LIBERTATEA DE CONȘTIINȚĂ ÎN BATALIOANELE DISCIPLINARE SOVIETICE: PATRIOTISM ȘI CONSTRÂNGERE ÎN FILMELE GU-GA (1989) ȘI ȘTRAFBAT (2004)
FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE IN SOVIET PENAL BATTALIONS: PATRIOTISM AND COERCION IN FILMS GU-GA (1989) AND SHTRAFBAT (2004)

Summary/Abstract: Freedom of Conscience in Soviet Penal Battalions: Patriotism and Coercion in Films Gu-ga (1989) and Shtrafbat (2004).The article explores the forms of freedom and patriotism in the constraining circumstances of World War II, within Soviet penal battalions, as reflected in the late Soviet film Gu-ga (1989) and post-Soviet TV series Shtrafbat/ Penal Battalion (2004). In both Gu-ga and Shtrafbat, soldiers act not out of loyalty to the state, but from a personal sense of duty, shame, or the need for redemption. In this context, patriotism becomes a moral choice rooted in freedom of conscience rather than obedience. The films reject the idea of patriotism as blind sacrifice and instead depict it as a conflicted, individual experience, suggesting that true allegiance arises only when freely chosen through inner struggle, not imposed loyalty.

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