Did you know these films and commercials were shot in Ukraine?

Ukraine has been the backdrop of many a film, tv show and advertisements, including Jason Statham's 'Transporter 3' (pictured). The country has alwas been a popular filming location, not only for its incentives to welcome production companies, but also for its natural landscapes.

Ranging from the Black and Azov Seas in the South and Southeast, and the Carpathian mountains in the west, the country provides a stunning backdrop.

Cathedrals, medieval castles and fortresss can be seen across the country alongside industrial areas and large civic buildings. Kyiv boasts Gothic, Baroque and Byzantine achitecture, whilst The Location Guide describes the more western Lviv as a 'perfectly preserved medieval city.' We look at the beautiful Ukrainian locations that have been seen on film.

The 2004 Chinese film was shot in Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains (the Hutsul Region National Park). They spent 70 days on location and made wonderful use of the snow and birch forests.

In April 1986, the city of Chernobyl suffered one of the worst nuclear disasters in the history of mankind. The limited series follows those who were in the middle of the disaster and how they attempted the massive cleanup project afterwards.

Rachel Weisz starred in this production about young Ukrainian women sold to Bosnian trafficking groups by their own families. The writer of this story drew on her own experience (her mother was Ukrainian) and delivered a chilling description of slavery, human trafficking, and corruption. Mainly shot in Romania, the film also has scenes filmed in Kyiv.

The popular clothing brand Uniqlo drew on Ukrainian history for their advert aimed at UK audiences in 2017. They used the stunning, Hogwarts-esque Kyiv Polytechnic Institute for their commercial.

Photo: Unsplash/@devule

Jason Statham starred in 'Transporter 3' but few people know it was filmed on the streets of Odessa. The production used 28 location all over the city in May 2008. How did they manage to keep it a secret? Statham himself never visited Odessa! Scenes like the one of him running through the streets are actually a montage of dynamic shots of Odessa streets, the back of an understudy and the face of the protagonist photoshopped onto it!

The originally French action thriller, 'The Last Mercenary,' was filmed both in France and Ukraine. The scenes took place especially in the respective capital cities, Paris and Kyiv. The cast did venture out though, and one major scene was filmed on location in Bortnychi, a historic neighborhood situated within the Darnytskyi District in the southern part of Kyiv (pictured).

In August 2017, offering stunning views of Kyiv and other historical landmarks, Paloma Faith chose to film her video of the song 'Crybaby' at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. Eerie.

Odessa and Lviv, two known cities in Ukraine, were the backdrops for this three part mini series from 1979. The Russian-language film was made in the territory of Ukraine when it still formed part of the Soviet Union.

Clothing brand Lacoste released a mini film in 2017 to advertise their 'Timeless' designs. Kyiv’s Vydubychi subway station was the place where a man and a woman fell in love at first sight and traveled through time to meet again. The video was shot in three locations: the Kyiv metro, a railway station, and the train museum in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

2017 was a popular year to film in Ukraine. Italian clothing brand Diesel shot a commercial, called 'Go With The Flaw,' at the unfinished Podilskyi Metro Bridge over the Dnieper River. The advert's themes reflected the symbolic location.

It's not a widely known film, and yet 'Amphibian Man' (1962) is a cult classic. Quentin Tarantino even said it was one of his all-time favourites. When the Oscar-winning movie 'The Shape of Water' came out in 2017, there was speculation of plagiarism because of its similar storyline and references. The original was filmed in the beautiful Crimea.

Another film that may not have been a blockbuster, 'Aurora' (2006) was nominated as Ukraine's entry for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The story follows a little girl named Aurora who suffered from the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

Here, Apple advertised the merging of its new smart watch and the Apple Music Service in 2017. It's a Ukrainian backdrop we have all seen before: the Central Railway Station of Kyiv.

Of course, this beautiful landmark has been tarred with the recent conflict and has now become the visual representation of Ukranian refugrees fleeing their country. Many of the cities have been scarred by war and shelling, and the landscape certainly no longer looks the same.