The story of the Russian-Ukrainian war Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods has won a BAFTA award in the "Best Single Documentary" category.
The 2025 BAFTA TV Awards ceremony took place on the night of May 11–12 at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods was filmed over nine weeks, according to the website of the production company, for which this was a debut film. It tells the story of a mission carried out in 2023 by soldiers of the 210th Separate Special Battalion "Berlingo" in the Kharkiv region near Kupiansk.
“Their mission is to defend a railway line, a key strategic asset that, if captured, will enable Russia to mount a direct attack on Ukraine's second largest city; Kharkiv,” the description reads.
The documentary about Ukrainian soldiers was commissioned by BBC Current Affairs. The director was Emmy winner Jamie Roberts, and the executive producer was BAFTA winner Jonathan Smith.
Filmed over 9 weeks, the documentary examines the lives of a 99 strong military company as they face sustained Russian assaults. Their stories are told through immersive footage filmed by the troops themselves, combined with observational filming and intimate interviews to present an unflinching human portrait of Europe's bloodiest war in living memory. Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods tells the story of frontline Ukrainian fighters as they battle to push back a Russian advance on Ukraine’s intensely bombarded Eastern Front. The character led documentary is a ground level view of the war through the eyes of the soldiers fighting it.
This deep focus on the daily life of frontline fighters’ lays bare the motivations and profound impact of this brutal conflict on the people still fighting, and poses the question: for the people involved, what does victory even look like?
Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods is a debut documentary from HOYO Films and is commissioned by BBC Current Affairs. It is distributed globally by All3Media International.
