The Kremlin’s reporter

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 4 October 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Pavel Zarubin has access to President Putin that other journalists can only dream of. He interviews him regularly, and travels around the world covering huge geopolitical meetings, even posting to his vast social media audience from Putin's meetings with Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, and even from under the table of Putin's meeting with Kim Jong Un. BBC Russian's Elizaveta Fokht traces his career from truth seeking young reporter, to being the President's favoured journalist. Sana Mir is one of Pakistan’s most famous cricket players. She played for her country in 226 matches, captaining the team in 137 of them. Being a woman in cricket in Pakistan was not always easy for her, but she has been very outspoken about the sexism and body shaming she faced as a professional athlete. She recently was the first Pakistani woman to be inducted into the International Cricket Council’s hall of fame, and Nazish Fiaz of BBC Urdu went to interview her.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Faranak Amidi

Produced by Rebecca Moore and Caroline Ferguson

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:06.0	Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.
0:13.8	You're listening The Fifth Floor.
0:17.6	The Fifth Floor, you know you.
0:20.0	You're like the fifth floor, Farn you. This is the fifth floor
0:23.2	Farnak Amidi, Sobath.
0:26.7	This is the fifth floor
0:28.5	at the heart of global
0:30.4	storytelling with BBC
0:32.2	journalists from all around the world.
0:35.0	I'm your host, Faranak Amidi.
0:40.7	Russian politicians all around the world. I'm your host, Faranak Amidy. Russian President Vladimir Putin is known to be an elusive leader. Getting access to him is
0:47.6	incredibly difficult, especially for a journalist. There is only one journalist who seems to have
0:53.8	real and regular access to Putin,
0:57.2	and it is through his reporting that many people around the world learn about the Russian leader.
1:03.4	He is called Pavel Zarubin, and he is known for his unique access to Putin and his extremely
1:09.8	flattering coverage.
1:12.2	Elizabeth Fault of BBC Russian has been looking into the Kremlin's favorite reporter and joins me today to tell me more about him.
1:20.3	Lisa, as always, welcome to the fifth floor.
1:23.8	Hi, thank you for having me.
1:25.5	Lisa, Pavel Zarubin.
1:35.6	He first came to people's attention on a TV program or a segment called Moscow Kremlin Putin.
	...

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