5 LATEST Russian historical movies
1. ‘Seven Versts Before Dawn’, 2026
Early 1942. A detachment of German mountain riflemen arrives in an occupied village in the Pskov region. Their mission is to stealthily infiltrate the Soviet rear. They recruit Matvey Kuzmin, an elderly hunter well-versed in hidden paths, as their guide. The Nazis are confident he will do everything for a large reward. But, Kuzmin has completely different plans…
The movie is based on the true story of a Kurakino villager, who led an enemy detachment directly into a Soviet ambush and paid for it with his life. In 1965, Kuzmin was posthumously awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ and a monument to the brave hunter can be seen in the Moscow Metro subway at ‘Partizanskaya’ station.
2. ‘Birth of an Empire’, 2026
The beginning of the 18th century. Russia, under the rule of Tsar Peter the Great, in alliance with Denmark, Saxony and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, challenges powerful Sweden, which, at the time, rightfully dominates Northern Europe. This war will demand much effort and sacrifice from the Russian state, but, ultimately, will bring it into the ranks of the great powers on the continent.
"Peter the Great has fascinated me since childhood. We're inspired by his biography, but we don't copy it – we reconstruct individual episodes to create a vibrant, multifaceted character. Our goal is to emotionally connect the audience with this hero and the amazing events that befell him: triumphs and defeats, joys and adventures, love and drama," said director Andrey Kravchuk.
3. ‘Litvyak’, 2026
This three-hour movie tells the story of a young fighter pilot named Lidiya Litvyak, who claimed eight confirmed aerial victories and shot down one balloon. The ‘White Lily of Stalingrad’, as her fellow soldiers called her, died in 1943 at the age of just 21. In 1990, she was posthumously awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’.
The movie was in production for approximately seven years. The budget was over five million dollars, $800,000 of which was raised purely through crowdfunding. These were mostly not one-time donations, but paid subscriptions to news and exclusive content about the movie. "When we were running low on money, this trickle of money really kept us going! Thanks to that, we kept going," admitted director Andrey Shalyopa.
4. ‘Angels of Ladoga’, 2026
On September 8, 1941, German troops closed the siege of Leningrad by land, meaning the only route to the mainland was now across Lake Ladoga. It was along this ‘Road of Life’ that ships carrying supplies made their way to and from Leningrad in the summer and truck convoys over the frozen lake in the winter. However, it wasn't just cars that could be seen on the lake ice back then, but also "white-winged scouts" – ice boats (yachts on ice skates).
Two ice boat detachments were formed in the fall of 1941 at the city's ‘Trud Yacht Club’, comprised of experienced athletes and young sailors familiar with sailing. In November, nearly 30 ice boats, crewed by helmsmen and machine gun crews, set out on combat duty. It is their heroic deed that the movie recounts.
5. ‘Father’, 2026
The year 1942. Siberian hunter Gavriil learns that his son has gone missing at the front. He doesn't believe his son is dead and sets out to search for him, volunteering for the Red Army. However, Gavriil has to put this important task on hold — he’s entrusted with training young snipers. Very soon, he practically becomes a father to them.
"Parental love is the greatest source of human strength. The relationship between parents and children is the main theme of our movie. This theme is our burning heart," noted director Pavel Ivanov. In April 2026, ‘Father’ won the Audience Award at the 48th Moscow International Film Festival.