🔴 Putin vs the West🔴

In the initial episode, we delve into the account of Europe's leaders disagreeing on how to halt Putin's first attack on Ukraine in 2014. During massive demonstrations demanding closer EU ties in Kyiv, the Ukrainian president escapes to Russia, leaving a power vacuum that Putin exploits by sending troops into Crimea - the boldest move of his presidency to date.

We take a behind-the-scenes look at the critical summits and tense phone calls as the west searches for ways to push back against the Russian aggression. The situation escalates as the violence spreads to Donbas in Eastern Ukraine and Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 is downed. Key figures such as David Cameron, Francois Hollande, Jose Manuel Barroso, and then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko recount the EU's indecisiveness and the all-night talks with the warring sides. Though a ceasefire is signed in Minsk, Russian forces continue to occupy Donbas.

Meanwhile, Putin exudes confidence. The message is clear, according to French President Francois Hollande: "If we do not penalize at first, we are compelled to penalize more severely later."