Oscar-Nominated Producer Alexander Rodnyansky on Russian Invasion of Ukraine: ‘There Are No Excuses For War’

variety.com:

Christopher Vourlias Two-time Oscar-nominated producer Alexander Rodnyansky (“Leviathan,” “Loveless”) said he felt “unbearably ashamed” and “incredibly, deeply sad” when his son called from Kyiv on Thursday with news that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had begun.“Of course, I realized before that the situation might go this way, but I still couldn’t believe that missiles are exploding in Kyiv,” Rodnyansky told Variety by email. “I couldn’t imagine that Kyiv, my native town, where my relatives, friends and colleagues live, where my parents and grandparents are buried, will be struck by missiles of the country where I have been living and working for the last 20 years, together with my family and friends.” The Moscow-based producer was born in the Ukrainian capital, which was under siege by Russian troops on Friday.

He said that “after the first shock” of Thursday’s invasion passed, he wrote an Instagram post in which he said he was mourning “for all the people who woke up in war.”“But today I know that the Ukrainians will come through this.

Gentle and brave people will come through this war. Because they are fighting for their motherland,” he said. “I know that many Russians, smart and sensitive people, are shaken to the core.

They feel even more ashamed.”He added: “There are no excuses for war. Whatever those who make it claim.”Rodnyansky was born into a distinguished family of filmmakers in Kyiv: his grandfather was a documentary filmmaker, his grandmother a silent film actress.