Kiev and Charkov in 1919: rows of dead bodies in a courtyard, exhumed corpses, while a crowd looks on. These deeply moving images from the early days of the Socialist revolution in eastern Europe are not easy to digest. They depict members of the All-Ukrainian Cheka who were killed by the Bolsheviks in order to maintain their power. The film, the original title of which is not known, was produced as anti-revolutionary propaganda dedicated to presenting a counter history, and was clearly made to impress and influence the audience against the Soviets. Seen today it still leaves a strong impression. The ravages of the civil war and the battles between different political groups are conveyed through the gruesome im­ages of dead bodies in various states of decay. Viewers today can, however, enjoy the rare footage of a so-called agit-train with its onboard printing press used to help spread the Bolshevist message, which appears around the midpoint of the film.

Adelheid Heftberger