How did Russia's Vladimir Putin become one of the world's most powerful leaders? Watch in Putin: The New Tsar

Watch Vladimir Putin: The New Tsar on BBC Selecta

Admired by former President Donald Trump and feared by his rivals, Putin: The New Tsar is an enthralling BBC political documentary on BBC Select that reveals the story of Vladimir Putin’s extraordinary rise to power.

From a lowly KGB colonel to Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s right-hand man and ultimately his successor, those from his inner circle, both close friends and bitter enemies, describe his often harsh methods.

Watch Putin: The New Tsar and more acclaimed documentaries on BBC Select today. Restrictions apply*.

More documentaries you might like...

Subscribe to BBC Select for hundreds of hours of thought - provoking, award-winning and critically-acclaimed documentaries from the BBC and beyond.

Thatcher and Reagan Documentary

Thatcher & Reagan

What was the attraction between these two world leaders and how did it change history?

Stream Kissinger: Statesman or War Criminal? on BBC Select

Kissinger: Statesman or War Criminal?

Henry Kissinger: canny political operator or a despicable war criminal?

Trump The Comeback Documentary

Trump: The Comeback?

Could Donald Trump return to the White House in 2024?

Stream The Making of Merkel on BBC Select

The Making of Merkel

The political journey of Germany’s formidable chancellor.

Watch Vladimir Putin's Russia on BBC Select

Putin's Russia

Votes for Vladimir. Meeting Putin’s biggest fans.

Watch Meet the Trumps: From Immigrant to President on BBC Select

Meet the Trumps: From Immigrant to President

The remarkable true story of Donald Trump’s family history.

Watch Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of Muammar Gaddafi on BBC Select

Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of Muammar Gaddafi

Regime of terror: a horrifying portrait of Libya’s leader from the insiders who made him.

Watch Louis Theroux: The Ultra Zionists on BBC Select

Louis Theroux: The Ultra Zionists

Louis Theroux gets close to the extreme end of the West Bank’s Jewish settler movement.

Watch Gandhi on BBC Select

Gandhi

His reputation is uncontroversial. The reality couldn’t be more different.

Watch Louis Theroux: The Return Of America’s Most Hated Family on BBC Select

Louis Theroux: The Return Of America’s Most Hated Family

What happens when you’ve become the US’s most reviled family? Louis pays another visit.

Watch Trump Takes on the World on BBC Select

Trump Takes on the World

Donald Trump's top advisers lift the lid on the critical moments of his foreign policy.

Watch Louis Theroux: Life on the Edge on BBC Select

Louis Theroux: Life on the Edge

Celebrate a magnificent quarter-century of documentary-making in Louis Theroux: Life on the Edge

Watch The Cult of Consiracy: QAnon documentary on BBC Select

The Cult of Conspiracy: QAnon

Who are QAnon and what effect are they having on US democracy?

Watch The Man Putin Couldn't Kill documentary on BBC Select

The Man Putin Couldn't Kill

Did Putin really try to kill a political rival with a plot involving poisoned underpants?

Stream Barack Obama Talks to David Olusaga

Barack Obama: Reflections On a Presidency with David Olusoga

In this revealing interview former President Barack Obama talks about his life and legacy.

Stream Nixon - In the Den on BBC Select

Nixon in the Den

Was President Nixon a visionary on China? Davin Reynolds investigates in Nixon in the Den

Watch China: A New World Order on BBC Select

China: A New World Order

President Xi Jinping’s extraordinary first years ruling China.

Stream Africa and Britain: A Forgotten History on BBC Select

Africa and Britain: A Forgotten History

From slavery to settlement, award-winning historian David Olusoga explores the history of black Britain.

Stream Are You Scared Yet, Human? on BBC Select

Are You Scared Yet, Human?

Should we worry about the effect that Artificial Intelligence could have on our lives?

Stream The Trump Show on BBC Select

The Trump Show

Protests, impeachment, and a pandemic: A front row seat to Trump’s unpredictable Presidency.

Stream The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler - Leading Millions into the Abyss on BBC Select

The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler: Leading Millions into the Abyss

From failure to Fuhrer. How did Adolf Hitler charm the German people?

Stream American History's Biggest Fibs on BBC Select

American History's Biggest Fibs

American history is fake, fact? Historian Lucy Worlsey delves deeper into US mythology.

BBC Select free trial

BBC Select is available on Amazon Prime Video Channels and the Apple TV app for only $6.99 a month. Start a 30-day free trial and watch a range of acclaimed documentaries from the BBC and beyond. Restrictions apply*.