While the advertising campaign of the film claimed it was based on real accounts, after the controversy arose both the writer and the director confessed the plot was mere fiction.
While the film won the MTV Movie Awards, Russia for 2007, the famous director Vladimir Menshov refused to hand over the award. Vladimir Menshov gasped as he read the contents of the envelope, looked up and said: "I'm not going to hand over an award to a film that discredits country, let Pamela Anderson (another of the evening's presenters) do it instead". He then turned, dropped the envelope and stalked offstage, refusing to comment further. MTV Russia broadcast the ceremony live.