According to a report released in June 2025 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, more than 13,300 civilians had been killed and more than 31,700 injured since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The overwhelming majority of these casualties, which were verified by UN personnel, occurred in Ukraine.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
“For me, this war is very stark — black and white, right and wrong,” said Gudorf, 54. “Communities just want to be independent, free and have their own autonomy. They want what the United States usually stands for. If you watch these old-time movies and you wonder what you would’ve done to stop the Nazis in World War II — you’re doing it right now. Exactly the same thing is happening. It’s an attempt at genocide — an attempt to erase Ukraine off the map and restore the Soviet Union. This is what I can do to prove I’m on the right side of history, especially with the headwinds we now face in our own country. It spurs me on that some Americans still care and are (siding) with Ukraine.”
In November 2023, Gudorf made his first trek to Ukraine, going through military checkpoints to visit cities that had been attacked and hit by missiles such as Irpin, Borodyanka and Bucha. The film particularly spotlights the Bucha massacre, the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war by the Russian Armed Forces. He considers his time in Bucha particularly life-altering.
“Going to Bucha led (the trip) from being a one-time thing to (something) that’s a part of my life now,” Gudorf said. “It was horrific to hear the descriptions of people being machine gunned down and seeing a mass gravesite in a churchyard. We’re not understanding on our side of the world that this is happening, which I think was the impetus for the film. We have to do something to try to break the messaging that the average American is, I think, along with us on this convoy. They just may not be seeing it from a real perspective because everything is filtered, especially social media. Everything is biased.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
He has since returned to Ukraine seven times working not only with North Atlantic Fella Organization but Ukrainian Action and British Ukrainian Aid.
“Lots of people are doing this — trying to get vehicles to the front lines,” Gudorf said. “The front-line guys will say they obviously need ammunition and patriot missiles and all the other things you hear on the news, but that’s obviously hard to provide. But we can buy and deliver vehicles, which are always on the top of their lists because the vehicles get blown up and wear out quickly due to tough environments being off road and (weather) conditions going from freezing to hot. Ukraine is big too. It’s bigger than France. When we cross the border it’s still eight hours to get to Kyiv.”
A local realtor who worked 10 years in the United Kingdom with the Practical Action charity, Gudorf attributes his love of service and travel to his father, Dennis Gudorf, who served in the U.S. Air Force and also worked for Trans World Airlines.
“My dad was a big influence on me, and I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for his experience,” he said. “He helped me travel the world. And being in the Air Force, he also knew what he stood for.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Even as Russia continues to strike Ukraine, particularly with a hypersonic Oreshnik missile on Jan. 9, Gudorf is eager to return. He’ll join another convoy scheduled to depart in a few weeks. In the meanwhile, he looks forward to attending the upcoming screening in order to spread the film’s message of hope and encourage the Dayton community to become more engaged.
“Obviously, this situation is out of our control in terms of the big picture, but you can do something,” he said. “If you really feel strongly about something, whether it’s this or something else, then get out and do it. You only get one life. It’s easy to get complacent and sit on social media and argue but really get out and do something. Every person in the film believes that the vast majority of Estonians, Americans, Germans and Britains are behind Ukraine, freedom and sovereignty and all the things America was founded on. And we still believe America can still be that beacon of freedom.”
HOW TO GO
What: “No Sleep Til Kyiv”
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15
Where: The NEON, 130 E. Fifth St., Dayton
Cost: $15
Tickets: neonmovies.com
FYI: Gudorf will participate in a Q&A following the screening.
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