SOLDIERS OF SONG

One week after the televised staged bullying of Zelensky in the White House, Soldiers of Song— a film that has had limited theatrical showings in select cities— will be released to the wider US audience via streaming on most major platforms, including Apple TV. The timing of this wide on-demand release is entirely coincidental.

A spokesperson for the film explains the challenges of creating the film, saying, “Spanning the entirety of the country, production for the film extended to the frontlines, where cameras were embedded with musicians, capturing their raw experiences. (Filmmaker) Ryan Smith and the production team conducted intimate interviews and filmed musical performances on the ground in Ukraine. Post-production took six months, during which the team navigated through challenges like air raid sirens, power outages, and the unsettling sound of missiles flying past their homes…”

Here, Picture This Post (PTP) shares the thoughts of one of the musicians profiled in Soldiers of Song, opera singer Sergiy Ivanchuk (SI).

(PTP) How has the war changed you— as a person and as a musician?

(SI) Before the war, I had only one dream—I wanted to sing lead opera roles in the most prestigious opera houses in the world. That was my entire life’s focus. But the war completely changed my worldview.

I had been immersed in music since I was six years old, always dreaming of singing. But after the full-scale invasion, everything shifted. I was shot, I took five bullets, and I barely survived.

(SI continues...)That second chance at life made me rethink everything—my purpose, my existence, and the meaning of life itself.

Now, I understand that simply being alive, having the opportunity to live, is the greatest privilege. So many people never got that chance. I saw people lose it right in front of me. I watched them die within minutes of being full of life. That experience completely changed my perspective on life, on the chances we’re given, and on what we choose to do with them.

So now, my life is focused on helping Ukraine, helping Ukrainians, and helping people in general. I strive to appreciate life more each day and to inspire others to do the same. I haven’t abandoned my dreams, but my priorities and values have shifted. And I’m genuinely grateful for that.

Please share with Picture This Post readers how you came to be involved in the making of Soldiers of Song.

At that time, my life was packed with interviews, TV shows, trips, and filming. One day, Ryan Smith reached out to me with an offer to be part of this film. I didn’t fully grasp what the film was about or what its potential was, but I said yes.

At that point, I was still in bad shape, recovering, weak. I was in the middle of rehabilitation, and filming wasn’t easy for me physically. We had very little time to shoot, but we did everything possible to make it work.

When the film was finished, I attended several premieres and screenings across Europe. Every time I watched it, I cried, reliving everything all over again. Sometimes, it feels like it didn’t even happen to me—like something this extreme is just impossible to survive.

For me, this film is like a time machine. It takes me back, forcing me to remember what I went through, to reflect on how far I’ve come, and to set new goals for the future. I’m incredibly grateful that fate brought me and Ryan together.

What do you hope people take away from watching Soldiers of Song?

Everyone sees something different in this film and takes from it what resonates with them the most. Some see the war between Ukraine and Russia and all the complexities surrounding it. Others feel the pain of the film’s characters, empathizing with their struggles, drawing their own conclusions, and reevaluating their own lives. Some, perhaps for the first time, are exposed to the raw, unfiltered reality of the war—free from propaganda—finally gaining a true understanding of what’s happening in Ukraine.

What I want people to take away from this film is that every human being is unique and strong in their own way. The most valuable thing we have is life itself. And war? War doesn’t start with tanks and missiles. It starts with small acts of cruelty—like bullying in school. A bullied child, filled with anger and resentment, can grow up to become a dictator, someone capable of starting a war.

That’s why I urge people to be kinder—to others and to themselves. It’s like the butterfly effect: a small act of kindness (or cruelty) can ripple outward, shaping the future in ways we can’t predict. A single flap of a butterfly’s wings on one side of the world can trigger a hurricane on the other. Just like a bullied child today can grow into a tyrant tomorrow.

We have to plant seeds of kindness if we want a better world in the future. Because in the end, that future is shaped by each and every one of us. Beyond this planet, we have nothing. We might be the only ones in this entire galaxy, and we have to protect each other—because we are all we have.

Think about it for a moment. Our little planet is the only home we have. There is nothing like it for thousands of light-years in any direction. And we, humans, are each other’s only family. There are no others like us, and there never will be. Yet here we are, destroying each other on our only home.

Do you consider Soldiers of Song a tool to help end the war?

Russian propaganda is an unstoppable machine, fueled by trillions of dollars. Fighting against it is incredibly difficult, but the key is to understand how it works—it targets weak spots. If there’s an issue, propaganda will take it, amplify it tenfold, and use it to spread panic and chaos.

But in a way, propaganda also serves as a signal. If a certain topic is being heavily exploited, it means that’s an area that needs improvement. The best way to neutralize propaganda is not just to fight it but to fix the real-world issues it exploits. That way, the enemy loses the ability to use it as a weapon.

I talk to scientists, military experts, intelligence professionals, and people who have access to tools, technology, and knowledge—people who know how to end this war, and all wars, in a matter of weeks. But every time, it becomes painfully clear that the global elite doesn’t want that.

War isn’t just about conflict—it’s a business. It’s about money, resources, control, and power. And the ones who profit from it will never allow peace, because peace doesn’t make them rich. And who suffers? Ordinary, innocent people who just want to live their lives.

It breaks my heart to know that humanity has everything it needs to create a peaceful world, but the people in power choose to maintain conflict because it benefits them. I wish more power was in the hands of regular people—people who could use it wisely to build a world without war. But the sad truth is, there are forces in place that control information, economies, and politics, and they will never allow that to happen.

There will always be those who seek to create destruction. Living with that awareness is painful. But what’s even harder is knowing that there are real solutions to end war, yet those who attempt to bring them to life are silenced before they even get started.

So what do we do? We live. We appreciate life. We do everything in our power to help others and bring some peace into this chaotic world. That’s my mission.

This film is special to me because it strips away all illusions and shows the raw truth. It captures not just events but emotions—the unfiltered feelings of Ukrainians at the very start of the war. It’s a time capsule of those first days when everything was brutally real, before fatigue and media narratives took over.