Slovo Patsana, or "Blood on the Asphalt" as it is also called, is based on journalist Robert Garaev's reality-based novel "The Boys World: Criminal Tatarstan".
The series is set in the industrial city of Kazan, the capital of the Russian state of Tatarstan, during the last days of the Soviet Union. Widespread lawlessness and extremely violent youth gangs are rampant in society.
The series is the most streamed in Ukraine despite being banned there. Viewers manage to circumvent the ban via pirate platforms and the social media channel Telegram. This is despite calls from, among others, the Ministry of Culture and from Ukraine's former president Petro Poroshenko not to watch.
Maria Lapenkova has followed the debate around the series – loved and hated, both in Russia and in Ukraine. In the clip, she explains the controversy surrounding Slovo Pastana.