Ukraine : Wargame

A tv programme

Directed by

Gwenlaouen Le Gouil

Produced by

Studiofact Media Group

Leading French distributor

ARTE France

Production year2026

Programme formatOne-off

GenresDocumentary

Runtime 36 min

Synopsis

In Ukraine, the era of tanks and infantry battles has given way to drone warfare. These loitering munitions now cause nearly 80% of casualties, forcing soldiers to fight from underground shelters, their eyes fixed on screens rather than the battlefield. At the heart of the story hereby presented, is Sasha, a 26-year-old gamer turned drone pilot. From a cramped frontline shelter in Chasiv Yar, he launches up to twenty kamikaze drones a day against Russian positions. Between strikes, he clings to family life through Facetime with his wife and three-year-old son, or escapes into video games. However, by the second day of filming, Sasha’s position is targeted and destroyed by enemy drones, forcing him and his comrade to flee. This rare frontline documentary captures the technological shift of modern warfare through the intimate portrait of a young man fighting a remote, digitalized war—caught between the virtual world and the deadly reality above him.