A gunman who took 13 hostages in a western Ukrainian city with an automatic rifle released captives after a 12-hour standoff after the country’s president publicly recommended a film by Joaquin Phoenix in 2005 at the captor’s request. The gunman, Maksym Kryvosh, 44, took control of a bus with the gun, told police he had connected it with explosives, and demanded that government officials admit to being “terrorists.” With a 500-page manifesto, he also asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to praise the 2005 film. Earthlings. The documentary, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, investigates the ways in which humans exploit animals for food, clothing, domestic pets, etc. Zelensky spoke to Kryvosh and then made the required recommendation through a video posted on Facebook: “The 2005 Earthlings movie. Everyone should see it,” he said. Although Kryvosh fired multiple shots, no one was injured in the confrontation. After Kryvosh surrendered, Zelensky removed the video and replaced 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.
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