To understand what Vladimir Putin might do in the future, you need to understand his past; where he's come from, what he's lived through, what he's done. Jonny Dymond tells the extraordinary and revealing story of Vladimir Putin's life with the help of guests who have watched, studied and dealt with the Russian president.
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This episode delves into the unprecedented Wagner revolt and its immediate aftermath, exploring how Putin's response deviated from his usual tactics and exposed significant weaknesses within the Russian state. Experts discuss the public's surprising support for Prigozhin, the confusion within the Kremlin, and the deep psychological impact on Putin's carefully cultivated image as a strongman. The discussion also touches upon the fragility of the system and the elite's palpable fear of further chaos.
Ukrainecast comes together with Putin, the BBC Sounds and Radio 4 podcast which examines the life, times, motives and modus operandi of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. Returning to the show are three lifelong Kremlin-watchers to cast ahead and speculate on just how this war might develop. Professor Nina Khrushcheva is an historian at The New School in New York and the great grand-daughter of Nikita Khrushchev, Sir Laurie Bristow was the UK’s Amabassador to Moscow from 2016-2020, and Vitaly Shevche...
In the final episode of the latest series of Putin, Jonny Dymond and three expert guests examine how the Russian president shaped the war in Ukraine between March and October 2022, and how the war has begun to shape him. With Russia’s military position weakened by fierce Ukrainian counter-attacks, how much pressure is Vladimir Putin really under? Is there any way out for Putin, or might an increasingly difficult war proving his undoing? Guests: Steve Rosenberg, BBC Russia Editor Nina Khrushcheva...
On the 24th of February 2022, after months of military build-up and increasingly grave warnings, Vladimir Putin stepped over the brink and ordered the invasion of Ukraine. In this episode, Jonny Dymond tells the story of the crucial first month of the war, as Putin’s ambitions first faltered and then collapsed in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance. By examining his speeches, public appearances and the political context, this programme chronicles Putin’s first weeks as a war leader. To dispe...
In late 2021, Vladimir Putin emerges from his Covid-19 bunker with an even smaller inner circle, increasingly outlandish demands of NATO and the west, and an immense military build-up on the border of Ukraine. How did seclusion change his mindset? And how did the west misunderstand him so badly? To understand the Russian President and interpret his words and actions in those crucial weeks before the invasion, Jonny Dymond is joined by: Andrei Soldatov - Investigative journalist, specialist in Ru...
In 2021 Vladimir Putin retreats to his bunker as the Covid-19 pandemic spreads through Russia. How did this isolation affect his thinking, and what role could it have played in his decision to invade Ukraine? To understand how Putin views history and his place in it, Jonny Dymond is joined by: Nina Khrushcheva, Professor of International Affairs, The New School; former BBC Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford; and Alexander Vindman, former director of European Affairs at the US National Security...
President Putin tries to crush the leading opposition figure, Alexei Navalny as Russians take to the streets in protest over pensions and local elections. And there are revelations about expensive watches and a secret and very opulent palace. To understand how Vladimir Putin rules Russia Jonny Dymond is joined by: Catherine Belton, author of ‘Putin’s People: How the KGB took back Russia and then took on the West' Sergei Guriev, Professor of Economics at Sciences Po and co-author of 'Spin Dictato...
Master strategist or opportunistic gambler? Vladimir Putin styles himself as a judo master – an expert in spotting weakness in his opponents and then exploiting it. To figure out what we can learn from his attempts to call time on liberal democracy and Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, Jonny Dymond is joined by: Henry Foy, European diplomatic correspondent for the Financial Times and a former Moscow bureau chief Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at the New School in Ne...
False flags, brutal military tactics and aspirations of greatness – Putin’s approach to the war in Syria, as he tries to prove Russia is still a power-broker in the Middle East. To understand how Putin views history and his place in it, Jonny Dymond is joined by: Professor Angela Stent of the Brookings Institution, a former national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the US National Intelligence Council Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute Kevin Connolly, former BBC Moscow and Middl...
Playing cat and mouse games with the world and using so-called little green men for masked warfare – what Russia's annexation of part of Ukraine in 2014 tells us about Vladimir Putin. “Like tsars through the centuries, Putin sees himself as the rightful heir and the guardian of one true Christian faith,” says Lucy Ash, who has seen first-hand how the Russian leader has used religion to justify war and bolster his image. To make sense of the man everyone is trying to figure out, Jonny Dymond is j...
Bare-chested photo ops and the invasion of Georgia - what Vladimir Putin did as prime minister. Then, he returns to the presidency vowing to save Russia from the west. To make sense of his carefully crafted image and how his attitudes to both Ukraine and the West have defined his rule, Jonny Dymond is joined by: Catherine Belton, author of ‘Putin’s People: How the KGB took back Russia and took on the West' Andrei Soldatov, a Russian investigative journalist and author of ‘The New Nobility: The R...
Cementing power in Russia, a revolution in Ukraine and a challenge to the US - Jonny Dymond examines Vladimir Putin’s second term as president. To help him make sense of how this tumultuous period from 2004 to 2008 began a path towards events we are witnessing today, he’s joined by: Steven Lee Myers, former Moscow bureau chief for the New York Times and author of ‘The New Tsar; The rise and reign of Vladamir Putin’ Natalia Antelava, former BBC correspondent and co-founder and editor of Coda Stor...
President Putin turns on the men who manoeuvred him to power, he turns on the media and turns to the West with an offer of support after 9/11. According to Britain’s former ambassador to Russia, there are two sides to Putin; one pragmatic and charming, the other angry and irrational. To understand him and what he might do next you need to learn to read both. Jonny Dymond is joined by: Sir Roderic John Lyne, British Ambassador to Russia from 2000 to 2004 Misha Glenny, former BBC correspondent and...
Operation successor: the story behind the Russian president's mysterious rise to power. From bag carrier to the most powerful man in Russia. In just a few years Vladimir Putin went from working for the mayor of St Petersburg to being prime minister, then president. To make sense of how he did it, Jonny Dymond is joined by: Misha Glenny, former BBC correspondent and author of ‘McMafia’ Natalia Gevorkyan, co-writer of the first authorised biography of Vladimir Putin published in 2000, and of “The ...
From street thug to spy – what the Russian president did before he came to power. To understand what Vladimir Putin might do in the future, you need to understand his past; where he’s come from, what he’s lived through, what he’s done. Jonny Dymond hears tales of secret agents, gangsters and the time a young Putin faced off a rat. He’s joined by: Nina Khrushcheva, Professor of International Affairs at The New School in New York and the great-granddaughter of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushch...
