In December 2023, media and Telegram channels reported that the name of a newborn resident of Tatarstan became a slang word that became popular thanks to the series “The Boy’s Word.” We have verified the veracity of such messages.

On December 7, news began to spread across Telegram channels: the Nigmatullin family from Kazan decided to name their son Chushpan. This word was used in the recently released series “The Boy’s Word: Blood on the Asphalt” they called harmless excellent students. “Why did we choose this name for our son? We watched the series with my wife and decided that such a name would add even more fun than, for example, Adidas (the nickname of one of the main characters. - Ed.). After all, everyone likes the series, and it’s also about our native Kazan,” the child’s father is quoted as saying in some publications.

According to the TGStat service, posts on this topic on Telegram were viewed more than 4 million times in total. The news was shared among other channels "The boy's word"(561,000 views at the time of writing this analysis), "Latest news"(294,000), "Trash⚡️Tough 18+"(293,000), "Eggplant"(287,000), "All-seeing eye 🇺🇦 Ukraine | News"(273,000), "Lighthouse" (151,000), "Putin on Telegram" (144,000) and "Navalny's panties"(144,000). They talked about the newborn Chushpan and the media, including Metro, News.ru, "Komsomolskaya Pravda", ProKazan And "Main regional"

Released in November on Russian streaming services, the series “Boy's word: Blood on the asphalt"talks about youth gangs that existed in Kazan in the 1980s. The main character of the film is a quiet and diligent schoolboy who does not belong to any groups (these guys are called “chushpans” in the series). "The Boy's Word" is partly based on book Kazan journalist Robert Garayev, who in his youth was a member of one of the gangs for a short time.

“The Boy’s Word” became mega-popular even before the release of the final episodes, received high marks from viewers and critics, revived discussions about the romanticization of violence and attracted the attention of Russian authorities. Head of the State Duma Committee on Family Protection, Issues of Paternity, Maternity and Childhood Nina Ostanina asked The Investigative Committee and Roskomnadzor banned the show because teenagers who watched it “are trying to copy... illegal actions.” At the same time, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, without mentioning the name of the tape, called Ukrainians should not watch “The Boy’s Word” because it “spreads violence and aesthetics inherent in the aggressor country.” About a possible ban talked and representatives of the Kazakh authorities.

The earliest publication about a child named Chushpan allegedly born in Kazan, which “Verified” was able to discover thanks to the TGStat service, is fast, posted on December 7 at 12:31 Moscow time in the Telegram channel “The Empire is very evil” (49,000 views). The text provides details that were later quoted by other media: the number of the maternity hospital, the parents' surname, the father's comment, etc.

However, the media and Telegram channels that retold the news did not read it description profile of the channel “The Empire is very evil”, which says: “Caution, fake news and harsh satire are possible. What is written is a work of fiction, all coincidences are accidental.” The very next day the author of the channel published a selection with screenshots of publications where his post was passed off as real news. “It was a great hunt,” the caption reads.

This is not the first time that satirical news published in the channel “The Empire is Very Evil” has spread across the media and social networks under the guise of being real. “Verified” has already examined similar cases with reports of watch theft Alla Pugacheva and about statement actress Maria Shukshina that the HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems used in the Ukrainian army are allegedly aimed at the coordinates of people vaccinated against coronavirus.

Cover photo: Pixabay