Putin

Original version

BBC Radio 4 FM

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

BBC Radio 4

Radio 4

Radio 4 (FM)

Documentaries

Podcasts

Factual: Life Stories

Jonny Dymond tells the extraordinary and revealing story of Vladimir Putin's life.

Jonny Dymond tells the extraordinary and revealing story of Vladimir Putin's life with the help of guests who have watched, studied and dealt with the Russian president.

To understand what Vladimir Putin might do in the future, you need to understand his past;  where he's come from, what he's lived through, what he's done. Jonny Dymond tells the extraordinary and revealing story of Vladimir Putin's life with the help of guests who have watched, studied and dealt with the Russian president.

BBC Radio 4 LW

Putin: 12. The Lightning Strike

12. The Lightning Strike

BBC Radio 4 - Putin, 12. The Lightning Strike

Putin takes the biggest gamble of his career.

Vladimir Putin orders the invasion of Ukraine, in the hope of decapitating its government.

On the 24th of February 2022, after months of military build-up and increasingly grave warnings, Vladimir Putin stepped over the brink and ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

In this episode, Jonny Dymond tells the story of the crucial first month of the war, as Putin’s ambitions first faltered and then collapsed in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance. By examining his speeches, public appearances and the political context, this programme chronicles Putin’s first weeks as a war leader.

To dispel the fog of war and understand Putin’s role at this dramatic time, Jonny Dymond is joined by:

Bridget Kendall - former BBC Moscow and Diplomatic Correspondent, now Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge.
Vitaliy Shevchenko - Russia Editor at BBC Monitoring and co-presenter of Ukrainecast
Owen Matthews - Journalist, historian and author of Overreach  
 
Production coordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross and Siobhan Reed
Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar 
Producers: Nathan Gower 
Researcher: Octavia Woodward
Series Editor: Simon Watts

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Putin

12. The Lightning Strike

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 FM

About BBC Radio 4