5. An Indispensable Tsar

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 Restoration of Russia's Security State and the Enduring Legacy of the KGB’

Mark Galeotti, University College London lecturer and director of Mayak Intelligence.

Production coordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Sound engineer: James Beard Producers: Caroline Bayley, Sandra Kanthal, Joe Kent Series Editor: Emma Rippon Commissioning Editor: Richard Knight

Release date

Lydbog: 25. marts 2022