Putin and the Five Seas War
A geopolitical journey to the heart of a monumental project, the “Five Seas System”, a network of Russian waterways designed by Putin and based on Russian imperialism, linking Russia to five seas: the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, the Caspian Sea, the Baltic Sea and the White Sea.
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)DocumentaryGenre en anglaisGeopoliticalWritten and directed byThomas JohnsonEditingJérôme LegrandCinematographyOlivier RaffetOriginal score Benoit PimontSupported by CNC, La ProcirepBroadcasted by ARTEYear2025Duration52 min
Since coming to power, Vladimir Putin has pursued an ambitious yet little-known goal: restoring Russia’s greatness by reclaiming control over the “Five Seas.” Inspired by Peter the Great and Stalin, this vision aims to make Moscow a maritime power. From the 2008 war in Georgia to the 2014 annexation of Crimea, the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and recent tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh, each conflict follows the same pattern: using maritime regions as tools of reconquest and influence. Putin wages military actions and a hybrid war — blending military action, political and economic control, and digital interference. With exclusive archives, testimonies from experts, and on-the-ground footage from Georgia, Estonia, and Finland, Putin and the Five Seas War unveils a neo-imperial project long underestimated by the West.
A crucial documentary for understanding a geopolitical strategy driven by nationalism, trade routes, energy ambitions, and imperial memory.
In the press
An enlightening lesson in geopolitics on Russian doctrine. Western naiveté should take a hit.
Télérama
You might also like
Panic in the Baltic
After the end of the Cold War, the Baltic was viewed almost as a quiet backwater. A nice place to visit to see charming Hanseatic cities and sandy beaches. But since the war in Ukraine the Baltic…