A new BBC documentary, The Zero Line: Inside Russia's War, presents harrowing testimony from Russian dissidents and conscripts trapped in a system of violence, fear and punishment. The film, directed by Ben Steele, gives voice to those who have faced torture, execution and abandonment by their own military.
The title refers to two concepts: the 'Zero Line' as the frontline conflict zone, and 'zeroing' – military slang for executing one's own troops. Soldiers attempting to desert are zeroed; wounded soldiers are zeroed to avoid paying for their care. One ex-soldier explains, 'There's no payment for a vegetable. So we put him down, like a dog.' Another states, 'Your adversary is in front of you. But your enemy is your commander behind you.'
The documentary details the scale of Russian losses, with an estimated 900 to 1,500 soldiers killed or wounded daily in 2025. It also covers 'meat storms' – tactics of overwhelming force that result in staggering casualties. The casual disregard for human life is compared to Stalin's era.
Interviewees include Artyom, a young anti-war protester who was tortured and raped in custody, according to his wife Sasha. A special needs teacher conscripted after his fellow recruits discovered photos of him dancing was tied to a tree, beaten and urinated on. He later slashed his arms with a broken coffee jar to escape.
The film also examines the eerie banality of life in Russia, with propaganda broadcasts and recruitment films showing children waiting to embrace heroic fathers. The resistance stories are the most harrowing, including a woman sent to a penal colony for condemning the Bucha massacre.
A closing statement notes that the Russian government was approached for comment but did not respond.
