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Putin vs the West 

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Factual: Politics

The inside story of how the west has struggled to deal with Putin.

From the seizure of Crimea to the war in Ukraine - and an uncertain future. The inside story of a decade of clashes, as told by the Western leaders who traded blows with Putin.

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Putin vs the West

Norma Percy

Tim Stirzaker

Toby Marter

Caroline Catz

Laetitia Pansanel-Garric

Andrea Martinez

David Prichard

Lucy Hetherington

Brook Lapping Productions

Putin vs the West : Path to War: My Backyard

My Backyard

Path to War

BBC Two - Putin vs the West, Path to War, My Backyard

When Putin first invades Crimea in 2014, the west’s top leaders struggle to respond.

When Putin first invades Crimea in 2014, the west is divided. Starting with demonstrations in Kyiv, this is the story of the fraught phone calls and summits that followed.

This first episode tells the story of how, when Putin first attacked Ukraine in 2014, Europe’s leaders clashed over how to stop him. Amidst massive demonstrations demanding closer ties with the EU in Kyiv, Ukraine’s president flees to Russia. Putin exploits the power vacuum to make the most audacious move of his presidency to date: sending troops into Crimea. 

We go behind the scenes for the critical summits and fraught phone calls as the west tries to find a way to push back. The crisis heightens as the fighting spreads to Donbas in Eastern Ukraine and Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 is shot down. Key players including David Cameron, Francois Hollande, Jose Manuel Barroso and Ukraine’s then-president Petro Poroshenko relive the EU's indecision and the all-night negotiations with the warring parties: a ceasefire is signed in Minsk, but Russian forces remain in Donbas. 

Putin, meanwhile, appears more confident than ever. The lesson is clear, says French president Francois Hollande: 'When we do not punish at first, we are forced to punish more severely later.'

Putin vs the West : Path to War

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From the 2014 seizure of Crimea to the invasion of Ukraine, this is the inside story of a decade of clashes - as told by the Western leaders who traded blows with Putin's Russia.

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