In 2021 Vladimir Putin retreats to his bunker as the Covid-19 pandemic spreads through Russia. How did this isolation affect his thinking, and what role could it have played in his decision to invade Ukraine?

To understand how Putin views history and his place in it, Jonny Dymond is joined by:
Nina Khrushcheva, Professor of International Affairs, The New School; former BBC Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford; and Alexander Vindman, former director of European Affairs at the US National Security Council.

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