The Cold Face of War

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the shockwaves reached far beyond the front lines. This three-part documentary series from Yle follows the course of the war and its widening consequences for people in Ukraine, Russia, and Finland, tracing both the human cost of the conflict and the political transformations it set in motion.

The series opens as Finns begin to confront an uncomfortable question: had their country been too trusting of Russia for too long? From there, the second episode charts Finland's rapid and historic pivot toward NATO membership, a shift in public opinion so swift that political leaders struggled to keep pace, and explores why Finland and Sweden chose to apply together.

The final episode takes stock of the deeper damage. Large parts of Ukraine lie in ruins. Russia's relations with its neighbours and with Europe as a whole have collapsed. Reconstruction will take generations, and the wounds, both physical and psychological, run deep.

Directed by Ari Lehikoinen and Simo Sipola, the series is grounded in observational documentary and journalistic rigour. It brings together on-the-ground reality with clear-eyed geopolitical analysis, offering a close and unflinching account of how one war reshaped a continent.