Co-directed by photojournalist Pierre Crom and film-maker Juri Rechinsky, this gripping documentary revisits the harrowing events leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Seated in an unnamed location, with a large lattice structure of steel as his sombre background, Crom speaks directly to the camera about his reportage of various conflicts between 2014 and 2022. Juxtaposed with Crom’s own photographs, his candid and insightful testimony brings a palpable intimacy that is often lost in journalistic accounts. Here is the march of war, seen up close and personal.

Crom’s involvement in this subject began in Simferopol, where he captured a violent clash between pro-Russian locals and Crimean Tatars that left one young man dead. His camera would soon take in other episodes, including the annexation of Crimea, a tank battle at Debaltseve, and more. The impact of Crom’s pictures, however, is somewhat blunted by their presentation in the film, with panning or zooming movements that distract from the original compositions. Occasionally they are accompanied by sound that is meant to come off as diegetic, but it is unclear whether these aural accompaniments were actually recorded at the same locations.

But what this documentary lacks in style, it makes up for in emotional weight. When recalling his arrival at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, where a commercial plane was shot down by Russian separatist forces, the usually stoic Crom chokes up as he discusses the discovery of charred bodies in the aftermath. It’s a moment that sheds light on the psychological toil of wartime reporting.

• Signs of War is on True Story from 4 October