He is amongst the world’s most controversial politicians – Wladimir Putin. But who is Putin? What are his motives, his goals? This personal portrait by Grimme Award winner Hubert Seipel paints a diverse picture based on exclusive interviews and close observation of the man and the politician, who is also an embodiment of German-Russian history since his KGB time in the GDR.

Written and directed by Hubert Seipel Director of photography Axel Brandt Sound Ilhan Coskun, André Stahl, Vincent Muhsik, Jürgen Kornatz Location Manager Moritz Widmann Production manager Claudia Haselhorst Line Producer Jörg Kunkel Executive producer Ulrich Lenze Editorial Manager Patricia Schlesinger, Kuno Haberbusch, Christoph Mestmacher (NDR), Katja Wildermuth (MDR), Rolf Bergmann(rbb), Björn Thönicke (ServusTV) Locations Moscow, St. Petersburg, Siberia, Sotchi, Berlin, London Broadcast 27.02.2012, ARD Shooting period Oct 2011 - Feb 2012 Produced for NDR, RBB, MDR, ServusTV. Funded by nordmedia in Niedersachsen and Bremen. » back