The Putin Files: Andrei Soldatov 

Mr Kirk your interviews have been invaluable in learning about Vladimir Putin as we watch Ukraine suffers under a Russian invasion. Thank you and your team for all of your hard work.

Damn you Frontline. I quit my job just to watch all these interviews. Great stuff.

Frontline this series is simply outstanding. Keep up the journalism excellence!

I was happy to see that they had this hour-and-a-half with Andrei Soldatov. I've read one of his books and a few articles he's published, and he's a sharp journalist who's not afraid to tell things like they are. I'd like to see more works from him in English or German language disseminated!! Keep it up Andrei : )

This interview should be seen by everybody in America and in Russia.

Mr Soldatov is the guy someone should listen to in order to understand what took place in Russia in the 90s and 2000s 👍😁

This person brings light to a lot of fog surrounding Putin's life and Russian people as a whole.

These are amazing interviews. Thanks for providing these Frontline.

Both of the Russian nationals in the Putin Files series are terrific, and Andrei's interview was my favorite. His ability to explain the history of how Russia is using hackers and social media trolls was eye-opening. His explanation of how Putin frames the Ukraine situation - and how it would have appealed to Russians - was also very informative.

I know it’s good material when the bots are out and about in these interviews

By the look of the trolls here with fake names it looks like Frontline did a great job with this series. Keep it up!

PUTIN'S REAL STORY: CHIEF "FIXER" St. Petersburg in Putin's era was known as The City of Bandits (mafia style organized crime) the crime boss and chief thug was the Mayor, and Putin, of vanilla persona, became his Chief Fixer, top aide. Putin's ability to shield his thug boss from a massive corruption and crime scandle that would have put anyone in prison for life and remain personally pristine and untainted, caught Moscow leadership's eye, they imported him, and he served them brilliantly in the same fashion, climbing to the top on the backs of those he destroyed, the pinnacle being Yeltsin, who picked him to replace him, He was chosen because he knew where the bodies were buried of the entire leadership, his extortion, bribery and blackmail of key players and ruthless willingness to employ any means to achieve his Presidential goal, they knew exactly what that meant, and heeded Yeltsin.

Am I alone in finding it scary that Frontline's subscriber base is only 260k ?

This is amazing.

42:41 - "Putin proposed an idea of a great Russia" Wow, That sounds totally different in March 2022

Excellent stuff. Good insights, independent & he doesn't allow himself to be led.

Like the way he talks and he is very informative, interesting.

James Spader will play him in the Hollywood version.

Please add an audio version of all these videos to the frontline podcast 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Let’s put it this way. With his knowledge this man can never eat outside in a restaurant or receive parcels at his house.

The more heavily trolled a video in this series is, the more likely it is to contain information that scares the Putin regime. Thanks for making things easier for us, trolls.

The Russian trolls don't like this one , must be accurate.

Another peerless presentation and excellent open source intelligence.

Dream of the day when RU-vid will translate every interview or documentary in English to a French language! Hey RU-vid you have the power to do this easy!

Soldatov is perhaps THE journalist when it comes to the KGB/FSB system, he has been at it for decades.

All the traitor-congress people should be made to watch all these Frontline posts. Thank you for posting. v

What a great interview!.

I think the US government should just tell its voters to gather information from traditional sources from both sides to make informed choices during election times (common sense), because Russia and other bad actors want to sew doubt into our patriotic candidates. Effort should go into this campaign to counter the Russians.

We learn from history that we do not learn from history! 😥

He's trying to talk in an English accent instead of his russian accent. He sounds like Martin Short in that movie, "Father of the bride"

Some issues are very similar to Spain with Catalonia

Soldatov condenses and streamlines what would be a lot of information into a very accessible and engaging story ( doing so in what is not his native language ) excellent interview

Now we can comment!

Wasn't Putin's dad a former KGB (or NKVD) guy?

Wow! So interesting

Andres English is difficult for me to understand.

So every person that says that Rusia is right and Putin is the best president, should listen to this and understand the mind of a dictator, one that do not care about human beens, and look at them as peaces of a puzzle he can change and play with it.

23:45 sounds familiar

Just like in the US with the Civil War statues in the South.

Counterterrorist operation... Special military operation... That sounds familiar

I am glad that nationalism is mentioned and analyzed very well.

🌹

This man realy creddible, very intressting

it was all a surprise. Seems like it still is

Wow this guy...good reporther tho..

More I listen to this series, more I find everyone parroting the same things. Almost as if they prepared from the same write-up.

Interesting

No sure about being confused perhaps realisation change of position is inevitable.

Amazing the number of publicly-funded hit pieces available.

Before Putin came to power, he was the babysitter for Leningrad Mayor Sobchak’s young daughter. When she grew up, she tried to run against Putin as an opposition presidential candidate. Where is she now?

How come he has a (heavy) Chinese accent?

Subcontracting for military operations is a nice way of saying mercenaries. The US did it in Iraq.

wasn't his dad kgb? if so he may have had more connections than this video might suggest.

Stay safe, Mr Soldatov. Russia doesn’t need another martyr. Watch your back all the time.

Español please

23:36 25:21 For personal note. Damn kremlin

Who are you in those final days of KGB ??? )))

So what. He wasn’t like dying. Yes it’s confusing, but it doesn’t mean you are going to wake up as an ax murderer.

Great site. Surely the Fsb (cheers) also learns a lot :). That is a definite proof of quality.

Putin arrives in Dresden in 1985 at the tipping point of the Cold War. I arrived in McLean, Virginia, as a defense contractor at that time. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and Communism collapsed in 1991. The Cold War was over. Almost unemployed. Putin got a job as a taxi driver and moved back to St. Petersburg and became vice-mayor. For my crowd along came Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Ladin, 2001-2012.

Putin's best operation was Trumpy Bear.

Ddsafea

Why does he have a japanese accent?

This guy’s accent is all over the place

And Zerr KGB

Russia will learn how democracy works...

ẞ

L P

Andrei Soldatov: "In the town of Tomsk..." Subtitles: "In the town of Donetsk..." WTF, subtitle guys?

Of all the half truths , half falsehoods, propaganda, disinfo, misinfo, manipulations and distortions ...this individuals explanation , extrapolation and reasoning may be one of the most believable or logical of all the Main Stream videos I have yet seen regarding the events of this time period. If this were the type and quality of the Noble Distortions given to the Proletariat, then at least the Masses would appreciate that their intelligence is being respected enough to the point were they could accept the Deception of the System

Poccya 111111111

let down with this one because its no so easy to understand him

Great documentary, thank you :) I don't morally approve of KGB practices, and won't support them. I supported Russian unity before but I don't know anymore. They are being manipulated horribly. [Updated]

Everyone spies on everyone. Is it possible for Russia to live peacefully with the West?

Entire shows are made of people, literally paid to study Putin, talking endlessly about him and trying to figure him out.

Moscow started to play like the West, finally. Good for them!

It’s always moscow, it’s always putin.. it’s an american mi d set..

Watch The Putin interviews by Oliver Stone. This on the otherhand is pure propaganda.

"Journalism excellence" lmao, nice propaganda there, buddy...

The way this young guy talks it sounds like he held a high position in the Kremlin, which he obviously didn’t. Perhaps he’s trying to sell his books and needs people to believe his stories. It’s amazing how the people being interviewed on this series all claim to know what Putin and or The Kremlin was thinking. I can’t believe a word they say.

How would Russia be better without Putin ? Please help .I don’t understand. The only answer I can see is the plot by dividing the country.?