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Putin's web of influence - The Nord Stream trap

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May 7, 2025

Vladimir Putin wants to extend Moscow's influence within Europe. His strategy: getting influential personalities on his side and infiltrating political institutions. Is he succeeding?

To illustrate the extent of Moscow’s influence, the investigative documentary sheds light on key events of the last decade. Investigators suspect that many sabotage actions in Europe, some of which triggered political earthquakes, were directly ordered by the Russian leadership. 
In 2017, Russian network trolls and spies interfered in the Catalan independence movement on behalf of the Kremlin -- with the aim of causing the separatists to break with Madrid. 
In northern Germany, Kremlin envoys forged alliances with politicians to finalize the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and secure western Europe's dependence on Russian energy. In the process, a former GDR state security informer close to Putin managed to convince state and federal politicians to circumvent American sanctions. Putin's calculation: a Germany that’s dependent on Russian energy will be more politically docile.

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DocFilm

Exciting stories, a wide variety of topics, fascinating pictures: every day, half or three-quarters of an hour of carefully researched background reports from the worlds of politics, business, science, culture, nature, history, lifestyle and sport.