Having twice spoken to us on Zoom about Russia, Stephen Dalziel returned in person for his third fascinating talk.

After Army service he went on to become the BBC’s Russian expert, interviewing many of the Soviet Union’s leading figures. He traced the East’s distrust of the West to the split of the Christian church in the 15^th century.

Drawing on his experiences and insights he spoke of the Cold War, the impact of Gorbachev, the break up of the Soviet Union and the rise of Vladimir Putin. The total control of Russia now achieved by Putin could see him retaining office for another 15 years.