Actor Kirill Kyaro spoke German for a role in the detective story "Dear Willy"

The REN TV channel will show the premiere of "Dear Willy" on November 1. This is the story of former German Chancellor Willy Brandt, who secretly reached an agreement with the Soviet Union on cooperation, thereby avoiding a global catastrophe. Izvestia correspondent Vitaly Chashchukhin shared details about the historical context of the tape.

"If someone in the 70s had said that the "nuclear option" was on the table, it would have caused a storm of indignation. Now no one really cares about it — everything is perceived as something normal," said German historian and publisher Frank Schuman.

And yet, at that time, being really on the verge of nuclear war, this line of hostility and distrust was crossed. The leaders of the two countries — Germany and the USSR — were able to establish a secret communication channel. Bypassing the special services, without coordination and go-ahead from Washington. In all the details about this is a sensational series based on real events.

"Dear Willy" is an unimaginative story of rapprochement and detente, which completely reverses the usual idea of the Cold War.

People's Artist of the Russian Federation Sergey Makovetsky will play a young, energetic, risk-taking Brezhnev.

"He risked everything. Even the accusation of betrayal, of treason. This is a very serious story," said Makovetsky.

And actor Kirill Kyaro, who plays Willy Brandt, will speak German.

"And I'm actually the Chancellor of Germany, so I had to teach," he said.

It was during the time of the pragmatist Brandt, who relied on rapprochement, that the real "German miracle" would begin: cheap Soviet gas, and not the Marshall Plan at all, as is commonly believed, would become fuel for the explosive rise of the German economy.

"In response, we received supplies of special equipment for the further development of the gas and oil industry. Well, in general, trade was accelerated, and it was beneficial to both sides," said Andrei Baklanov, deputy chairman of the Association of Russian Diplomats.

One of the creators of the series, REN TV presenter Igor Prokopenko, has personally met with the participants of those events for 20 years and recorded their every step.

"I came up with the idea of making a game project out of this. Moreover, I want to say right away that the real story is so fascinating, so incredible that, to be honest, a screenwriter would not come up with such a thing," said Igor Prokopenko, a writer, documentary filmmaker, host of the programs "Military Secret" and "The Most shocking Hypotheses" on REN TV.

Two versions will be aired at once — a four-episode feature film and an author's documentary project confirming that the story is not fiction.

Brezhnev's unofficial confidants (Izvestia journalist Valery Lednev and intelligence officer Vyacheslav Kevorkov), along with the audience, will once again walk their secret routes through Berlin and reveal secret addresses.

"We stayed at this hotel. And specifically on the fourth floor there is a room with a balcony. The balcony helped us determine whether we were being followed or not," Vyacheslav Kevorkov said.

The results of their many years of efforts are recorded in every history textbook: the signing of fundamental treaties — the Moscow, Berlin, Warsaw, and the Final act in Helsinki — legally, not verbally, consolidating the post-war order and the fair division of spheres of influence in Europe.

"All that remains of that famous Ostpolitik today is a beautiful sign: Willy Brandt Haus, the headquarters of the current Social Democrats, which have already begun to completely abandon the policy of rapprochement with Russia," said Chashchukhin.

REN TV will show the premiere of the political detective story "Dear Willy" on November 1.

"Spies, chases, state secrets — it's just interesting"

Actor Alexey Rozin — about working on "Dear Willie", dropping out of college and actors without education

At the end of September, the Internet Development Institute presented the main premieres of the new film season, including the REN TV project Dear Willy. Along with the political detective, a special documentary block with exclusive interviews of the participants of the events will be released.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.