Putin vs the West
TV Show · Documentary

Throughout the two decades that Vladimir Putin has controlled Russia, global leaders have tried various tactics to keep him in line. Now, as war rages in Ukraine and the world faces one of its greatest tests to peace since the Cold War, this documentary attempts to identify where these leaders went wrong and tries to understand how we have reached this point of no return with Putin.

2023 · 59m
Starring Volodymyr Zelensky, Jens Stoltenberg, Boris Johnson
Director Tim Stirzaker

Season 1

  • EPISODE 1
    My Backyard
    When Vladimir Putin's Russian forces first attacked Ukraine in 2014, Europe's leaders clashed over how to stop him. When he spied division in the West, the Russian President pressed home his advantage. As this thrilling documentary illustrates, Putin was able to exploit a power vacuum and make his most audacious move to date: sending troops into Crimea.
    58m
  • EPISODE 2
    Back With a Vengeance
    As the uprisings of the Arab Spring tore through the Middle East, Western leaders attempted to enlist Putin as a peacemaker. But, as this compelling political documentary shows, the Russian President was able to use this to his advantage. Exploiting the West's inaction, he revealed just how far he was willing to go to keep his allies in power.
    58m
  • EPISODE 3
    A Dangerous Path
    From an audacious poisoning to the moment he launched an invasion that threatened to engulf Europe, Putin has continued to ramp up his aggression. As this fascinating documentary concludes, leaders including Boris Johnson, Theresa May and Volodymyr Zelensky discuss how they confronted Putin and maneuvered to try and prevent his invasion of Ukraine. How will the West now respond?
    57m
  • EPISODE 1
    Invasion
    Putin’s invasion of Ukraine stuns the world. World leaders scramble to make an adequate response. Too little will seem weak. Too much could trigger World War III. This current affairs documentary goes behind the scenes and talks to the world leaders reacting to Russia’s actions. A few months into the war, the West is delivering more weapons to Ukraine, but Putin only looks to be digging in.
    59m
  • EPISODE 2
    Doubling Down
    The impact of Putin’s war in Ukraine is felt across the globe. On the ground, the fighting becomes more deadly. In this remarkable documentary, those leaders trying to arm Ukraine, while secretly negotiating with Russia, tell their story. A year into the war, Ukraine and Russia remain at loggerheads, the prospect of peace remains out of reach and the nuclear rhetoric grows in intensity.
    59m

Trailers

  • Putin vs the West
    3m
  • Putin vs the West: The Next Chapter
    3m

Related

Cast & Crew

  • Volodymyr Zelensky
    Self
  • Jens Stoltenberg
    Self
  • Boris Johnson
    Self
  • O‌D
    Oleksiy Danilov
    Self
  • S‌B
    Sir Ben Wallace
    Self
  • Caroline Catz
    Narrator
  • T‌S
    Tim Stirzaker
    Director
  • N‌P
    Norma Percy
    Producer
  • L‌H
    Lucy Hetherington
    Producer
  • L‌M
    Lotte Murphy-Johnson
    Producer
  • L‌P
    Laëtitia Pansanel-Garric
    Music

About

Putin vs the West

Documentary

Throughout the two decades that Vladimir Putin has controlled Russia, global leaders have tried various tactics to keep him in line. Now, as war rages in Ukraine and the world faces one of its greatest tests to peace since the Cold War, this documentary attempts to identify where these leaders went wrong and tries to understand how we have reached this point of no return with Putin.

Information

Studio
bbc_two
Released
2023
Rated
TV-14
Region of Origin
United Kingdom
© 2022 BBC Studios

Languages

Original Audio
English (United Kingdom), English
Audio

English (United Kingdom) (AAC)

Subtitles

English (United Kingdom) (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg (English)
  • Malta
  • Moldova, Republic Of
  • Nederland
  • Norway
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Latin America and the Caribbean

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  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
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  • Dominica
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  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

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  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)