Russian gangsters shoot mafia TV serial after their own hear

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AFP) - Dissatisfied with the way Russian television serials depict the underworld, real-life mobsters shot their own show, which a local television channel in Russia's Far East just started broadcasting, channel officials said.

The program, called "Spets," was shot by the owner of a shady car market who was sentenced several times for his activities, Vitaly Dyomochka, also known in criminal circles as Bondar.

Everything in the show is meant to be genuine, with gangsters playing their own roles. Only the cops are played by professional actors.

To make sure everything was true to real mob life as he sees it, Dyomochka wrote the script, produced the show, shot it, played the leading part, and even wrote the original score himself.

The serial tells the real story of how, a few years ago, gangsters robbed a train cargo of Japanese cars that happened to pass through Ussuriisk, a city of 150,000 near the Pacific port of Vladivostok.

The show was shot on location in the streets of Ussuriisk, which is also where it is being broadcast on local TV.

Police have so far made no comments about the serial. As for Dyomochka, he is already planning to shoot a new show.