The Third Nuclear

Scriptwriters: Maryna Tkachuk, Anna Palenchuk, Kornii Hrytsiuk

Country: Ukraine
Status: Completed

The Third Nuclear uncovers a largely untold chapter of global history: Ukraine’s central role in the Soviet nuclear system and its decision to renounce the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal.

Beneath its territory lay missile silos, underground command centers, and the infrastructure of total destruction. Through intimate testimonies of former Soviet officers and engineers — many speaking publicly for the first time — the film reveals a hidden world built on secrecy and constant anticipation.

From the Cuban Missile Crisis to concealed nuclear experiments in the Kharkiv region, the film shows how Ukraine functioned as the heart of a vast nuclear empire and voluntary disarmament that reshaped global security.

Using archival materials, personal accounts, and a distinctive narrative device in which nuclear weapons themselves “speak,” The Third Nuclear transforms geopolitical history into an intimate human story.

As nuclear threats return to the global stage, the film challenges audiences to reconsider the cost of past decisions and the fragility of international security.