The Documentary Podcast

In April 2022, two months after Russia invaded Ukraine, a man in his thirties called Victor Muller Ferreira flew into Amsterdam airport using a Brazilian passport. He was identified by the Dutch authorities as Russian national Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov and immediately sent back to Brazil, where investigations by both the FBI and the Brazilian police identified him as a Russian intelligence officer. He had been living in Brazil, undercover, for years, with a well-developed personal 'legend', or cover story, that included a passion for Forró, a popular Brazilian partner-dance. Cherkasov is currently serving a five year prison sentence in Brazil for identity fraud, and Russia demands his extradition.
Leandro Prazeres of BBC News Brazil - who happens to be a big fan of Forró himself - and BBC Russian's Olga Ivshina unpack the story of this 'fake Brazilian' and explore the history and motivations of Russia's network of so-called 'illegals', or deep cover spies.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Irena Taranyuk.)

With the 2026 Winter Olympics well under way in Italy, we look to the most powerful woman in sport - the International Olympics Committee president, Kirsty Coventry. The most decorated African Olympian of all time, the 42-year-old mother-of-two made history as both the first African and the first woman to hold the title when she was elected last year. With seven Olympic medals and several World Records under her belt, she decided to take on a role at the International Olympic Committee, quickly climbing the ranks. Mark Coles examines how she got here.

Millions flock to Spain’s Sagrada Família to marvel at its towering tree-like columns, remarkable displays of light and ornate stonework. One hundred years after the master architect Antoni Gaudí’s death, Spanish journalist Lluís Amiguet explores why so many people, regardless of faith, come to visit a Barcelona church that is still far from finished. Amiguet hears how Gaudí was inspired by what he called “The Great Book Of Nature” and learns how this might have been of particular interest to visitors from Japan who were among the first to come and see Gaudí’s work. He meets Japanese architect Hiroya Tanaka who believes there are secret codes hidden within Gaudi’s plans, talks to Òscar Tusquets who organised a petition for work to stop on the church before suddenly changing his mind and he tours the towers of the world’s tallest church.

For World Radio Day 2026, we visit WMMT in Whitesburg, Kentucky, one of many small community radio stations in the US existentially threatened by cuts to government funding. At a moment when news has become increasingly polarised, these stations are even more needed, often providing communities with their only source of essential information and emergency warnings. WMMT was founded in 1985 with a mission to “be a voice of mountain people’s music, culture and social issues.” Known to listeners as "Possum Radio" or "Real People Radio," WMMT broadcasts to the coalfield communities of eastern Kentucky and neighbouring Appalachian counties, home to people whose voices are among the least heard in the United States. Station manager Jared Hamilton is scrambling to raise funds to keep it on the air. At this critical moment in America's history, the station is helping to keep the community steady with one foot in Appalachia’s traditions and the other in the future.

Why does President Trump really want Greenland? The Arctic territory is rich in vital minerals and oil. And it hosts an important American military base as the race for dominance in the Arctic heats up between China, Russia and the USA. But drill down beneath Trump's stated reasons and the true picture is less clear. A financier-turned-MAGA operative and his Greenlandic protégé, the small print of right-wing wish list Project 2025, and a penchant for big places on maps might better explain the recent diplomatic crisis. Lucy Proctor delves into the backstory to Trump's insistence on acquiring Greenland.