Ep 5: The Department of Disinformation

In the West, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is always seen as one of two things: KGB spy or judo master. But to anyone who’s ever lived in the Soviet Union, Putin is something else entirely: a street kid. Join journalist Julia Ioffe as she explores how Putin’s childhood taught him lessons that shape his thinking and actions to this day.

As the war rages in Ukraine, experts examine the power of information and disinformation in the battle between democracy and autocracy--in Ukraine, Russia, and the United States.

Four CIA veterans explore how American intelligence is shaping the battlefield in Ukraine--and taking the fight to Russia.

Russia is committing atrocities, destroying cities and killing thousands of civilians in Ukraine. But Putin’s dreams of conquest are being shattered – first and foremost by the will of the Ukrainian people – but also by American counter-efforts. And now, as Ukraine fights for freedom, democracy, and truth, so does the world. In two new episodes, C13Originals re-teams with Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author Tim Weiner to expand the acclaimed documentary series with a new focus on the war in Ukraine, Russia’s threat to democracy, and the roles of intelligence and disinformation in 21st century political warfare.

As the United States moves on from the Trump presidency, it begins adjusting to meet the demands of 21st century geopolitics. In the final episode of the series, host Tim Weiner is joined by Linda Robinson, a a senior international/defense researcher at the RAND Corporation, and David Sanger, the chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times, to discuss deep fakes, cyberattacks, and the future of political warfare. In partnership with Cadence13, Jigsaw Productions and a production of Prologue Projects.

By undermining trust in facts and institutions, Donald Trump hasn’t just charted a new path for American government — he has followed a playbook perfected by Vladimir Putin. Host Tim Weiner is joined by John Brennan, former director of the CIA; journalist Masha Gessen; and his daughter Emma BB Doyle, who works in food justice and thinks he might be wrong about everything. In partnership with Cadence13, Jigsaw Productions and a production of Prologue Projects.

In 2014, Russia began carrying out a new kind of Internet-based political warfare. It was an attack so brazen and so novel that American intelligence did not understand it until it was too late. Host Tim Weiner is joined by New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt, former FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok, and CNN analyst Asha Rangappa. In partnership with Cadence13, Jigsaw Productions and a production of Prologue Projects.

Russia develops new tools for political warfare in the 21st century, making Estonia and Ukraine victims of a new kind of combat - cyberwarfare - and laying the groundwork for an attack against the United States in 2016. Host Tim Weiner is joined by former Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former director of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre Merle Maigre, and cybersecurity analyst Kenneth Geers. In partnership with Cadence13, Jigsaw Productions and a production of Prologue Projects.

The Cold War finally ends, but a series of American actions in the 1990s lay the groundwork for renewed tensions. Host Tim Weiner is joined by Andrei Kozyrev, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1991 to 1996, and Doug Wise, a CIA veteran and former Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. In partnership with Cadence13, Jigsaw Productions and a production of Prologue Projects.

The KGB specialized in fake news, and its Department of Disinformation successfully spread lies around the world. But starting in the 1980s, America began to fight back. Host Tim Weiner is joined by two members of that fight, Dr. Kathleen Bailey and Dr. John Lenczowski. In partnership with Cadence13, Jigsaw Productions and a production of Prologue Projects.