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 Story 
Arkady Ostrovsky, Russia and Eastern Europe editor for the Economist and author of ‘The Invention of Russia From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War’Production coordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed
Sound engineer: James Beard
Producers: Sandra Kanthal, Caroline Bayley, Joe Kent
Series Editor: Emma Rippon
Commissioning Editor: Richard Knight

5. An Indispensable Tsar

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.