Putin and Zelensky: This forbidden documentary paints their portraits a year after the invasion of Ukraine

Today marks one year and one day since Russia invaded Ukraine. Against this backdrop of war, ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos produced the documentary Two Men at War about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It will be broadcast in March 2022 on the American channel, and Disney+ has been offering it on its platform since yesterday.

For 366 days, what the Russian president describes as “Special military operation“Eastern Ukraine is witnessing near-daily shelling of the country’s residential areas and violence perpetrated by the Russian army and Wagner militia.

Although Putin is condemned by much of the international community for his actions, Ukrainian President Zelensky has become a hero to his country, as well as the Western world, as he steadfastly continues to fight for freedom. Today, the eyes of the entire world are on the two world leaders, Putin and Zelensky, and George Stephanopoulos’s documentary chronicles their careers in detail.

Based on images and interviews taken by ABC News teams in the field, the documentary chronicles the events that marked the two men’s careers. It is a cross-portrait of two personalities against whom everything is opposed. Nostalgic for the Soviet Union, Vladimir Putin has only one obsession: to reform the Russian Empire at any cost. On the contrary, Volodymyr Zelensky is a product of what followed the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Turning to the West, he dreams of a country free from corruption and fully autonomous.

Two Men at War painstakingly examines how the two men rose to power, the stark differences in their leadership, and the elements of history that led to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Also included are interviews with figures such as former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, President Zelensky’s former press secretary, Yulia Mandel, and Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton.

The documentary does not shy away from the brutality of Vladimir Putin, a former KGB agent who was strongly suspected of ordering the murders of his political opponents, including whistleblower Alexander Litvinenko and journalist Anna Politkovskaya. At the same time, Stephanopoulos analyzes Zelensky’s rise from folk singer to inspiration through his Servant of the People series to become an internationally admired statesman.

Finally, the documentary ends with the humanitarian crisis that Ukrainian citizens face after being forced from their homes.