The 40 most popular russian mystery movies, ranked. Click any film for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


Red Silk
2025 · 2h 25m
country: Russia
1927. Trans-Siberian Express. Secret documents that will determine the future of the USSR and China are being transported across Russia. Under the guise of ordinary passengers, foreign intelligence officers and real thugs are hiding, ready to do anything for the sake of documents. A young Red Army soldier and a former Tsarist agent have to team up to uncover a common enemy.


Gogol. Viy
2018 · 1h 39m
country: Russia
A mysterious Dark Horseman slays young girls near the village of Dikanka, and he has already butchered 11 ladies. Nikolai Gogol, a scribe from Saint Petersburg has to take charge of the investigation, but the closer he gets to solving the case, the more fits he has, causing macabre visions. When he learns the next victim is his beloved, Liza, he doubts that he can protect her and resist the murderer. Fortunately, he meets somebody who can help him: Khoma Brut, the witch hunter, martial artist and philosopher. Together they spend three dreadful nights in an old chapel reading the funeral service for Ulyana, the witch, and calling upon the ghastly evil spirit Viy.


Forbidden Empire
2014 · 2h 8m
country: Russia
Early 18th century. Cartographer Jonathan Green undertakes a scientific voyage from Europe to the East. Having passed through Transylvania and crossed the Carpathian Mountains, he finds himself in a small village lost in impassible woods. Nothing but chance and heavy fog could bring him to this cursed place. People who live here do not resemble any other people which the traveler saw before that. The villagers, having dug a deep moat to fend themselves from the rest of the world, share a naive belief that they could save themselves from evil, failing to understand that evil has made its nest in their souls and is waiting for an opportunity to gush out upon the world.


Escape from Tarkov. Raid.
2021 · 1h 5m
country: Russia
In the film adaptation by Director Anton Rosenberg, the audience opens the world of the game and the armed conflict that occurred in the Norvinsk region, a special economic zone on the border between Russia and Europe. The main operating parties are two private military companies – USEC and BEAR, commencing fierce battles, including the fights with the remaining gangs in the city called Scavs. The protagonist is in the occupied city of Tarkov, the exits of which are blocked by UN peacekeepers and Russian military troops.


The Return
2003 · 1h 51m
country: Russia
Two young brothers in contemporary Russia are reunited with a father they know only from an old photograph after his sudden return from a long absence. With their mother’s reluctant consent, they set out on a remote trip that quickly becomes an uneasy test of authority, trust, and masculinity. As the journey moves deeper into the wilderness, the fragile bonds between father and sons are pushed to their limits.


Gogol. The Beginning
2017 · 1h 40m
country: Russia
1829: Nikolay Gogol, troubled Third Section clerk, burns his own books. Epileptic seizures plague him. Investigator Yakov Guro discovers Gogol's visions hold crime-solving clues. Together, they tackle a baffling case in Dikanka, where everyone hides a dark secret.


The Iris Effect
2005 · 1h 50m
country: Germany
In Los Angeles, Dr. Sarah Hathaway hired private eyes trying to find her missing son, the painter Thomas, who ran away from their home ten years ago after a quarrel with her. She finds a clue in a catalog of a panting exhibition in San Petersburg and she decides to travel alone to Russia to search for Thomas. Once there, she is not able to locate him and she has a nervous breakdown, but with the support of Dr. Ivan and helped by a street boy, she discloses what happened with her son.


Apartment 18
2014 · 1h 29m
country: Russia
Sveta and Maxim, a happy newlyweds, are moving to their hew apartment only to discover that there is something mysterious and wrong about their new building.


Profile
2018 · 1h 46m
country: Russia
Looking to investigate recruitment techniques of ISIS to lure women into Syria, a journalist creates a Facebook profile of a Muslim convert. When an ISIS recruiter contacts her online character, she experiences the process first hand.


Evil Spirit
2016 · 1h 10m
country: Russia
Life circumstances, curiosity, corruption, ignorance. Four sinister stories based on folk legends. A bunch of friends gathers around an Ouija board. Two hunters wake up in a hut in the middle of woods. A young guy arrives at a rural community on a business trip. A stranger in a stolen car is trying to leave the area. None of them has an idea that during the mysterious Tankha season THEY come to our world...


12
2007 · 2h 39m
country: Russia
A loose remake of “12 Angry Men”, “12” is set in contemporary Moscow where 12 very different men must unanimously decide the fate of a young Chechen accused of murdering his step-father, a Russian army officer. Consigned to a makeshift jury room in a school gymnasium, one by one each man takes center stage to confront, connect, and confess while the accused awaits a verdict and revisits his heartbreaking journey through war in flashbacks.


Dark Waters
1993 · 1h 34m
country: Italy
After the death of her father, a young woman travels to a remote convent on an island in the Black Sea to find out why her father funded it for years.


Chernobyl: Zone of Exclusion
2019 · 1h 44m
country: Russia
In Chernobyl, the Global Kintech Corporation conducts illegal construction. A special interstate commission is trying to interfere with these plans, but right during a press conference, a group of unknown terrorists attacks its leader.


Without Justice
1993 · 1h 30m
country: Russia
A mother and daughter were brutally murdered in their apartment on Saturday morning. The killer treated the latter cruelly — her face was disfigured beyond recognition. The missing item — an ancient cross with black pearls — was found at one of the acquaintances of the murdered woman. He was hastily tried and sentenced to capital punishment...


Night Mode
2022 · 2h 2m
country: Russia
Fashion photographer Roman Belov was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of four people. Roman is absolutely sure of his innocence, but cannot remember what really happened on the fateful night. In prison, a mysterious man who calls himself Master appears in his dreams and offers to help him find the real killer. But how to investigate if you are locked in a stone bag? And what price will have to be paid for the services of a person who can penetrate dreams?


The Price of Head
1992 · 1h 28m
country: Ukraine
Commissioner Maigret's new case. At the rate of his further service in the police.


А соль
2025 · 11m
country: Russia
An ordinary workday at a bar turns into a detective investigation. Trying to piece together fragments of a conversation between customers, a romantic bartender and a curious waiter concoct their own version of events—one that grows increasingly absurd and dangerous by the minute.


The Guest
2015 · 1h 45m
country: Russia
What if you deprive 'civilized man' all the gadgets, and send him to the place where he will face the irrational and incomprehensible things?
The Scent of Life
The Scent of Life
2007 · 1h 27m
country: Unknown
This is a tough story of a love triangle, but not just treason. Here, love coexists next to death, and real life is intertwined with mysticism.


Alaska, Sir!
1992 · 1h 40m
country: Russia
The action takes place in Lwów (L'viv) on the eve of World War II. A former White Army officer (Vladimir Mashkov) after the defeat of the Whites in the civil war in Russia emigrated to Poland (Lwów was a Polish city at that time). The chief dream of his was to buy Alaska from the USA and to return it back to Russia.


The Sonata
2018 · 1h 28m
country: Russia
After a gifted musician inherits a mansion after her long lost father dies under mysterious circumstances, she discovers his last musical masterpiece riddled with cryptic symbols that unravels an evil secret, triggering dark forces that reach beyond her imagination.


Full Moon
2005 · 3h 13m
country: Russia
In the 1970s, the family of a young teacher named Lebedev, who lived on the outskirts of a Buryat village, suffered a tragedy. Wolves were rampaging in the settlement. They showed no mercy to Alexei Lebedev himself or his wife, Katya. During the bloody massacre orchestrated by the predators, the man and woman perished. Their young sons, Kirill and Philip, somehow miraculously managed to escape the same fate as their parents. But one of the boys was bitten on the arm by an old wolf… The boys ended up in an orphanage. But only Kirill survived to our time. His brother Philip dies under mysterious circumstances, but no one has seen his body. And now, in our time, in a village near Moscow, the livestock of a local farmer is killed by a bloodthirsty monster. The case is being investigated by local law enforcement officers Stanislava Oshurkova and Anton Mikhailishin. During the investigation, local residents die one after another in the village…


The Ninth
2019 · 1h 39m
country: Russia
Petersburg at the end of the 19th century was embraced by a massive enthusiasm for the occult sciences and esotericism. British medium Olivia Reed arrives in the capital of the Russian Empire on tour and gathers crowds of people at her public spiritualistic sessions. At this time, a series of ritual mysterious murders takes place in the city. Girls are abducted on the streets, their mutilated bodies are found in various parts of the city. The investigation is carried out by a young police officer Rostov and his assistant Ganin. With each new victim, things are becoming more confused. Suspicion leads Rostov to Olivia, and he decides to turn to her in the hope that her genuine or imaginary ability to summon the spirits of the dead can help to get on the trail of the killer.


Arbiter
1992 · 1h 20m
country: Russia
The city "N" seized by chaos and lawlessness. A hitman nicknamed "The Arbiter" accomplishes justice. Experienced investigator and his partner, a young police lieutenant, decided to catch the mysterious killer. During the investigation, it turns out that the killer is a man who were a victim once.


The Bride
2017 · 1h 30m
country: Russia
This is a story of a small town girl named Nastya. Her newly married husband Ivan drives her to his hometown to meet his family. Upon their arrival Nastya feels she made a wrong decision: she is surrounded by weird people and she sees creepy photos all around the house. Ivan disappears while his family prepares Nastya for a mysterious traditional Russian wedding ceremony. She struggles to calm herself down hoping all this will end and they will live happily ever after. Only if she stays alive...


Gogol. A Terrible Vengeance
2018 · 1h 46m
country: Russia
Soon after Gogol's death, Binh names him guilty for the deaths of the Cossacks and the young women at the hands of the Dark Horseman, since he was the one who ordered them to be hidden in the barn. Bomgart is unable to perform a post-mortem analysis on the Gogol's body, while Vakula's daughter Vasilina (who secretly has magic abilities) proclaims denial about Gogol's demise.


The Execution
2022 · 2h 10m
country: Russia
When the police finally catch an elusive serial killer, no one can prove his guilt, resulting in the lead detective making it personal.


Moonlight People
2019 · 14m
country: Russia
Two young men and two girls on a moonlit night confess to each other in their strange fantasies and loves that go beyond the usual standards.. The impetus to making the film was the book of the same name by the Russian religious philosopher Vasily Rozanov, who died 100 years ago. His treatise was devoted to the study of sexuality and its denial in Christianity. The film was made in the style of experimental films of the 1920s with a non-linear narration full of strange surrealistic images. He is black and white and devoid of dialogue. Filmed on film 16 mm of firm "Svema", released in the USSR. This added to his exoticism. The image was put to the music of Alexander Scriabin “The Poem of Ecstasy” (1907).


In August of 1944
2001 · 1h 49m
country: Belarus
The movie is set in Belarus, where a team of counter-intelligence officers is given only three days to find a German radio operator posing as a Soviet soldier, behind soviet lines, on the eve of a major offensive.


Pure Art
2016 · 1h 33m
country: Russia
Contemporary Russia. Sasha, a beautiful, young photographer, finds her lover, a successful artist, murdered. The police suspect her and the killers want to silence her. She goes on the run from all as she tries to solve this mystery.


Serious Game
1992 · 1h 50m
country: Russia
The former policeman dismissed from the criminal investigation Department for abuse of authority, entrusted to engage in the search for gunner burglary and for conspiracy, in the interests of the investigation, it is prescribed by the district. So again, in fact, from scratch, Stas begins his career…


Virtual Assistant
2025 · 1h 44m
country: Russia
A group of former classmates rent a country house to relax like in the good old days. The modern chalet has everything for a comfortable and fun vacation, including the smart speaker "Alyona". "Alyona" knows how to entertain her guests, she has many "skills". She can solve puzzles, manage the house, and she also knows all the "skeletons in the closet" that friends are hiding. The device invites the company to play the game "Find the Killer" and find out the circumstances of the death of their best friend, who died less than a year ago under strange circumstances.


Dark World
2010 · 1h 40m
country: Russia
On a college trip to remote Northern forests, one of the students - Marina - encounters a burial site of an ancient witch, and is possessed by the spirits of the past. Now Marina and her companions must take part in the millennia old fight between good and evil, involving lake witches, sorcerers, and ancient forces from the myths.


Аэропорт
2026 · 1h 30m
country: Russia
Nine passengers on the Perm-Antalya flight find themselves locked in the airport's border control zone. It appears that they were gathered there for a reason.


Yuri's Day
2008 · 2h 14m
country: Germany
Before leaving Russia and moving to Western Europe, famous opera singer Lyuba travels to her hometown to say goodbye and show her teenage son around. But Andrey, Lyuba’s son, disappears and she must stay in the place she hates the most to search for him. A piercing exploration of identity and transformation, against the backdrop of a Russian hinterland, surrounded by Orthodox churches and snow.


Tomorrow will be the same
2017 · 1h 6m
country: Unknown
Insatiable lust reigned over senseless flesh. Like august flies, trying to escape certain death, people before the apocalypse started to copulate, until every single one was completely exhausted. Only two people remained untouched. Having merged, like Salmacis and Hermaphroditus, in music that gave them eternal life, they wander timeless, empty spaces. Their destiny - to save humanity. But humanity means nothing to them. Main characters of the movie, Kirill Shirokov and Sasha Elina, are real musicians and founders of 'the same' ensemble, specialized in performing quite music related to certain space and time. During the film they perform music from ‘every day melodies’ series composed by Kirill Shirokov. The movie is the first part of mini-series discovering the territory of contemporary art music.


Revenge
2007 · 2h 15m
country: Russia
When Artem Kolchin, Denis Nikiforov, arrives in the U.S. to fight for the championship, he soon finds himself fighting for his life after he sends a young, aggressive boxer, who provokes him into sparring, into a coma and ultimately killing him. That is when Artem finds out that the young boxer was none other than the only son of Felix Mendez, the powerful Mexican mafia kingpin, played masterfully by Victor Herminio Lopez, and when the real fight begins.


Grom: Boyhood
2022 · 1h 20m
country: Russia
In 1990s St. Petersburg, police major Konstantin Grom is trying to find and neutralize the new criminal boss, nicknamed Anubis, while his ten year old son Igor is trying to earn money by getting involved in dubious adventures.


Close Up
1997 · 16m
country: Russia
A young photographer wanders the city taking pictures with a Polaroid 600, but on each print the silhouette of a woman on a bicycle appears. The sequence of photos makes it clear that the woman is about to be hit by a trolleybus. Based loosely on Stephen King's novella "The Sun Dog" and Julio Cortázar's short story "Blow-Up" ("Las babas del diablo").


Very Russian Detective
2008 · 1h 40m
country: Russia
A retired detective is trying to catch a serial killer who uses Russian letters to find his victims.
Russian and Soviet cinema produced the montage theory that underpins modern editing, along with Tarkovsky's long-form spiritual epics — two traditions about as far apart as film gets.
Mystery films are structured around withheld information, trusting the audience to work alongside the investigator. The genre ranges from cozy whodunits to bleak, unresolved character studies.