Putin: A Russian Spy Story

11 March 2020

“This is the code of the spy. Nothing is forgiven and nothing is forgotten.”

Arkady Ostrovsky - Russian Editor, The Economist

“For Putin there are enemies and there are traitors. Enemies are something you can live with. But the traitors are a totally different kettle of fish. Betrayal is one thing he absolutely doesn’t tolerate”

Arkady Ostrovsky - Russian Editor, The Economist

This year Vladimir Putin marked 20 years in office with a dramatic overhaul of the Russian constitution, which could allow him to retain power after his presidential term expires in 2024.

Timely and thrilling, this three-part series reveals the man behind the Bond-villain image; a teenage tearaway who was so taken by the Russian version of James Bond he became a spy; a president who has been accused of employing exotic poisons against his enemies and who is blamed for bringing Brexit and Trump to the West. Told in his own words with an extraordinary range of archive footage, we explore Putin’s rise to power, his personal life, control and his global expansion.

Putin’s rise to the presidency dawned a new age for Russian politics, shaped by an acute sense of betrayal, pride and anger. Through first-hand testimonials of those closest to him, we piece together what has made the man who rules Russia today, with interviews from:

•              Tatyana Yumasheva, daughter of former President Boris Yeltsin – talking on UK television for the first time.

•              The team of advisers who set out to create the “Cult of Putin”.

•              Russian and western political experts.

•              Victims’ friends and families including Marina Litvinenko, wife of Alexander Litvinenko.

•              Vladimir Kara-Murza - a protégé of murdered Putin rival Boris Nemtsov and an opposition politician in his own right.

Putin: A Russian Spy Story tracks and dissects the conflict between Putin and his many enemies, hearing the stories of those who have opposed him. Russian politician Vladimir Kara-Murza suffered two near-fatal poisonings in Moscow, which he believes were “retribution for my political activity in the Russian opposition”. He comments, “Vladimir Putin’s background is the Soviet KGB, one of the most repressive organisations in the history of humanity. He’s doing what he was taught to do. Manipulate, lie, recruit, repress.”

We hear from Marina Litvinenko, wife of Alexander Litvinenko, a former officer of the Russian FSB secret service who stood up to Putin and winds up dead on British soil. His final photo made worldwide front pages. Marina explains, “I was so against take a picture of him. But, Sasha said, ‘No, Marina. We should do this because people need to see what they did to me”.

We see how Putin’s presidency becomes his life, as he distances himself from his wife, who he eventually divorces, he begins promoting a hyper masculine image of himself in a series of TV stunts, and ensures he is surrounded by his former KGB colleagues in office.

As president, Putin set about ‘making Russia great again’ and repositioning it on the world stage. He has outlasted three American presidents and four British prime ministers. His political playbook is admired and imitated by leaders, making him arguably the most influential leader of his time. But he is also accused of purveying fake news, interfering in elections and ruthlessly silencing his opponents. Putin and the Russian government have vehemently denied suggestions of corruption and accusations of foul play, as Putin says, ‘This spy story, as we say, is not worth five kopecks. Or even five pounds for that matter.’ 

As Putin makes himself the most formidable president Russia has ever seen, the question is will he truly ever be able to step away from power?

Putin: A Russian Spy Story starts Monday 23rd March, 9pm on Channel 4

ENDS

Series Director: Nick Green

Series Producer: Paul Mitchell

Executive Producer: James Rogan

Production Company: Rogan Productions

 

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Notes to editors

Episode 1: The Rise of Putin – 9pm, Monday 23 March on Channel 4

Moving back and forward in time with the energy of a spy thriller, we see how the Putin we know today was shaped on the hard-scrabble streets of Leningrad (now St Petersburg). The film tracks how he escapes poverty by joining the KGB, how he models himself on the Russian James Bond, his reinvention as a political fixer in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union and how he gets into position to take over from the ailing President Yeltsin.

Episode 2: Enemies and Traitors – 9pm, Monday 30 March on Channel 4

The second instalment of this spy thriller shows how Vladimir Putin arrives in the Kremlin as a vulnerable and unknown president, whom the Russian oligarchs hope to control, and how he asserts his hold on power and ultimately surrounds himself with his KGB peers.

Episode 3: Putin Forever – 9pm, Monday 6 April on Channel 4

The final instalment opens in Salisbury with the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. The story tracks back in time to see how Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012 after a 4-year absence is greeted by furious protests. His attempts to restore his ratings while coping with divorce and the loss of his youth are thrown off-course by accusations of corruption and American sanctions. He encourages a wave of populists, notably Donald Trump, but will he ever be able to leave power?