A Russian cop show where the 'ethnic crimes' unit learns the real villain is prejudice itself.
Season 1 • Episode 16
LatestIn recent years, a massive wave of migrants has arrived in Russia. Rustam and Sanya are partners in the "ethnic" crimes unit of the Moscow police. Each episode follows one of their investigations, introducing characters from different diasporas—Tajik, Dagestani, Vietnamese, and more. The series shows that good and bad, noble and vile people exist in every nationality. The real enemy isn't "outsiders" or "ethnic criminals"—it's crime itself, which has no nationality and disrupts life for both Muscovites and newcomers alike.
Acting
Golubkov and Aliev's weathered chemistry anchors every scene.
Writing
Each diaspora gets nuance usually denied in crime procedurals.
Direction
Bardin shoots Moscow as fractured mosaic, not monolith.
Creator
Pavel Bardin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during Russia's 2016 migrant worker crackdowns, the series was criticized by nationalist groups and praised by human rights advocates for identical reasons.
Creator Pavel Bardin cast many non-professional actors from actual Moscow diaspora communities; several Tajik and Dagestani performers had never been on camera before.
RU
