What You Do Not Know About Russia

In 1999, Boris Yeltsin appointed Vladimir Putin as acting president. Putin’s use of coercive diplomacy led to the rise of global crude oil prices, which improved Russian people’s standards of living, and won him public support. In 2007, United Russia, the ruling party led by Putin, won the majority of votes, and remained in power. Putin consolidated Russia’s economic power. However, seeing the rise of nationalism and the fact that dissidents are silenced, how should we interpret the Russian-style democracy? 



About the Documentary

For God, Tsar and the Fatherland

The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and Russia started to embrace “managed democracy.” Russians believe such type of democracy is ideal for Russia. However, the West remains in doubt. Is Putin’s high approval rating the result of people’s rational choices, or the outcome of irrational populist sentiment?