What do we really know about about Russia?

Almost everyday Russia is in the headlines and since the invasion of Ukraine started, there are numerous news stories which are designed to shape public opinion. But what do we actually know about Russia and the changes within the country over the past 40 years? 

Back in the 1980’s, people in the West celebrated Perestroika and Glasnost and at the end of the Cold War, the West hailed Mikhail Gorbachev as a hero for bringing Communism to an end. In the 1990’s Boris Yeltsin became the face of Russian democracy, whilst overseeing the transition of the country’s resources from state ownership into private hands. 

But what did all of this mean for the people of Russia and those within the former USSR? This is what is explored in the powerful BBC documentary series TraumaZone: Russia 1985-1999, which is made up of seven parts and weaves together archival footage from the BBC and other sources. 

TraumaZone is powerful because it provides an insight into the many changes across the former Soviet Union -without narration- and all comments are provided by ordinary people (with subtitles). This series also illustrates the relationships between Russia and its neighbor’s, using archival footage from Ukraine, Poland, Afghanistan, Chechnya and others. 

TraumaZone is true to its word and shows ‘what it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracy’. It also makes audiences think more deeply about what’s currently going on across Eastern Europe and raises some serious questions in to the very heart of democracy itself.