Despite almost the entire film taking place in the USSR, it was actually filmed in the UK, in cities such as Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh, without any filming in Russia or the post-Soviet space. 

Filming Locations:

Hotel "Translink"

In the Movie

Scene where Henk Rogers checks into a hotel in Moscow and meets a guide-interpreter there.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at An abandoned building in Glasgow, heavily modified with computer graphics, with only parts of the facade at pedestrian level remaining from the original.

Residential District of Moscow

In the Movie

Scene where People are standing in line outside a grocery store for meat.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at The courtyard of a residential building in Glasgow. Unlike other locations, this one did not require much computer graphics processing.

ELORG Corporation Headquarters

In the Movie

Scene where Hank arrives at the ELORG headquarters to attend a meeting and buy the Tetris licenses.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at The Zoology Museum of the University of Aberdeen. The building looks monumental and gray enough to resemble a Soviet-era building.

Government Building

In the Movie

Scene where Maxwell Sr. decides to pay a personal visit to the Soviet leadership.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at Parliament Square in Edinburgh.