In 2012, Vladimir Putin announced his intention to return to the presidency after the four-year place-holder presidency of Dmitri Medvedev, this confirmed the fears that many had reserved, both within and beyond Russia, that Putin had no intention of relinquishing power. In the 2000s Putin made sure to appear as a democrat, but by now his image as a strongman and an autocrat has fully taken over.  In this final episode, we shall see how an increasingly paranoid Putin has taken his country down a path that becomes more dangerous and isolated by the year. We shall find out why this shift has occurred, as well as speculate on what lies further down this road for Russians.  Featuring interviews from Jim Jatras, Julia Ioffe, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Victoria Nuland, John Podesta and more. 

In 2000, Putin wins the Russian Presidential election - the first election the politician had ever run for. In this episode, we take a dive into the first half of Putin's rule, from his initial image problems to his gradually strengthened grip over the billionaire oligarchs as well as his successful attempts at curbing the democratic process in Russia. If the 1990s was an era of uncertainty for Russians, the 2000s proved an era of uncertainty for the west, as the realisation gradually dawned that Vladimir Putin would be no Boris Yeltsin.  Featuring interviews from Joshua Yaffa, Julia Ioffe, Gleb Pavlovsky, Strobe Talbott, Susan Glasser and more. 

Following on from the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Putin, like many men at that time, found himself shipwrecked and lost within a rapidly changing nation. But before long, the former KGB agent would find his way entering politics, lurking the halls of the Kremlin as a grey and unassuming bureaucrat. In this episode, we shall look into how Putin found his way from the KGB to the Presidency as well as explain the seismic social, political and economic changes underway during the 1990s.  Featuring interviews from Yekatarina Schulmann, Mikhail Zygar, Vladmimir Kara Murza, Gleb Pavlovsky and more. 

Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia as it's President for more than two decades, and it seems that he has no plans in relinquishing this role. Yet, what brought Putin to the Kremlin? And what kind of man currently leads the world's largest country?  In the first part of this series, we look into Putin's early life and his career in the notorious Soviet secret police, the KGB. We shall also pay attention to the seismic changes that were underway during the USSR's final years, and how they affected the future President of Russia.  Featuring interviews from Masha Gessen, Yevgenia Albats, Susan Glasser and more.