REGISTRATION: Bette’s Happy Hour featuring Adam Sybera on the new film ‘Change My Mind’
BETTE MEMBERS: Please register for Bette’s Happy Hour, Tuesday, September 16, 11 am Pacific, with analyst/journalist Adam Sybera, who worked on a new film that exposes the power of Russian propaganda
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“Kremlin does not need us to believe them, they need us to not believe each other.”—Adam Sybera
Journalist and analyst Adam Sybera has spent the past three years documenting Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Originally from the Czech Republic, Sybera worked as a ‘fixer’ on a new film that reveals the power of propaganda. A fixer in movie production is a local expert who helps filmmakers navigate logistics, permits, and cultural nuances in unfamiliar locations. They handle everything from arranging interviews and locations to translating and resolving on-the-ground issues.
Here is the film’s trailer with English subtitles:
Here is a link to a Sybera’s recent article about the film, Change My Mind: A Road Movie Through Truth, Lies, and War, in the Kyiv Independent, where he reports:
What happens when war deniers see Ukraine for themselves: The international coverage of Russian aggression has become a routine exercise for the sensation-seeking audience of the 21st century. It rarely offers new insights and is too often reduced to "daily news," consumed as a popular TV show that has already peaked and now has too many seasons.
As the Russian propaganda machine invests billions into shifting the global paradigm regarding Ukraine, politicians are becoming increasingly clueless. No longer knowing how to engage a public tired of war, they slowly begin to fear voter disapproval more than the prospects of open war with Russia, and thus, are losing the narrative battle.
So, when in early February 2024, Punk Film approached me with an idea of shooting a film that confronts the people of the Czech Republic with the war reality of today's Ukraine, I immediately agreed.
But how do we do it? How will we hack through the abundance of information and make it engaging and effective?
Having spent time both volunteering in Ukraine and documenting Russian war crimes, I thought it would be valuable to bring along criminologist Petr Pojman, who has vast experience in studying criminal elements and the deviant behavior of the Russian army.
Shortly after, the producer came up with a concept where he would take some of the most staunch supporters of Russia found in the Czech Republic, through war-ravaged Ukraine, to witness firsthand the actions of Moscow that they so admire.—Adam Sybera, Kyiv Independent, September 9, 2025
In a new interview with my podcast, RADICALIZED Truth Survives, Sybera describes the shock the film crew experienced when they realized that not even experiencing the war firsthand would change the minds of the people radicalized by Russian lies — each still clung to pro-Russian narratives, unable to see the truth of the attacks on Ukraine even when they were on the frontline. Sybera explains how he believes that they are victims of constant brainwashing, and his comment reminded me of my podcast partner Jim Stewartson’s haunting refrain: “No one brainwashes themselves.”
Bette’s Happy Hour
This Tuesday, Sybera will be our guest for Bette’s Happy Hour, 11 am Pacific, 2 pm Eastern, 9 pm Kyiv, Ukraine, to discuss the film and his ongoing work in Ukraine.
In addition, I invite you to watch his TedX Talk below, where you’ll find Sybera using the words — ‘mental invasion’ — “some of the most insidious attacks” are on our perception of reality by Putin’s regime, he says. Clearly, the new film underscores that point.
“Some of the most insidious attacks come from the deliberate disinformation campaigns of the Kremlin into which Russia invests over $1.9 billion dollars annually.”—Adam Sybera
He also told me in an interview last year that the West needs to admit it made a mistake by doing business with Russia in the ‘90s.
We crawled into bed with a fascist dictatorship mafia state, and until we admit that mistake, and disentangle ourselves and our finances, tech, government, academia, etc., completely from that mafia state, we will continue to be sucked into their fascist undertow.
“The Kremlin operates with the premise that there is no objective truth, and no one can be trusted, and will is implemented by violence. Not giving into this premise has proved to be a crucial factor in the successful repelling of the initial attack on Kyiv, which was based on the presumption of Western division and expectation that Ukraine will give up.”—Adam Sybera
“In humanity, violence and death are old tools of Russian tactics in their aspiration to control and subdue people.”—Adam Sybera
Sybera, together with local volunteers and NGOs, has collected thousands of pieces of evidence proving Russian state terrorism, from deliberate rocket attacks on civilian populations to systemic sexual violence and torture of prisoners of war.
More about Adam Sybera here:
Adam Sybera is a analyst and journalist with the Kyiv Independent, based in Ukraine since the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion, where he also volunteers with both military and humanitarian aid along the frontline. His work focuses on the war, Russian disinformation networks, and the fight against oligarchic influence and corruption. He contributed to the creation of documentary Change My Mind and continues to develop film and documentary projects that capture the human and political dimensions of Russian aggression.
Peaky Blinders Drone Unit Fundraiser
The Bette Dangerous community often adopts causes and organizations to support — we have helped people in Ukraine in both big and small ways — and Sybera is linked with a drone repair unit that goes by the nickname, Peaky Blinders. Last year, we raised enough money to repair multiple drones and this year, we can do the same. According to Sybera, the unit just lost two members in the war, but they keep on going. Here is a short film about the Peaky Blinders unit:
If you choose to, you can donate via paypal to the email address: fysun.artem (at) gmail dot com.
To learn more about their work, you can follow them here.
A note for new members: the Happy Hour began two and a half years ago, when I noticed many Bette members in despair. I thought a weekly wellness checkin for global newsies was in order, and it evolved into a session where guests offer news from around the world. The title was always meant to be ironic, but I know I feel better when our community comes together.
Keep scrolling below the paywall for the registration link — hope to see you in the squares!
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More info about Bette Dangerous - This magazine is written by Heidi Siegmund Cuda, an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter/producer, author, and veteran music and nightlife columnist. She is the cohost of RADICALIZED Truth Survives, an investigative show about disinformation and is part of the Byline Media team. Thank you for your support of independent investigative journalism.
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