Blatnaya pesnya (Russian: блатная песня, IPA: [blɐtˈnajə ˈpʲesʲnʲə], "criminals' song") or blatnyak (Russian: блатняк, IPA: [blɐtʲˈnʲak]) is a genre of Russian song characterized by depictions of criminal subculture and the urban underworld which are often romanticized and have criminally-perverted humor in nature.