New Russian series brings real FSB operations to screen

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The 16-part series ‘Pros’ was previewed behind closed doors at an FSB cultural center in Moscow on Tuesday by veterans and serving officers, some of whose identities remain classified.

READ MORE: Eurasian Cinema Academy award screenings to begin in China REN TV chief and general producer Vladimir Tyulin explained what motivated the project.

”The country needs heroes, children need heroes they could look up to,” he said.

The series follows a fictional team of seven FSB special forces officers through cases based on real events, including the 2009 bombing of the Moscow-St. Petersburg Nevsky Express train, the 2011 attack at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport and counterterrorism operations in the North Caucasus, Izvestia reported on Tuesday.

Security personnel served as consultants during production, helping the writers incorporate operational details previously known only to those directly involved.

One episode focuses on the operation against Doku Umarov, the Islamist militant leader who claimed responsibility for several deadly terrorist attacks. These included the Domodedovo bombing, which killed 37 people, and the 2010 Moscow Metro bombings, which left 40 dead.

READ MORE: A Russian ‘dispute about love’: The story behind the viral video Tyulin said the actors underwent special training before filming, learning to use tactical gear and move as a unit.

Sergey Shavrin, a decorated Hero of Russia and veteran of the FSB’s Vympel special unit, praised the series’ authenticity, including its portrayal of officers keeping the realities of their work from their families.

Terrorism researcher and Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) lecturer Alexander Smirnov also weighed in on the series.

”The film is simply magnificent, it keeps you in suspense,” he said. “And most importantly, the real work is shown very authentically.”

’Pros’ is due to premiere on REN TV on October 18.

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