‘Sniper: The White Raven’ Is a Timely and Powerful Ukrainian War Movie

Set during the Donbas invasion in 2014, “Sniper: The White Raven'' is a Ukrainian war movie completed before the 2022 Russian invasion. It’s based on the true story of pacifist and school teacher Mykola Voronin, who enlisted in the Ukrainian Army and became a sniper after seeing atrocities committed by Russian troops.

The film is opening in select theaters and available to rent or buy on Digital on July 1, 2022. We’ve got an exclusive clip in which Voronin, played by noted actor, musician and photographer Pavlo Aldoshyn, shocks a group of dubious professional soldiers with his skill at tearing down and reassembling an AK-47 in just 20 seconds.

The film was partially funded by the State Film Agency of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. The film is loaded with Ukrainian national identity and patriotism. If someone had shown Vladimir Putin and his cabinet “Sniper: The White Raven” before they invaded this year, the Russians might have realized the Ukrainians have forged a sense of themselves as completely separate from their former Soviet Union counterparts.

Voronin’s real-life story has strong parallels to fictional Navy SEAL James Reece in the tale of vengeance that unfolds in “The Terminal List,” the Prime Video series based on SEAL Jack Carr’s novel that also premieres on July 1.

Related: Chris Pratt and Taylor Kitsch Loved Working with Real Operators on 'The Terminal List'

“Sniper: The White Raven” is both an excellent action picture with plenty of sniper detail and a telling document of Ukraine’s determination to stand alone as an independent nation. The movie ends with a moving postscript, set in February 2022 as the Russians invaded again. If Ukraine ends up surviving the current war, “Sniper: The White Raven” will stand as a strong indicator of how the Ukrainian people found the strength to prevail.

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