Reclaiming the Empire: In Search of Putin’s Russia

Twenty-five years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia seems to be on the rise once again, reasserting itself as a regional and global military power.

Looking at its intervention in eastern Ukraine and the volatile civil war in Syria, this episode of In Search of Putin’s Russia sees journalist and filmmaker Andrei Nekrasov explore Russia’s attempts to rebuild its standing in the world by confronting unrest at its borders and beyond.

But why is Putin so determined to involve the country in international conflicts?

Nekrasov tries to find out if the idea of annexing Crimea is one shared by the population at large and reflects a nostalgia for the glory days of Russia’s past.

We meet Ukrainians who have fled to Russia, obtained citizenship and refuse to go back.

Nekrasov visits the Republic of Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region adjacent to war-torn Chechnya which has become the most violent province in the North Caucasus.

We meet residents who have endured years of oppression, had their homes vandalised and destroyed by the state to quell dissent. Does the biggest threat to Russia’s grand ambitions actually come from within?