International soldiers of the Donbass militia volunteered to fight Ukrainian neo-Nazism. They’re from Mexico, Columbia, the USA, Serbia, and all over the globe. Locals treat them as heroes. Europe and the USA consider them criminals and mercenaries. If they return home, decades of prison could await them. But they don’t regret it – Donbass has become their home.

‘If I return to Italy, they will immediately arrest me. I won’t even be allowed to come home. I will be arrested and tried as a mercenary who came here for money. But it’s not about the money; it’s about the ideas of my ideas,’ says codename Spartacus, an Italian volunteer for the Donbass militia. He arrived in Donbass in 2014, barely speaking Russian. Codename Spartacus spent years on the frontline protecting Donbass people from Ukrainian nationalist troops. Today he and his comrades became part of the special operation.

Unlike international military instructors and mercenaries in the Ukrainian army, foreign volunteers of the Donbass militia have strong motivation. They confront neo-Nazism as their ancestors did. What they do and how they feel about what they see – in our Foreign Fighters of Donbass documentary.

At the beginning of 2022, Ukraine amassed 150,000 soldiers on the borders of Donbass. They were getting ready for a final assault to take over the Donbass region. Their confidence was backed up by the NATO and the US military equipment and training and assurances of the USA intelligence that they control all Russian plans. That, combined with previous statements of Ukrainian authorities about intentions to enter NATO and develop weapons of mass destruction, was crossing the red line for the Russian Federation. On February 24 2022, President Vladimir Putin declared the start of the special operation in Ukraine.

Russia doesn’t see the Ukrainian people as enemies. “The emphasis is placed on saving the lives of civilians, of the soldiers, our opponents. The goal is to create the [Ukrainian] military conditions that will force them to surrender,” says Andrey Sushentsov, Dean, MGIMO school of international relations. The main goals of the special operation were to protect the Donbass people and secure Russian borders from the aggressive Kiev regime, which made tight bonds with NATO and the USA.

All you should know about the special operation in Ukraine in Operation Liberation

Chechen divisions have been on the Ukraine frontlines since the start of the special operation. Daniil Martynov, one of their commanders, shares his combat experience and reveals tactics employed by the Ukrainian nationalists - unlimited dope, NATO equipment and dirty fighting methods. In Martynov’s candid interview, an eyewitness account about what is going on in Ukraine.

‘We are children of war. We are tired of it. We know what it is; we’ve been through it,’ says Ramzan Dzhakuev, Deputy Chairman of the Chechen Council of Veterans. The difficult past of the Chechens determined their present as one of the most motivating parts of the Russian army. According to Akhmed Dudaev, Chechen Republic Minister for National Policy, Chechens lost 300,000 people during the First and Second Chechen wars. He claims the collective West tried to use the Chechen Republic as a weapon to destroy the Russian Federation. Today Chechen soldiers call themselves Akhmat Special forces and are ready to complete every task to prevent this scenario in Ukraine.

Chechen soldiers have vast experience in fighting against terrorists and extremists from all around the world. It is not only the combat they went through but also special military training at the Russian Special Forces University. From the start of the special operation in Ukraine, Chechen units took part in all significant battles. They consider the involvement in the liberation of the Ukrainian people from neo-Nazism an honour. “You should face death heroically. When seeing my son off, my parting words to him were, ‘You must go in front of your comrades, not behind them,’ so he would protect his guys, but be in the front line himself,” says Ibragim Musaev, father of a Russian National Guard member, who enlisted in the special operation.

Those who live in the recently liberated areas depend on humanitarian aid from Russia. Food, water and candles are priceless in Donbass and Mariupol. Retreating Ukrainian forces used scorched earth tactics, killing civilians and destroying houses and infrastructure. They created a humanitarian crisis for thousands of people, referring to the locals as “non-human”. That’s allegedly what citizens of Volnovakha heard from Ukrainian troops, together with promises to burn their city during the retreat.

Some Russian businessmen volunteered to help the residents. Every ten days, they travel to Mariupol, transporting humanitarian aid. Donations for civilians and militia are gathered from all over Russia. Volunteers decided to deliver it personally to minimise bureaucracy on the way. They also evacuate people to their relatives in Russia. Volunteers go to hot spots close to the combat zone to get them.

Convoy always travels with a military escort — Ukrainian nationalist forces continue to use artillery on Donbass, which means Mariupol streets are not safe. So volunteers risk their lives but say it is worth it. ‘... It’s like a constant urge to help people, almost like a disease,’ says volunteer Yury. He travelled 1,500 Km (932 miles) on his trips to Donbass and plans to double it.

On ‘Volhynian Bloody Sunday’, Ukrainian nationalists burned 99 Polish villages in Western Ukraine. It was the peak of the Volhynia Massacres, the mass murder of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists in 1943. In 2013, the Polish parliament adopted a resolution naming the Volhynia Massacre an ‘ethnic cleansing with signs of genocide’. It held the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army responsible for the mass murder of over 100,000 Poles. In the meantime, the Ukrainian authorities erected statues of Stepan Bandera, leader of OUN (Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists) and named him a national hero.

The Convent of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Donetsk got hit during the battle for the Donetsk airport. Hegumene of the Convent and her aide found themselves caught up in the hostilities. As the Convent was practically on the front line, the women were eyewitnesses to the attack on Donetsk Airport. They endured fires and shellings, and yet, they say it was the best time for them. Why?

* 9 May is the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi forces in WWII

* Many families in Russia and other countries of the former USSR have kept letters written by relatives who fought and died in the war

* These personal archives help us all to remember the real heroes of war and serve to remind us just how precious peace really is

* Today those very private archives continue to help relatives, bringing families together, helping the bereaved find closure and reuniting descendants who now live far apart.

These letters reveal heart breaking stories of young lives lost, the horror of battle, surviving besieged cities and the notorious evil of concentration camps. The letters are not all about death and doom; many also speak of love, patriotism, courage and the preservation of hope, even in the most desperate of circumstances. They give a human face to the cold historical facts of war.

Historians and publishers are now seeking to make the letters available to the public, so that future generations will know and remember their ancestral heroes and appreciate how precious peace really is. Some of the letters have helped bring war-torn families back together; others forged ties between people from different countries and gave life to new friendships. Relatives have been able to identify the graves of their fallen relatives, which has helped them to find some closure.

Having learned more about family members who made the ultimate sacrifice in war, many resolved to take part in a national march and carry portraits of relatives who played a part in the great victory and to commemorate their lives and heroic deaths. Though their lives were cut short, surviving relatives are determined that their memories will live forever. They have become, “The Immortal Regiment”.

Over the past six years, some 120,000 bodies of missing WWII soldiers were recovered by Russian volunteers dedicated to bringing the lost fighters home. These groups of enthusiasts operate on land, and also at sea, looking for the wrecks of ships and submarines, to honor the crews’ memory.

Since the beginning of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, the country has been subjected to thousands of sanctions from Europe and the US. With international banking transactions suspended and supply chains disrupted, Russian businesses had to regroup and look for new ways to keep functioning. Many succeeded in finding new ways to organise their operations; some even saw sanctions as a blessing in disguise since they helped become less dependent on foreign resources and technology.

Some companies had the experience of surviving a crisis. A footwear production company in Dagestan survived 2008 and 2014 and even expanded its operations. So did another company, a dairy in the city of Vladimir owned by a British farmer John Kapiski. In 2014, when many foreign dairy exports were banned, they managed to open a cheese-making facility and produce 40 types of cheese, butter and yoghurt. They admit now they rely heavily on foreign medications and parts but see this as a challenge and are going to find a way. A Moscow-based furniture producer has suffered a decline in publicity after social media was closed, but can't deny furniture giants leaving the Russian market are an advantage. Now the team is trying to revise its product range, add new items or redesign existing ones to cut costs.

The overall sentiment was best expressed by Murad Dzhalaev, a shoe factory owner from Dagestan, “ We are currently in good spirits and ready to work. We’re not afraid of any crisis because we’ve been through them before. So I think we’ll power through.”

As most services transferred online, scammers did the same. So now thieves don’t have to risk breaking into people’s houses. Instead, they can steal from the comfort of their own homes. In 2021, the damage inflicted by phone fraud in the US was estimated at almost $30 billion.

Usually, scammers call claiming they are bank employees or online-store managers. Sometimes, they offer loans or new services. People may receive a voice message or an e-mail saying, “You are entitled to a Microsoft payment” or “Someone is buying stuff using your Amazon account.” In this case, they force people to give up their crest card information, and once they have it, the victim is doomed. Sometimes scammers go as far as introducing themselves as officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Prosecutor’s Office, asking for help to solve a case by making a transfer to a third party’s account.

Not everyone is so gullible and ready to take the bait. Some bloggers deliberately get to talking to scammers. They record the conversation, making fun of them, and sometimes, if the prankster is skilled enough, it is the scammer who ends up scammed.

These blogs are top-rated since people like to see frauds getting punished. But such a job is not always safe. The most famous bloggers are eventually recognised by the deceived scammers and are often threatened and hunted.

For the first time in history, the “canceling” was used on an entire country’s culture: Russian culture is being cancelled. Everything that has been created in Russia for over 1,500 years is not only questioned but also condemned, reviled, and rejected. The wave of Russophobia has affected all spheres of life. Art and sport — areas where Russia has traditionally excelled — are now under attack. Russian singers, artists and directors find their names crossed out in concert schedules and festival short lists. Even those masters who are already deceased, also became victims of “cancel culture” — Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and the list grows each day.

People engaged in the arts are not only getting canceled and let go — they are being threatened. Secretary General of “Friends of Great Russian” Association Yulia Bazarova received a threatening letter. 'Close your office immediately. Our group is determined to protect Italians from the danger that Russians pose. Also, tell your employees not to advertise their Russian background.' Yulia Bazarova, a social activist and enthusiast, has lived in Rome for more than 20 years. All this time she ‘s been doing her best to promote Russian culture in Europe and canceling it she perceives as a personal loss. Every year she hosted the Grand Russian Ball in Rome. In 2022, it’s not happening. Yet, she has no intention of leaving, let alone giving up one of her main projects — the international Pushkin Prize.

Vladimir Trahtenberg and Frida Reizman were little children when Nazi forces took the Belarusian capital of Minsk in July 1941. Then, tens of thousands of Jews were driven into the Jewish ghetto. Vladimir was only three years old, and Frida was six. Yet, despite their young age, they remember it vividly.

‘You can recognise a ghetto survivor by one thing - they eat everything you put on the table for them. They will eat every bread crumb,’ says Vladimir. He survived through all 27 months the Minsk Ghetto existed and learned everything he needed to make it out alive. For example, children in the ghetto learned how to hold their breath for long periods or what to do if they come across a gas van, known as ‘dushegubka’ (soul killer).

Like Vladimir, Frida acquired survival skills. She hid every time she heard a car or someone speak German. Frida recalls witnessing brutal killings in the streets and how her mother tore a clump of her hair when her 16-year-old son was shot. ‘There was no way getting used to it.’

After WW2 ended, ‘no one talked about the ghetto,’ says Frida. ‘I think it was a crime that we didn’t bring it up. We didn’t talk about it, and things turned out as they did these days.’ Vladimir echoes Frida’s sentiments, saying he knew ‘there would be people who would revive Nazism’.

In conversation with Paula Slier, survivors share their harrowing tales about the Minsk Ghetto and reflect on the rise of Nazism in the modern world.

Female bodyguards are becoming increasingly popular with high-profile clients. Although many women can’t flaunt huge biceps like stereotypical bodyguards in black suits, they’re as trained and professional as their male counterparts.

The documentary features interviews with female bodyguards from Russia and Egypt. They let us inside the life of a bodyguard and tell us why they’ve chosen a non-traditional career path. Female bodyguards are in high demand in Asian countries.

Women bodyguards have many advantages – they’re not easily spotted and can pass for nannies or assistants, able to take potential attackers by surprise. Some also say that women are better at sensing dangerous situations. In the meantime, sceptics we spoke to vehemently opposed these arguments. They claim women are less agile and strong and are prone to mood swings.

Watch our documentary to hear from both women bodyguards and sceptics to decide which side you are on in the gender war.

Dota 2 ‘The International’, the Fortnite World Cup, and the LoL World Championship have all become as big as mainstream sporting competitions. They draw millions of fans and viewers, for an industry that generates millions of dollars every year. Top esports players make as much as top golfers and UFC fighters. Video games are no longer just a leisure activity for teenagers.

It takes as much talent, dedication and skill as any regular sport to become a professional gamer. Cyber athletes train for hours every day under the watchful eyes of coaches while taking time to study and analyse their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.

The surge in popularity of competitive video gaming has pushed game development up to Hollywood-like levels of outreach, production and marketing costs, not to, mention the numbers of people involved.

Explore the world of esports in our new documentary to hear from professional players, streamers and game developers about the nitty-gritty of cyber-sport and the video game industry.

“Everything Russian is rejected and assaulted”, “Speak as little Russian in public as possible”. These are quotes from Russian people living abroad who have recently been confronted with constant verbal assaults, rudeness and even physical threats during the recent wave of russophobia. Even children get hurt.

European and especially Eastern European highways now resemble 'roads of fury' for Russian truckers. Cars with Russian number plates have become targets. Very often drivers find them with broken windows and punctured tyres. They say they feel lucky if only their cars were targeted.

Students become victims of russophobia, too, as a number of European universities make it clear Russians are no longer welcome. Students say they feel a change of attitude towards them which even reflects on their grades.

Russian embassies didn’t manage to avoid Russophobic sentiment, either. Legations are surrounded by picket lines and bombarded with verbal threats. In early April, a vehicle rammed into the gates of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest.

However there are people in the European community who don’t share in the common sentiment, but their voices are simply not heard. For now, many Russians living in Europe, Israel, and the USA see leaving as the only way out.

In the digital era, pornographic content has become more accessible than ever. It’s not just technology that’s boosting the growth of online adult entertainment, but also vice versa: you’d be surprised to learn that up to a dozen digital technologies we use every day have come around courtesy of x-rated online resources. Once marginalised, these days, the business of sensual pleasure has primarily moved online and developed into a booming sex industry with multi-million-dollar revenues.

Pornography accounts for at least one-third of total internet traffic, with new fans arriving all the time. Some people get seriously hooked on adult content. Psychiatrists are now talking about a full-blown epidemic of porn addiction (on par with alcohol and drug abuse), fuelled by the pandemic that limited human interaction and drove all aspects of life online. As is true for many bad habits, porn addiction is hitting the young generation the hardest. Not meant for minors, X-rated videos are worryingly easy to come by for all audiences.

An ever-growing number of teen viewers is consistent with a steady influx of “new blood” into the ranks of porn actors. Successful adult entertainment producer Pierre Woodman admits he’s getting dozens of inquiries from underage ingenues, looking to be discovered and make a name for themselves. Feigning anger, he says he prefers actresses young and unpretentious – just like his new favourite Kiara Lord, a fresh-faced Russian blonde striving for stardom.

She and her fellow actresses say they aren’t ashamed of their work but, on the contrary, take pride in it. However, when asked about their personal lives, they admit they’d paid a hefty price for their dubious fame. Alienated by their family and friends, they are regularly attacked by critics and internet trolls and deprived of any real love life other than that in the spotlight… But porn barons will fight tooth and nail to defend their exploitative business, and the hunt for fresh young talent will go on.

Watch the 4th episode of Price of Vice to find out how porn that now permeates online space promotes addictive behaviour and contributes to recruiting more and more young people into this dehumanising business.

For many girls living like a princess or marrying a sheikh sounds like valid a reason to leave their trivial lives behind and hop on a plane that would take them straight into a fairytale. At least, this is the picture drawn for them by cunning recruiters, quick to promise everything a small-town girl may dream of. Some women involved in prostitution are well aware of the kind of job they were being hired to do, but many are shocked to find themselves working in brothels instead of dancing in nightclubs or waitressing in restaurants.

In the middle of a foreign land, abused and exploited, they have no one to turn to. “Arabian nights” suddenly turn into harrowing nightmares. Interpol and numerous NGO’s around the globe are tirelessly working to expose international human trafficking rings, but only a tiny percentage of cases is investigated and brought to court.

Some traffickers kidnap their victims in open daylight, as happened with young Argentinian Marita Verón. Her grieving mother started a social campaign and wouldn’t rest until it culminated in numerous arrests of sex traffickers and corrupt politicians covering up for them.

A gang that lured girls into getting jobs abroad but sold them to brothels in Bahrain was recently exposed and prosecuted in the Perm region of Russia. Several of the victims were, luckily, released. But how many sexually exploited girls around the globe will forever remain anonymous, and vanish, like Marita? And is decriminalisation of prostitution furthered these days in many countries a step in the right direction? Or will it only make the recruiters’ jobs easier, thanks to the changing morals and a new degree of acceptance?

Today, prostitution is a business without borders. The sex industry reportedly generates revenues equal to those of drug traffickers and arms smugglers. No wonder: prostitution has existed for at least 2,000 years, and some go as far as calling it the oldest profession. These days it is outlawed in most countries, including Russia. To be more precise, prostitution itself is considered a misdemeanour punishable by a petty fine. However, organising a prostitution ring or running a brothel is a criminal offence that carries a jail sentence.

Despite all this, Russia’s sex industry is booming. In the years immediately following the fall of the Soviet Union, prostitution became one of the most visible manifestations of political and economic uncertainty. Thus, over time, turning into a thriving, multifaceted sex industry. In larger cities, sex workers prefer to operate under the roofs of massage parlours, saunas and strip clubs. In smaller towns, you can still see working girls walking the streets or standing along highways. Digitalisation, however, has contributed to the prevalence of online services that allow clients to meet their potential “girlfriends” with just a click of a keypad. Thus, the internet may have made sexual services more readily available but not safer or less morally damaging to all parties involved.

It’s estimated up to four million women and men are involved in prostitution in today’s Russia. And although police carry out raids and special operations aimed at organised gangs, it’s just the tip of the iceberg called the “sex industry”. RT Documentary tries to find out more about various aspects of this ugly social phenomenon, letting the protagonists speak for themselves freely, no matter how unpopular their viewpoints might be.

“Price of Vice” is a documentary series attempting to provide a glimpse into Russia’s sex industry. It has dramatically changed over the past decades, as have the girls offering their love in exchange for money. Gone are the days when prostitutes worked street corners in the sketchiest of neighbourhoods. Instead, a new generation of call girls mostly looks for potential clients online. Nowadays, they proudly call themselves ‘models’, ‘masseuses’, and ‘escorts’, and many have Instagram accounts worthy of princesses. Society also seems to have become more tolerant. The promise of easy money and a storybook life sucks thousands of girls into the trade.

Olesya Malibu, an escort and a social media celebrity, insists high-class escorts aren’t prostitutes. According to her, they are entirely different because they don’t work in brothels and can maintain lavish lifestyles, jet setting with their “friends”, who sponsor their plastic surgeries and expensive tastes. Porn actress Lola Taylor, however, disagrees, saying, Escort? It’s the same thing. It’s also sex-for-money, but pricier.” Elena Filitovich, the head of a “School for Kept Women”, insists a woman must use her assets to safeguard her income, and there’s nothing wrong with being a kept woman, as long as your man is eager to support your lifestyle.

Psychotherapist Lev Scheglov, on the other hand, notes that for younger people, moral lines have become completely blurred. They don’t see much difference between working as a prostitute and an office clerk, hence the never-ending stream of young people willing to join the ranks of sex workers, whose army numbers between 1.5 and 4 million people in Russia alone.

In the remote Ryrkaypiy village in #Chukotka, local Tatyana Minenko leads bear patrols – groups of volunteers keeping watch over polar bears and walruses protecting them from poachers and intercepting the bears from human contact.

In the Primorsky region, Russia’s leading tiger protector Pavel Fomenko patrols icy forests, keeping a close eye on the Amur tiger whose numbers have recovered from being on the verge of extinction. Pavel tracks the big cats to check their health, treats injured animals, and keeps poachers away from the endangered tigers.

Ornithologist Igor Karyakin drives across the steppes of Southern Siberia in search of wild adoptive parents for Saker falcon hatchlings born in captivity. He is in charge of the unique WWF programme of restoring the raptor population decimated by poachers.

Freed to Be Wild is a joint project by RTD and the World Wildlife Fund (#WWF) celebrating its 25th anniversary in #Russia. Find out more about the wildlife protectors in Russia and their dedicated work.

The endangered animals of Russia and the dedicated people who save them.

Every 36 hours, a woman dies in Honduras, making the county one of the world’s deadliest places to be a woman. Honduras has the highest rate of female homicide in Latin America. In 2021, more than 240 women died violently.

The murder of Honduran beauty queen Maria Jose Alvarado and her sister in 2014 highlighted the crisis and drew international headlines. Unfortunately, cases involving ordinary women keep going unnoticed. Many women and their families flee Honduras searching for a safer life abroad. Others join gangs and take part in violence. Very few fight for women’s rights despite numerous risks.

Gang violence is widespread in Honduras, with occasional passersby coming under fire. It can be dangerous to simply cross the border between two gangs’ territories. The documentary explores female homicide in Honduras using the words of local women. A female gang member tells why she joined a gang and her daily responsibilities. Heartbroken parents guess who killed their daughter in the dead of night. Honduran feminists explain why they choose not to leave the country and help other women who experienced violence feel safer and more hopeful.

Scavengers at a Bishkek landfill end up there for many reasons. Some lost their home, and others suffered from substance abuse. Sergey did 25 years in prison. Although he’s a professional carpenter, his criminal record keeps him from getting a job. For many scavengers, the dump is the only source of income.

Many toil away all day long, ignoring pain and health hazards. The little money they make is enough to cover daily expenses. Dumpsite residents regularly come across dead bodies and abandoned babies. The documentary offers an inside look at life on a dump, as locals share their tragedies. What’s their life like? How much money do they make? Is it possible to escape such a life?

In 2014, the conflicts and contradictions that have existed for decades between Ukraine’s agrarian west and industrial east turned into civil strife and then into war. The differences in mentality, language, and traditions were too irreconcilable. As a result, the Euromaidan movement, which began as a struggle for Ukraine’s integration into the European Union, rapidly veered towards outright nationalist ideas. Radical groups started to play a leading role in Maidan. The regime change, which occurred due to Maidan, was seen in south-eastern Ukraine as a coup d'état.

All the more so because the forces that won in Kiev immediately outlined a new vector for the country’s development. One of the first decisions by Ukraine’s parliament was to cancel the special status of the Russian language. Thousands joined the protests in the south-eastern regions. As a result, Donetsk and Lugansk regions proclaimed themselves the People’s Republics.

Essentially, the protesters were replicating Maidan tactics. But what was acceptable for protesters in Kiev and the west, was unforgivable for the people of south-eastern Ukraine. So the new authorities responded with force. In the spring of 2014, the ATO, an anti-terrorist operation, was announced.