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The Puppet Master gets to the bewildering heart of contemporary Russia by exploring the fortunes of a secretive, complicated and controversial man called Vladislav Surkov.

The Puppet Master gets to the bewildering heart of contemporary Russia by exploring the fortunes of a secretive, complicated and controversial man called Vladislav Surkov. Reporter Gabriel Gatehouse speaks fluent Russian and has access to a vast cache of leaked emails from Surkov鈥檚 Kremlin office. Using these, plus archive and sources gained over a decade of covering Russia and its wars, Gatehouse goes in search of the man pulling the strings. The journey is by turns dramatic, surprising and surreal, ranging from the battlefield to the theatre and the Kremlin itself. The destination? The post-truth world we inhabit today.

Available now

57 minutes

Last on

Fri 24 May 2019 21:00

Broadcast

  • Fri 24 May 2019 21:00

Meet the most powerful man you鈥檝e never heard of

Meet the most powerful man you鈥檝e never heard of

The mysterious man who helped create the post-truth world.

The Puppet Master wins Gold at the Prix Europa 2019

The Puppet Master wins Gold at the Prix Europa 2019

Listen now to the winner of the Radio and Current Affairs category at Prix Europa 2019.