STRANGER THAN FICTION

Ukraine Gunman Ends 12-Hour Hostage Standoff After President Endorses 2005 Joaquin Phoenix Movie ‘Earthlings’

Maksym Kryvosh took control of a bus with an automatic rifle and a 500-page manifesto in hand.

A gunman who took 13 hostages in a western Ukrainian city using an automatic rifle released the captives following a 12-hour standoff after the country’s president publicly recommended a 2005 Joaquin Phoenix movie at the captor’s request. The gunman, 44-year-old Maksym Kryvosh, took control of a bus with the weapon, told police he had wired it with explosives, and demanded that government officials admit to being “terrorists.” Holding a 500-page manifesto, he also called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to praise the 2005 movie Earthlings. The documentary, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, investigates the ways in which humans exploit animals for food, clothing, domestic pets, et cetera. Zelensky spoke with Kryvosh and then made the demanded recommendation via a video posted to Facebook: “The film Earthlings from 2005. Everyone should watch it,” he said. Though Kryvosh fired several shots, no one was wounded in the standoff. After Kryvosh surrendered, Zelensky deleted the video, replacing it with a thank-you note to those who helped end the crisis. “Human life is the most important value. We have not lost anyone,” he said.