On 19 December 1989, just weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, ITN's cameras travelled to Dresden in East Germany, also known as the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, DDR) ahead of a visit by West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. As well as capturing scenes in the city centre, the crew focused their attention on the headquarters of the Stasi, the feared East German secret police.

The city of Dresden was at the time the posting of young KGB officer Vladimir Putin. Just two weeks before this footage was filmed, the 37-year-old Putin had watched from the KGB headquarters where he was stationed as crowds of protesters stormed the Stasi headquarters across the road. He hastily set about burning documents in fear that the KGB building would be the next target of the mob. The experience - along with the collapse of the USSR that he witnessed on his return to Russia - impacted him profoundly, and did much to shape the worldview of Russia's future president.

#EastGermany #DDR #Dresden #Communism #SovietUnion #SovietWave #Soviet #KGB #Stasi #Putin #VladimirPutin

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