Ukraine’s first Oscar hailed as reminder of war’s horrors as Russian drones strike buildings

By HANNA ARHIROVA and SUSIE BLANN
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine awoke to another day of war with Russia but also a bit of good news. A journalist had won the country’s first Oscar for a harrowing documentary on the first days of the war. The film “20 Days in Mariupol” by Associated Press journalist Mstyslav Chernov won the best documentary award. The victory was bittersweet. An emotional Chernov says he’s probably the first director to wish he’d never made the film and that he’d exchange his statuette for Russia not attacking Ukraine. The award was applauded at home for its message that Chernov had amplified from one of the world’s biggest stages.