The Puppet Master Episode 2. Ascension

Published: March 25, 2019, 10:10 a.m.

This is the story of the most powerful man you\u2019ve never heard of.

He can spot an ex-spy with presidential potential and help turn him into a world leader. He creates opposition movements out of thin air. He\u2019s got a nation\u2019s news directors on speed dial. Billionaires seek his advice. He\u2019s even got his own little war. He\u2019s at the heart of the standoff between East and West. Some even credit him with pioneering the concept of post-truth politics. Yet few even know his name.

He is Vladislav Surkov. And in this episode, Gabriel Gatehouse charts his rise from small-town Russia to the heights of power in the Kremlin.