Vladimir Putin: How a Dictator Was Made | Ep 32 Frontlines & Faultlines скачать в хорошем качестве

Vladimir Putin: How a Dictator Was Made | Ep 32 Frontlines & Faultlines

In this episode of Front Lines & Fault Lines, Dr Mike Kelly shifts from Ukraine’s long historical journey to the man now driving its destruction: Vladimir Putin. If you want to understand why the war happened, why it unfolded the way it has, and why it continues, you must first understand the forces that shaped Putin — and the system he has rebuilt around himself. Dr Kelly traces Putin’s path from his upbringing in Leningrad, steeped in the trauma of the Nazi siege, to his formation as a KGB officer in East Germany, where he witnessed first-hand the collapse of Soviet authority at the fall of the Berlin Wall. That moment, and the worldview he inherited from his father — a staunch Soviet believer — shaped a man obsessed with power, state control, and the restoration of a lost empire. From there, the episode follows Putin’s rapid rise through post-Soviet politics: deputy mayor of St Petersburg, key operator in Boris Yeltsin’s inner circle, and ultimately Russia’s president in 2000 — elected legitimately but determined to slowly dismantle the democratic structures he inherited. Dr Kelly explains Putin’s methodical, years-long strategy to recentralise power, crush independent media, rewrite the constitution, shut down genuine opposition, and eliminate enemies at home and abroad through assassination, poisoning, abductions and intimidation — all while building a vast system supported by the Russian mafia, Kremlin-aligned oligarchs, and former KGB networks. Finally, Dr Kelly walks through Putin’s expanding ambition beyond Russia’s borders: interference in Georgia, Moldova and Estonia; the weaponisation of separatist movements; cyberattacks and information warfare; and the long campaign to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty — from poisoning Viktor Yushchenko and backing Yanukovych, to fuelling separatism in Luhansk, Donetsk and Crimea. It all culminates in July 2021 with Putin’s manifesto-like essay, “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians” — a chilling ideological blueprint denying Ukraine’s right to exist. Seven months later, Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. This episode sets the stage for what comes next in our series: how Ukraine survived the opening onslaught, how the war has evolved, and where this conflict is heading. Subscribe to our regular YouTube podcast @Dr.MikeKelly 🔗 Follow: Instagram: @Dr.MikeKellyAM X: @MikeKellyofEM Facebook: mike.kelly.819432 LinkedIn: mike-kelly-0336a055 #FrontlinesandFaultlines#DrMikeKelly #UkraineWar #RussiaUkraine #VladimirPutin #Putin #KGB #RussianHistory #UkraineHistory #Geopolitics #InternationalSecurity #EasternEurope #Crimea #Donbas #EU #NATO #DemocracyVsAutocracy #GlobalPolitics #ForeignPolicy #InformationWarfare #HybridWarfare #Dictatorship #Authoritarianism #HistoryMatters #Ukraine2024