Russo-Ukrainian War - Brotherhood In The Trenches of Bloodshed.
Russo-Ukrainian War - Brotherhood In The Trenches of Bloodshed.
What Would Occur If You Stop Killing Each Other? What Could Happen When A Brother Chooses Not To Kill The Other?
The story repeats like clockwork. Two sons of Adam. How did that turn out?
WAR ZONE - THE THEATER - DAY
The battlefield is shrouded in haze.
Explosions illuminate the chaos as Russian and Ukrainian soldiers engage in fierce combat.
Severe war on the ground.
Smoke hangs in the air.
Suddenly, SERGEI (a Russian soldier) and ANTON (a Ukrainian soldier) spot each other.
Sergei and Anton lock their eyes from a distance.
Recognizing each other as sworn enemies.
They cautiously approach.
Hands on their weapons, their faces masked by tension.
Sergei raises his weapon, ready to fire.
Anton does the same.
Sergei: (in Russian) "Wait….?"
Anton: (in Ukrainian) "Why….?"
Sergei: (in Russian) "Do you have a mother?"
- Everyone is paused -
Anton: (in Ukrainian) "…I do….and you…."
Just as they're about to shoot, a ceasefire whistle blows.
Both hesitate, lowering their guns.
EXT. TRENCHES - MOMENTS LATER
Sergei and Anton stand on opposite sides of a trench, staring at each other in disbelief.
A flicker of recognition crosses their faces as memories of a shared past resurface.
Faces of grandparents, parents, siblings, spouses, children, grandchildren, family, food…..
Tensions turn into a sense of comfort.
Sergei gestures for Anton to join him in the middle of no man's land.
EXT. NO MAN'S LAND - AFTERNOON
Sergei and Anton meet in the eerie silence between the trenches, guns holstered.
They exchange wary glances, tension palpable.
Sergei: (in Russian) "Why are we fighting each other?"
Anton: (in Ukrainian) "I could ask you the same."
Sergei: "Our countries are at war now, but we were friends once."
Anton: "It feels like a lifetime ago."
Sergei: "They will use us until the last man standing from our families."
Anton: "….like a screw in the war machine…"
EXT. BATTLEFIELD - MID DAY
Sergei and Anton continue to talk as they traverse the battlefield, sharing stories of their past friendship as a people, sharing the same land, living in peace and harmony for ages.
Sergei: "I lost my family to this war… I don't want to lose my soul too."
Anton: "I've lost friends and family as well. My work… It's senseless… pointless"
Sergei: "Just think about the children…."
EXT. RUINED BUILDING - LATER
They find shelter in a damaged building, sitting down amidst the rubble.
Looking at the old scattered family pictures of those who once lived here.
Sergei: "Is there a way out of this madness?"
Anton: "Maybe... but it won't be easy."
Sergei: "But it would be better than this"
They both stare at the damage surrounding them.
Mental and physical bandwidth is about to break.
Anton: "Peace is a far better option than war."
Anton: "If our grandparents had not made peace, you and I wouldn’t be here today."
EXT. ABANDONED VILLAGE - EVENING
Sergei and Anton stumble upon an old woman's house.
They help her retrieve belongings from the wreckage, working together.
They begin to feel a brotherly connection.
A common lineage. A shared heritage.
Anton: "These mothers don’t need to lose their sons like this."
Sergei: "And their husbands and their fathers and uncles…"
EXT. NO MAN'S LAND - NIGHT
Sergei and Anton return to no man's land, weapons on the ground.
They face each other, exhaustion in their eyes.
Sergei: "Are we fighting for our leaders or for ourselves and our families"
Anton: "You’ve caused me no harm."
Sergei: "And you did nothing wrong to me… then why are we doing this to each other"
Anton: "I thought it was ”Love Thy Neighbor?”."
Anton: "We’re being used."
Sergei: "Follow the money"
Anton: "Who is to gain from all this bloodshed?."
Sergei and Anton both ponder this question for a few seconds….
WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS WAR?
Sergei looks up at Anton.
Sergei: "I never thought I'd say this, but I don't want to fight you."
Anton is baffled…..
Sergei: “We need to help each other not fight and kill. War is not for our benefit. Peace is.”
Anton thinks….
Nods.
Anton extends his hand.
Sergei pauses, then shakes it. Sealing a truce, born from the ruins of war.
Anton: “Now let’s do something that benefits us.”
FADE TO BLACK
| Imran Siddiqui is the managing editor at Justice News and the author of The JBlog. Imran's podcast FairPlay Challenging Wrongful Convictions airs on J107 Justice Radio. Imran also writes Intersections at Global Crossover and GameOver.News. Imran’s book series - Injustice Inc. - Is available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback.