There's gift I've ever received has to be a bike when I was younger, a pedal bike.

It was a sort of slick little road bike and I remember it was all like it was so it was all wrapped up

but it was so obvious what it was obviously because nothing shaped like a bike and I had a little ribbon on it

and I was so guest. For that was a life changer and I'm still sort of big on cycling around my area now

so for that one change me a little.

Joy in every sip with red cups now back at Starbucks.

Back in January there was this moment where Ben Judah thought there is something wrong with Vladimir Putin.

Ben has written a book about Putin so he was watching official Kremlin video of the president celebrating Orthodox Christmas.

The video shows only Putin himself totally alone listening to a religious service lighting candles.

And it's really a haunting video that we will see in many documentaries far into the future of this one man completely alone in a gold clad chapel.

His legs buckling slightly as if he's unwell.

He kind of gulps. He like gulps and his face is red.

And his face twitches very strangely.

What stood out to Ben was how isolated Putin looked.

Ever since the pandemic started Russia's president has kept to himself.

He's been noticing those pictures of him, meeting with other world leaders. Putin's on one side of an extremely long table.

His counterparts are yards away.

Has Putin always been alone like this?

Are the answers no?

Vladimir Putin has been in power almost 23 years.

That's a generation. There are millions and millions of Russians that have never known the country without him.

Over time, if we look at the political science, popular strongmen tend to turn into leaders of authoritarian regimes.

...