Insight with Bridget Kendall: In the shadows of Russia’s glitzy facade. FULLY BOOKED

BBC Diplomatic Correspondent Bridget Kendall talks about Russia beyond the glamour of Moscow and St Petersburg and what the Russians think of Vladimir Putin’s rule.

With British-Russian relations at all time low, Russian Federation remains a mysterious country. Its economy is booming and Putin enjoys levels of popularity many western leaders can only dream about.
 
Bridget Kendall has been BBC diplomatic correspondent since 1998. Russia has always been one of her specialist topics.

She is a regular presenter for the BBC’s flagship interactive programme Have Your Say for which she interviewed former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. She has also interviewed President Putin twice

She has made several documentaries for BBC television including profiles of Vladimir Putin, Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev, as well as a documentary on the rise of Russian nationalism. She recently returned from Russia where she reported on its provincial life for the Today programme.

Moderated by Tom Fenton – writer and broadcaster.