Watching The Kremlin's New Putin Documentary So You Don't Have To

Here, the documentary is treading familiar ground. On the eve of Putin's election in May 2000, the Kremlin published an autobiography and released a documentary packed with heartwarming anecdotes about Putin's childhood and daily life. The image being put forward contrasted to the realities of his early presidency, when Russia was waging a brutal war in Chechnya .

A common thread running through the film is Putin's commitment to restoring the sovereignty and independence of Russia, which he sees as under threat by the Western powers. Prominently displayed behind Putin in the apartment is a portrait of Czar Alexander III, apparently a role model for Putin. Alexander III is not well known in the West. An avowed nationalist, during his short rule from 1881 to 1894 he pursued economic modernization and avoided starting any foreign wars.

The film is laden with anti-West propaganda. It argues that Western powers were behind the movement for independence in Chechnya, which threatened to break apart the Russian Federation. Putin goes on to blame the West for the current“special military operation” in Ukraine.

In the Russian president's telling, it was the West's failure to implement the Minsk accords of 2014-2015 , which were supposed to bring peace to the restive Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. He suggests that the West used the Minsk accords as“a pause in order to prepare for a war with Russia.”

Zarubin asks Putin,“Why does the West hate us? Do they envy us?” It's a question that launches Putin into a potted summary of 1,000 years of Russian history.

A similar thing happened during Putin's notorious 2024 interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson . Putin argues that, since the rift between the Roman Catholic Church and Byzantium in 1054 , the West has prioritized material wealth – while in Russia spiritual values come first. The film has several prominent references to the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russian identity.

Early in Putin's presidency he had been open to cooperation with the West, taking tea with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace and developing close relationships with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder .

But since the 2012 demonstrations protesting his return to the presidency , Putin has increasingly used the argument that the West has abandoned“traditional values” by promoting issues such as gay rights.

This is the first major official biographical documentary of Putin since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine , and it may be the closest we will get to an explanation of why Putin launched this war.

There is a long feel-good segment about the “unification” of Crimea with Russia in 2014, which is presented as the most important achievement of Putin's time in office.

The film shows images of destruction and suffering during the current war in Ukraine, without pointing out that it was Russia that started the war. It shows the devastated city of Mariupol and states incorrectly that the city was“destroyed” by Ukrainians.

The documentary portrays the war in Ukraine as a direct continuation of World War II and a struggle against the “neo-Nazi” regime in Kyiv allegedly created by the West as part of its goal to inflict a“strategic defeat” on Russia.

The film shows Putin visiting wounded soldiers and meeting the widows and mother of fallen warriors. Putin thanks the women for their sacrifice – and they thank him for the opportunity to serve the motherland. This illustrates one of the central themes of the Kremlin worldview: that Russia is strong because its people are ready to sacrifice themselves.

Zarubin asks,“Is it possible to make peace with the Ukrainian part of the Russian people?” It's phrasing that denies the existence of Ukraine as a sovereign nation.

Putin replies,“It is inevitable despite the tragedy we are experiencing.”

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He expresses regret that there are only 150 million Russians – as a great power, Russia needs more people. He also suggests he may need more territory, something that will be alarming for Russia's neighbors. In one clip, Putin asks a boy,“Where do the borders of Russia end?” The boy answers,“The Bering Strait with USA.” And Putin responds,“The borders of Russia never end.”

This framing also suggests that Putin is not interested in a peace deal with Ukraine in which Russia would see only limited territorial gains, which puts the breakdown of talks over a potential US-sponsored deal in context.

Asked about the recent falling out between Trump and Europe sparked in part by Washington's more pro-Russian stance, Putin answers,“Nothing has changed since Biden's time,” adding that the“collective West” is still bent on destroying Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sunbathes during a 2017 vacation in southern Siberia. Alexey Nikolsky / SPUTNIK

Toward the end of the documentary, Zarubin asks whether Putin is thinking about choosing a successor. The Russian president says he constantly thinks about succession and would prefer a choice between several candidates. But the program does not provide any clues as to who that successor could be – and none of the potential successors are given any exposure.

The Russian people have been told for years that it is impossible to imagine Russia without Putin . This film lies firmly in that tradition.

The main intended message is clear: Putin is willing and able to fight on until he achieves victory on his own terms.

Peter Rutland is a professor of government at Wesleyan University .

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

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