The Putin Files: Mikhail Zygar

Watch Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar's candid, full interview on Putin and allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election - all part of "The Putin Files", FRONTLINE's media transparency project. Explore Zygar's full interview and interactive transcript here: www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/in...
Explore the complete "Putin File" experience here: www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/int...

[@MsPepperbelly]

I enjoy listening to all these professionals express their understanding and opinions of this region and era. Much of the commentary by viewers of these videos seems to miss the point of these interviews. They are best understood in their totality. No one intervee is the sole authority but together one can glean a sense of the motives of the players and the impact of their actions on History for better and worse. I try to find the commonality among them rather than judge each as completely right or wrong. I think I have a much better idea of what was happening at the time and a better perspective of what is happening right now. True to Frontlines ethos these are a thorough investigation into the subject of Russia, Putin, and the recent past of both.

[@wcg66]

I agree. If you watch enough of them, you see how their stories overlap. I think the Russians like Mikhail here add a slightly different take but their intertwined stories of Putin don't really contradict each other.

[@tduncan3402]

Ditto ! Getting feedback of most New Englanders and from old buds back in the Ozarks has me agreeing with you entirely. Seems perceiving societies and history from how Eastern Europeans is way to far out of the box for their tolerance. Lazy ? No, just very unconditional to that way of thinking.

[@annickbelanger6751]

"Putin doesn't want more territory". Pallie, you're woefully wrong.

[@ac130kz]

but he is correct, Putler doesn't want any more territory (except the Crimea), he is insecure and wants to show off, regardless how many people will put their lives to end

[@here_we_go_again2571]

@@ac130kz Hmm ... (Reading your comment 19, March 2022)

[@ac130kz]

@@here_we_go_again2571 it really makes you think, personally I have no other explanation why Putler is such a cruel, bloodthirsty maggot

[@gavinmc5285]

'didn't' [?] - it is a striking comment with 20-20 hindsight but as an at the time comment made in the context of 2014-ish, it could easily be considered as anything from a throwaway remark to contemporarily accurate.

[@jfm14]

@@gavinmc5285 This interview was in mid-2017, but I do agree that only hindsight is 20/20. In a way though, Zygar isn't wrong. Putin's main goal isn't territory exactly, moreso power, influence, and a lasting legacy... IMO, anyway.

[@TampaDave]

I want to send thanks to whomever made the decision to put SUPERB English captioning, rather than any auto-generated "close-in-sound-but-not-meaning" captioning. The English captions were clearly edited to produce the message in a way that makes it clear what the interviewee is actually saying, with correct homonym and foreign-spelling and name-spelling choices. The captions are even amplified, when necessary for clarity. For example, in several places the word "he" is followed by an Insert [like this one] that tells you the name of the person being spoken of. I wish all captioning was done by someone who cared whether you got the meaning of what was being said. And who fact-checks spelling and word-use choices, obviously. Thanks, Frontline captioners, for a great job on this one. I'm going to be sure to check for captioning on all the other episodes as I re-watch them. I love captioning when it is done right; and it is so distracting when it isn't.

[@TurquoiseInk]

Frontline/ PBS shows put the details into the production that exemplify top quality programming.b

[@derp195]

Agreed. Especially for those of us who have any degree of hearing loss. Contrary to popular belief, most hearing loss is not only a loss of volume, but also a loss of clarity. These kinds of captions are invaluable. Especially when you’re dealing with relatively unfamiliar accents, it can all just turn to auditory mush.

[@buildabankworkshopsinfinit5817]

Mikhail Zygar is a Russian journalist and writer, and the former editor in chief of Dozhd, the only independent TV station in Russia. Under Zygar's leadership, Dozhd faced unrelenting attacks from the Kremlin, including laws banning advertising on private channels, forced staff cuts, eviction and the removal of the channel from Russia's cable and satellite TV frequencies, shrinking its audience from 18 million households to two million households overnight. Prior to Dozhd, Zygar worked for Newsweek Russia and the business daily Kommersant, where he covered the conflicts in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Serbia and Kosovo.

[@andrerothweiler9191]

There is no independent TV station in Russia, its just hybrid propaganda channel for Kremlin, to shows that we are have kind of have freedom too. They say, that Putin is bad, we have corruption but we should never give back Crimea. If you cannot stop opposition , rule them

[@KuroNekoExMachina]

Not today. Dozdh was one of the few media outlets that was independent (meaning, wasn't in Putins pocket).

[@laurabeaumont3593]

I can understand why, he believes any crap the west tells him. He's a messed up guy that thinks he's doing good.

[@vatopunko]

anyone listening to this now will undoubtedly notice that he misses the mark in a big way very early in the interview. that shouldn't discourage listening to the rest. none of us are prescient, even if many of the other interviews in this series have turned out to be more accurate in hindsight - some almost eerily so.

[@wilhelmbeck8498]

His description of "Putin's men" eagerly manifesting whatever he wishes - without ever receiving an order, is reminiscent of Italian-Mafia-routines

[@carlabroderick5508]

No one in the comments seem to realize this man is not a Putin apologist at all, quite the opposite. He’s just expressing Putin’s motivation and background for the terrible stuff he does. He laments that Russia was asked to stand in line like the other Eastern European countries, all of whom may have objected to Russia’s membership. Seeing how Russia is acting in Ukraine, Georgia, and Syria, can one blame them?

[@TampaDave]

I think the "people in the comments" you mentioned are trolling straw man arguments and I don't believe anyone here gives them any more credence than RT or Fox. Other trolls click "like", but who cares?

[@TampaDave]

The sad part is, if we'd have helped Russia in the 90s, no one would have ever heard of Putin.

[@kathycaldwell7126]

Carla, that’s my take too.

[@global001]

Mikhail's Interpretation has been proven totally incorrect now. Putin didn't want anything more than Crimea. Please. This guy give Putin too much respect and he's gullible.

[@dvergar1]

His predictions of Putin's ambitions have not aged well.

[@shepherdofsheeple]

I literally just commented the same… he clearly reflects a symptom of why Putin has gotten away with so much.

[@marciss8372]

Time stamp pls!

[@peterlehocky88]

it's hard to predict a sudden crack in someone's head

[@polcrendszer]

@@peterlehocky88 yeah planning it for a decade...

[@bradguzman5525]

@@peterlehocky88 The writing was on the wall. He took over Crimea. Why would anyone think he would stop there.? Once you give a maniac an inch they will keep coming for more and more and more. He will not stop at Ukraine either. He’s on a mission. Hitler was a mission.

[@tassie7830]

Obama talked to soldier came back from Afghanistan while Medvedev waited for him, just shows that we have different mentally in the west. Obama did not intentionally show disrespect to Medvedev. In the west we have different mentality in the west, people in power is not everything.

[@LilStevie369]

Unless your name is Donald Trump Then power and wealth is everything.

[@russianramblings]

He makes a really good point about giving orders in Putin's Russia. Nobody is saying explicitly"kill him, imprison her" ect. the autocracy runs perfectly well on autopilot. it has been perfected over 30 years and runs on automatic. People in power know what to do without saying or speaking about it. Clear instructions aren't required. You do what you have to do to maintain power.

[@iLoveBoysandBerries]

What a looker

[@lesilluminations1]

"Not a system of orders ... but a system of hints." Like the mob.

[@SergeiKozak]

Very interesting insight.

[@tankthink4061]

The way he talks and expresses himself makes me think that he despises USA, Europe, and some part of Russia. I am really confused by this interview

[@smugglerscoveconsulting845]

please turn these up enough so we can actually hear them.

[@dixgun]

The Masha Gessen interview and the Mikhail Zygar interview solve mysteries.

[@inferno0020]

This man wrote books about the Kremlin insiders. We still have to take his words with a grain of salt but overall he has insightful information.

[@markofsaltburn]

That no one person has a comprehensive view of reality is self-evident. It isn’t necessarily a reason to be cynical and throw your lot in with a despot. Still, we understand your motives; leave a seemingly reasonable comment that nonetheless attempts to sow seeds of doubt in the mind of the viewer. What a shame that the human mind eventually learns to pattern-recognise even the softest propaganda, such as yours. Eventually it backfires, because we learn that the more likely trolls are to leave such comments, the more likely the source material is to be accurate.

[@KristinaKarina]

Obviously, they’re drinking their own koolaid…. Except maybe Putin, who is a very good poker player. See Stones interviews… thanks 🙏

[@caesarforlife1663]

He wrote from what perspective?

[@RuggerDez]

If you listen to “this man” among the dozens of other Putin Files interviews, an objective picture of Putin begins to emerge.

[@domobran1]

He sad 1996 elections in St Petersburg changed Putin, what happened with tone and a half of cocaine seezed in St Petersburg in 1993 under putins command

[@harrickvharrick3957]

weapons cause sheer unlimited misery. we all understand that it is so and that the risk any 'random' madman in the future could get their hands and fingers at the controls of any more such arsenals must be excluded from all possibilities once and for all we people from the whole world should stand up and see to it the the existence of such non-productive, both ultra deadly and ultra expensive stuff, should end.

[@StrongyHot]

add please closed caption!!

[@user-xo9ig8kc3u]

His English is fine

[@TampaDave]

And there IS closed captioning, of a type better than most, obviously edited by an English-speaking human. @StronglyHot - do you not know how to turn them on?

[@StrongyHot]

@@user-xo9ig8kc3u my English was not!

[@TampaDave]

@@StrongyHot you need captioning other than English?

[@tduncan3402]

Putin reminds me of Stalin, as if he wants to do just like him and out do him.

[@rogerpalmer3723]

"i dont see how putin could posily benefit from people thinking he successfully hand picked an American president, yeah, nothing at all." ok thats kind of weak sauce, but then he says "Putin is mad because he is like big baby, they didn't give him enough special attention so he is acting out" wow.....

[@juanitaskelton448]

When I say this, I want those who read this comment, to know that Putin doesn't need endorsements as the leader of a very large country...he needs to feel as if he and his country are equals with all. Democracy is hypocritical, if it does treat a leader of a nation that no one agrees with for the most part, with discrimination in social settings. I am not defending this man. What I do defend is his right to be treated as an equal even if you have the elevated notion that he is not. I am appalled at the mention of a type of behavior found only in elementary school or a very immature high school. Human rights abuses should be resolved elsewhere and once resolved, a renewal of cordiality. We don't have the higher ground with respect to human rights...we have enslaved humans and in some respects we continue to enslave humans to bad ideologies and policies unfitting for our democracy....in other words...we are not perfect...nor is any other nation.

[@Liz-dragon-street.]

Sorry but you really have NO idea!! Grtz from a Russian Lady

[@kkpenney444]

In what respect does *any* country get to demand itself 'equal'? In no respects was or is Russia equal to the U.S.- not in military strength, soft power, GDP, standard of living, opportunity, rights, etc, etc, and its 'immature high school' attitude to be treated as such with no proof is nothing but a reflection of its own insecurities. Russia had every opportunity post-Cold War to make itself a respected partner on the World stage but it squandered them by some childish expectation that everyone just implicitly agree to its own vastly inflated self-image. Sorry, the real world doesn't work that way.

[@domobran1]

Democracy is bad but it is still the best way of ruling

[@shepherdofsheeple]

This DID NOT age well…

[@CSOB2B]

The revealings are like a Andrey Zvyagintsev film coming together

[@cencension]

7:45 this didn't age well 😬

[@galeeva]

It’s already 6 years ago now..

[@tduncan3402]

At Hopkins we had a Prof that had us investigate John Paul Jones & Russia. Had to be done by semester break. It was a Poli/Sci 101 course, 1st semester. Next semester he had us investigate the U2 pilot Powers & Russia. No other topics of study in that course came close to Russia.

[@barbaracohen-ehrlich8383]

I wish I knew specifically what treatment humiliated Putin?

[@andrewmeigs7458]

This guy is really funny on Million Dollar Listing NY.

[@Ellecram]

This guy really has a way articulating word sounds. His mouth movements are fascinating.

[@fruitypebbles803]

This guy sounds like someone who grew up with an abusive parent. Only instead of saying “daddy wouldn’t hit you if you didn’t make him so angry“ he’s saying “Putin wouldn’t invade all these territories if only the west was nice to him.“

[@HaoSci]

no closed caption!!!!!!

[@TampaDave]

It is there now, and it is the good kind.

[@gladysma308]

11:45 Anatoly Sobchak

[@SP_3333]

Yep.

[@injujuan8993]

It baffles me how words like They’ll never LOVE me back or He was IN LOVE with Obama are thrown around Putin’s name here.

[@markofsaltburn]

Possibly because you don’t understand the authoritarian mindset. Putin’s “prime mobile” is affirmation, and he fears losing it. His unconscious mind is incapable of learning that something taken has less value than something given freely. Right now, everything Putin has done in Ukraine has been done so that he can win the hearts and minds he needs back home to push on elsewhere in Europe. Everything can be repackaged as an atrocity against Russia to win the warm, willing bodies of his dumbed-down people that he needs to move forward. It was the same myth that Stalin tried to build by conscripting the civilian population to fight the Germans.

[@kkpenney444]

He said Medvedev was 'in love' with Obama. Putin considered him a rival and was threatened by his popularity.

[@debraarseneau4888]

Not as good as the other interviews in this series.

[@Yelladog78]

7:42-7:43 didn't age well

[@alexandervladimirov3939]

Sobchak’s wife damaged his campaign seriously

[@KristinaKarina]

You know what s ironic: 2022. They drink their own koolaid….

[@davidhumphrey1558]

51:17 admits American Meddeling in Russian politic

[@Valerie-mz4et]

This is probably the best explanation of how Putin rises, that Yeltsin had a falling out of sorts with the local FSB so decided to hire a FSB person from St. Petersburg. Thank you!

[@juliarichter6987]

Very interesting. I refuse to believe that the leaders of the world don't feel and behave different than kindergardeners, but maybe he is right.

[@ctx4241]

Most of the stories are copy paste, this guy has interesting insight though.

[@mapeddd]

this guys seems slightly drank, speaks wise things tho

[@philiphorner31]

Once 💩 Tin let/told the army to move he lost control.

[@jackselvia2709]

I guess Putin needs some kind of redemption?

[@samanthataylor1761]

They should've let him speak in his primary language. You can see him struggling to express himself, poor man.

[@TurquoiseInk]

And you speak how many languages fluently? Maybe challenge yourself to learn how to really listen to non-native speakers.

[@samanthataylor1761]

@@TurquoiseInk lol. What are you on about?

[@RikodiusRex]

Trump can command his minions this way and he also can command a group of FSB Russians in the US. The FBI won’t move on it. That’s my problem.

[@3kRandomChannel]

Why only 14 comments? Are controversial comments getting deleted?

[@markofsaltburn]

No. Sensible comments are being flagged.

[@tawniliwagner4341]

3rd

[@rkmenescal]

This was the only authentic report I have heard so far. I don't know what is true or false but he comes across as a very honest person. Not someone who is trying to deceive like Podesta, Victoria Nuland and Jake Sullivan.

[@woodywoodlstein9519]

Mario Loreno gleb is great. There are many really great ones. Masha Gessen too. Brennan. I’m partial to the Russians especially though. It’s all fascinating. They all have valuable points to make

[@easypimpin123]

Lol. That statement is exactly the goal of putin. Putin doesnt care to convince you of anything. He just wants you to not know whom to trust. That's the point of his campaign of opacity. Go back to your boss Putin and tell him his 2016 plan is backfiring.

[@mikestevens8012]

+Steve Gongos their syntaxes tis viciously exppurgative .!.

[@mateescuandrei4787]

This guy is one of the most savy on Russian Politics inside Russia , on behalf of the liberal minded side. He used to be editor at Dozhd TV, the last independent TV statiom airing in Russia, now only via internet. His book, All The Kremlin s Men is one of the most intriguing books I ve read on Russia.

[@TampaDave]

You have to figure that Frontline isn't going to spend thousands of dollars or any workdays on interviewing someone who wasn't in a position to add to the picture. Every one of these episodes paints a picture, as another witness saw it. The more pictures you see, the more you can see how each one fits into the "big picture".

[@LivingDead53]

Want to know what they'd do to you in the Us if you printed stories as an America that isn't what they want? You will be labeled as a gonzo and die. Actually, there's a good chance you could be taken out at any time. I like to be constantly told I'm going to die and have songs taught my inevitable death. The US is not kind to disabled people. I'm bored of the US but scared to move to Russia, not that I'd be allowed.

[@kathycaldwell7126]

Kaela-where are you from and how old are you? Have you ever been to the US? Many thanks in advance.

[@helenhaubensack-bitterli3733]

A lot of things not quite right here especially after having listened to over 10 other accounts

[@markofsaltburn]

Which bits?

[@caesarforlife1663]

It was those within the Democratic Party. 😂

[@beverlykirby2646]

Do not agree

[@williamyoung9401]

Time to go to the Gulag, then! =P

[@CaliforniaGirl-qk5kq]

The danger is always there. Do not underestimate our CIA working to destabilize your government.

[@woodywoodlstein9519]

California Girl it’s already unstable. That’s the defining feature of an authoritative Oligopol kleptocracy

[@LivingDead53]

The only thing I've questioned is why do Russians support someone like Navalny? Obviously, they're having issues that need to be addressed. Of course, I couldn't understand why Navalny would go back to Russia. I assumed that they'd torture him into some confession or kill him by "accident." I do not understand the Russian psyche there. I know they are harsh about disloyalty because of how much they bond and love. You all can join my fellow reptiles over here evolving. The master has our egos. I do wish they'd stop teaching evolution in a certain mannerism. But until then, watch out for the raptures. For a while, I was like, my master, he beckons.

[@johnhud0079]

Within 10 seconds, a Putin apologist

[@donroberts1339]

Did you really listen to all the interview? He's no apologist, he says himself Putin despises democracy, he thinks he's right about everything, who does that remind of btw? He has more in common with Trump, it's ugly but true.

[@quantumeseboy]

Zygar is a total fool, he's only right about Syria.

[@pergamonrecordings]

Zygar thanks for your personal opinion...contrary to the man you accuse of being a fool though...you lack any arguments (or at least fail to mention them) to argue for your perspective...so, I hope you dont mind that I ignore your input in this matter.

[@pergamonrecordings]

Ha ha I meant to comment on Rene G of course..

[@woodywoodlstein9519]

Quantumese Boy ya. I’ll take zygars word over yours. All day.

[@TampaDave]

Woody Woodlstein couldn't agree more. It is a waste of everyone's time for someone who wasn't there, to tell us someone who WAS there is wrong in what he is telling us he saw there. With not one shred of anything to demonstrate he knows anything more than how to type a comment. The people in this series have all LiVED a part of the story they are talking about. For someone who hasn't lived ANY of it to know more about it, is like a teenager telling someone with 35+ years experience HOW TO DO HIS JOB. They know everything because it was in a video game or a blog.

[@markofsaltburn]

Fascinating - tell us more.

[@user-dm1bg9zp1u]

Михаил you are telling usual gossip. In other words your words testify to your betrayal