Ukrainian action thriller billed as Saving Private Ryan for the drone age

Scenes were filmed in occupied eastern Ukraine and a farmhouse in a deadly grey zone. Photograph: Ukrainian Film DivisionView image in fullscreenScenes were filmed in occupied eastern Ukraine and a farmhouse in a deadly grey zone. Photograph: Ukrainian Film DivisionUkraineUkrainian action thriller billed as Saving Private Ryan for the drone ageKillhouse is based on real-life story of civilian couple saved from battlefield by Ukrainian drone operatorsLuke HardingSun 26 Apr 2026 00.00 EDTLast modified on Sun 26 Apr 2026 15.30 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleIt is being billed as Ukraine’s answer to Saving Private Ryan, updated for an age of drones.The war movie Killhouse is an action thriller which shows off the latest in battlefield technology. Released this week, it features cameos by figures well known in Ukraine, including the nation’s former military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov. One missing person is Donald Trump. The film is conveniently set in 2024, when Washington and Kyiv were allies.Its director, Liubomyr Levytskyi, said he was inspired by a real life story, when a couple trying to rescue relatives came under Russian attack. The man was badly wounded. A Ukrainian military unit nearby sent in a drone with a piece of paper. It said: “Follow me.” The woman followed the drone, dodging mines and bullets. Russian soldiers threw her unconscious husband into a trench. Incredibly, he survived.2:51Trailer for 'Killhouse', a Ukrainian film which shows off the newest battlefield technology – video“A friend of mine, a journalist, rang me and said: ‘Liubomyr, I’ve got this story – it’ll give you goosebumps.’” Levytskyi said. He added: “I was like: ‘Well, of course it will. I’ve seen so many of these stories already.’ It’s very hard to impress me with a story. Then I saw footage from the rescue operation. I couldn’t believe my eyes that this is real.”The director made a 30-minute documentary, Follow Me, which he said got wide attention. “I realised that this story really strikes a chord, and people get it. Drones in general, well, they’re something new. And I thought, right, this story needs to be made into a film.”The ensuing two-and-half hour film was shot last year in the Kyiv region. Levytskyi said he took artistic licence with the plot, adding a 12-year-old girl kidnapped by Russians. Scenes take place in the White House situation room, in occupied eastern Ukraine and a farmhouse in a deadly grey zone. There is a shootout and car chase in downtown Kyiv.View image in fullscreenThe film depicts people caught up in the race for technological superiority on the Ukrainian battlefield. Photograph: Ukrainian Film DivisionThe US journalist Audrey MacAlpine – who plays a version of herself – said filming had to stop on several occasions. “There were air raid alerts. We had to hide. It was a war within a war,” she said. The actor Denis Kapustin said some cast members would nap in a bomb shelter, waiting for the threat to pass. Of the blurring of fiction and reality, he said: “The movie is totally meta and postmodern.”Kapustin said Killhouse captures the complicated multi-level nature of war today. “It’s a race for technological superiority,” he added. Soldiers took part alongside professional actors, with pyrotechnics used to simulate explosions. After filming ended, Kapustin joined the real-life unit in which his character serves, the 3rd Assault Brigade, a part of the 3rd Army Corps.He is now a drone operator. In one scene, a group of…

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