Episode 135: More Russian War Crimes with Zarina Zabrisky

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To help Zabrisky finish funding post-production for her documentary, Kherson: Human Safari, you can PayPal her directly: zarinazabrisky/gmail.

More details on Kherson: Human Safari:

Kherson, a Ukrainian city shaped by invasion, occupation, and flood, now becomes the site of a new warfare experiment—Russian drones hunting civilians in a deadly “human safari.”

Director/Executive Producer: Zarina Zabrisky is a US journalist and award-winning author of five books, reporting from the frontlines in Ukraine as a war correspondent for Byline Times (UK). She has contributed to BBC News, CBC Radio, Voice of America, TVP World, The Sunday Post, and more. In 2023, she co-produced and starred in the award-winning documentary Under the Deadly Skies, exposing Russian war crimes. Her literary work has appeared in The Paris Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Longreads, Guernica, Rumpus, and others, earning honors such as the 2013 Acker Award. Born in the USSR, she moved to Ukraine following the full-scale Russian invasion. From 2023 to 2025, Zabrisky documented the survival and resistance of Kherson. Living next to the Dnipro River, she was the only foreign journalist based in Kherson for a year and a half. In August 2025, she broke the story about the “human safari” in Kherson. Zabrisky’s experience makes her uniquely positioned to tell this urgent story.

About Kherson: Human Safari

The film tells the story of Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine with immense strategic significance in the Kremlin’s military goals. With a pre-war population of nearly 300,000, Kherson serves as a critical link to the Black Sea, the Dnipro River, and occupied Crimea. Control of this region is pivotal in determining the outcome of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. The Dnipro River divides the Kherson region in two. Russian forces, entrenched on the left bank, continue to systematically destroy the Ukrainian-controlled right bank to halt Ukraine’s advance.

With the war escalating and the Russian Federation claiming the Kherson region, this project aims to awaken global consciousness and inspire action.

Through this film, Zabrisky seeks to:

Highlight the city’s resilience and survival.

Depict the daily reality of life under continuous attacks.

Document war crimes for future accountability.

Mobilize international support for Ukraine.

At the film's heart is a story of survival and defiance in the face of annihilation. The film's main character is the city of Kherson itself—a fusion of ecosystem and human resilience. Through interwoven character stories, the film shows how Khersonians have become resistance incarnate but their humor, even in the darkest times, strips away unnecessary pathos. Nature also becomes a character. Sycamore trees, scarred by bullets, symbolize resilience. Peach and cherry orchards wither under occupation, mirroring the city’s suffering. The Dnipro River embodies both life and destruction, serving as a dividing line, a frontline, and a weapon.

The Russian forces remain largely unseen, only showing through the sounds of shelling, air raid sirens, and the aftermath of destruction. As the film unfolds, the city exists under the constant shadow of the reoccupation risk.

The core conflict is tyranny versus democracy. The Russian invasion seeks to impose the patriarchal "Russian World," while Ukrainians fight for their European dream and fundamental freedoms. The war reflects inner struggles—the search for meaning amid chaos.

The film is divided into sections, mirroring key phases in Kherson’s recent history:

Invasion

Occupation

Liberation

Post-liberation

Flood

Human Safari

A choreographed modern dance introduces each section, set to an original score by a Khersonian composer. The dancer is not just an intrinsic part of Kherson, she is its soul.

Cinematography reflects the disorienting nature of war with jerky, handheld camera movements mirroring the unpredictability of life under attack. The destroyed Antonivsky Bridge symbolizes a severed connection between past and present. Kherson’s wide boulevards, classical buildings, and modern cafés juxtaposed with Soviet-era structure highlight the clash between past and future.

As Ukraine’s struggle intensifies and peace remains elusive, Kherson: Human Safari serves as a crucial testimony. Through powerful storytelling and striking visuals, the film aims to ensure that Kherson’s story is not forgotten—and that the international community is compelled to save the city.

After nineteen months of work, the film is in its post-production stage. Zabrisky seeks production partnerships, funding, and distribution support to bring this urgent story to a global audience.