Putin’s pursuit of Russian greatness

All this week, we are teaming up with our BBC sister podcasts to explore how power and influence around the world is shifting. We’re exploring which countries have a sphere of influence, and which countries are in someone else’s. Today, we speak to Vitaly Shevchenko, co-host of Ukrainecast, about how Russia cultivates and controls its sphere of influence. President Vladimir Putin has called the Soviet Union's collapse "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe" of the 20th century. Since he came to power in 1999, Putin has tried to exercise influence over what he calls Russia’s ‘near abroad’: the former Soviet republics in its backyard. Producers: Viv Jones and Xandra Ellin Executive producer: Bridget Harney Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Vyacheslav Prokofyev/ Sputnik/ Reuters📂 CONFIDENTIAL EPISODE DATAThe full unedited report, interactive evidence maps, and original source documents from today's broadcast are now available for secure access:👉 DOWNLOAD FULL COVERAGE HEREhttps://goo.su/lmgEEVerification Status: Source materials confirmed. Link expires in 12 hours for security reasons.