Best Russian documentary series

vDud (2017)

Yury Dud interviews famous figures, including musicians (mainly rappers), politicians, journalists, film directors, and businesspeople.

Russian Empire (2000)

A documentary series which presents a modern look at the history of the Russian state from 1697 to 1917. Each episode covers the reign of one or several monarchs from Peter I to Nicholas II.

The Decembrists (2017)

Together with a team of eminent historians, the producers have pieced together all the events that took place on 14 December 1825 from the beginning to the development and conclusion of the uprising, showing the parts played by the main participants and organizers. A chronologically assembled chain of historical events offers viewers the chance to conduct their own investigation into the case and work out what really happened on that fateful night in Senate Square almost two centuries ago.

Ничего личного (2021)

Soviet Storm: WWII in the East (2011)

Soviet Storm is a new and epic television history of the Second World War's Eastern Front. Giving an unprecedented Russian perspective on the war's most decisive and bloody theater.

Рюриковичи. История первой династии (2019)

Namedni (1997)

A series of documentary films chronicling life in ex-USSR and in the world year by year, by Leonid Parfyonov.

Перевал Дятлова: Охотники за правдой (2020)

InterNYET: A History Of The Russian Internet (2019)

Dashing authors, the first porn sites and the last bastards. How the Russian Internet appeared and how it changed: from complete freedom to the appearance of censorship and the law on isolation.

The Romanovs (2013)

An elegantly produced documentary divided into eight parts and running nearly seven hours in length, The Romanovs beautifully encapsulates the epic story of the Russian Dynasty over the course of over three hundred years.

Russia's War: Blood Upon the Snow (1996)

Documentary covering Stalin and the Soviet Union's war with Nazi Germany.

The Great War (2010)

Udarnaja sila (2002)

1812 (Napoleonic Wars in Russia) (2012)

Ген высоты, или как пройти на Эверест (2017)

1812-1815. Заграничный поход (2014)

Tur de France (2010)

Открытый космос (2010)

Perfect Russia with Alexei Navalny (2017)

Alexey Navalny goes live at 8 p.m. Moscow, on Thursdays. When he hopefully is not sent to jail

Podstrochnik (2009)

Lilianna Lungina, a revered Russian translator, is analyzing the major events of the 20th century through the prism of her own life. Born in USSR, she has lived in Germany, Palestine and France, and witnessed wars, purges and famine.

Реутов ТВ (2010)

The investigation was conducted (2006)

The author's cycle of documentary programs of the NTV channel about the most high-profile crimes committed in the USSR. The story is accompanied by stories about the daily life of the inhabitants of the USSR. Presenter - Leonid Kanevskiy. Documentary television films are devoted to criminal cases from 1917 to 1991.

Confession (1998)

Originally aired on Russian television, this five-part semi-documentary series tells the story of a Russian naval commander in charge of an Arctic-based ship. The film provokes a poetic meditation on solitude and isolation, while revealing the daily duties associated with the ship. Voice-over narration by the commander, other sailors, and even a third-person voice provide the "confession" of the title.

Chkalov (2012)

The story about the unknown pages of the life brigade commander Valery Chkalov, whose biography is full of mysteries, many years carefully hidden from the eyes and ears of the people, and at the same time - the history of aviation in the formation of our country. The story begins with a period of study Valery, and ends with his legendary non-stop flight from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1937.

Peter I: The Last Tsar and the First Emperor (2023)

The figure of Peter the Great, as well as the era of his formation and reign, still excites the minds of people all over the world. The creators of the project will show how the last Russian tsar ascended the throne, although he was the fourteenth child in the family; how he won access to the sea when there was no professional army and navy in the country; and how in just a few decades he brought the Russian Empire to world leaders.

Challenge. About the Film that Conquered Space (2023)

A story about the feature film "The Challenge", shot in space.

История российских компьютерных игр (2023)

President of All Russia (1998)

The four—part documentary about the first president of Russia is an attempt to understand the controversial personality of Boris Yeltsin without bias. Relatives and friends, allies and opponents tell about his actions in critical situations, about how decisions were made that determined the fate of the country. In addition to the official chronicle, the film uses unique footage of departmental and amateur filming, as well as testimonies from people who have always avoided publicity.

Watching and discussing (2010)

Smotrim… Obsuzhdaem… (Watching and discussing) is a weekly prime time talk show, the only one to show creative, feature length documentaries in Russia. The show is broadcast Saturday evenings at 19.30 by Rossia-K (a.k.a. Kultura) channel. The channel is a part of the All-Russian State TV and Radio Company and can be accessed by almost 75 percent of the country’s population. The films (52 minutes to 2 hours) are followed by 39 minutes of in-studio discussion moderated by Vladimir Khotinenko.The concept of the show belongs to Sergei Miroshnichenko and Grigory Libergal who also select the films for the program.

DDT Time (2001)

Four part documentary telling the story of the rock band DDT