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Emperor Putin - On a Quest for a Place in History

October 20, 2022

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an all-out attack on Ukraine.

https://p.dw.com/p/4FbhH
Ukraine Konflikt | Russland PK Putin
Image: Sergey Guneev/Kremlin/Planet Pix/Zuma/dpa/picture alliance

While Putin spuriously claimed that the country must be "denazified," the attack is in fact part of the Russian leader’s attempt to return to the days of Russian empire.

Krim I Russischer Panzer
Image: Konstantin Mihalchevskiy/SNA/imago images

From the very beginning of his tenure, the Russian president's foreign policy strategy aimed to destabilize Russia's neighboring states. The Chechen war raged from 1999 to 2009. In 2008, Putin attacked Georgia. This was followed, in 2014, by the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

Ukraine Russland Konflikt | Wladimir Putin
Image: Kremlin Pool Photo/Sputnik/AP Photo/picture alliance


Putin’s goal was always to bring these neighbors back into the Russian sphere of influence, and to prevent the emergence of democratic societies there. 

Russische Söldner durch US-Bomben in Syrien getötet
Image: picture alliance/AP/POOL SPUTNIK KREMLIN/M. Klimentyev

Putin also wanted to prevent neighboring countries from drawing closer to the EU or NATO. But his desire to exert military power over foreign states was not limited to Europe: Putin also came to the defense of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, and used Russian-controlled mercenary troops to intervene in Libya, the Central African Republic and Venezuela. 

Within Russia, he has managed to consolidate his power thanks to drastic coercive measures and state-controlled propaganda. In this documentary, Russian journalists, human rights activists and even oligarchs have their say. They paint a picture of a man whose quest for power knows no bounds.


Broadcasting Hours: 

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THU 27.10.2022 – 01:15 UTC
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SAT 29.10.2022 – 19:15 UTC
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