Work has begun in Ingushetia on a docudrama titled Heroes of Zaporizhzhia, посвящed to Russian security personnel who took part in the seizure of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant during the first weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The project is being funded by Russia’s Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.
According to the state broadcaster NTRK Magas, the film will focus on members of the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya), as well as officers from Ingushetia’s OMON riot police and SOBR special rapid response units who participated in the capture of the plant in the spring of 2022.
Project author Magomed Barkhanoev said the film is intended as a tool for the “military-patriotic education of young people.” He said it aims to portray what he described as “acts of heroism and a commitment to defending the homeland.” According to the filmmakers, the primary target audience is young people.
The production will combine dramatized scenes with factual material. The screenplay is expected to be completed by the end of September, with filming scheduled to begin in November. Shooting will take place both in Ingushetia and in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. The producers plan to complete the project by February 2027.
Following the film’s release, the organisers intend to hold a patriotic film festival, while screenings are also planned in schools and other educational institutions.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power station in Europe. Russian forces seized the facility in March 2022, and it has since remained at the centre of international concern over nuclear safety and security.
The project reflects a broader trend in recent years. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities have significantly expanded funding for films about the war and its participants. Since 2022, more than 50 feature films, documentaries and short films about the war in Ukraine have been produced in Russia, with a substantial number receiving state funding.
