The Russo-Ukrainian war has been going on since 2014, and Russia’s full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022. Ukrainian cinema has been speaking about it from the first years: in feature films, documentaries and festival dramas. We have gathered ten films that are already out, in order from 2017 to 2024. Each entry gives the year, director, runtime and a reason to watch. No spoilers and no details of the hardest scenes: only the setup. The facts come from Wikipedia pages checked on October 19, 2026. Many of these films are emotionally heavy, so choose them according to your mood and take your time.
Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die
Official trailer · “Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die” (2017)Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die tells the story of the defense of Donetsk airport during the war in Donbas: soldiers and volunteers hold the terminal under constant shelling. The screenplay was written by Nataliia Vorozhbyt, the film was funded mainly by the State Film Agency, and it was shot with the assistance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The title is the nickname of the airport’s defenders, which became a symbol of resilience. At the 2018 national film awards the film won six Golden Dzygas. Why watch: a feature-film story about a defense that became a symbol for many Ukrainians.
Donbass
Official trailer · “Donbass” (2018)Sergei Loznitsa’s Donbass consists of episodes about life in the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine; according to Wikipedia, the stories are reconstructions of real events drawn from reports, videos and the recollections of local residents. It is a black comedy co-produced by Germany, Ukraine, France, the Netherlands and Romania, shot in Kryvyi Rih. The film opened the Un Certain Regard section at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where Loznitsa won the award for directing, and Ukraine put it forward for the Oscars. Why watch: a sharp, difficult look at the war; this is not a film for a light evening.
Atlantis
Official trailer · “Atlantis” (2019)Valentyn Vasyanovych’s Atlantis shows the consequences of war. In the story, set in 2025, a year after the war with Russia has ended, Sergiy, a veteran with post-traumatic stress, tries to find his place in peaceful life in eastern Ukraine. The roles are played by non-professional actors, including veterans, volunteers and soldiers, and filming took place mostly in Mariupol. The film won the Horizons section of the 2019 Venice Film Festival. Why watch: a story about returning to peaceful life.
Ilovaisk 2014. Battalion “Donbas”
Official trailer · “Ilovaisk 2014. Battalion ‘Donbas’” (2019)Ivan Tymchenko’s feature film Ilovaisk 2014 is devoted to the fighting for Ilovaisk in 2014 during the war in Donbas. The screenplay was written from press materials and veterans’ accounts, and hundreds of fighters from the Donbas battalion and the Armed Forces appeared as extras. The film was made solely with private funds, without State Film Agency support, and opened in wide release on August 29, 2019. Why watch: a dramatized account built from the testimony of participants in those battles.
The Earth Is Blue as an Orange
Official trailer · “The Earth Is Blue as an Orange” (2020)Iryna Tsilyk’s documentary The Earth Is Blue as an Orange is about a family from the front-line zone of Donbas: a mother, Hanna, and her four children make their own film inspired by their life during the war. For it, the director won the Directing Award in the World Cinema Documentary category at the 2020 Sundance Festival. It is a joint project of Ukraine and Lithuania. Why watch: about how film helps people stay human.
Bad Roads
Official trailer · “Bad Roads” (2020)Nataliia Vorozhbyt’s Bad Roads is an adaptation of her own 2017 play. Several short stories unfold on the roads of Donbas during the war, where there are no safe places. The world premiere took place in 2020 in the competition of the International Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival, and Ukraine put the film forward for the Oscars. The film is mostly in Russian. Why watch: short stories about people in war, gathered into one film.
Klondike
Official trailer · “Klondike” (2022)The action of Maryna Er Gorbach’s Klondike takes place on July 17, 2014, in the village of Hrabove in the Donetsk region, near the border with Russia. A couple expecting their first child finds itself at the epicenter of the crash of the downed flight MH17, and the pregnant heroine refuses to evacuate even when armed groups take over the village. At Sundance 2022 the film won the directing award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and Ukraine chose it as its Oscar submission. Why watch: war through the eyes of people who do not want to leave their home.
Butterfly Vision
Official trailer · “Butterfly Vision” (2022)In Maksym Nakonechnyi’s Butterfly Vision, an aerial reconnaissance operator with the call sign “Butterfly” returns from captivity to her family, friends, fellow soldiers and the man she loves, but her new life brings new challenges. It is the director’s feature debut; the film was shown at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, and at the Odesa festival it was named the best Ukrainian feature film. Why watch: a story about what happens after returning.
20 Days in Mariupol
Official trailer · “20 Days in Mariupol” (2023)The documentary 20 Days in Mariupol was made by a Ukrainian team: director Mstyslav Chernov, photojournalist Evgeniy Maloletka and producer Vasylisa Stepanenko. It tells about the Russian siege of Mariupol in February and March 2022, in the first weeks of the full-scale invasion. The film is assembled from Chernov’s footage, which he shot for the Associated Press, with the participation of the PBS Frontline team. In 2024 it won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature and became the first film from Ukraine to win. Why watch: testimony from people who were there; the film is emotionally heavy.
Grey Bees
Official trailer · “Grey Bees” (2024)Dmytro Moiseiev’s Grey Bees is based on the novel by Andrey Kurkov. The story is set in the “grey zone” in the Donetsk region: in a small village without electricity only two men remain, enemies since childhood, with shelling and armed strangers all around. The world premiere took place in 2024 at the Rotterdam Film Festival, and at the Odesa festival the film won the Golden Duke as the best Ukrainian feature film. Why watch: an intimate story about neighbors amid war.
Where to start
| What interests you | What to pick |
|---|---|
| Specific events and battles | Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die, Ilovaisk 2014, Klondike, 20 Days in Mariupol |
| Civilians and everyday life in war | The Earth Is Blue as an Orange, Bad Roads, Grey Bees, Donbass |
| Return to peaceful life | Atlantis, Butterfly Vision |
| Documentary film | The Earth Is Blue as an Orange, 20 Days in Mariupol |
For a broader overview of Ukrainian cinema, see our selection “Ukrainian Films Worth Watching”.
Tip. Watch one film at a time and give yourself a pause afterward: these stories can be heavy. For a first introduction to the subject, Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die or the documentary The Earth Is Blue as an Orange are a good fit.
How we chose
We took Ukrainian films about the Russo-Ukrainian war that are already out and have detailed Wikipedia pages: eight feature films and two documentaries. This is not a ranking and not a complete list: there is far more Ukrainian cinema about the war, and new films keep coming out. The order is set by release years. We take awards and nominations from Wikipedia pages and do not invent our own ratings.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start if I haven’t watched such films before?
Pick a story with a clear plot: Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die, about the defense of Donetsk airport, or the documentary The Earth Is Blue as an Orange, about a family in the front-line zone. Save the heaviest one, 20 Days in Mariupol, for when you are ready for it.
Which films in the selection are documentaries?
Two: The Earth Is Blue as an Orange and 20 Days in Mariupol. The rest are feature films, although Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die, Donbass and Ilovaisk 2014 draw on real events.
Does the selection include films about the full-scale invasion?
The documentary 20 Days in Mariupol tells about its first weeks. Most of the other films are about the war in Donbas, which began in 2014, or its aftermath.
Where can I watch these films?
Streaming catalogs change, so we do not list them. Check the page of the film you want on a service available to you, along with the choice of dubbing or subtitles.
Are there spoilers here?
No. We describe only the starting situation, plus awards from Wikipedia pages.
Sources
- Russo-Ukrainian war (Wikipedia)
- Cyborgs (film) (Wikipedia)
- Atlantis (2019 film) (Wikipedia)
- Klondike (2022 film) (Wikipedia)
- 20 Days in Mariupol (Wikipedia)
Data was checked against Wikipedia on October 19, 2026.
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