Podcasts by The Big Steal
The Big Steal tells the story of Vladimir Putin and his violent assault on human dignity, rule of law, democracy and truth – in Russia, its neighbours and across the West.
A former KGB officer, Putin climbed his way to the presidency of the world’s largest nation, and put in place a mafia state that steals from its own people to cause havoc abroad. When he stole the country’s most successful energy company, Yukos, he gave a clear warning of what was to come. Since then, Western enablers in politics, business and the law have helped Putin on his way.
Gavin Esler speaks to the people who have challenged Putin, tried to understand him, or simply hoped to survive. He takes us through to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a new and dangerous world that is opening up, and asks the question: where do we go next?
Produced by Fresh Air Production
Further podcasts by Fresh Air Production
Podcast on the topic Wahre Kriminalfälle
All episodes
Russia Invades Ukraine from 2022-03-02T14:45
In the early hours of 24 February 2022, Russia launched a brutal invasion of its neighbour, Ukraine. True to his yearslong strategy of lies and disinformation, Vladimir Putin said he had launche...
ListenRussia On the Brink? from 2021-12-14T02:00
With tensions continuing to grow between Russia, Ukraine, the EU and NATO, is President Putin’s endgame finally coming into view? A massive military build-up on the Russian side of the bor...
ListenA New Breed Of Autocracy from 2021-11-24T02:00
The Kremlin’s lies can be seen almost everywhere across the globe and show no signs of abating.
In fact world leaders are even adopting Putin’s tactics as a new breed of...
ListenProtests and Police Raids from 2021-11-02T02:00
In this episode Gavin Esler explores the theft of democracy itself in Russia. President Putin holds elections regularly, but for what reason, considering that his ruling party always wins?
<... ListenWhile You Were Shielding from 2021-10-18T05:54
The Big Steal returns with a new series exploring Russia's continuing journey towards an autocratic kleptocracy.
Whilst the world has been gripped by a global pandemic, President Pu...
ListenSERIES 2 NEWS + 'Taking Apart Terror' Taster from 2021-09-10T01:00
Gavin Esler brings us news of the upcoming Series 2 of The Big Steal. A new 3-part series coming later this month.
Plus - a sample of 'Taking Apart Terror' - a new podcast series from the...
ListenThe Big Steal – Epilogue from 2020-04-28T01:00
Gavin Esler talks to experts on Russia and its complicated political and economic landscape, to attempt to pull all the threads together and answer some of the questions that run through "the Bi...
ListenWhat comes after Putin? from 2020-04-17T01:00
What comes next? There are clear indications that Putin was behind meddling in the US election of 2016, and convincing arguments to suggest that he tested his tactics on the UK’s Brexit re...
ListenRussia's War Against Truth from 2020-04-07T01:00
A world of misinformation, disinformation, falsehoods, propaganda - the normalisation of lies. This episode focuses on the weapons used by the Putin regime to create chaos around the world. Char...
ListenFollow the Money from 2020-03-31T01:00
To understand Russia’s journey from Communism to kleptocracy in a generation, the best approach is to follow the money.
At the heart of the story is something called ‘Reiderst...
ListenThe American who made Putin Furious from 2020-03-24T02:00
In December 2013, Mikhail Khodorkovsky is pardoned by Putin for humanitarian reasons: his mother is sick. But whilst Khodorkovsky is released, others still remain in jail, or even worse, have be...
ListenThe Man in the Cage from 2020-03-17T00:12
Eight months after his arrest Mikhail Khodorkovsky is put on trial in a Moscow courtroom. It’s a show trial: Khodorkovsky is put in a cage; TV pictures are beamed all over the world, as if...
ListenThe Man Who Challenged Putin from 2020-03-10T02:00
By 2003 Yukos was a success story, but Putin’s premiership was not going so well. He’d failed to deal competently with the Kursk submarine disaster, and then the Moscow Theatre siege...
ListenFrom Communism to Kleptocracy from 2020-03-03T00:02
The Cold War is over and 70 years of Communist rule is flushed away. In Soviet Russia, capitalists risked being shot, but with Communism gone, Mikhail Khodorkovsky started a small bank, Menatep,...
ListenThe Rivals from 2020-03-03T00:01
In post-Soviet Russia, two men are rising through the ranks, but they are following different trajectories. One is a businessman: Mikhail Khodorkovsky is an entrepreneur, seizing opportunities a...
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