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>> There's this grievance that's
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eating away at Vladimir Putin.
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>> The FBI detected more
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attempts...
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>> Russian hackers are behind
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those attacks.
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>> NARRATOR: America in the
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crosshairs.
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>> This is the first time they
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have gone out and weaponized
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that information.
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>> He's going to employ whatever
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means he can to undermine the
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United States.
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>> NARRATOR: Tonight on
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"Frontline," in a special
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two-part investigation, the epic
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inside story of "Putin's
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Revenge."
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>> We are now only a few days
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away from electing the next
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president of the United
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States...
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>> ...turning its attention
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back to the election...
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>> ...with the election just
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days away...
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>> NARRATOR: Election Day 2016.
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As Americans headed to the
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polls, U.S. intelligence
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agencies were on high alert.
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>> ...making the urgent push to
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get out the vote.
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>> Well, in the days before the
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election, there was constant
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interaction between the experts
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at C.I.A., FBI, and NSA.
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We were monitoring and using our
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collection capabilities to
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understand what the Russians
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might have up their sleeve at
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the 11th hour.
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>> Breaking news here: Wikileaks
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is about to release
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"significant material tied to
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Hillary Clinton."
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>> The campaign is doing damage
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control tonight after Wikileaks
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released...
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>> NARRATOR: The intelligence
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agencies had been tracking a
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multi-pronged effort to
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influence voters: leaks of
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hacked emails; ads on Facebook
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and Google; on social media,
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trolls and bots spreading fake
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news-- all, they believed,
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connected to Russian President
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Vladimir Putin.
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>> This was the most aggressive
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and most direct and most
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assertive campaign that the
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Russians ever mounted in the
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history of our elections.
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And what characterized this
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were the variety and intensity
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of the techniques that they
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employed.
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>> NARRATOR: Now they detected
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what they call O.P.E.--
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operational preparation of the
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environment.
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>> The Russians will map the
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architecture and the
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environment of their targets.
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>> NARRATOR: The target: state
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electoral systems, registration
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databases, voter information.
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>> I'll never forget one day,
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John Brennan said to me, "I'm
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going to come brief you."
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Now, it was not often that the
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C.I.A. director, by himself,
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came to DHS to meet with me, by
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myself, to share intelligence.
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>> NARRATOR: Brennan had told
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Johnson the cyber-intrusions,
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traced to Russia, could be the
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first step in a plan to directly
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interfere with voting.
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>> The thing that immediately
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has to come to you is, "Hey,
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somebody might be trying to
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eliminate from the rolls voters
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in key states, in key precincts
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through a very targeted, careful
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effort."
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You could really do a lot of
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damage.
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>> ...Going to the polls,
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casting their ballots...
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>> History will be made today...
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>> NARRATOR: Inside the
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administration, the question:
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Just how far would Putin go?
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>> I didn't know if the Russians
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were going to do anything at
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all.
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And I thought if they did, it
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clearly would be a sign that
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Putin had authorized an
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aggressive assault against this
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country that to me would have
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been tantamount to, to war.
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♪ ♪
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>> NARRATOR: It would be
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Vladimir Putin's revenge for a
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lifetime of grievances.
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>> Mr. Gorbachev, tear down
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this wall.
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>> NARRATOR: Reviving the old
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Cold War with new weapons.
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>> We have the responsibility to
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advance freedom and democracy.
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>> NARRATOR: An epic struggle.
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>> Everywhere that freedom
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stirs, let tyrants fear.
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>> NARRATOR: Between the leader
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of Russia and American
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democracy.
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>> The United States will
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continue to stand up for
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democracy and the universal
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rights that all human beings
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deserve.
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(man speaking Russian)
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>> NARRATOR: The story begins on
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New Year's Eve 1999.
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In Moscow, the future of Russia
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was about to change.
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With his country in turmoil,
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President Boris Yeltsin had an
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announcement to make.
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>> President Yeltsin rose on
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immense popularity, his sense of
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love and admiration, was
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progressively losing that.
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>> NARRATOR: Across Russia they
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tuned in.
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>> (translated): I have made a
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decision.
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I've been thinking about it
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painfully for a long time.
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Today, at the last day of the
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departing century, I am
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resigning.
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>> I watched it on December 31.
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I remember I was crying my eyes
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out.
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He just said, "Forgive me for
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what I haven't managed to
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achieve."
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>> (translated): I want to ask
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your forgiveness, for many of
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our dreams have not come true.
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(Yeltsin speaking Russian)
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And for the things that seemed
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easy, but turned out to be
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excruciatingly difficult.
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>> He gave this absolutely
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heartbreaking speech.
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He said that he wished that he
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had done a better job by the
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Russian people.
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And he said, "I'm tired, and I'm
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leaving."
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It was... It was impossible not
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to cry.
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>> NARRATOR: Yeltsin's final act
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as president: the father of
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Russian democracy turned over
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the country to his little-known
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prime minister, a former KGB
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officer.
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(Yeltsin speaking Russian)
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>> (translated): I have signed a
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decree giving the
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responsibilities of the
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president of Russia to Prime
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Minister Vladimir Putin.
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(man speaking Russian)
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>> NARRATOR: The new president
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escorted Yeltsin out of the
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Kremlin.
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(speaking Russian)
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>> (translated): Next to him, a
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young Putin was standing.
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And Yeltsin shook his hand.
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And this famous footage,
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actually, the whole world saw.
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And Yeltsin said, "Take care of
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Russia."
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Just those words.
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"Take care of Russia."
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>> Yeltsin's resignation came as
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a complete surprise to almost
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everyone.
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Even Yeltsin's top ministers
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didn't know about...
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>> NARRATOR: From his first days
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as president, Vladimir Putin was
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obsessed with creating the
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appearance of a 21st-century
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leader.
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>> ...decision to step down
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could not have come at a better
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time for Prime Minister Putin,
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Yeltsin's choice...
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>> NARRATOR: He commissioned
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film and photo shoots.
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>> He is a man who is obsessed
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with TV.
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He watches tapes of the evening
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news over and over and over
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again to see how he's portrayed,
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to see how he looks.
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(conversation in Russian)
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>> He wears very good suits like
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any other Western leader.
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He speaks fluent German and he
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understands English.
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>> NARRATOR: Putin cultivated
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the image of a reformer and a
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democrat.
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>> Russian narrative was the
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victory of democracy, the
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triumph of popular will, that
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sort of thing.
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So a young guy who speaks a
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foreign language fits into that
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narrative as long as you ignore
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everything else about him.
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>> NARRATOR: Putin quickly
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learned how to sell himself with
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the help of his public relations
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guru.
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(man speaking Russian)
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>> (translated): He began to
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think that everything can be
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manipulated.
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Any kind of press, any TV
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program is all about
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manipulation.
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It was decided what TV channels
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would show what news.
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>> NARRATOR: They made sure a
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dynamic, vital and charismatic
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Putin was on display for all
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Russians to see.
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>> He's healthy.
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He's young.
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He's virile.
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He casts himself as a savior.
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Temperamentally and in style, he
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is the anti-Yeltsin.
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He's bringing back a kind of
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dignity and strength to the
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Russian presidency that had been