Serhiy Mykhalchuk
Director
Collapse: How Ukrainians Destroyed the Evil Empire (2021)
Miniseries
This 7 episode documentary is about the collapse of the USSR and the part Ukrainians took in it. The series brings the Ukrainian perspective into the global narrative for the first time, along with recently unclassified details from the CIA and KGB archives.
Released Aug. 27, 2021
Episode 42 min
None+
S1E1 - День страху / The Day of Fear
The 1st episode is about a possible scenario of violent development of the situation in Kyiv on the first day of the Emergency Situations Ministry: seizure of the Verkhovna Rada by military special forces and mass arrests of both opposition leaders and "sovereign communists". It looked like a "day of fear" from the perspective of politicians, journalists, and Ukrainians in Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow.
Aug. 27, 2021, midnight
S1E2 - Ніч Гніву / The Night of Anger
The second episode is built around the conspiracy theory that Ukraine's declaration of independence is part of a US special services scenario.
Sept. 3, 2021, midnight
S1E3 - Без Ейфорії / Without Euphoria
The third episode tells about the events of August 21, 1991.
Sept. 10, 2021, midnight
S1E4 - Дефолт / The Financial Crisis
This episode is about when and why the economic collapse of the USSR actually took place.
Sept. 17, 2021, midnight
S1E5 - Ефект Доміно / Domino Effect
The last few years before the collapse of the USSR looked like a chain reaction: events in one country of the socialist camp pushed the processes in the neighbors. The fifth episode tried to find out what exactly caused the collapse of USSR
Sept. 24, 2021, midnight
S1E6 - Незалежність / The Independence
The sixth episode reveals what exactly happened behind the scenes of the historic session of the Verkhovna Rada, where the "Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine" was adopted.
Oct. 1, 2021, midnight
S1E7 - На Межі Ядерної Катастрофи / On the Verge of a Nuclear Disaster
In the fall of 1991, Moscow newspapers reported that Yeltsin had discussed with the military the possibility of a nuclear bombing of Kyiv. Did this mean that the CIA's June forecast could come true in October-November 1991?
Was a nuclear apocalypse possible in the scenario described by the CIA? Could Ukraine have become a communist reserve? Why did Ukrainians go to the polls en masse to "kill the USSR"? Why did Poland and Canada hold races to be the first to recognize independence, while the United States set tough conditions for Kyiv? How did Kravchuk beat both Moscow and Washington? Who really ruined the USSR?
Oct. 8, 2021, midnight
Network: UA: PERSHYI
Episode Runtime: 42 min.
Season Runtime: 294 min.
Released: Aug. 27, 2021
Last Air Date: Oct. 8, 2021, midnight
Status: Ended
Certification: NR
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