MTV to Debut Ukrainian Doc Don’t Leave Me Behind

MTV has slated the premiere of Don’t Leave Me Behind: Stories of Young Ukrainian Survival for February 21 in recognition of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

The documentary, which will air commercial-free, highlights two teenagers in their new lives as they try to find normalcy in Poland while maintaining hope for the families they left behind, their home country and their own futures.

It follows as Sasha, who had dreams of studying dance in Korea before the war, teaches dance classes to refugee children and works in a humanitarian center, collecting and distributing resources and translating.

It also follows Dasha, who attends group therapy with other displaced teenagers, many of whom have fathers forced to remain in Ukraine to fight.

Katya, who developed and oversees Dasha’s group within the local organization Your Development Foundation, also takes part. She is a Ukrainian psychologist and refugee providing psychosocial support for the waves of teenagers and kids fleeing.

Don’t Leave Me Behind is directed by Nathaniel Lezra. Executive producers are Nina L. Diaz, Lily Neumeyer, Benjamin Hurvitz and Pamela A. Aguilar for MTV, Lezra and Malcolm Bird. Creative producer is Elizaveta Goroshnikova, and Iuliia Stashevska is story producer. The film’s logo was designed by Kateryna Gaidamaka, a designer and visual artist from Kyiv, Ukraine.

MTV is partnering with Choose Love to encourage viewers to support young people who have been impacted by the war.

“As the world marks the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we sought to shine a light on the enormity of the human impact of this war, particularly among the millions of young people who have fled their country,” said Diaz, president of content and chief creative officer of Paramount Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios. “It’s an honor to share their stories, and through the thoughtful lens of Nathaniel Lezra, show their extraordinary resilience in addressing their mental health, supporting their loved ones and finding hope for their futures.”

“The film seeks to direct the world’s attention to a group of people too often lost in this war’s coverage—young refugees,” Lezra said. “These are people who have spent much of their lives living in the shadow of war and whose identities and mental landscapes have been indelibly impacted by Russia’s aggression. It was the honor of a lifetime to spend time with these inspiring and extraordinarily resilient young people, and I’m grateful to MTV for their partnership and shared commitment to telling their stories and encouraging more action to support them.”