The much-told legend of Rasputin – the giant, wild-eyed, well-hung, wandering Siberian monk who seduced the Tsarina herself – is mostly a bunch of absolute borscht. But the real story is just as wild. H&S look at the life of a peasant who infiltrated Russian nobility, embodying the tensions of a nation – a charismatic zealot who mysteriously healed the Roman ... Show More
Oct 2023
92. Killing Rasputin
Born in Siberia to a peasant family, Rasputin was an incredibly charismatic, physically striking, and politically savvy figure. He was a holy man, a mystic, who found his way to the centre of Imperial Russian power. Once he met Nicholas and Alexandra, he gained a central place in ... Show More
47m 30s
Apr 2024
Rasputin Part 2: The Long Fall from Grace | 17
<p>In part one, Grigori Rasputin went from a powerless peasant to the spiritual advisor of the Tsar and Tsarina, the most powerful couple in Russia. Now, Rasputin’s “healing abilities” have been put to the test. If he saves their son, Alexei, he can solidify his place of power. I ... Show More
39m 31s
Mar 2022
The Brutal Russian Mafia Wars of Tolyatti, Russia's Detroit
In the 1980s, as the Soviet empire crumbled, organized criminals eyed up the sprawling VAZ automobile plant in the city of Tolyatti, “Russia’s Detroit.” When it collapsed all hell broke loose. Old-school “thimble kings” battled it out with bodybuilding skinheads, Chechen paramili ... Show More
46m 4s