Evgeny Afineevsky’s documentary presents a gripping portrait of the protests sparked by the Ukrainian government’s 2014 decision to suspend the signing of a trade agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Putin’s Russia.

It was a crucial chapter in the lead-up to the Russian invasion that began Thursday.

Afineevsky and his crew follow the protestors from the front lines as they begin to demonstrate against the regime of former prime minister Viktor Yanukovych, who had close ties with Putin; and they are there when the protests swell to hundreds of thousands in Kyiv’s Maidan square, prompting a deadly crackdown from government forces. “

Afineevsky found a variety of witnesses, including student activists, journalists, laborers, artists and clergy.

The film ends on a satisfying moment of victory as a populist movement topples a repressive regime, with Yanukovych fleeing the country.

Sadly, that was not how the story ended.