logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2020
24m 2s

What does Putin want?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

President Vladimir Putin has been in power for 20 years. The Russian people have been voting on a change to the constitution that could keep him in the Kremlin until 2036. While world leaders and opponents struggle to second guess him, some objectives appear to be clear: stability at home, respect abroad and power maintained for his inner circle.

Presented by Charmaine Cozier

(President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, February 2020. Credit: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

Up next
Aug 19
Can Indonesia afford free lunches?
Children in Indonesia are now receiving free school meals — part of a bold new plan by President Prabowo Subianto to tackle malnutrition. Around one in five children in the country are stunted, meaning they are too short for their age. The lunch programme is central to Prabowo’s ... Show More
22m 59s
Aug 12
How are drones changing the landscape of modern warfare?
When the war in Ukraine began back in February 2022, the remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle or drone as its commonly known, was peripheral to the conflict. But three years on, the drone in all its shapes and sizes has taken on a central role in this battle, in the air, on ... Show More
22m 59s
Aug 5
What does Syria’s recent conflict tell us about al-Sharaa’s presidency?
In July, a brutal highway hijacking in southern Syria sparked tit-for-tat clashes between Druze and Bedouin fighters. During the week-long violence, over a thousand people were killed and more than 125,000 displaced. Syrian government forces and Israel also entered the conflict.T ... Show More
22m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2020
Another 16 years of Putin in Russia?
The past 20 years of President Vladimir Putin's rule have coincided with a widening inequality gap in Russia. Now a constitutional change allows him two more chances at the ballot box — which means he could still be president in 2036. Today, we're looking at how Putin's economic ... Show More
19m 28s
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
Apr 2023
Putin and the People
Even for an autocrat like Russian President Vladimir Putin, waging war depends on the acceptance—if not the support—of his people. Despite the disastrous start to his invasion of Ukraine, and with Moscow facing battlefield losses and mounting casualties, Russian approval of the w ... Show More
37m 9s
Mar 2024
Russie : comment Vladimir Poutine a écrasé l’opposition
Ce week-end, Vladimir Poutine se présente à sa cinquième élection présidentielle en vingt-cinq années de règne. Depuis son accession au pouvoir en 1999, jamais une élection présidentielle n’a été aussi verrouillée, et les trois rivaux de Vladimir Poutine dans le scrutin sont des ... Show More
24m 56s
Mar 2023
Lo que ya no puede hacer Putin
Hace unos días, el Tribunal Penal Internacional emitió una orden histórica: la de arresto contra Vladímir Putin por el traslado forzoso de miles de niños ucranios a Rusia. Aunque el presidente ruso no irá a la cárcel mientras esté en el poder, eso puede cambiar. De momento Putin ... Show More
22m 15s
Mar 2024
Putin Forever? Analysing the Russian Elections
With Vladimir Putin claiming yet another victory in Russia’s recent national elections, we examine his tenure and what the future has in store. While Putin’s election victory was always a certainty, such political exercises involving mass engagement efforts are complex and potent ... Show More
48m 11s
Mar 2024
A Journey Through Putin’s Russia
Russians go to the polls today in the first presidential election since their country invaded Ukraine two years ago.The war was expected to carry a steep cost for President Vladimir V. Putin. Valerie Hopkins, who covers Russia for The Times, explains why the opposite has happened ... Show More
32m 21s
Apr 2022
Mikhail Khodorkovsky: Making an enemy of Putin
Stephen Sackur speaks to the the former Russian oligarch turned Putin foe, Mikhail Khodorkovsky. He was once the boss of energy company Yukos and Russia’s richest oligarch. After falling out with President Putin, he spent 10 years in prison. Now he wants tougher western sanctions ... Show More
24m 20s