Putin vs the West

Season 1

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.

20233 episodes

TV-14

Special Interest

Free trial of BBC Select

Episode number
Newest episodes
Available to watch

S1 E1 - My Backyard
January 31, 2023
59min
13+
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.
Free trial of BBC Select
S1 E2 - Back With a Vengeance
January 31, 2023
59min
TV-14
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.
Free trial of BBC Select
S1 E3 - A Dangerous Path
January 31, 2023
60min
13+
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?
Free trial of BBC Select