<p>Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union three decades ago, Russia has been grappling with how to keep its old empire close to it, using a variety of tactics. This week, Russia stunned Nato member states when it embarked on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Andrew Harding spent the 1990s reporting on the aftermath of the Soviet collapse and reflects on cur ... Show More
Today
Ukraine’s Death Messenger
Kate Adie introduces stories from Ukraine, Madagascar, St Helena, Uzbekistan and Bolivia.We follow a Ukrainian army officer in the western city of Lviv who has the unenviable task of informing families that their loved ones have been killed on the battlefield. Richard Pendry witn ... Show More
28m 27s
Sep 27
Palestinian lives in the occupied West Bank
Kate Adie presents stories from the occupied West Bank, the US, Brazil, South Korea and Russia.When the UK government recognised a Palestinian state, he said he was acting “to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution.” But Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said ... Show More
28m 45s
Feb 2022
Putin hangs nuclear Sword of Damocles over Europe
One day after Vladimir Putin put his nuclear deterrent forces on high alert, Russia bombarded Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, and explosions were heard in Kyiv, the capital. Yet Putin's war doesn't seem to be going as far and fast as planned. Christiane discusses the mili ... Show More
54m 40s
Feb 2024
Who is left to oppose Putin now?
Alexei Navalny, the most prominent critic of Russia’s government, has died in a Russian prison, just months after he was placed in a high security cell in a remote Siberian penal colony. His allies, and his wife Yulia Navalnaya, blame President Vladimir Putin and say it was under ... Show More
15m 35s
Sep 2022
The legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, has died at the age of 91 in Moscow. He was credited with bringing the Cold War to a peaceful end and ushering in an era of openness and reform in the Soviet Union, which ultimately led to its collapse. Emily Tamkin in Washi ... Show More
28m 2s
Jan 2022
Crises at Russia’s borders, a new Czech prime minister signals West, and Trump’s hold on the Republican Party
While Russia builds troops at the border with Ukraine, Russian officials have been on a tour of Europe, meeting the US in Geneva and Nato in Brussels. Emily Tamkin in Washington, DC and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss why this round of diplomacy has once again failed to defuse tension ... Show More
22m 52s