First Ukrainian Oscar, buses delayed in Poland, and verdict in Yahidne concentration camp case: highlights for March 11
For the first time, a Ukrainian film won an Oscar: the award went to 20 Days in Mariupol. In Chernihiv, a court sentenced the occupiers who held 368 people in a cramped basement in Yahidne for a month. The Ministry of Infrastructure said that Polish farmers and police were detaining passenger buses on the border with Ukraine, while Polish law enforcement denied it. We have collected the main news.
The first Ukrainian Oscar
On the night of March 11, the American Film Academy announced the winners of the prestigious 2024 Academy Awards.
The film 20 Days in Mariupol by war correspondent Mstyslav Chernov and photographer Evgeniy Maloletka won the award for Best Feature Documentary Film. This is the first Ukrainian film to win an Oscar.
During the award ceremony, Chernov noted that the Oscar for his film was a landmark moment for Ukrainian cinema, but at the same time, the director admitted that he would have preferred to never make this film, and would have exchanged the award for the peace that existed in Ukraine before the Russian invasion.
At the same time, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which was a favorite for 13 statuettes, eventually won seven awards, including Best Picture.
Negotiations to resume air travel
The Ukrainian government is starting official negotiations with regulators in the United States and the European Union to resume passenger air travel in Ukraine. Consultations are also taking place with the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority.
The Ministry of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure noted that Israel is one of the examples of countries where airports operate under the threat of shelling.
Verdict in the Yahidne concentration camp case
The Chernihiv District Court sentenced 15 Russian servicemen who committed war crimes against residents of the village of Yahidne in the Chernihiv region in March 2022. They held 368 people in a cramped basement for a month, using them as human shields.
Due to inhumane living conditions — lack of sufficient space, proper sanitation, access to air, food, and water — 10 elderly people died.
All occupiers received the maximum sentence — 12 years in prison. The term of serving the sentence will be counted from the day on which they are detained.
Buses with Ukrainians detained in Poland
Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov said that Polish protesters and police have started stopping passenger buses traveling from and to Poland. According to him, passengers are being held at the border without any explanation.
The Polish police and the Ministry of the Interior denied this. Ukrainian Consul Serhiy Tsaruk visited the site. He did not see any deliberate delay of the buses. It is speculated that the slowdown may be due to protesters blocking the trucks passing through the corridor.
Trials for tax evasion
In 2023, Ukrainians received 1274 verdicts in court cases of military service evasion. 60 criminal proceedings resulted in actual imprisonment.
And in January 2024, a security guard at a residential complex in the Kyiv region was found guilty of informing residents about the arrival of military enlistment officers who issued targeted summonses.
Three lines of fortifications
Ukraine is building 2,000 kilometers of fortifications in three lines. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects the construction to be completed on time.
Other important news of the day
- 20 Days in Mariupol award ceremony cut from international TV version of Oscars.
- NYT: By summer, Ukraine will receive only six F-16s out of more than forty promised.
- Ukrainian churches respond to Pope Francis, saying that no one will ever force the Ukrainian people to surrender.
- Ukrainian aviation strikes a Russian command center on one of the ships.
- Georgia demands that Ukraine extradite Saakashvili-era officials.