The Russian TV show "Slovo Patsana" was released in November 2023, almost two years after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine full-scale war. The series became a significant hit in both countries, which caused particular concern for Russian and Ukrainian authorities. The Ukrainian side was unpleasantly surprised by the success of the Russian show in war-torn Ukraine and sought to ban it. Russian politicians were eager to prohibit it, referring to its negative influence on young Russians. This article examines the "Slovo Patsana" phenomenon and attempts to answer the question about the nature of its success.

Russian Film Production 

Back in 2021, Russian film production was thriving. The Russian film ‘Petrov's Flu’ directed by Kirill Serebrennikov was presented at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Netflix came to Russia to create a localized version of the platform. The film festival ‘Kinotavr’ curated by the Ukrainian producer Alexander Rodniansky supported the film industry's development in Russia. It all changed in 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Netflix, Universal, Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros. withdrew from the Russian market. Both Kirill Serebrennikov and Alexander Rodniansky left the country.

Newly implemented laws such as the infamous 'fake news' law aimed to stop the dissemination of 'wrong’ but true news about the Russia-Ukraine war, have significantly restricted cultural expressions. The blacklist of artists who shared anti-war sentiments has hindered conscientious Russian talents in their opportunities. Russia's Supreme Court decision to label the non-existent 'International LGBT Movement' as ‘extremist’ has banned artists from discussing the topic publicly.

The state became a primary financing source for Russian filmmakers. In return, the Russian government anticipated an increase in the production of patriotic movies featuring actors willing to demonstrate their loyalty to the regime. It is hard to imagine a masterpiece being created in today’s Russia under such repressive circumstances, but as life goes on, the Russian film industry desperately tries to survive.

Once a trendsetter in the post-Soviet world, the Russian film production of 2024 is in crisis. Numerous forbidden topics, such as the war in Ukraine, LGBT issues, and the political situation in Russia, greatly constrain artists in their creative outputs. A lack of financing forces filmmakers’ hands to self-censorship in an attempt to receive state funds for their projects. Consequently, many Russian creatives prefer democratic countries to their authoritarian motherland, resulting in the phenomenon widely known as the brain drain.

Ukraine, home to nearly 44 million people, was once one of the largest consumers of Russian content. According to a study by the European Audiovisual Observatory (2016), Ukraine was the top consumer of Russian films between 2011 and 2015 along with Kazakhstan and Belarus. The researchers consider a ‘’shared history, outlook, and language’’ as the main reasons for Russian cinema’s success in post-Soviet countries (European Audiovisual Observatory, 2016). Indeed, the low language barrier and common Soviet history contributed to the tight cultural exchange between Ukraine and Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Moreover, the ‘’underdeveloped cinema networks’’ in other post-Soviet countries compared to Russia (European Audiovisual Observatory, 2016) added to the dominant role of Russian film production there. However, the position of Russian cinema in Ukraine was also determined by the policy implemented by the Russian government. The scholar Olzacka (2023b) points out that the Russian authorities have been using culture as a means of hybrid war to spread their influence in Ukraine and sway public opinion. Understanding the position of the Russian film industry in Ukraine and other post-Soviet states is crucial for analyzing the "Slovo Patsan" phenomenon, as both the context and historical background significantly influence its perceptions and implications.

February 24, 2022: The Day That Changed Everything

The shift in the once-prevailing position of the Russian film industry in Ukraine can be traced back to 2014, when the Revolution of Dignity took place. Since Russia invaded Crimea and Eastern Ukraine in 2014, the popularity of Russian content in Ukraine has been consistently dropping, with a growing demand among Ukrainians for locally produced content. The Ukrainian authorities acknowledged the role of culture and its link to national identity, prioritizing cultural policies as those related to national security (Olzacka, 2023a).

As the scholar Olzacka states (2023a), ‘’Ukraine experienced an impressive cultural renaissance’’ fuelled by reforms and societal changes. However, even after 2014 and the changes this year brought, there was still much cultural exchange between both countries. Many Ukrainian artists continued performing in Russia despite the announced boycotts of Russian culture. Some popular Ukrainian TV shows, such as the travel program ‘’Oryol i Reshka’’, were still broadcast in Russia. Many Ukrainians were still speaking Russian at home.

The day of February 24 marked a significant turning point: a new phase of the conflict sparked a true cultural war (Farago, 2022). Ukrainians cancelled Russian culture en masse, while Russians were bombing their houses and national heritage. Many Ukrainians perceive the new milestone of the war as ''the war about cultural identity” (Farago, 2022), viewing culture as yet another battlefield they have to win. In 2024, there is little in common between the two countries at war, but the recent Russian series ‘’The Boy’s Word: Blood on the Asphalt,’’ better known as simply "Slovo Patsana" (transliteration from Russian meaning ''The Boy's/Fella's Word''), has established an improbable connection.

The crime drama turned out to be a huge success in both countries, despite the constrained access to Russian content in Ukraine. In one of his interviews, the Ukrainian producer Alexander Rodniansky, who left Russia in 2022, was questioned about the show. He stated that there is ‘’clearly obvious interest’’ in it within Ukraine and even shared his recent discovery about Ukrainian soldiers watching the series during short breaks in the trenches (BILD на русском, 2023). The Ukrainian and Russian governments have little common ground, but their reactions to ''Slovo Patsana'' were identical—both sought to ban it, scared of its huge success.

The ''Slovo Patsana'' Phenomenon 

"Slovo Patsana" is an eight-episode series sponsored by the Russian Institute for Internet Development that premiered on the Russian platforms Wink and Start. Based on Robert Garaev’s novel "The Boy's Word: Criminal Tatarstan 1970–2010s," the series delves into ‘’The Kazan phenomenon’’ — a term used to label the surge in street gang activity among juveniles in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan (Stephenson, 2011). The series depicts the late 1980s period of perestroika, which was the last sign of the dying USSR.

Directed by Zhora Kryzhovnikov, "Slovo Patsana" narrates a story of violence, injustice, and the decay of the USSR.
In real history, young teenagers from Tatarstan, a former autonomous republic in the USSR and a part of today’s Russia, formed gangs, naming them after the districts they came from. They sought to "divide an asphalt," signifying that the gangs were fighting for power and control over the territories. There was a specific hierarchy between those who joined the gangs called "patsany" (transliteration from Russian meaning "fellas" in English) and the other non-gangster young men contemptuously named ‘’chushpany’’ (see Figure 1).

The title of the series "Slovo Patsana" refers to the fellas’ specific code of honor, with "Slovo patsana" symbolizing a promise or commitment to action. Yet, in reality, this promise could be nothing more than just empty words, considering the nature of the criminal world.  

The TV show depicted the personal stories of several fellas, predominantly teenagers, who were a part of the Kazan gang. The tragic fates of the protagonists and explicit scenes of violence could hardly be deemed romanticized. Patsany steals, fight, and even kills. The parents are desperate to save their children, and the mother of one fella ends up at a psychiatric hospital. The police appear to stand idle while a big country is collapsing, ruining the lives of millions of Soviet citizens. 

In reality, this era is called bespredel (transliteration from Russian), meaning limitlessness or lawlessness and referring to "an absence of any moral or legal regulation of social life" (Stephenson, 2011). This period still triggers painful memories and associations for those who lived through it, as well as for younger individuals born in already independent states.

 
The immense success of ‘’Slovo Patsana’’ in post-Soviet countries can be primarily explained by a common history. Bespredel affected all parts of the USSR and impacted nearly every Soviet family. One of the frequent comments about the TV show is, "It seems so familiar." The watchers recognize the yards, blocks of apartment buildings, and even conversations among the characters. It creates the impression that the actions take place in their yards, in their apartments, and among their families.

The show's success can also be attributed to the collective "nostalgia for the Soviet Union’’ (Pourtova, 2013). It is a social phenomenon characterized by regrets of losing the Soviet state, along with its society, culture, place in the world order, and even aesthetics. Survey research conducted by McAllister & White (2016) in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine demonstrated a high level of regret for the Soviet Union's demise in all three countries. However, ‘’Slovo Patsana’’ resonated predominantly not among people who lived in the USSR but especially among youngsters who never experienced Soviet life. Paradoxically, nostalgia is driven not by memories of the past but by fears of the future (Velikonja, 2009). The war in Ukraine, along with the increased level of repressions in post-Soviet countries, mass migration, and uncertainties of the future, might stimulate nostalgia for the Soviet Union and even its period of bespredel, when the state had no real power and control over the people. 

It is challenging to assess the popularity of the TV show in Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries except Russia, yet some online indicators suggest its success there. Probably the most obvious signal is the first place of the song ‘’Piyala’’ on both Spotify and Apple Music in Ukraine and some other former Soviet republics. The Tatar-language song created by the Russian duo Aigel in 2020 became a symbol of the TV show, resonating across thousands of videos on social media. Social media users actively posted their cover songs and used ‘’Piyala’’ as a soundtrack for their short videos on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Unnoticed in 2020, ‘’Piyala’’ became a megahit in 2023 after it became the main soundtrack for ‘’Slovo Patsana.’’

The amount of content related to ‘’Slovo Patsana’’ on social media is abundant, with a striking number of comments. The fans flooded social media feeds with video memes, fan art, memorable quotes, spoilers, and speculations about future plot developments. Bloggers, influencers, and artists tried to join the hype and align their content with a popular TV show to get more views.

For instance, a famous Russian artist named Basta shared a scene from the series with his cover song used as a soundtrack and gained an impressive 25,5 million views, 1,1 million likes, and almost 8,000 comments (the data as of June 30, 2024, see Figure 2). Furthermore, small businesses such as cafes, shops, and service providers adapted their marketing strategies to capitalize on the hyped series, increasing their visibility by creating related video memes. In his interview, the scholar Henry Jenkins (2014) explains economic motivation as one of the reasons for meme creation. The Attention economy considers attention as a valuable commodity, therefore, the logic behind meme creation often aligns with capitalist principles, as seen in the practices mentioned above. 

The ‘’golden quotes’’ collection of the series includes the famous ‘’Patsany, do not apologize’’ and ‘’Now remember, you are now a patsan (a fella), you are now from the street, and there are enemies around you.’’ These quotes sparked numerous video memes as social media users applied them to their funny sketches or endeavoured to parody the main characters. Perhaps one of the most viral scenes was the emotional monologue of the character named Koschey: ‘’I stand here for this street; patsany (fellas) are everything to me, and I am everything for patsany (fellas). Who knows me is aware of it.’’ This moment prompted countless video memes and swept the Internet, as shown in Figure 3. 

Apart from economic motivation, Jenkins (2014) discusses the social logic behind meme creation, a phenomenon termed by scholars as ‘’networked individualism.’’ Individuals express themselves by producing content, often related to a specific context such as a widely shared memetic video, moment, etc. (Jenkins, 2014). Sharing a meme indicates being ‘’in the know’’ (Jenkins, 2014). In the case of ‘’Slovo Patsana’’, predominantly young individuals across post-Soviet countries were actively spreading the video memes, thereby communicating with each other through this medium and forming an online community of those who are ‘’in the know.’’ 

Memes played an important role in the success of ‘’Slovo Patsana’’ due to their ability to accelerate the popularity of certain entertainment industry products (Benveniste, 2022). Short video memes related to ‘’Slovo Patsana’’, in particular, catalyzed its viral trend. 

The Love stories of the protagonists have influenced fans’ art and even inspired them to create an AI sequel despite the tragic ends of the characters. There was also a conspiracy theory among fans suggesting that Aigul, the girlfriend of one of the protagonists, might be alive. Her death has not been explicitly shown in the show, but the context strongly suggests that she committed suicide. 

Fashion became another significant element of the TV show’s popularity. In reality, Patsany had a unique style that differentiated them from the Soviet uniform outfits. They liked tracksuits and the so-called ‘’Olimpiyki,’’ which were Soviet versions of tracksuit tops. They also preferred ‘’Petushok’’ hats and warm knitted caps with peaks (see Figure 4). Furthermore, young gangsters had a notable party culture characterized by specific dances. Fellas typically gathered in circles and repeated the same moves by stretching their legs and arms back and forth. Such details were thoroughly depicted in the TV show, and ‘’Patsany style’’ turned out to be a trend. Social media users shared content from their private themed parties with a ''Patsany style'' dress code, where guests danced in the same manner as their favourite characters.

The trend affected the e-commerce industry—many online shops started offering a variety of products, mostly pieces of clothing, aligned with the ‘’Patsany aesthetic’.’ Robert Garaev’s book, a source of inspiration for the series, achieved top sales in Russia. 

Besides, ‘’Slovo Patsana’’ turned the show's cast into celebrities. The artists who played the main characters gained millions of followers on their social media accounts. The leading actor, Ruzil Minekaev, had several thousand followers on Instagram before the show’s release. Since then, the number of his followers has grown to a striking 1,4 million (the data as of June 30, 2024). 

One more important aspect of the ‘’Slovo Patsana’’ phenomenon is the language that young gangsters were using. In real life, they had specific slang that became an inherent part of their culture. ‘’Chushpany’,’ ‘’Skorlupa,'' and other non-existent words in ‘’normal’’ Russian flooded social media, shaping the language the users communicated. In both the show and real life, young gangsters had nicknames and rarely used their real names; they preferred monikers such as ‘’Adidas,’’ ‘’Zima,’’ ‘’Turbo’’, etc.

It also influenced the fans’ practices, with some enthusiasts adopting the nicknames of their favourite characters. Additionally, the show's success can be attributed to the emergence of multiple online communities, both public and private, dedicated to the series and its protagonists (see Figure 5). Fans gathered online to discuss the latest episodes or to find related news. They willingly used fellas’ slang, and it seemed there was a secret language familiar to fans exclusively.

 

Some fans watched the TV show so carefully that they were the only ones to catch an interesting emotional scene that went unnoticed by the majority of viewers. One of the protagonists, a fella called Marat, stole a fur hat from his English teacher. The headmistress and the teacher were asking for help from pupils to find the one who ‘’vilely attacked our vice principal from behind. He stole the thing that belongs to her—a valuable head covering…’’ At first glance, this scene seems unimportant, if not for a datum on a chalkboard behind their backs—February 24. Hardly a coincidence, but there were no comments from the creators of the show on that.

The scene gained much attention, and some Ukrainians reacted positively to it, interpreting it as an anti-war statement from the show's authors. Nevertheless, Anton Dolin, a prominent Russian film critic in exile, finds this scene rather controversial. He explains that except for the datum, there is also the name of Lermontov’s novel on a chalkboard—"A Hero of Our Time’’—which creates an ambiguous feeling and might be interpreted in favour of the ongoing war (Meduza, 2023). 

As Alexander Rodniansky explains (BILD на русском, 2023), the film can be considered a success if it brings about a discussion, since that is a crucial goal of cinema. ‘’Slovo Patsana’’ has become a pop culture phenomenon in the post-Soviet world since it evokes emotions, of both love and hatred and initiates discussions.

Responses from Media and Authorities to the "Slovo Patsana" Phenomenon

The Russian media were actively discussing the hyped TV show, and even the well-known Russian propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov commented on it. He praised the excellent work of the show’s crew and emphasized that the series was extremely popular in Ukraine. Kiselyov drew attention to the tragic past of the USSR collapse and the lessons people learned from that.

The Ukrainian media admitted that ‘’Slovo Patsana’’ is indeed popular in Ukraine, though they mainly focused on its potential threat to national security. The media criticized the Ukrainians who decided to watch Russian series during wartime and claimed that the series was propaganda. The strongest argument was that the series was created with the financial support of the Russian government. 

Despite the enormous success of the TV show among Ukrainian and Russian audiences, the governments of both countries were critical of it. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine addressed Ukrainians and asked them to ignore ‘’the series of Russian origin that directly disseminates violence, crime, and aesthetics, inherent for the country-aggressor. It contains hostile propaganda, which is unacceptable in Ukraine during wartime.’’ (Malay, 2023).

However, if ‘’Slovo Patsana’’ is propaganda, then the head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, had no idea about it, strongly criticizing the series for the romanticization and popularization of the dark period in the history of Tatarstan. The politician referred to the case in the Sarmanovsky District of Tatarstan, where teenagers, impressed by ''Slovo Patsana,'' created Telegram channels named in honor of two infamous former gangs. The youngsters attempted to ‘’divide an asphalt’’ and even clashed with each other.

Irina Volynets, a Russian public figure, was calling on the Russian government to ban the series. Although many other Russian political figures supported this idea, it was never meant to happen. Nevertheless, many believe that the reason for a reshoot of the final episode is the pressure from the authorities. Still, the fans had a chance to see the initial versions of the two last episodes and compare them with the official ones, as the demo tapes were anonymously leaked online. 

Initially, the authorities attempted to ban it, but these measures were highly unpopular and risked causing discontent. They had little to do with it because Russia and Ukraine have well-developed pirate website networks. Besides, such measures usually attract additional attention to entertainment products, stimulating curiosity among people. Tired of waging a war against ‘’Slovo Patsana,'' two belligerent countries gave up their attempts. The recent news from Russia demonstrated that the Russian authorities decided to change their stance on the series. Having lost the war with a popular TV show, they decided to use it in favor of Vladimir Putin in his presidential campaign.

According to the leaked documents, the Russian presidential administration included ‘’Slovo Patsana’’ in the presentation called “Creative Content for the Elections” (Meduza, 2024). Those responsible for the presentation claimed that the TV show was created with the intent of ‘’raising public awareness of the positive changes in the lives of people in Russia [since the 1980s], the historical and modern achievements of one’s fellow citizens, and the heroes of our times and role models’’ (Meduza, 2024). However, according to sources in Meduza, the Russian independent media in exile, the creators of ‘’Slovo Patsana’’ were surprised by this news, as they claimed to have created the show without any ideological or political motives. 
They say that if you cannot change something you do not like, you should change your attitude towards it. This is probably what both governments decided to do. 

Conclusion

‘’Slovo Patsana’’ tells the story of extreme brutality and the death of moral values. Conceived before February 2022, the series focused on the tragic history of the USSR's decay, providing allegories relevant to the present. Living during times of outrageous war crimes and repressions, audiences across post-Soviet countries draw parallels between the past and present. In the late 1980s, Soviet citizens found themselves helpless amidst the collapsing system. Many faced starvation without support from the Soviet government, leaving them to fend for themselves.

The rise of gangs and violence was symptomatic of the widespread chaos, lack of central authority, and uncertain future. People had no say in decisions made by Soviet authorities and simply accepted their circumstances, devoid of alternatives. In 2024, residents of post-Soviet countries will still have to accept the gritty reality of unfair elections, repression, a lack of freedom, and pervasive poverty exacerbated by corruption.

 
It is understandable why Ukrainian authorities and media express concern about this series and Russian cultural influence in general, as there are valid reasons for apprehension. But hardly can the series be viewed as propaganda; it portrays a gritty drama dedicated to the downfall of the Soviet Union. It presents a sober, unromanticized depiction, showcasing explicit violence and its tragic consequences.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect for Ukrainian critics of the series is the uncomfortable acknowledgement of shared history and the portrayal of Russians as ordinary people. As Alexander Rodniansky noted, ‘’The problem for the Ukrainian state is that series such as these normalize Russians, it shows them as living people” (The Economist, 2023). It seems nearly impossible to humanize those perceived as responsible for war crimes and even to empathize with them. Nevertheless, the show’s success underscores a fundamental truth: Russians and Ukrainians, like all people, share common human experiences and emotions. To put it differently, we are all humans first, and only after that, representatives of our respective nations.

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