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The Compass: The Invention Of Russia: The invention of Russia: A tale of two Ivans

Factual

The invention of Russia: Moscow

15/02/2023 GMT

The invention of Russia: A tale of two Ivans

The Invention Of Russia

BBC World Service - The Compass, The Invention Of Russia, The invention of Russia: A tale of two Ivans

Misha Glenny on early Moscow before the Russian Empire

Countries look so cohesive on the map - sturdy borders, familiar shapes. Don't be misled. They didn't always look like this. This is the story of Russia, biggest contiguous country on the planet, told from the time when it was still very small. 

With contributions across the series from Janet Hartley, author of a history of the Volga; Rhodric Braithwaite, former ambassador to Moscow; historian and sociologist, Mischa Gabowitsch; Anthony Beevor; Natalia Antelava; Kateryna Khinkulova; Dominic Lieven; Olesya Khromeychuk; and James Hill of the New York Times.

Producer: Miles Warde 

(Photo: View of the Moskva River and the Moscow Kremlin. Credit: Vlad Karkov/Getty Images)

The Compass: The Invention Of Russia

Misha Glenny looks at the development of Russia.

Countries look so cohesive on the map - sturdy borders, familiar shapes. Don't be misled. They didn't always look like this. This is the story of Russia, biggest contiguous country on the planet, told from the time when it was still very small. 

"In my producer's history textbook it says here, on page 18, that Russia as a political entity did not exist."

With contributions across the series from Janet Hartley, author of a history of the Volga; Rhodric Braithwaite, former ambassador to Moscow; historian and sociologist, Mischa Gabowitsch; Anthony Beevor; Natalia Antelava; Kateryna Khinkulova; Dominic Lieven; Olesya Khromeychuk; and James Hill of the New York Times.

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