Obschak: Russia's Most Powerful Crime Syndicate is a documentary series by Matterica, released on OKKO on September 15, 2025. Directed by Vladislav Kuznetsov, it chronicles the Obschak OCG (organized crime group) — a criminal syndicate founded in the 1980s by Evgeny Vasin, known as "Dzhem", in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Before its wide release, the series screened at Beat Film Festival on June 12, 2025. Several major Russian outlets covered the project: Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Gazeta.Ru, Lenta.ru, Rambler Weekend, and Kino-Teatr.ru.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta
On May 28, 2025, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported on the upcoming premiere of the series in Moscow as part of Beat Film Festival. The publication covered the announcement in a news brief.
Gazeta.Ru
May 28, 2025 — Gazeta.Ru published an announcement about the Beat Film Festival screening.
September 15, 2025 — on the day of the OKKO release — a full review by Mark Romanov appeared under the headline "'At 12, my father took me to a contract killing.' Why Obschak is one of the most disturbing series of the year." The reviewer situates the series within OKKO's growing documentary slate alongside Cherkizon, On the Hook, and Being Roma. He also draws a connection to Yuri Bykov's fiction series Likhie, describing Obschak as its documentary counterpart. Technical details noted: 3 episodes of approximately 30 minutes each.
Lenta.ru
On June 12, 2025, Lenta.ru published an article by Evgeny Shulgin timed to the festival premiere. The piece describes the series' range of voices: former OCG members, a regional law enforcement officer, crime journalist Pavel Tikhomirov (who served as the basis for a character in Likhie), and criminologist Danil Sergeev. The article credits Vladimir Todorov and Gavriil Gordeev as the idea's originators and lead producers, and Igor Zalyubavin and Arina Makarenko as screenwriters.
Rambler Weekend
On September 5, 2025, Rambler Weekend published a preview of the upcoming series, produced in partnership with OKKO. The piece outlines the premise: Evgeny Vasin returns to Komsomolsk-on-Amur after years of imprisonment and builds a criminal network that comes to control the entire region. The series' on-screen narrator is journalist Evgeny Demin, and Pavel Tikhomirov also appears in frame.
Kino-Teatr.ru
The series is catalogued in the Kino-Teatr.ru database as a Russian documentary from 2025. Listed credits include director Vladislav Kuznetsov, screenwriters Igor Zalyubavin and Arina Makarenko, cinematographer Mikhail Loshkarev (Mishembo), and a premiere date of September 15, 2025 on OKKO. The page includes production stills and a viewer discussion section.
Beat Film Festival
In June 2025, the series was included in the Beat Film Festival programme. The festival screening on June 12 took place three months before the wide OKKO release. The festival's page lists director Vladislav Kuznetsov, episode runtime of 25 minutes, and describes the OCG as a "Russian cartel" founded by Vasin in the mid-1980s. The screening was supported by GES-2.
Telegram
The series was mentioned in several culture-focused Telegram channels: post on @okkomovies — official OKKO account; post on @vodott — a culture channel note.
Related posts on our blog
- Obschak premieres on OKKO — release announcement, May 28, 2025
- Obschak at Beat Film Festival 2025 — festival screening, June 12, 2025
Where to watch
Obschak: Russia's Most Powerful Crime Syndicate is available on OKKO. More about the project at /project/obschak.
