The Great Divide
Is St Petersburg still Russia's 'window on the west' ?
Is St Petersburg still the 'window on the west' as Peter the Great intended it or merely 'window-dressing' for the west in Putin's Russia? It may have all the gloss of a Western capital, but how deep does that really go?
"Personally I'm very happy that things have changed and communism is a thing of the past ...but don't be under any illusion that we've become a civilised country that shares your values, it'll be decades before that really happens here." Dr Andrey Kupachov.
Written and presented by Bridget Kendall.
Picture: The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg, Credit: Getty Images
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Russia—麻豆社 World Service Archive
From the Russian Empire and the revolution to perestroika and Putin.
麻豆社 World Service Archive
This programme was restored as part of the World Service archive project