One hour before the interview, Anastasiia Volodina received an award for conscientious service on Ukraine’s Armed Forces Day, her first one. Before joining the Armed Forces, Volodina worked in the movie industry and taught at a filmmaking school. Since joining the army, she has worked on different projects, from documenting realities close to the battlefields to promotional videos for the Armed Forces.

‘It was not exactly a spontaneous decision, nor a single factor has determined it. My partner and I both wanted to join. He used to film a lot for the military as a civilian, but he understood that sooner or later, he would have to join the army. And I understood I wouldn’t let him go alone; I wanted to join too. The final point for me was when my uncle died while he was serving in the army. At his funeral, I stood with a clear decision—I’m joining the armed forces.’

Have you had any hesitations?

‘It happened that after the funeral, I was offered a job with a solid budget, team, and project, and somehow it all went so smoothly with them. But then, on the 40th-day wake, I felt that going down that path was almost a betrayal. I had the decision made to join the armed forces, and I felt good about it. Now, deviating from it felt wrong. Then, I refused the job and began to look for a position within the army.’

Were you unsure about being a woman in a predominantly male collective?

‘I was going with my partner, so in that sense, I knew that I always had a man next to me who could stand up for me if necessary. But generally, I see a lot of women put themselves into a victim position, even beforehand, immediately being afraid merely because ‘I am a woman.’ I try to approach differently, go immediately as equals, and frankly, I have wonderful relations with all my male team members.’

How was your training process?

‘Basic military training that, at that time, lasted 35 days. Frankly, I was lucky to end up in a training center where we didn’t have to live in dugouts; we lived in rooms with a normal shower. It might be the only center that provided women’s uniforms. I even got 38-size boots; the group after mine even got women’s underwear; my group still had men’s ones. I can’t say that I became a very good infantryman, but if I had set myself that goal, I could because I had great instructors with combat experience.’

As a director involved in the military, what kind of experience did you have close to combat? Were there any extreme situations?

‘Yes. I once filmed the construction of fortifications; we could see from the trench the enemy’s aviation was dropping guided aerial bombs. Every five minutes, we were ordered to hide in a dugout. Back then there was no ladder still, so every time, you had to jump in and then be pulled out by someone. At the moment, I do not work in a combat zone. I work more on promotional videos and soon will film a documentary, but honestly, I prefer working in the field. There is a certain atmosphere there. This morning, I watched the updates on the advancement of the front line and saw that the places where I was working were already occupied, which is a frightening feeling.’

When shooting videos, what is the most important to keep in mind?

People are tired of war. We see from the views that it is getting harder and harder to capture the viewer’s attention. I want to grab the viewer’s attention in these first 5-7 seconds so that they continue watching. And you need to do it differently than everyone else to achieve this.’

You said about the promo video you directed to St. Nicholas Day that approaching it with humor might be a risky decision. Why?

‘We have this image of military men being strong and courageous, so sleeping servicemen to whom St. Nicholas brings gifts and puts them under their pillows, as to children, is very contrasting. There is a certain defenselessness. I wanted to show that inside every person, there’s a child who wants to receive a gift for St. Nicholas because, to me, first of all, these are not servicemen, these are people. We had another shooting for Army Day on Dec. 6, and I brought chocolate Santa Clauses for the whole team, small ones. And these are grown-up men with their own children, but their eyes lit up from that chocolate Santa Claus. At such a moment, you understand that everyone needs a holiday.’

What difficulties are there when working on commercials for the Armed Forces of Ukraine?

‘There are difficulties with certain bureaucratic moments, but now I have more access, and I can film those things that civilians cannot. It is not a difficulty but rather a responsibility, as I work for the image of our army in one way or another, and the enemy can use any ill-considered, careless decision against us. There are a lot of discussions around commercials on what we can and cannot show, what to blur, who to cut out, and so on. There are many nuances because when you film about the army, servicemen, equipment, supplies, or combat operations, you have to weigh every step that, at any pivotal moment, may work not in your favor.’

Have you had some idea of yours being rejected?

‘Constantly. We work in a team and collectively decide what is appropriate and what is not. I came from a creative world, not being familiar with military affairs. I can bring new perspectives and creative ideas as to how to engage the audience, but sometimes, I might not feel the limit. That is why a second opinion is important. I’m very lucky to serve in a unit where my commander is my mentor, who taught me at film school. It is an honor for me to serve under him, and in a sense, my education continues.’

Do you have any plans for after the war ends?

‘I dream about getting a master’s degree in the UK. However, I am not sure if I would want to leave Ukraine for such a long time. It will be an interesting period from a documentary point of view. How will society accept the military back? How those societies that divided over the years will merge back together. For me, as a documentary filmmaker, it will be interesting to film this period, to look at the consequences and manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how civilians will behave with veterans. I plan to film a lot.’