Full episode
763: The Other Mr. President
Act Three

Maybe Pay a Little Attention to the Man behind the Curtain

Disinformation and propaganda works differently in Putin’s Russia than it did during the Soviet Union. Instead of tamping down the opposition, the Russian government works to control the opposition. Producer Sean Cole introduces us to Putin’s former right hand man who was credited with inventing this new way of controlling information. One of the journalists Sean speaks to in this story is Peter Pomerantsev. He’s the author of the book, "Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia." (15 minutes)