Press releases

The film shows the history of the women's "death battalion" which was created on the orders of the interim government to lift the morale. The battalion was under the command of the full cavalier of St. George Order Maria Bochkareva.

Igor Ugolnikov noted that if the film was made two or three years ago it would have been just a good movie about the war. But today the movie is very relevant and instructive. "This is a unique story: women went to war to defend the Fatherland when men already could not," Igor Ugolnikov said.

The filmmakers wanted to recreate the events of a hundred years ago they way they happened. They were scrupulous about the costumes and weapons of those times. Even the sound of the bells was original to recreate the historical era. "Probably the most difficult part was the creation of the trenches. After all, there was a huge difference between Russian and German facilities,” said the producer.

"The Belarusians are a unique audience. Minsk is the second hometown for me, and I feel a special gratitude to the citied and wanted to show the movie first in Minsk. Bochkareva’s battalion fought at Smorgon," Igor Ugolnikov added.

The movie stars Maria Aronova, Maria Kozhevnikova, Yanina Malinchik, and Irina Rakhmanova. The producers also include Evgeny Aizikovich, Fyudor Bondarchuk. The director is Dmitry Meskhiev.

The film Battalion will be screened in St. Petersburg on 17 February and in Moscow on 19 February. The four-episode TV version will be shown a bit later.