A Sniper’s War Image

A Sniper’s War

By Bradley Gibson | February 22, 2018

A Sniper’s War is the story of a man known only as Deki whose anti-U.S. views led him to join the pro-Russian rebels in the Ukrainian conflict that began in 2014. New York City filmmaker Olya Schechter followed the Serbian sniper for the three years he was active in Ukraine.

Deki fought in the Kosovo war where he witnessed bombings of non-military targets he characterizes as NATO terrorism in Bosnia. He says “The United States is the most genocidal state in the world.”  He’d done construction work to build the Olympic village for the 2014 games in Sochi but was compelled to go to Ukraine and fight when Ukraine separated politically from Russia. Since 2014 an on-and-off war has been simmering in eastern Ukraine. The combatants are government forces (supported by NATO) against Russian-backed separatists and they have fought each other to a standstill. 10,000 have died and the region is also suffering a humanitarian crisis as a result of the war. 

Military bases and frontline battles were open to Shechter as she enjoyed an astonishing level of access once she’d earned Deki’s trust. She is either a complete badass or batshit crazy or both. She and her cinematographers walked into firefights and shelling attacks with camera in focus and recording, collecting hundreds of hours of footage to paint an intimate portrait of the complex and fascinating nature of Deki, the person, and the killer.

“He says ‘The United States is the most genocidal state in the world.'”

Deki admits snipers are emotionally twisted, though he seems to have adjusted well. He cautions against looking into the eyes of a target before pulling the trigger, as that will haunt you. The gun is a fetish. No one touches the rifle, not the next soldier, not Russian officers. Snipers build an aura around their reputation with signature shots and bullets. Deki is known as the best. Rivalries spill over online. One of the most fascinating moments comes when a sniper fighting for the Ukrainian government trolls Deki on the Russian social media platform VK. Deki shakes off the trash talk until his opponent threatens his family in Serbia and a sniper duel is scheduled to settle the matter. Schechter captures all this on film, including the results.

He is a legend in Donetsk. He sees himself as a good person working for a righteous cause. More than that, he’s a Paladin sacrificing himself to defend the undefended. Introduced to a classroom, the kids look to him as a hero. Near the front lines where random shelling and sniper fire comes at night he visits an elderly woman looking after a disabled child and promises her he’ll do what he can to make the attacks stop. He is blessed by the Bishop at the Christian Orthodox church. They tell him he’s always welcome and pray for his safety. His ethics are iron-clad: he’s never killed an unarmed person.

“…asked about his skill with the rifle he smiles. ‘A little math, a little practice’… 

He’s quiet, no drama. “I saved hundreds of lives.” When asked to explain this he elaborates: “In a battle I go out first. I kill their snipers and gunners. If I don’t do my job hundreds of my men get killed.” This aspect of Deki’s mission parallels American Sniper, the biopic about Chris Kyle. They share the same ideals and ethics but Deki is pointed back this way.

He has given more thought to his morals, his life, the price he pays, and his place in the world than any American I know. He is not an extreme personality or a zealot. He’s not fit for society, but he’s not a sociopath. He reasons. He emotes. He empathizes. He’s ordered, following his logic relentlessly. These traits make him the most chillingly frightening killer imaginable. He’s not crazy and he does not miss. When asked about his skill with the rifle he smiles. “A little math, a little practice. I was good at physics.”

Schechter tried to keep politics out of it, telling the story of a man, not the story of a war. She decided the best way to do this was to let him speak. It took four edits to strike the right balance. The result is a stunning film that will knock you back in your seat and show you a wider world. It seems like an alternate universe that it’s hard to believe is only 5700 air miles from here, a 14-hour flight. It may make you question your worldview. We could say Deki was wrong, a cold-blooded assassin who kills without remorse and this makes him evil, except we also have snipers. Context at ground level is the whole story.

Screenings upcoming: February 23rd, Big Sky Film Festival and also at Missoula Hellgate Elks Lodge. The film will also screen on April 16th at the Moscow International Film Festival (where I’m guessing it will be a big hit!).

A Sniper’s War (2018) Directed by Olya Schechter.

9 out of 10

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  1. Josh says:

    This is a propaganda film for Russia. At no time was there any proof of any of the anti-American and anti-NATO accusations beyond the words of a Russian speaking insurgent in a war supporting the Russian invasion into Ukraine. For all we know, he could be a Russian operative sent for subterfuge operations against the Ukrainian government, who are trying to retake their territory occupied by the Russians

  2. Online education course on film making says:

    Great movie hope we will see more movie like this

  3. andrew says:

    Wanna know about what happened to the enemy sniper from Ukraine? The one who threaten to kill Deki during the war.
    besides, i love the film. good to watch a real sniper at work.
    a legend he was. admire his courage, skill and fairness to defend and spare innocent civilians

  4. Anthony says:

    Am I the only one that thinks his shots are BS. Anybody who knows anything about shooting knows you have to adjust your sights, slow steady squeeze, and not pull your face way from the rifle as you shoot because your naturally gonna pull the rifle. Other than that the documentary does depict the human side of war very well and how we’re all really the same.

  5. NYFA Documentary Alum Releases Doc "A Sniper's War" says:

    […] audience-driven sites such as IMDB has been torpedoed with 1-star ratings. As a positive review on Film Threat points out, “Schechter tried to keep politics out of it, telling the story of a man, not the […]

  6. John says:

    This movie glorifies the russian army. A bunch of drunk idiots listening to Putin’s orders. They have no honor, guilt or remorse. Hands off Ukraine!!

  7. Volodymyr says:

    It’s russian propaganda for stupid and naive americans and western people who sincerely believe that such films and their makers have right to exist in conditions of democracy . But it’s mistake. This film threatens their democratic world and principles. KGB methods are very strong and work very effectively with naive minds. They manipulate and misrepresent. Russians are genetic haters of civilized world. Russia is enemy and destroyer. Remember it and protect your freedom.

    • Bradley Gibson says:

      It is, in fact, a bedrock fundamental tenet that we have in a democracy the freedom to make such a film and a director with the freedom to put herself in harms way to tell the story. There’s nothing that I can think of that is more essentially American than that passion. That said, I’m no fan of Russia’s actions, they are clearly bad actors on the world stage right now, and yes, I agree that they are using our current lack of critical thinking against us.

  8. Alex says:

    Deki is a killer, and a sadist in real life.

    • btothei says:

      How about Chris Kyle? He was a sniper and killer too, a sadist in your word. Now, if you say he was a hero then your hypocrisy is right on.

  9. Serhiy Pazelskyy says:

    I wonder how much cash one gets paid to write such a review about an average quality flick that just stinks of russian propaganda

  10. Dalex says:

    It’s russian propaganda

    • Bradley Gibson says:

      It’s not. Schechter was careful to separate the politics from the man, and the story is about the man. He’s certainly pro-Russia and no doubt about that, but to show him expressing that view passionately is not to agree with him or embrace his position. It is simply to illuminate how people different from us, and now who are threatening our democracy, view us. To walk in his shoes has value. You can’t react intelligently to people that you do not understand. The film didn’t take a position.

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