The article is devoted to a comparative analysis of Boris Vasiliev's novel “I was not on the list” (1974) and its film adaptation “I am a Russian Soldier” (1995, dir. Andrey Malyukov). As a result of a critical comparison of the images and conflicts of the two works, the author comes to the conclusion that B. Vasiliev's story “Did not appear in the lists” tells about the feat of the real unknown defenders of the Brest fortress. Andrey Malyukov's film based on the material of B. Vasiliev's story about the defense of the Brest fortress tells a completely different story — about the trampled dignity of the Russian army, which, starting with perestroika in the media space, becomes the object of ridicule, criticism and vilification. And also about the Russian people, to whom, under the guise of abstract humanism, a sense of guilt for the very fact of their existence begins to be imposed.