Putin’s New Russia: History Rewritten, Dissent Silenced, Anti-West Doctrine | Amanpour and Company

The political tension in Georgia and the devastating war in Ukraine share a common point of origin: Vladimir Putin’s determination to deny them democracy and integration with Europe while also expanding Russia's sphere of influence. The Washington Post's David Herszenhorn, a specialist on the region's politics, spearheads the Post's “Russia, Remastered” series. He joins Hari Sreenivasan to explore the dramatic domestic transformation of Putin's Russia.
Originally aired on May 14, 2024
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Amanpour and Company features wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on the issues and trends impacting the world each day, from politics, business and technology to arts, science and sports. Christiane Amanpour leads the conversation on global and domestic news from London with contributions by prominent journalists Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City.
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[@CynthiaBlair]

Putin's recent campaign slogan, on billboards in Moscow: "Russia's borders do not end anywhere." What does that tell you about his war plans?

[@skippy9659]

Wow.

[@felipe-vibor]

Any evidence

[@freemusicforyou2011]

As a Russian citizen who's in Russia i can assure you that putin wants to stay in power to the rest of his days, and now, unfortunately, continuing the war is the only way for him. He at least has to seize territories from Ukraine in order to deal with potential misunderstanding of many soldiers which comrades have died for this territory. So, basically he has no option to stop the war and give every miles of seized territory to Ukraine.

[@wendel6]

All we have heard for decades/centuries has been the Russian & Soviet perspective. I'm more than thrilled to see this region and it's history, finally, through Ukraine's perspective & prism.

[@jimjohnson3609]

International law doesn't exist for Putin.

[@kevinjenner9502]

International Commission of Jurists in Geneva…”The invasion of Iraq was neither in self defense against armed attack, nor sanctioned by the UN Security Council authorizing the use of force by member states and thus constituted the Crime of War of Aggression”

[@jimjohnson3609]

@@kevinjenner9502 So two wrongs make a right? One the United States had allowed it's human intelligence to degrade, and I'm old enough to remember Colon Powell in the UN Making a case they were wrong that doesn't mean taking Ukrainian children, stealing grain, equipment, bombing hospital's, stealing museum treasures, I can go on and on of all the despicable acts done by Russia but you will pick out an isolated incident and act like it's the norm for the US. while Rape ,thief, murder, torture, gasing, the bombing of civilians with no regard, school' hospital's and energy infrastructure. There is no treaty that can be made with Russia because Putin wouldn't abide by them anyway. You spoke of

[@enriquelaroche5370]

Thank God Ukraine is not Palestine.

[@magdalenabandyk6408]

Excellent interview

[@AmanpourandCompany]

Thanks for tuning in. We appreciate you!

[@diannelake969]

Sounds like what Germany did to the Polish children.

[@user-ph5ys7ed7i]

Ukraine should be provided with an enough fighter aircraft to form airforce, such as F-16s and longer-range precision munitions, including ATACMS (more of them, and the longest-range versions should be sent to them), and the russian military facilities inside of russian territory should be considered legitimate targets. It is worth noting that support for military aid to Ukraine in America is over 80% and increasing. This is because Americans understand that not only is aiding Ukraine the morally right thing to do, it is the practical thing to do also. America has spent something like approximately 6% of our military budget so far to aid Ukraine. However, more than half of the russian army has been destroyed. This is a tremendous bargain by any measure! In addition;, when russia is defeated in this war, their barbaric ideology of imperialism will also be defeated, making Europe a much more peaceful and stable place for decades - as well as preventing a new arms race in the region. That is why billions of dollars spent today to aid Ukraine saves trillions of dollars tomorrow. The vast majority of Americans understand this fact. Americans also want Ukrainian military and civilian casualties minimized. This is why Americans are correct to support providing military aid to Ukraine. Please write to your elected representatives to request this military aid. If you are an American citizen, please consider writing to President Biden and your other elected representatives, and demand Ukraine be given the above weapons - in war-winning quantities, and promptly. The sooner America provides Ukraine the weapons it requires to liberate all of its territory, the sooner this war will be done, and with fewer Ukrainian casualties. Letters can be submitted electronically via the Whitehouse website. One can also conduct a google search for ones' elected representatives - many of which have similar websites. One may simply write and submit a letter electronically to make one's desire known.

[@Nicer2BNice]

Would you yourself consider enlisting in the Ukrainian army and going to the front of the front line to fight as a common foot soldier?

[@user-oc6dh2yp2w]

​@@Nicer2BNice What a stupid question

[@toonlyrics]

Most Americans support Ukraine, but the Republican majority in the House held up aid for 6 months. They handed Putin the opportunity to indiscriminately target civilian targets and kill more undersupplied Ukrainian soldiers. That is unforgivable.

[@felipe-vibor]

It's not worthy fighting a third world war on behalf of the corrupt Kiev regime

[@user-ph5ys7ed7i]

@@felipe-vibor what about people?

[@freeeagle7464]

The Nazis also built an elite around war veterans.

[@stephenhill545]

They are using the same playbook.

[@richardm4825]

Most important words he spoke - "Russia is a totalitarian regime".

[@joyaku3078]

😂😂😂any leader who does want to be lap dancer and puppet of arrogant usa is labelled as totalritarian and dictator😂😂😂😂

[@joyaku3078]

dude!!!usa hagemony and one world order are gone for good txs for strong alliance created by Putin with China👏🙏👍now multipolar order is created

[@samsungtap4183]

Perhaps if you spent as much time looking at your own government the world would be a better place. The US is not a democracy but rather a constitutional Republic. It masquerades as democracy to keep appearances up. US is a one party state with two sides. Your governments represent capita not people. Your founding fathers despiced democracy and called it "MOBOCRASY". that is why half of America wouldn't get out of bed to vote. Imagie if you had a political party that represented people and not money ?

[@rambleon2838]

Russo-Sino hegemony and totalitarianism has no place in the west.

[@rambleon2838]

@@joyaku3078 😂😂😂are you Putler's and Panda Xi's lap dancer puppet? 🤣🤣🤣

[@balsarmy]

Hannah Arendt has always said that totalitarism is the main threat.

[@SelfieKumarJi]

BTW she was a racist. She hated blacks.

[@intheshell35ify]

It's going to be a complete shix show if Chump comes to power. Thankfully we send them home after 8 years.

[@CynthiaWord-iq7in]

You are dreaming...Putin started out that way, then ran again 12th year. Then again with no opponent, then with disappeared/jailed/killed opponents. Thanks Franco. Pinochet, Castro. Trump will never leave.

[@tracywright6908]

No fake & No thanks. I'll get the important details from Poland, Latvia, Estonia media

[@louisbifano142]

I love this, how are we any different from the russians? All decent here is shut down by the heavily armed police, we have been in perpetual war forever and have a political party that openly promotes Christianity as our national religion. We are doing all the same here, we need to fix ourselves if there is any hope to resist what russia is doing

[@achillespapaefthemiou8259]

...It is not "decent", but DISSENT...and if you cannot see the OBVIOUS POLITICAL differences between a democracy and a totalitarian regime....then you are either willibgly ignorant or a political imbecile!!

[@skippy9659]

You haven’t read up on Russia. Or you’re uneducated. Read more and pay attention.

[@toonlyrics]

If Trump wins and Project 25 is carried out, we are on the path to a Putin-style dictatorship. We can avert this fate at the ballot box, which Russians no longer can.

[@W_Bin]

"Sphere of influence" - why does no one ever mention clause 8 of the 1999 Istanbul Charter for European Security, where Russia agreed it had no right to a sphere of influence?

[@charlesbeaudry3263]

He could easily be talking about US Religeous Nationalism.

[@emilycorwith1119]

Exactly. So frightening.

[@W_Bin]

Security Council - why does no one ever mention that RF is not in the UN?

[@livingintheforest3963]

Great interview very informative

[@JemHadar422]

Garbage, telling you what you a to hear

[@AmanpourandCompany]

Thanks for tuning in. We appreciate you!

[@fuuutball]

*nah*

[@yiftahwoolf26]

Free Tibet!

[@jonasfogelberg9300]

A lot of trolling here in the negative comments? I do find the arguments valid but I miss any mention of China. Right now they are buddies by a common interest but, will China let Russia become too powerful?

[@stephenhill545]

How can Russia become powerful? It makes nothing.

[@skippy9659]

Yes i think so.

[@Abwaan1]

"Ignores international institutions or present them as bankrupt"! America recently sent threatening letter to ICJ for mere investigating Israel. US declined to condamn Israeli' attack on embassy Tbe US. Refused to say whether Geneva conventions apply to Gazans and even declared UNSC binding resolution as simply non-binding So, what international law?

[@SelfieKumarJi]

How about Putin's visit to China?

[@markwhite2207]

If anyone should have gone to Specsavers...

[@enriquelaroche5370]

I you don't like what Russia is doing try to stop them.

[@stephenhill545]

True, we should help Ukraine much more.

[@enriquelaroche5370]

@@stephenhill545 It's estimated that 2 out of 3 Americans will survive the first hour of Nuclear war with Russia

[@goenzoy712]

But did she ever ask herself if EU countries even want Ukraine s West integration .

[@stephenhill545]

We would welcome Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, anybody who shares our values.

[@goenzoy712]

Fair enough that's your personal opinion.But EU is a 27 countries entity and not everyone agrees with you.The stats what you see from different countries vary quit a bit

[@toonlyrics]

​@goenzoy712 Ukraine is now a candidate for EU membership. Since Putin has a foothold in the EU thanks to Orban's Hungary and Ukraine has a lot of progress to make to meet requirements, it will take time. I wonder what motivates you to suggest the EU has no interest in a democratic Ukraine with a European orientation.

[@rosemarycrane5137]

Will any of this overreach by Russia change, if and when Puttin dies (he is now 70 yrs?)

[@ericp1139]

Putin is the steady hand holding back a pack of wolves. Pray he lives a long life.

[@balsarmy]

Most likely yes

[@rosemarycrane5137]

@@ericp1139 I see, you are probably right.

[@goenzoy712]

Don't think it will it depends when Putin is gone.Realistic he will be in power up to 2030

[@toonlyrics]

By abolishing free and fair elections, Putin has undermined the peaceful transition of power after his death. He likes to compare himself to the 11th century Viking ruler Volodomir/Valdemar who created Rus. However, when Valdemar died, 10 of his sons killed each other off fighting to succeed him. The issue of succession was not settled for 17 years. There could be a lot of chaos after the brutal tyrant Putin breathes his last.

[@timobrien2586]

Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2014, not February 2022.

[@thosethatcan]

3:34 as if..

[@maestoso47]

Can’t shake off the utter hypocrisy of the U.S. though.

[@stephenhill545]

How are they hypocritical? They are clear about what they stand for.

[@maestoso47]

@@stephenhill545 Pay more attention then. The U.S. is engaged in more than one conflict.

[@enriquelaroche5370]

When in the past 1000 years have average Russians been better off by all measures social democratic health wealth freedom? answer? Never

[@toonlyrics]

Very true, which makes the success of Putin's propaganda in the West so remarkable. Le Pen, the German AfD, the US Republicans and others have all adopted his anti-liberal culture wars, his hostility to democracy, environmental protection and rules to limit oligarchy and kleptocracy. Since 2012 at the latest, Putin and his minions have espoused a Russian-dominated Eurasia "from Lisbon to Vladivostock". The West ignored it at the time, except the Quislings who are eager to head vassal states in a fascist confederacy. (Timothy Snyder foresaw the all-out invasion of Ukraine years in advance. "The Road To Unfreedom" is chillingly prophetic.)

[@Rnankn]

Why doesn’t Russia have a climate policy? Why is rendering the earth uninhabitable a “traditional” way of life? Arguably, ending the use of fossil fuels is a restoration of more traditional world. It is also just physically necessary, and does not preclude repression and authoritarianism. There is nothing gay or secular about an absence of oil and gas.

[@stephenhill545]

I sometimes wonder if this is all to stop people talking about the danger of fossil fuels.

[@Rnankn]

@@stephenhill545 me too

[@fuuutball]

*1. Matryoshka-dolls on the wall r u seriuosly? Yeah now I believe that u expert about Russia* 🤣 *2. Navalny did not die on arctic jail, u should study Geography courses* *This guy seems kinda Grant-parasite*

[@ianproductionsllc]

funny all i can say

[@5ty717]

Watch intently what the poo does but do not listen to a single word he says. Your guest is a little unfamiliar with kremIIN spek.

[@Nicer2BNice]

What this guy has to say goes in direct conflict with what John Mearsheimer has to say. It’s not that what he has to say is wrong. It would be nice if Ukraine could have become a thriving liberal democracy. But the trouble is that they live right next to a big bear. So they had a choice. Keep your head down and don’t make waves or POKE THE BEAR. If you keep your head down things might not be great but they’re not horrible. If you poke the bear you get beat up, mauled, wrecked and ruined. Dr. Mearsheimer warned that this would happen and guess what? It’s happening. (Not to sound too obnoxious but if you’re that worried about Ukraine you should go fight for them. There is NO WAY that the interviewer or Christiana would ever voluntarily go and put themselves into harms way for Ukraine. I seriously doubt they would put themselves in harms way for anything. Being put into harms way is only for the common foot soldier. If we had listened to people like my parents starting in the 1950s, George Kennan in the 1960s and John Mearsheimer starting in the 1980s we’d be a lot further ahead. For the same reasons if humanity were to listen to what I have to say we’d have a chance at saving ourselves from ourselves and from AI.

[@stephenhill545]

Finland is a thriving democracy, and it also lives right next door to this misdeveloped state.

[@NameRiioz]

@@stephenhill545 Turns out you can live without NATO if you're not dumb meat. Too bad you don't have the brains to come to that conclusion.

[@Nicer2BNice]

That’s a good point! And now that they’re part of NATO and they’re protected under article 5 of NATO’s charter if they are ever attacked by Russia NATO, including the US, has to come to their aid just as if Russia had attacked the US directly. This does not necessarily make for a more safe and/or stable world. It too is in a way poking the bear. As you say a mentally sick bear which suffers from malignant narcissism. A bear that has very thin skin. A bear that has an inferiority complex. It’s also a bear that has thousands of nuclear weapons which could very easily create a nuclear holocaust and incinerate every one of the 8 billion people on planet earth. - - So, hey! I have a good idea! Let’s go poke the bear!!! - - Hey! And while we’re at it let’s start to poke the bear’s new friend, the huge panda and have them partner up against us! By the way, the panda makes the bear look like a teddy bear. That’s a great idea!!! But hey, it’s all about “principals and shared values”!!!

[@thecount1001]

you fundamentally do not understand Kennan and what he said about how to deal with Russia, which was perpetually going to exist in aggressive opposition and permanent expansionism against the west. if his words were heeded, Ukraine would have been given defacto NATO membership (which it was decades away from achieving, if ever) and Russia would have been utterly annihiliated if they attacked Ukraine. instead, we waffled and wavered and took the low road, and here we are. Russia is like Predator, come to kill and destroy, and the only way to deal with Russia, is complete brute force, with extreme predjudice.

[@skippy9659]

You’re high on your own supply bud. It’s backwards and wrong and you know it. Stop trolling. Live and let live

[@thosethatcan]

In context 1:44

[@CyberspaceCairn]

What’s up with the glasses? They’re so distracting. Maybe I’m a fashion fuddyduddy but they’re taking away from the interview for me

[@geofflepper3207]

I agree with you but that style of glasses seems to be considered fashionable now. I don't understand why.

[@DavidParker-bc6mv]

I was just looking at comments and listening to them until saw this. Now can't pay attention. Never had a comment mess this up for me before.

[@rsnc23]

Dude. Who dressed you?

[@USAads2023]

MRGA Make Russia Great again

[@Ultranationalist987]

Amanpour are you still a lady or divorced woman, pretty beautiful.

[@enriquelaroche5370]

Why is there no Student debt in Russia?

[@issigonis975]

Because Universities are full of rich kids who's parents pay. They are talentless but buy their way in are not up to it but get the bit of paper in the end with money. It is basically corrupt capitalism where the next generation of talent are missed because they cannot pay and you are left with bored unskilled kids who have wasted all those places in University.

[@chrisfreebairn870]

What is the price of the no-dissent contract? It's incarceration or death; cheap education right?

[@enriquelaroche5370]

@@chrisfreebairn870 Interesting contrast as American Students have been shot on Campus for opposition to the Vietnam war and today are brutally arrested for protesting genocide in Gaza. Help me understand the difference?

[@enriquelaroche5370]

@@chrisfreebairn870 Compare the STEM students in Russia with today's USA STEM student population and you will understand why Russia has been able to beat most western weapons we have sent there.

[@chrisfreebairn870]

@@enriquelaroche5370 this is nonsense .. you declare a molehill & a mountain to be equivalent & expect me to treat your comment seriously? The political compact in Russia under Putin is "no political opposition to me & my gang is tolerated; keep in your lane & you'll be fine" .. that's been the deal for 20 years; since feb 2022 a bunch of new laws have been introduced criminalizing all sorts of political expression; Putin was freaked out by the colour revolutions & see what could happen to him in 2011, & with Quadafi etc; he's actively rewriting history & doubling down on the old Soviet double speak etc .. did you listen to this guy at all? What happens in the Western world is just not in the same league, tho not perfect for sure. And sure, intelligent national prioritization of educational & other resources is wise, as is a decreed m centred conservative attitude to progress; the West is flirting with destruction in it's self flagellation, encouraging the likes of Putin, who sees decay, depravity & weakness, but he is being cynically opportunistic to sustain his own power; he chose this cynical path & its a total disaster for his ppl & for us all; such a complete waste of resources, of innocent ppl & years of striving; a willful corruption of the human spirit to serve his pathological ego ffs; it's disgusting, totally morally disgusting, almost completely duplicating despicable Nazi logic; for 30 years & with Russian guarantees, an independent state, with its own ambitions, no threat to him, except in showing Russian that maybe they too could have better lives; he chose to cast all that as a threat to Russia; that's psychologically sick; he's chosen a destructively negative path & must be defeated in Ukraine; China will stop thinking it can eat us all too when it gets the message that this kind of bs will not be accepted by the free world; they are worse thugs than the Russians .. bc they're smarter, more strategic, tho Xi is making the same stupid mistakes in his unholy worship of the CCP & his own ego. That political ethos is simply inimical to human nature, but he's not learned that lesson from the USSR, rather he's learned how not to self destruct, to be more cunning, more ruthless .. China was/is built on western money & tech, but he wants to pretend he owes nothing to the West. It's crazy, another egocentric negative resentful choice; ffs, leave Taiwan alone, they are no threat at all to China or the CCP; join the Western club & lets all get on with solving the important global issues; all this power competition crap is just so totally wasteful & unnecessary.

[@ericp1139]

Rewriting history? Dissent silenced? Are you sure you’re not talking about the West?

[@balsarmy]

No. Raper Oxxxymiron is under investigation(now left Russia), rock band Bi-2 was asked to be deported from Thailand (was saved by other countries), participants of "nude party" were humiliated publicly - several of them went eventually to Donbass and some fines with big summs of money. Five CEO of gas and oil industries were killed. And Putin killed: Navalnyi, Nemtsov, Novodvorskaya, Shekochihin, Detsl, Berezovskyi, Litvinenko, Evdokimov and many others.

[@stephenhill545]

No. Dissent is part of our political tradition.

[@elainelouve]

So tired of you Putin trolls trying to make lazy whataboutisms.

[@ericp1139]

@@stephenhill545 free Palestine

[@ericp1139]

@@elainelouve I think the headline writer was just confused.

[@Forheavenssake1ify]

1 question reality and representation (it's all “fake news”), 2- isolate text and language as the central “phenomena” of existence, (making social media, archived documents as the battlegrounds) 3- apply literary analysis to all “phenomena” (words and images are the weapons.). Qualitative analysis (opinions and feelings) trumps quantitative analysis (votes) 4- criticize “metanarratives” by counter-storytelling. (all history, literature, religion is wrong/biased) promoting “progressive nihilism”. 5- overfocus on “power” relations and “hegemony”, (regularly rebranded as “structuralism”, “post structuralism” etc.) 6- argue against method and evaluation (anti- science) eg- potions over vaccines.

[@JemHadar422]

This analysis makes no sense. Ukraine is not in NATO or EU.

[@user-ci3rk5bl2k]

😂🤣😂Oh boy, these western medias never cease to entertain.

[@scar00000]

What a bunch of nonsense.

[@yttean98]

This guy's analysis is wrong again, he made the same mistakes like others.

[@pwp8737]

flesh out your comment, offer examples and facts to back up your opinion.

[@geofflepper3207]

You need to say what he got wrong. Otherwise your comment is meaningless.

[@yttean98]

@@pwp8737

[@Nicer2BNice]

He goes against what John Mearsheimer has to say. It’s not that he’s wrong about the concept of Ukraine wanting to have self determination it’s just that by poking the bear they got mauled. So what’s better, to keep your head down, not poke the bear and live a slightly less favorable existence or to go ahead and poke the bear and be torn apart and completely mauled and ruined?

[@chrisfreebairn870]

​@@Nicer2BNicethis is the theoretical academic euphemistic version of "better to stay with your violent rapy husband than take the necessary risks to reject violent rapy subservience" .. That's your genuine opinion? I think not; you're just being a too clever troll & this is fundamentally Putinesque propaganda. Congratulations! Your prize is a one way ticket to .. ? Russia or Taiwan, you pick.

[@marshall3278]

You lost me at "Russia denying democracy" when the USA supported the coup in 2014 that overthrew Ukraine's democracy...wtf?

[@kevinjenner9502]

See CIA Coups in Iran, Guatemala, Congo, Dominican Republic, S Vietnam, Brazil, Chile…

[@richardm4825]

Another idiot Russian lie. You trolls never learn.

[@sheilawade433]

Yanukovych abandoned democracy

[@mariotudor6735]

Ruzzian troll🤡🇲🇳

[@Seytom]

Yanukovych being voted out of office unanimously by parliament after fleeing to Russia -- that's what you call a coup?

[@user-yp9nz6bs9q]

An AI-generated host would be fine with me.

[@user-ob7pi4pn2o]

Thanks you ou for a great video,so precious because millions of people dont know about Russian gengsters 🤮👿🤮👿🤮👿