A joint documentary by journalists Igor Belyaev and Nikolay Gerasimov

It features archival footage of Mikhail Gorbachev filmed by the authors during the final days of the USSR in December 1991, interspersed with commentary from Gorbachev himself, taken during an interview ten years later, on November 10, 2001. The film was produced by the Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (RTR) on November 10, 2001. 

Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (RTR).© 2001

A Joint Documentary by Journalists Igor Belyaev and Nikolay Gerasimov

 The documentary jointly created by journalists Igor Belyaev and Nikolay Gerasimov constitutes a unique historical and documentary record of one of the most dramatic periods in modern world history—the final days of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The film is based on authentic archival footage personally filmed by the authors in December 1991, when the final dissolution of the largest state of the twentieth century was taking place.

 The documentary derives its exceptional historical significance from the fact that its archival footage was recorded by eyewitnesses who were present during the events themselves. The authors' cameras captured the atmosphere of the era, public sentiment, and the political environment at the very moment when the history of the Soviet Union was coming to an end and a new geopolitical reality was emerging.

 The central figure of the documentary is Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, the first and last President of the USSR. The archival footage from December 1991 is seamlessly interwoven with his subsequent reflections expressed ten years later during an exclusive interview conducted on November 10, 2001. This juxtaposition enables viewers to observe not only the progression of historical events but also the evolution of Gorbachev's own interpretation of those events over the course of a decade.

 The editorial structure of the documentary is built upon the sequential alternation of original historical footage and Mikhail Gorbachev's own commentary. This creates a unique historical dialogue between the events of 1991 and their retrospective interpretation ten years later, substantially enhancing the analytical and research value of the film.

 The authors do not limit themselves to the mere presentation of archival material. Instead, the documentary footage serves as the foundation for a deeper understanding of the political processes that accompanied the collapse of the Soviet era, while allowing viewers to independently assess the significance of the governmental decisions made during this pivotal historical period.

 The use of authentic archival video recordings provides the documentary with an exceptional degree of credibility. These materials constitute direct visual evidence of historical events and preserve unique footage of considerable documentary, historical, and scholarly importance for future generations.

 One of the documentary's principal strengths lies in its professional integration of investigative journalism, historical archival footage, and exclusive interviews. This approach ensures an objective presentation of events and transforms the film into a valuable source of visual historical documentation of interest to scholars, historians, political scientists, and the broader public alike.

 The documentary was produced by the Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (RTR) on November 10, 2001. The participation of one of Russia's leading national broadcasting organizations ensured a high professional production standard while preserving the archival materials in a broadcast-quality television format.

 Today, this production represents not merely a television documentary but also an important historical source that allows contemporary audiences to trace the relationship between authentic archival footage recorded during the final days of the Soviet Union and the later reflections of the individual who stood at the very center of one of the twentieth century's most consequential political transformations.

 The joint work of journalists Igor Belyaev and Nikolay Gerasimov constitutes a significant contribution to the preservation of the documentary heritage of the Soviet Union's dissolution. By combining unique archival footage filmed in December 1991 with Mikhail Gorbachev's exclusive interview recorded ten years later, the documentary retains its historical, academic, and public significance, remaining an important audiovisual testimony to one of the defining turning points in modern world history.