Viktor Soghomonian’s series “Berlin-23” launches on Okko streaming platform on April 29

The series Berlin-23, a political thriller about Russian diplomacy in hostile countries, launches on the Okko streaming platform on April 29. Ahead of the premiere, Viktor Soghomonian, executive producer and screenwriter, Doctor of Political Science and professor at the Department of International Journalism at MGIMO under the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave an extensive interview to the Russia-24 television channel, in which he spoke in detail about the project.

According to Soghomonian, the protagonist Vyacheslav Vasiliev is “the embodiment of a crisis manager,” tasked with resolving a complex diplomatic conflict.

“We tried to use dramatic fiction to explain specific real-world events,” Soghomonian noted, hinting that the series will offer its own interpretation of certain international developments.

The producer recalled that the previous project, Warsaw-21, received the prestigious “Hero of a Great Country” award for best screenplay.

“That was very flattering, because the screenplay balanced a great many factors while remaining accessible to the viewer. Beyond that, we are creating a role model for the diplomat, who is intelligent, multilingual, and ready to take responsibility,” he said.

In his view, political cinema is not a “male” genre but appeals to a broad audience, as House of Cards demonstrated. “I very much hope that Berlin-23 will be a film for everyone,” the producer said.

Soghomonian also noted that the project’s goal is to show audiences just how demanding a diplomat’s work can be in a hostile environment: “A diplomat is a soldier on a different front. If viewers grasp even a general sense of that, we will consider our mission accomplished.”