VPRO - Borderland From Latvia to Kazakhstan (2015) Part 7 The Wild East

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the disintegration of the Soviet Union has been the biggest political disaster of the twentieth century. And in this he is not alone. Many Russians long for the security of the Soviet Union and the territories that belong to it. They want Russia to revert to the world stage. The annexation of the Crimea in February 2014 therefore increased Putin's popularity in his own country. But what brought triumph in Russia led to fear in neighboring countries. These are countries that often have a long history of domination by Russia or the Soviet Union. Or countries that, like Ukraine, have a large Russian-speaking minority. Ever since Roman times, they form the border between Europe and Russia, and have been under the boot of both sides. For these countries, it is a challenge to get closer to Europe without waking up the wrath of Russia. The future will indicate whether that is possible. The Russian annexation of the Crimea is the main geopolitical development in Europe after the fall of the Wall. The question is what the consequences will be. Are we heading to a new cold war? Or will it be a hot war in which Russia will expand to the West? How are the relationships between mighty Russia and the former Soviet countries? Is Russia really such an aggressive country and does Putin in the former Soviet countries control the pro-Russian groups he supports with money and sometimes with weapons? What do they think in the surrounding countries of recent developments? How do you deal with the Russian minorities in their country? What image do the Russians and their neighbors have in each other? Jelle Brandt Corstius sheds light on these questions and goes into eight episodes on research into the current situation in the border between Europe and Russia. In a journey from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, and east to the steppes of Kazakhstan, Jelle talks to residents about what they see as their truth- or reality.

Part 7 The Wild East

For more than a year, a dirty battle has been going on in the 'Donbass'; an area rich in coal and industry in eastern Ukraine. More than six thousand victims have been fallen. Jelle talks with Russian rebels at the front, what kind of people are they? He also visits the opera of Donetsk where every day is a performance, war or no war.

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