Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die () (Kiborhy: Heroyi ne vmyrayut) is a 2017 Ukrainian war drama film about the Cyborgs, the Ukrainian defenders in the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport during the war in Donbas.
Context
The film is set during and based upon the events of the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers had held the airport for four months since an earlier battle, while surrounded by pro-Russian forces associated with the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
Although a ceasefire had been agreed to by the Minsk Protocol and confirmed by a memorandum (in effect 5 and 19 September 2014, respectively), minor skirmishes continued with increasing frequency that month. In late September, pro-Russian forces began a concerted effort to retake the airport, using heavy artillery, armoured warfare, and building-to-building and close-quarters combat, capturing several airport buildings until their advance was halted in early October. Repeated efforts to take the airport's terminals followed, and by the end of October the new terminal building was a charred frame, its upper four floors collapsed, with Ukrainian forces in the lower floors fighting off daily artillery bombardments, infantry attacks, and infiltrators coming through barricaded tunnels.
Pro-Russian fighters who participated in the battle posted on social media about the tireless and almost superhuman enemy they faced, calling them "cyborgs". Although intended as a slander, it went viral on social media, creating a patriotic national myth. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that it "became synonymous with courage, persistence, and patriotism of the Ukrainian warrior." Cyborg was named "word of the year" by online Ukrainian dictionary MySlovo.
The airport had lost much of its strategic value but remained important as a symbol for morale and to divert pro-Russian forces from other battlefronts. The Ukrainian defenders held on until mid-January 2015, when the collapse of several buildings by pro-Russian sappers and a surge of Russian-supplied military vehicles resulted in significant casualties and made continued defence of the ruins impossible.
Plot
Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers heading for Donetsk airport transfer to an armoured convoy at Pisky, jeering at a pro-Russian newscrew which falsely reports that the airport has fallen to DPR forces. The convoy is attacked by artillery and the fighters bail out of their burning infantry fighting vehicle and take cover in a crater. They are rescued by Serpen – they are all referred to by nicknames – and brought to the airport in a passenger van.
Amid sporadic artillery fire, Hid takes the newcomers on a tour of the airport buildings. They encounter another group who were forced out of a duty-free shop by the enemy, and reinforce them. Hid finds and disarms an improvised explosive device and they retake the duty-free, inflicting casualties on the separatists who retreat down escalators. They resupply with the separatists' Russian-supplied ammunition and continue their tour with a visit to the badly damaged air traffic control tower which overlooks the airport.
Having free time before their next assignment, Subota and Staryi share vodka pilfered from the duty-free. Hid reveals a freezer holding the bodies of the first enemy soldiers killed, held for an exchange but the DPR didn't want them. A cook called Borshch complains at not having a lid for his pot, which collects dust with every artillery blast that shakes the building.
Serpen is given command and asks for their motivations for fighting. Staryi is initially disinclined, but then explains that he can't make sense of the doublespeak covering Russian aggression, of being dominated by a "brother nation", and that he had to volunteer when his son did. Subota, a soldier, explains that he took an oath and that to him it is a matter of honour and duty. Mars feels hatred toward the murderous invaders and seeks to avenge the death of his best friend.
Mazhor, who had impatiently left after a disagreement with Serpen, finds a Russian body in a runway crater. The dead man's cellphone blares, attracting the enemy. Mazhor is able to kill a Russian and wound a separatist, steal their car, and race back to the airport terminal under enemy fire. Serpen recognizes Mazhor and orders the Ukrainians to hold their fire and let him approach. While Mazhor and Serpen argue over his actions, Mars goes to the captured separatist and shoots him to death.