Putin and the Presidents: Julia Ioffe (interview) | FRONTLINE

Julia Ioffe is an American journalist who was born in Russia. She is a writer for and founding partner of the media company Puck. She previously reported on politics and world affairs for The Atlantic.
The following interview was conducted by the Kirk Documentary Group’s Michael Wiser for FRONTLINE on Sept. 28, 2022. It has been edited for clarity and length.
This interview is being published as part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, an effort to open up the source material behind our documentaries. Explore the transcript of this interview, and others, on the FRONTLINE website: www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/in...
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[Ellen March]

"May I add something else?" Class-act lady. Clearly the smartest person in the room, but polite to everyone.

[Don Ashcraft Photography and Restorations]

Yeah, she's quite the intellect!

[C J]

I love all her interviews. So knowledgeable and communicated so down to earth. I learn so much from her. Thanks PBS to make these raw interviews available

[Sim Deck]

Julia Ioffe's work demonstrates a high level of intelligence, insight, and analytical skill, and she has rightly earned a reputation as a leading voice in the field of modern journalism. Just brilliant.

[Shimo Kitazawa]

Always a like before watching Julia. She is so sharp and so articulate, never fails to impress.

[Morgan Bailey]

@L TipsTShe is not reading a teleprompter. She is a real-time thinker and speaker. An incredibly valuable resource.

[L TipsT]

Is she not reading a Teleprompt? I have to agree, if not, she is very much articulate.

[Devo OS]

Wow she is brilliant. I can't believe she's my age, what have I've been doing all this time lol. She is definitely a description of what a scholar is all about

[Wanderlust in Berlin]

@NAVSO FOUR ok Russian troll

[NAVSO FOUR]

@Gordon Campbell sure she is from Russia, that has to mean sthg :)

[Gordon Campbell]

Zd😅

[Herr Jäger]

@NAVSO FOUR sure

[NAVSO FOUR]

Pack of indvidual claims from an opinator sell me this or BS i could not differentiate.

[Turd Doodlesworth]

These long form interviews are always great. I hope they never stop them.

[Active Lab]

I had never heard of Julia before. I'm incredibly impressed. I follow the news pretty closely, but I've never heard anyone explain so thoroughly how we got here.

[Lalo Salamanca]

I doubt you follow news very closely as you claim.

[Noah Patterson]

I agree and I don't think any of the Democrat Party likes her because she has studied Russian and they kind of strike me is hating Russia for no reason

[Jack Bothma]

Brilliant DS operative. Watched the whole thing. One of their best. Should be on MSNBC 24/7.

[Stuart Moore]

@Stephen Simon 🇺🇦 Active Lab Colonel Douglas Mc Gregor, Scott Ritter for another analysis/pov.

[Alla]

@Maxim FM I am Ukrainian but cannot agree more ,good interview

[tim addison]

just cannot believe how informative this is. I'm just so glad that I decided to hear her out

[a.s angkz]

Julia is exceptionally good and talented. Her knowledge of the Ukraine and Putin is very clear and one can understand easily. Just listening only once to her gives me the whole idea of every points or the subject and man she is talking about. Impressive,I admire and love her a lot.kudos Julia.

[Kirill Bykov]

Talented indeed! With her mouth 😊

[Alex Inocan]

Very good interview...refreshing to see Julia to be so knowledgeable and understand geo-politics and Putins mind so well.

[Downey 2000]

She's a propaganda specialist .

[Joel Sanchez]

I can listen to this woman all day. So elegant and well informed.

[Emanuel L]

elegant, that’s the perfect attribute for this beautiful intelligent eloquent lady

[Raymond Esquivel]

I could watch her speak all day 😊

[Kathie C]

So well informed and articulate, I could listen to this lady for hours. 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Michael Woods]

Then you're a willing dupe.

[Roger De Smet]

And, even if I were deaf, I could look at this lady for hours.

[Celeste Stevens]

Same

[A TOUCH OF GLORY INTERNATIONAL PreachElder TV]

This was very informative. Thank you. I believe she did an incredible job. It is so important to know what direction we are heading in America. As a native American living in New York, it feels like a ticking time bomb here.... God help us

[Downey 2000]

She's a propaganda specialist.

[Maargen Bx]

This was such a great interview. I wish there had been one more question: would Putin have invaded Ukraine in Trump had won the election? I think as long as Trump was potentially weakening NATO and was championing Russian interests (for example: lobbying for Russia to be let back into the G7) maybe Putin would have held off to see how much Trump could be manipulated into doing for Russia, but I’m curious to hear expert opinion on the question.

[Michael Walendzik]

Really incredible dialog, Her analysis is right on.

[Múgíkuyu]

Like how she said that her parents never believed she would get a job by specializing in Russian studies and then she smiled...😊 Oh, how our parents have been wrong in predicting career trends to the current generation 🙄 But I also love her ability to explain stuff about Russia in a way that ordinary people like me can understand, I believe that's how discussions that are aimed at informing the public should be....simple to understand, yet informative and helpful 👍 👏 And I have found her from this video to be intelligent and eloquent too 👏

[julienne kadi]

🙋👏

[sofikoz06]

I am saving this video. This should be played in history and intenrnational studies classes to the students & to all US admnistrations.

[Christy Thompson]

Thank you, Julia, for all your research and concise presentation of these current events; tragic as they are. Journalism at its best! We really are grateful for you!

[M Moxam]

@darkonone5158 seriously!!!!! I almost feel bad for these people who are falling for her carefully crafted mind game.

[innagotavita]

@darko none right? Her parents are Soviet escapees and what they told her about their pessimism about Russia, the country that produced them. Also, she’s just like Putin, stroking public’s ego. How is Putin supposed to behave? He is the best example of a leader thus far for that country.

[innagotavita]

@darko none her parents were anti Soviet and it shows

[innagotavita]

She is making assumptions.

[Lovelife]

Very insightful. Great interview...

[steven Andrews]

Great interview, very upfront and honest in my eyes.

[C]

More interviews with Ioffe please!

[Tetiana]

Finally there's someone in american media calling things as they are. I'm ukrainian, I know russian agenda very well and Julia said 100% true things like when russians treat americans as stupid and Ukraine as a joke

[YOUR-WORSHIP]

As they shoukd. Both proved to be true again amd again

[Tetiana]

@KZbin- Sucks- can you prove that you are a banana

[A Dak]

Ironic all things considered

[Alexia Torrez]

Great great interview ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Julia should be working in the USA 🇺🇸 State Department

[gordon lee]

I really appreciate the clarity that your guest brought into the discussion on what is going through Putin’s mind from the time before the Crimea invasion to now. Very articulate! Thanks for such a wonderful educational video.

[Downey 2000]

@Chris Wade she's a propaganda specialist . She lied a lot .

[Downey 2000]

She's a propaganda specialist .

[Terence Doherty]

@Nikola Avramov I am stone cold sober, and as a matter of fact, I never drink. I wouldn't call Ioffe racist in the least. Please point to why and how exactly you were led to that belief.

[Zop Tu]

What an eye opener! Everything she says makes so much sense and she's not even making an effort to convince anyone.

[Bogdan Baudis]

@hiteck007 Yeah, she's beautiful, knowledgeable and seems somewhat arrogant about. I can see why many people will have a problem with that ... Now, I am old and not so beautiful, but I was born and grew up behind the Iron Curtain. I do not agree on everything (I rarely agree on anything with most of the people since most of the people are idiots) but I agree with her on most things Russian and Putin in particular. Yeah, most of the coddled Western minds may have problems with it. I don't care. Neither she does. She already simplified things so the ADDS-suffering Western public will be able to get at least some of it. Facts? You cannot deal with most of them anyway!

[Bogdan Baudis]

@BruceD1776 Well, I am not sure what is your background. I have not found much new stuff or insightful stuff in this interview, but it is only because I had known all that stuff for a long time. But I also find that many of the citizens of the West should learn most of the stuff said here.

[SynthSun]

Julia Ioffe is always worth watching. thank you!

[Ana Bonilla]

What a great interview 👏 🙌 👌

[Jorge Font]

Very insightful interview. This woman is brilliant. This woman needs to be brought before congress. Both houses of congress need to listen to this lady!

[Clark Isaac]

People like her from either Russia or China tell what is really happening in the countries, the truth without covering up by the officials.

[Elimar Orlopp]

Absolutely brilliant, thank you PBS, thank you Julia.

[Lynn Bardwell]

There is something about Julia Ioffe that I could listen to her talk for hours. She has such a wealth of knowledge of what has happened and is happening in Russia. She is truly a gem.

[Mike Murphy]

30:00-37:00 is a great segment, imo. I think it really encapsulates the difference between the Russian and American perspective on politics

[Alvaro Otero]

I wonder how the Russian-Chinese relationship fits in this concept of Putin not percieving a win-win situation as an advantage for both parts, as Ioffe explains.

[Ange Urbain]

For India it is also a win-win situation. Obviously she don't see it this way.

[Huy Nguyen]

Well, like she said, Putin is always lying, even to xi face about this no limit relationship.

[Mrinalini Kutty]

Fantastic interview!

[J D]

Wow! Thank you Julia. Very very informative. Clear facts and opinions.

[Leeds Core]

Opinions that’s all .

[John B]

Earlier I was captivated with her approach to subjects.

[cinmanmoo]

My first time hearing this woman, Julia Ioffe speak. Amazing, very articulate, informed and intelligent which made this such a pleasure to watch. Not seen an interview like this in a very long time, Thank You Julia!

[RedRider1600]

@cinmanmoo After what you just said, I highly doubt it.

[cinmanmoo]

@RedRider1600 thank you for your response and showing me your mind set. I am now sure to watch more of her shows and believe what she is saying. Thanks again.... PS: I am not an American but I know your politics, most likely better then you do lol

[Mike Faz NYC]

One of the most insightful interviews I’ve ever heard regarding Russia

[Ola James]

The 😢

[KlausResetter]

Propaganda.

[Vadim Bolshakov]

How do you say that in American... Yo have a right to be wrong.

[Beau Maxwell]

Julia your a champion and very interesting how you explained loosing Putin and Russia to the tiniest details, top marks and journalism Thank you ❤.

[Len Wilkinson]

Very good reporter,she knows what she is talking about.look forward to her in the future.

[Peter Bustin]

Glad I watched this. Julia Loffe explains the dire predicament with much authority and knowledge, without dressing it up. Its a must see !

[MysticFrost]

Wow full of insight, i am so blown away. Comprehensive and full of knowledge. Thank u for this

[Andrew Shvaygert]

Every time Julia speaks, it's an intellectual feast!! Great talk, thank you!!!

[Downey 2000]

She's a propaganda specialist.

[David Rivera]

@Andrew James it hurts doesn’t it? I realize now that is the “Capitalist” approach that created the actual situation. Capitalist means “the beaten and now weaker side is forfeited or has no value” and opinion is worthless like saying once a World Potency Russia USSR . We invaded Iraq and destroyed a Nation with never proven accusations, Russia watched and objected since the beginning ? Putins “what about me is going to happen?” Still don’t like Russia but we could have dealt better with them.

[__]

This was an extremely interesting interview.

[Michael Newberry]

Excellent information from someone who obviously understands Putin and Russia.

[Mike Patterson]

Awesome interview 👏!

[laika25]

So engaging. Watched the whole thing. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[Will Berger]

Wow! That was amazing and insightful! Thank you!

[John Stánczyk]

Awesome, it is not a proper PBS documentary without Ioffe.

[ed schneidmuller]

@Whoseturnisit Horse Hockey, I've listened to PBS for many years and they always lean hard to the left.

[sub R0cky]

@Tien nothing wrong with being in denial sir.

[John Stánczyk]

@zetus01 Unfortunately, it is not possible to function in the world by interacting with only people who act solely in good faith. This is especially true in politics; after all, the largest plurality of Congressmen are lawyers. 😀 Should we expect better from our public figures? Of course. But cutting discourse off from those with dubious motives does not further whatever causes you may be promoting.

[zetus01]

@John Stánczyk "it is important not to ban voices in a democracy", but should it extend to shear lies too?

[Dealing with JayKing]

Thank You, there is so much I want to say but many have said it.. I just want to say Thank you, Thank You both, most ppl don’t understand this, I wish they start to understand an believe what’s going on in the world we live in💫

[Jonathan Ballard]

I actually believed him in this interview. I respect him for having the balls to come on. I don’t know another member that would face the music head on like this

[RICHARD POIRIER]

Just discovered this woman , such a brillant lady, Julia Ioffe is really the best. Unbelievably intelligent, knowledgeable, insightful, nuanced, eloquent, articulate, well spoken.

[Francois Levert]

Great interview!!!

[ClassicusHomo]

Julia Ioffe is really the best. Unbelievably intelligent, knowledgeable, insightful, nuanced, eloquent, articulate, well spoken. Absolutely brilliant!

[Emanuel L]

@Image Collections what????

[Emanuel L]

@Steelninja77 she is definitely both - pretty and beautiful. Beside that, cultivated, intelligent, a real gem

[Billie Jo Bogden]

Amazingly honest and frank assessment! Blown away by this interview. Very professional, informed and well considered input.

[Victor Samsung]

But not necessarily factual I notice. Just her opinion.

[Peter Dennis]

Brilliant insights. WOW!

[Harvardfacebook]

This woman is very hypnotic. She has one of those faces and a voice that most people can relate to. it's not difficult to understand why she's been chosen for the role... She's dangerous!

[Downey 2000]

She's a propaganda specialist .

[ibu ukere]

She seemingly sound to be too much invested her time into this...she splendly speak out every word on caution that she gone into this for a while 👍👍 will get into her life more

[JON Gergeceff]

❤God Bless you for your insight and expertise.

[Iam The Light]

Watching this documentary now is making me sad 😞 I hope we are not bad aswell shaming others when we are the bully too :/…

[Claudio Marinangeli]

This is extremely informative and insightful. Thank you!

[Sharing the World]

Seconded

[DazWraps]

This Lady is on top of her game amazing... She lay out the entire situation from A to Z. Her worries are correct at the end of the interview simple as that.

[R Rota]

The man who invented arts language

[Goodwin Man]

Юля , умница и красавица.

[BongoNz]

Should repeat these things on 60 minutes and every show possible in the U.S and across the world. I have no idea how much T.V coverage this Woman has received but deserves lots.

[F.A.Y., ,,,,,, Make It Happen]

She is so knowledgeable.....

[Thor H.]

Great interview. Seems like a must-watch. What I take away from this is that Russia/Putin is on one side really humiliated by not being respected by the US/the West and on the other side finding the West very weak. But also there is a very strong cultural difference in the way society looks at idealism and intention.

[Maargen Bx]

@Pablo Nutribar You’re portraying the decisions of a few politicians as representative of the whole country. I don’t claim that the US has never done anything idealistic. I’m saying it’s not a national characteristic, as evidenced by its history and it’s current state. There’s a reason Americans don’t have the benefits other developed nations have, such as publicly funded healthcare and higher education, why we have more gun violence, more people in prison, so many homeless people on the street in such a rich country, more COVID deaths per million than other developed nations. The US is characterized more by individualism and capitalism than idealism.

[Pablo Nutribar]

@Maargen Bx Because SOME oil companies made millions does not mean Americans or Brits are not idealistic. That's a reasoning fail there. Why did the USA intervene in Bosnia? in Kosovo? Because idealistically they were interested in stopping genocide - despite the fact that many Bosnians and most Kosovars are Muslim. The USA and the West are quite idealistic. Are there some greedy actors within Western society who take advantage of this? Absolutely. But to portray the actions of a few companies as representative of the whole is poorly reasoned or dishonest.

[Maargen Bx]

Except the US isn’t really that idealistic. For instance, so many corporations and stockholders made millions from oil contracts to the US and Britain after the war. And the US is giving aid to Ukraine (as they should) - money that’s coming from US taxpayers and going to US arms dealers selling to Ukraine. The only thing the US really believes in is capitalism, not idealism.

[Diogo Fernandes]

The best information/interview!

[Michael Layton]

“There’s this unmistakable stench of weakness about him.” Wow. What a brilliant analysis.

[HumbleWolfFX]

You mean Biden absolutely, don't see any of that in President Putin.

[Jerry Olivarez]

Wow. Great interview and guest

[Jason Anderson]

She has 4.4 million views because she knows her shit! Julia is a brilliant journalist. If there's one person who has taught me how we got here in such an eloquent and informed way it's Ioffe. 👏👏👏

[Jason Beedon]

I have to admit it…I’m a huge Julia Ioffe fan. For someone to be able to talk for so long with such clarity and wisdom on a subject is amazing. Could listen to her talk for hours.

[Creag Hayes]

@Erik Hohler My comment was 💯ironic..

[Vorname Nachname]

@Black Dog She was reading the phone book. But since it was the Moscow phone book, everyone is awed.

[Bud Man]

Amazing insight.. That you Frontline and Julia.

[Warren Reid]

This interview kept my attention the entire time. I'm forwarding to others in my social group.

[Wuyeh Jadama]

Putin so intelligent asf

[Pierre-Yves Machavoine]

Wah that's a deep dive, clean narrative, beautiful work Have to keep in mind that it's just her perspective But it sounds very coherant and could be close to "truth"

[Raymond Esquivel]

She has that CANDIDATE action 😊

[Remi Stardust]

Being this fluid when talking about complex subjects (e.g. history) usually requires a teleprompter! Quite a specialized brain, Julia has!

[W Bin]

@ThomasFromTN troll invasion... thanks for alerting us. Report the profile.

[comment]

@Valdeera Cruso Yes, thank you! I'm not sensitive at all to people disagreeing, even if it's all of them on a thread, but still nice to hear a voice of reason in this day and age.

[Valdeera Cruso]

@Jake Bredthauer That is true enough. They will never put anything out that really informs the public of the reality and truth.

[Valdeera Cruso]

@comment Those who are disagreeing with you are so u-informed and have not deeply researched or they would not be making their ignorant comments. There is SO MUCH MORE to this 'war' and Julia either does not know it, or she is doing a packaged presentation. This has come from the script she has probably been told to stick to. Also, her 'assumptions' about Putin's innermost thoughts as ridiculous. Of course she does not know what he thinks!

[Michael W. McCarrin]

Thank Goodness you proved your Parents wrong! This is what parents live for to be proven wrong. You are incredible. Good Job!

[BigBoyh64]

Really thoughtful commentary. Thankyou.

[Raymond Esquivel]

She has my vote 😊

[Green11]

Thank God for Joe & America - Love from 🇨🇦

[Adair Martin]

This woman is brilliant!

[Someone Else]

I think she is more confident. I know only a bit about the conflict and history and even I have found statements that aren’t true.

[Steven Warner]

I am on the edge of my seat for every interview with Julia. She is the most knowledgable and cogent person to address this issue in the United States. Thank you so much Julia for all that you do!

[Steven Warner]

@Richard Moonstone Yes Richard, I think that "ignorance" is the working word here. But I think the point about Putin being a "communications expert" is valid?

[Elena McCormick]

The smartest woman and she is a very correctly about character Russian people. Thank you!

[Filipe Albuquerque]

Thank you Madam for telling the truth like if it wasn't the truth....very well done!

[Stella]

Extraordinary sharp understanding of putin's actions based on his personality, cultural, familial and work experiences.

[jo collantes]

Thanks Ms.Ioffee, we need more discussions like this.. understanding the Russian ideology, society and basic culture and of course Putin's character. We know he is the sum of his unique life and ego (his limitations and potentials) but we sometimes fail to consider how he is also essentially the fruit of his society and culture.

[阿倫]

She's both intelligent and beautiful are words that describe most accurately in my opinion.

[RiteMo LawBks]

I remember her first Frontline interview from 2017. She's a great example to emulate during a job interview.

[RiteMo LawBks]

@it's me Will Actually you're right.

[Jin Fogarty]

@it's me Will a very good make up!

[it's me Will]

She doesn't look she has aged either

[MartaVdz]

Must be very hard for her to be part of two such different worlds. I´m from central Europe and this interview brought to me in full strength how my culture is "half-way". We´re very different from Russians and very different from Americans - and yet, we understand Russians a bit and Americans a bit... Globalization or not, we people are still children of our very specific cultures.

[Danny Lam]

She shows her wisdom in front of the camera, which is innate, Thanks Julia❤ thanks for sharing this video ❤

[John Tucker]

She's excellent.

[Antonio Soares]

Indeed a very deep and objective analysis about the Putin's ego. Such interview being very focused, without slipping into subjective or conspiratorial considerations Thank you Julia Loffe!

[RAMON BAPTIST]

I love her analysis

[Richard]

Superb interview. She speaks with such confidence and insight. Deeply impressed.

[L.W. Paradis]

How would you know that she speaks with insight? She speaks persuasively.

[Colin Mitchell]

Line so many who are confident in their opinion, no matter how wrong they are.

[R K]

Meticulously planned and prepared propaganda.

[Vlad Kogan]

Great analysis. Finally! Thank you Julia

[Satelit Internet]

Very, very good Speech, and very good Voice, and perfect English too, and she knows Things too. Women, she is very big Specialist about russian Politic!!!

[Ann Nee]

This woman is extremely well informed, like how she doesn't pull punches regarding her own country either, that isa proper take.

[gdi wolverine male 2]

Too much focus on personalities. Perhaps that makes her views more relatable, but they are also oversimplistic.

[Kulfon b]

I could listen to this brilliant intelligent woman all day long.