Ukraine hostage situation ends after president's promotion of a Joaquin Phoenix documentary

Servicemen and law enforcement officers gather at the scene after police freed all hostages from a bus and arrested the armed man who held them for over 12 hours in the city of Lutsk, some 40

(Image credit: YURIY DYACHYSHYN/AFP via Getty Images)

published 22 July 2020

A hostage situation in Ukraine has ended after the gunman strangely demanded a presidential movie review.

A gunman held hostages on a bus in Ukraine for nearly 12 hours on Tuesday, and one of his demands was for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to promote the 2005 animal rights documentary Earthlings, which is narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, The New York Times reports.

Zelensky ultimately did so, posting a video on his Facebook page in which he says, "Everybody watch the 2005 film Earthlings." The gunman reportedly showed the movie to the hostages, as well. According to the Times, three of the 13 hostages were freed following a phone conversation between the gunman and Zelensky, and the rest were freed after Zelensky's promotion of the documentary, with the man surrendering to police.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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