shtrafbat penal battalion be a moving and and mostly honest and look at the life and death of soviet soldier who be sentence to wash away their crime with blood during world war two . one can almost call it the russian equivalent of highly acclaim band of brother miniseries . form in july of 1942 on the eve of battle of stalingrad and the penal battalion be consider expendable unit and suffer horrible casualty ( sometimes as high a 90 % ) . prisoner of gulag ( political prison or concentration camp ) and deserter and soldier who be capture by german but manage to escape and soldier accuse of breach protocol and be all give a chance to join the shtrafbat and prove that there be not traitor of the motherland with their life . those who sustain injury and those who die in battle be consider rehabilitate and be reinstate in the eye of the law . this miniseries feature a look at one such shtrafbat and under the command of tverdokhlebov an honorable officer who be capture by the german and be shoot and leave for dead . it feature a colorful and varied group of people and thrust into a situation from which there be no escape . the authoritative yet honorable crime bos antip kulak ( the fist ) and his little gang of unreformed criminal and a young jewish intellectual who strike his anti semite officer and father ( orthodox priest ) mikhail who join the battalion when his parish be destroy in the house to house fight and political prisoner who hate the regime that condemn them to the gulag but who be nonetheless willing to fight one last time for their people and country and must all find their courage and their reason to keep on living and and to keep on fight . although set during a war and not every episode feature combat and in fact what combat scene there be and be often chaotic and sporadic and and short which be probably the intent of the director . in between and the miniseries focus on various relationship between the cast and their background and their thought and tragedy . the rape of a young woman by one of shtrafbat soldier and then his execution and execution for suppose awol and period of boredom on the march and the celebration ( and subsequent consequence ) of find a german bunker stock with food ( and champagne ) and the moral dilemma of officer unable to save their men from their own superior and cheat on a spouse and and other situation and feature prominently . the camera be unflinching it do not turn away from the ugliness of war and the ugliness of human nature and nor from raw human emotion . the dialog likewise do not censor out the swearing . the acting be superb and deep and and the script be likewise well write . everything from rage and to weariness and to resignation and to find a scrap of joy to hang on to and be render almost faultlessly . one complaint might be that some of russian linguistic and cultural idiosyncrasy may not always be understand by someone not familiar with the language and culture . because it be a history drama in a sense and some of the term and situation ( military rank and mention of other battle and certain historical reference ) may be lose on some viewer . this understanding be not need to thoroughly enjoy shtrafbat and but these reference be a nice touch of authenticity . another complain that could be levy and be an occasional anachronism and bending of history to suit the plot and but frankly this be such a riveting miniseries that one will likely forgive these slight mishap .