Ukraine’s First Tactical Action Film “KILLHOUSE” Features Real Soldiers and Combat Drones

Ukraine’s first-ever tactical action film—a high-intensity feature inspired by real special operations and created in collaboration with Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Third Separate Assault Brigade, and defense industry specialists—is coming to cinemas under the title KILLHOUSE.

Directed by Lyubomyr Levytsky, the film marks a new stage in Ukrainian cinema, merging authentic military experience with the visual power of a global action thriller. It tells the story of elite Ukrainian units conducting a daring rescue mission to free a 14-year-old girl kidnapped by Russian forces in occupied territory. The operation escalates when an American journalist becomes trapped in the middle of the mission, turning it into an international crisis.

“We didn’t imitate war—we showed what it really looks like,” says Levytsky. “People doing their jobs as mines explode nearby. An industry that’s changing the course of the war.”

The film was created using real tactical scenarios and military consultations, allowing the team to preserve authenticity and portray not only the visual intensity of combat but also its internal logic and strategy.

Among the cast is American UNITED24 journalist Audrey McAlpine, who plays herself. McAlpine has reported from the front lines of Ukraine, witnessing the liberation of Kherson and the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. In the film, her character documents the mission—and becomes part of it.

For the first time in world cinema, real FPV drones—the same kind used on the battlefield—were used during filming. The production also features armored vehicles, Black Hawk helicopters, and actual military communication and surveillance systems, giving audiences an unprecedented look at modern Ukrainian warfare.

Eighty percent of the film’s participants are active-duty soldiers from the Ukrainian units involved. Their actions, tactics, and coordination reflect how special forces truly operate in combat. “There’s no longer you or me. There’s only us. We are one,” the film declares—a line that captures the spirit of a generation fighting for its country’s future.

The KILLHOUSE team says the story of a kidnapped child was chosen deliberately to highlight Russia’s systematic war crimes and the thousands of Ukrainian families still waiting for the return of their loved ones.

“Today, Ukrainian soldiers represent a level of mastery admired worldwide,” Levytsky notes. “KILLHOUSE shows how our best units work, the technology they use, and the choices they make in impossible situations. It’s a film for them—and about them.”

The world premiere of KILLHOUSE is scheduled for early 2026. The film will be released in Ukrainian cinemas and made available internationally on major streaming platforms.

Earlier, it was reported that the Ukrainian documentary film 2000 Meters to Andriivka by Mstyslav Chernov has been nominated for the prestigious independent film prize, the Gotham Award, in the Best Documentary Feature category.

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