PUTIN'S WITNESSES is a fascinating documentary that gives genuine insight into one of the most powerful men in the world today - Vladimir Putin. It's based on footage taken by Ukrainian journalist Vitaly Manskiy when he was the head of docs for Russian state TV in 1999 and 2000. This was the crucial period in which the first President of the new post Soviet Russia - Boris Yeltsin - stage managed the rise to power of his anointed successor - a then unknown ex KGB agent. Yeltsin carefully crafted a shock resignation on New Year's Eve 1999 and handed power to Acting President Putin - giving the latter a clear 6 months to campaign before the next presidential election - gaining credibility by being seen with world leaders such as Tony Blair - and the full power of the state media.
What's amazing is just how much access Manskiy had by virtue of being a trusted journalist. Often-times we see Putin address Manskiy informally but via the camera, and it's as if he's directly addressing us and explaining his view of politics and his aims for Russia. This young, already slick politician comes across as scarily charming, persuasive but also highly explicit about his aims for Russia. This is shocking because at the time pretty much everyone in the West saw Putin as "our man" - a continuation of Yeltsin - pro democracy, pro capitalism, pro trade - a person we could do business with. I can''t tell you how many investment bank research reports I read to this effect. And yet here we have Putin very clearly stating that his goal is to make Russia a strong power once again - a feared power - and that the national interest - the state's interest will always trump individualism. And this is exactly what he has proceeded to do - erode individual freedoms and pursue a policy of restoring the sphere of influence over the old USSR.
What's amazing is just how much access Manskiy had by virtue of being a trusted journalist. Often-times we see Putin address Manskiy informally but via the camera, and it's as if he's directly addressing us and explaining his view of politics and his aims for Russia. This young, already slick politician comes across as scarily charming, persuasive but also highly explicit about his aims for Russia. This is shocking because at the time pretty much everyone in the West saw Putin as "our man" - a continuation of Yeltsin - pro democracy, pro capitalism, pro trade - a person we could do business with. I can''t tell you how many investment bank research reports I read to this effect. And yet here we have Putin very clearly stating that his goal is to make Russia a strong power once again - a feared power - and that the national interest - the state's interest will always trump individualism. And this is exactly what he has proceeded to do - erode individual freedoms and pursue a policy of restoring the sphere of influence over the old USSR.
