected, “I'm proud to see the values my grandparents carried with them from Ukraine continue to be actively maintained within this community, and I hope they would be proud to see that strength and unity continue today.”