''Spetsnaz'' (russian: Спецназ) is a 2002 Russian TV miniseries directed by

Andrei Malyukov Andrei Igoryevich Malyukov (russian: Андрей Игоревич Малюков; 6 January 1948 – 19 December 2021) was a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter and producer. He was a laureate of the Vasilyev Brothers State Prize of ...

Overview

The series is set mostly in Russia and follows the adventures of four (initially six) members of the

Spetsnaz Spetsnaz are special forces in numerous post-Soviet states. (The term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or .) Historically, the term ''spetsnaz'' referred to the So ...

. The locations also switch frequently and have also included

Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

, and

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

. Through the course of the series, the characters have done everything from rescuing shot-down pilots in Chechnya to rescuing the passengers and crew of a hijacked

Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...

plane grounded in Afghanistan.

Cast

The following are recurring characters in the show * Aleksandr Baluyev as Major 'Klim' Platov, the hardened veteran unit commander * Aleksei Kravchenko as Captain 'Doc' Vyazemsky *

Vladislav Galkin Vladislav Borisovich Galkin (russian: Владисла́в Бори́сович Га́лкин; 25 December 1971 – 25 February 2010) was a Russian actor who starred in fifty seven films including several TV serials, such as ''Spetsnaz'' (200 ...

as Senior Lieutenant 'Yakut' Urmanov *

Igor Lifanov Igor Romanovich Lifanov (russian: И́горь Рома́нович Лифа́нов; born 25 December 1965) is Russian actor of theater, cinema and TV. Biography Igor Lifanov born December 25, 1965, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, ...

as Senior Warrant Officer 'Khrust' Khrustalyov *

Vladimir Turchinsky Vladimir Yevgenyevich Turchinsky (russian: Влади́мир Евге́ньевич Турчи́нский; 28 September 1963 – 16 December 2009) was a Russian wrestler, strongman, television and radio presenter, actor, author, singer and bus ...

as Lt. Col. Ozornykh * Aleksandr Nosik as Senior Warrant Officer 'Zmey' Kobrin *

Andrei Zibrov Andrei Yurievich Zibrov, russian: link=no, Андрей Юрьевич Зибров; 5 July 1973, Leningrad, USSR) is a Russian actor. He has acted on stage on Lensovet Theatre. Selected filmography Film *'' Women's Property'' (1999) as Kostya ...

as Warrant Officer Aleksey 'Shakh' Shakhmametyev

Ban

In October 2014 the

Ukrainian State Film Agency The Ukrainian State Film Agency ( uk, Державне агентство України з питань кіно; romanization: ''Derzhavne ahentstvo Ukrayiny z pytanʹ kino''), known in short as Derzhkino ('' uk, Держкіно''), is the centr ...

banned some Russian films, particularly ''Spetsnaz,'' for demonstration and distribution. According to the head of the agency Pylyp Illenko, that decision was caused by events in Ukraine which has made it "''improper to show Russian films with obvious propaganda, for example, exaltation of Russian law enforcement and Russia itself, on Ukrainian TV channels now.''"

References

External links

Unofficial website
* 2002 Russian television series debuts 2002 Russian television series endings Chechen wars films Russian military television series Russian television miniseries 2000s Russian television series Channel One Russia original programming Action television series {{Russia-tv-prog-stub