The war in the Ukraine has changed the way many European countries view Russian politics. Suddenly it became clear how dependent countries had become on Russian gas imports for decades and what Vladimir Putin was up to. However, no country needs more gas than Germany. It was only after Russia's invasion of the Ukraine that the German government realized that Russia had long used gas as a weapon to impose its will on states. The instrument created for this purpose is the natural gas production company GAZPROM. So how did Germany become so dependent on Russian gas? The documentary shows how, over several decades and several changes of government, a broad alliance of politicians and business representatives did everything possible to secure Germany's energy supply with cheap Russian gas, while the Kremlin's foreign policy became increasingly aggressive and the warnings of experts went unheeded.

Russian Lessons sees its two filmmaker-protagonists, Olga Konskaya and Andrei Nekrasov, report from different posts on the frontline of the 2008 Russian-Georgian war.

The film is a political fable that depicts the frail equilibrium of the world and questions the values of international politics. The film takes us through a critical year in the life of Georgia's young democracy- from the presidential election of January 2008 to the chaos of the war with Russia and the sobering aftermath - and raises questions about political responsibility and the morality of international affairs. The story is told through its main actors: the Georgian president, the Georgian government, the political opposition, foreign leaders, international delegations and organisations and the ordinary Georgian people.

Following a disastrous war against Russia, Georgian president Mikheil "Misha" Saakashvili finds himself ostracized by his western allies and facing demands to resign.