I watched the Kremlin's new Putin documentary (so you don't have to) − here's what it says about how the Russian leader views himself
Important insights into Putin's worldview on this and other matters can be gleaned from a new 90-minute documentary, 'Russia. Kremlin. Putin. 25 Years,' released by the state broadcaster Rossiya on May 4, 2025, and available on YouTube.
The documentary looks back on Putin's quarter century in power.
I see the film as the Kremlin's attempt to make its case to the Russian public. The film explains how Putin sees his place in history and why he is waging the war on Ukraine. Its release coincides with the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, which Russia marks on May 9, as opposed to May 8 in the rest of Europe.
As would be expected from a Kremlin-sponsored look at Russia's leader, it is more hagiography than hard-hitting journalism. But as a scholar who has tracked Russia's post-Soviet slide into authoritarianism, it is nonetheless revealing. It shows us the image that Putin wants to project to the Russian public, one that has been fairly consistent during his time in office.
The film starts with the loyal and somewhat obsequious journalist Pavel Zarubin interviewing Putin at the end of his long working day in the Kremlin, at 1:30 a.m. The chat with Zarubin is interspersed with archival footage of key events and earlier speeches by Putin.
Putin shows Zarubin around his apartment, which includes a chapel, a gym – Putin says he works out for 90 minutes every day – and a kitchen, in which Putin awkwardly prepares snacks for their chat. The rooms are immaculate but lifeless, albeit with a surfeit of gold leaf.
The new documentary is carefully curated with clips showing Putin as a humble man of the people. 'I don't consider myself a politician, I breathe the same air as millions of citizens of Russia,' he says at one point. We do not see anything of his chain of lavish palaces, yachts and other assets.
While Putin's predominant image in the outside world is that of a ruthless strongman, for domestic audiences the Kremlin has tried to soften this image.
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.'
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 U.S.-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.
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.
This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Peter Rutland, Wesleyan University
Read more:
How Putin has shrugged off unprecedented economic sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine – for now
Imagining Russia post-Putin
To split Moscow from Beijing, Trump is reviving Nixon's 'madman diplomacy'. It could backfire badly
Peter Rutland does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Kim Jong Un's powerful sister rejects appeasement overture by South's new president
SEOUL, South Korea — The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rebuffed an appeasement overture by South Korea's new liberal government, saying Monday that North Korea has no interests in talks with South Korea no matter what proposal its rival offers. 5 Kim Yo Jong giving a speech. AP Kim Yo Jong's comments suggest again that North Korea, now preoccupied with its expanding cooperation with Russia, has no intentions of returning to diplomacy with South Korea and the US anytime soon. But experts said North Korea could change its course if it thinks it cannot maintain the same booming ties with Russia when the Russia-Ukraine war nears an end. 'We clarify once again the official stand that no matter what policy is adopted and whatever proposal is made in Seoul, we have no interest in it and there is neither a reason to meet nor an issue to be discussed with' South Korea, Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media. It's North Korea's first official statement on the government of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, which took office in early June. In an effort to improve badly frayed ties with North Korea, Lee's government has halted anti-Pyongyang frontline loudspeaker broadcasts, taken steps to ban activists from flying balloons with propaganda leaflets across the border and repatriated North Koreans who were drifted south in wooden boats months earlier. 5 It's North Korea's first official statement on the government of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, which took office in early June. Korea Summit Press Pool/AFP via 5 South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaking at a press conference. AP 5 North Korea has been shunning talks with South Korea and the US since leader Kim Jong Un's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019. REUTERS Kim Yo Jong called such steps 'sincere efforts' by Lee's government to develop ties. But she said the Lee government won't be much different from its predecessors, citing what it calls 'their blind trust' to the military alliance with the US and attempt to 'stand in confrontation' with North Korea. She mentioned the upcoming summertime South Korea-US military drills, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. North Korea has been shunning talks with South Korea and the US since leader Kim Jong Un's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over international sanctions. North Korea has since focused on building more powerful nuclear weapons targeting its rivals. North Korea now prioritizes cooperation with Russia by sending troops and conventional weapons to support its war against Ukraine, likely in return for economic and military assistance. South Korea, the US and others say Russia may even give North Korea sensitive technologies that can enhance its nuclear and missile programs. Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has repeatedly boasted of his personal ties with Kim Jong Un and expressed intent to resume diplomacy with him. But North Korea hasn't publicly responded to Trump's overture. 5 North Korea now prioritizes cooperation with Russia by sending troops and conventional weapons to support its war against Ukraine. REUTERS In early 2024, Kim Jong Un ordered the rewriting of the constitution to remove the long-running state goal of a peaceful Korean unification and cement South Korea as an 'invariable principal enemy.' That caught many foreign experts by surprise because it was seen as eliminating the idea of shared statehood between the war-divided Koreas and breaking away with his predecessors' long-cherished dreams of peacefully achieving a unified Korea on the North's terms. Many experts say Kim likely aims to guard against South Korean cultural influence and bolster his family's dynastic rule. Others say Kim wants legal room to use his nuclear weapons against South Korea by making it as a foreign enemy state, not a partner for potential unification which shares a sense of national homogeneity.


Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Russia has land acquisition from others 'in its DNA,' says Finnish president
Finnish President Alexander Stubb discusses efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine and U.S.-Finland relations on 'Sunday Night in America.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
4 people killed, multiple others injured in Russia and Ukraine as they trade aerial attacks
Russia and Ukraine traded aerial attacks overnight, resulting in two deaths in each country and many people wounded on both sides, according to officials. On the battlefield, the Russian military said Saturday that it seized the village of Zelenyi Hai in the eastern Donetsk region that Moscow illegally annexed but only partially controls, and the village of Maliivka in the Dnipro region. There was no immediate comment on the claim from Ukrainian officials. Ukraine's southern Dnipro and northeastern Sumy regions came under combined rocket and drone attack, local officials reported. Head of the Dnipro regional administration Serhii Lysak said at least two people had died and five were wounded in the barrage. In the city of Dnipro, a multi-story building and business were damaged during the strike and outside of the city a fire engulfed a shopping center. In Sumy, the military administration said three people were injured. On Saturday, Russian drones hit a central square in the city of Sumy, and damaged the building of the regional administration. Kharkiv sustained an intense aerial bombardment overnight. Ukraine's State Emergency Situations Service said six people were hurt in Kharkiv, including four rescuers who were wounded in a double tap strike — where a second attack targets emergency workers trying to help people wounded in the initial attack. According to the daily air force report, in total Russia targeted Ukraine with 208 drones and 27 missiles overnight. It said according to preliminary data, air defense and electronic warfare took down or intercepted 183 drones and 17 missiles but hits from 10 missiles and 25 drones had been recorded in nine locations. Russia's Defense Ministry on Saturday claimed that it successfully struck military facilities in Ukraine that 'manufacture components for missile weapons, as well as produce ammunition and explosives.' The claim could not be independently verified. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an online statement that 'there can be absolutely no silence in response to such strikes, and Ukrainian long-range drones ensure this.' 'Russian military enterprises, Russian logistics, Russian airports must feel that the Russian war has real consequences for them,' Zelenskyy wrote. In Russia, officials said that Ukrainian drones targeted multiple regions overnight. A drone attack on the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine, killed two people, acting governor Yuri Slyusar reported. In the neighboring Stavropol region, drones hit an unspecified industrial facility, governor Vladimir Vladimirov said on Telegram. He added that the attack sparked a brief fire, but didn't specify where exactly. Vladimirov said cellphone internet in the region was restricted because of the attack — a measure authorities regularly take across the vast country that critics say helps widespread online censorship. An unconfirmed media report said videos posted online by local residents showed that the drones hit the Signal radio plant that makes jamming equipment. The Associated Press was unable to verify the claim. Drones also targeted Moscow, but were shot down, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and an unspecified industrial facility in the Penza region southeast of the capital, Gov. Oleg Melnichenko said. Russia's Defense Ministry said that its air defenses shot down or intercepted a total of 54 Ukrainian drones, including 24 over the Bryansk region on the border with Ukraine, 12 over the Rostov region, six over the annexed Crimean Peninsula, four over the Azov sea, three over the Black Sea and a few others over the Orlov, Tula and Belgorod regions. In Russia's Ingushetia region in the North Caucasus, a woman and three children were injured after a drone fell on a private house, regional health officials said. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at