>>> NEARLY EVERYONE IN UKRAINE IS A WITNESS. >> THIS IS ACTUALLY THE LOCATION WHERE THE WOMAN WAS KILLED.
>> WHICH IS HELPING A DATA MINING OPERATION IN EUROPE EXPOSE APPARENT RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES.
>> I FEEL IT'S ALMOST MY DUTY THAT WHEN WE'RE FACED WITH ALL THIS INFORMATION SHOWING TERRIBLE THINGS THAT ARE
HAPPENING, IS TO PULL IT OUT THERE. IT DOES INVOLVE RISK. BUT THEN DEFENDING LIBERTY,
HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRACY INVOLVES TAKING RISKS. IT'S WHEN WE STOP TAKING RISKS AND WE LET THE FEAR TAKE HOLD
THAT WE SEE DEMOCRACY DIE. >>> GOOD AFTERNOON, BROTHERS. OUR WORK IS TO HELP PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE LAWYERS TO ACCESS
JUSTICE. >> THIS SOFT-SPOKEN 37-YEAR-OLD LAWYER FOUNDED AN ORGANIZATION CALLED JUSTICE DEFENDERS, A
GROUP THAT SO FAR HAS TRAINED HUNDREDS OF INCARCERATED MEN AND WOMEN IN PRISONS IN AFRICA TO BECOME PARALEGALS AND LAWYERS.
[ APPLAUSE ] THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN ASTOUND ASTOUNDING. ♪
>>> OLGA SMIRNOFFA IS A RUSSIAN PRIMA BALLERINA, ONE OF THE WORLD'S LEADING DANCERS. BUT DAYS AFTER RUSSIA INVADED
UKRAINE SMIRNOVA PIROUETTED AND STEPPED OFF HER STAGE AT THE RENOWNED BOLSHOI THEATER WITH DRAMATIC FLOURISH.
>> I WAS SO ASHAMED OF RUSSIA. THIS IS THE TRUE. I'M NOT ASHAMED THAT I'M RUSSIAN, BUT I'M ASHAMED BECAUSE
OF RUSSIA STARTED THIS ACTION. >> AIM LESLIE STAHL. >> I'M BILL WHISKER. >> I'M ANDERSON COOPER.
>> I'M SHARON ALFONSI. >> I'M JON WE RTHEIM. >> I'M SCOTT >>> THE WAR CRIMES IN UKRAINE
ARE AMONG THE WORST OF THE 21st CENTURY. BUT THEY ARE JUST THE LATEST IN A HISTORY OF ASSASSINATIONS AND
MASS MURDER AT THE HANDS OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN. WE KNOW THIS IN LARGE PART
THANKS TO A TEAM OF ONLINE DATA DETECTIVES THAT CALLS ITSELF BELLINGCAT. SINCE 2014 BELLINGCAT'S
INVESTIGATIONS HAVE EXPOSED RUSSIA'S UNDERCOVER HIT SQUADS AND TIED RUSSIAN TROOPS TO ATROCITIES.
SUFFICE TO SAY THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT DENIES EVERYTHING YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE IN THIS STORY.
BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHERE BELLINGCAT COMES IN. AS WE FIRST REPORTED IN MAY, BELLINGCAT'S FOUNDER, ELIOT
HIGGINS, HAS CREATED A METHOD OF MINING ONLINE DATA AND SOCIAL MEDIA TO PUT THE LIE TO DISINFORMATION AND UNMASK
VLADIMIR PUTIN. >> I FEEL IT'S ALMOST MY DUTY THAT WHEN WE'RE FACED WITH ALL THIS INFORMATION SHOWING
TERRIBLE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, IS TO PULL IT OUT THERE. IT DOES INVOLVE RISK.
BUT THEN DEFENDING LIBERTY, HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRACY INVOLVES TAKING RISKS. IT'S WHEN WE STOP TAKING RISKS
AND WE LET THE FEAR TAKE HOLD THAT WE SEE DEMOCRACY DIE. >> WE CAN SEE A RUSSIAN ARMORED COLUMN --
>> Reporter: WE MET ELIOT HIGGINS IN APRIL IN LONDON AS BELLINGCAT WAS BUILDING A DATA BASE OF SOCIAL MEDIA EXPOSING
APPARENT WAR CRIMES IN UKRAINE. EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF ATTACKS ON NEIGHBORHOODS, ASSAULTS ON HOSPITALS, AND MURDERS OF
CIVILIANS ARE BEING COLLECTED AND PUBLISHED ON BELLINGCAT'S WEBSITE FOR ALL TO SEE. >> THIS IS ACTUALLY THE LOCATION
WHERE THE WOMAN WAS KILLED. >> Reporter: NEARLY EVERYONE IN UKRAINE IS A WITNESS WITH A CAMERA.
BELLINGCAT IS COMBINING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS TO MAKE THEM SEARCHABLE BY PLACE AND TIME.
>> AND WE LOOK AT AS MANY SOURCES AS POSSIBLE AND USE THOSE SOURCES TO BUILD A PICTURE OF WHAT HAPPENED.
VIDEOS, PHOTOGRAPHS, SATELLITE IMAGERY. THEN WE LOOK AT THE WITNESS STATEMENTS AND THE VARIOUS
ALLEGATIONS MADE BY EITHER SIDE. >> Reporter: LOCATIONS AND TIMES ARE CORROBORATED WITH INDEPENDENT SOURCES, INCLUDING
SATELLITE IMAGES AND GOOGLE STREET VIEW. THE GOAL IS TO PROVIDE VERIFIED EVIDENCE FOR FUTURE CRIMINAL
TRIALS. >> IT ALSO MEANS WE'RE COLLECTING AN ARCHIVE OF MATERIAL THAT FOR FUTURE
GENERATIONS THEY CAN GO BACK AND LOOK AT THIS MATERIAL. IT'S OFTEN SAID THAT HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS.
BUT IT'S BEING WRITTEN NOW AND IT'S BEING PRESERVED NOW. >> Reporter: UKRAINE IS THE BIGGEST PROJECT IN BELLINGCAT'S
SHORT CAREER. HIGGINS STARTED BELLINGCAT IN 2014 AS SORT OF AN ACCIDENTAL ACTIVIST.
>> I WAS NOT SOMEONE WITH A PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND. I WAS DOING THIS MERELY AS A HOBBY.
>> WHAT WERE YOU DOING FOR A LIVING AT THE TIME? >> I WAS WORK FORGET A COMPANY THAT HOUSED REFUGEES IN THE UK.
I THEN WORKED FOR A COMPANY THAT MANUFACTURED PIPES. AND THEN A COMPANY THAT MANUFACTURED LINGERIE.
SO I HAD A WIDE RANGE OF EXPERIENCE BUT NOTHING THAT WAS DIRECTLY RELATED TO CONFLICT. >> Reporter: ON HIS OFF HOURS
THE CONFLICT IN SYRIA FASCINATED HIM, ESPECIALLY HOW SOCIAL MEDIA WAS EXPOSING ATROCITIES THERE. YOU FOUND YOUR CALLING.
>> INDEED I DID. >> Reporter: BUT HIS SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH BEGAN WITH A FAIRY TALE.
>> WHERE DOES THE NAME COME FROM? >> SO BELLINGCAT COMES FROM THE NAME OF A FABLE, BELLING THE
CAT, AND IT'S ABOUT A GROUP OF MICE WHO ARE VERY SCARED OF A VERY LARGE CAT. SO THEY HAVE A MEETING AND THEY
DECIDE TO PUT A BELL ON THE CAT'S NECK. BUT THEN THEY REALIZE THAT NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO DO IT AND NO
ONE IS WILLING TO VOLUNTEER TO DO IT. SO WHAT WE'RE TEACHING PEOPLE TO DO IS BELL THE CAT.
>> Reporter: HIGGINS BELLED HIS FIRST PREDATOR IN 2014 WHEN RUSSIA WENT TO WAR IN EASTERN UKRAINE.
MALAYSIAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 17 WAS HIGH OVER UKRAINE ON ITS WAY TO ASIA WHEN A MISSILE BROUGHT IT DOWN.
298 WERE KILLED. EVERYONE DENIED RESPONSIBILITY. BUT HIGGINS NOTICED IN THE HOURS BEFORE THE SHOOTDOWN THERE WERE
MANY SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS FROM BYSTANDERS WHO SAW A MISSILE LAUNCHER ON A FLATBED TRAILER TRAVELING IN EASTERN UKRAINE.
>> WE STARTED DISCOVERING SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS OF PEOPLE WHO HAD SEEN THE MISSILE LAUNCHER BEING TRANSPORTED AND WE ALSO HAD
SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS OF PEOPLE SAYING THERE'S A ROCKET THAT'S JUST BEEN SHOT UP THIS DIRECTION.
AND WE COULD ACTUALLY USE THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY LIVED. >> Reporter: OTHER POSTS WERE
WRITTEN BY RUSSIAN SOLDIERS HOME SICK FOR FAMILY. >> ON TOP OF THIS BUILDING. >> Reporter: HIGGINS FOUND CLUES
IN EACH IMAGE. BILLBOARDS, BUILDINGS, ROAD SIGNS. THAT LET HIM FIX THE LOCATION
AND TIME OF EACH POST. WHEN HE ARRANGED ALL OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA INTO A TIMELINE, HE COULD RUN THE CONVOY BACKWARD TO
ITS STARTING POINT. >> USING ALL THOSE VIDEOS, WE WERE ABLE TO TRACE IT ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE MILITARY BRIGADE
IT CAME FROM, THE 53rd AIR DEFENSE BRIGADE. >> IN RUSSIA. >> IN RUSSIA.
AND WE USED THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES, THE SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS AND EVERYONE AROUND THEM, TO RECONSTRUCT
BASICALLY THEIR NETWORK ONLINE. WHICH MEANT WE COULD GET THEIR NAMES, THEIR RANKS, THEIR PHOTOGRAPHS, SEE WHO WAS IN THAT
CONVOY AND WHO TRAVELED TO THE BORDER. SO THAT ALLOWED US TO PROVE THAT RUSSIA HAD PROVIDED THE MISSILE
LAUNCHER THAT SHOT DOWN MH-17. >> Reporter: BELLINGCAT PUBLISHED ITS FINDINGS, AND RUSSIA IMPOSED A NEW LAW.
>> THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT PASSED A SPECIFIC LAW BANNING SOLDIERS FROM CARRYING MOBILE DEVICES DURING HOSTILITIES.
WHICH IS DUBBED IN RUSSIA THE BELLINGCAT LAW. >> Reporter: CRISTO GROZEV IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
BELLINGCAT, LEADING ITS 30 FULL-TIME RESEARCHERS. HIS PERSONAL FOCUS HAS BEEN ON RUSSIAN POLITICAL
ASSASSINATIONS. >> WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT HOW VLADIMIR PUTIN OPERATES? >> WHAT WE HAVE FOUND OUT IS
THAT NONE OF THESE CRIMES COULD HAVE BEEN PERPETRATED WITHOUT VLADIMIR PUTIN BEING IN THE KNOW AND NOT ONLY AWARE BUT APPROVING
OF ALL OF THESE CRIMES. SO IN A NUTSHELL, WHAT WE FOUND OUT IS THAT PUTIN IS OPERATING AN INDUSTRIAL-SCALE
ASSASSINATION PROGRAM ON HIS OWN PEOPLE. >> Reporter: BELLINGCAT'S NEXT BIG PROJECT, THE RUSSIAN
ASSASSINATION PROGRAM, STARTED IN 2018 AFTER A RUSSIAN DEFECTOR AND HIS DAUGHTER LIVING IN BRITAIN WERE POISONED WITH A
MILITARY-GRADE NERVE AGENT. THE BRITISH HAD PASSPORT PHOTOS AND FALSE NAMES OF TWO SUSPECTS BUT NOTHING ELSE.
GROZEV KNEW THAT RUSSIA'S GOVERNMENT AND COMMERCIAL RECORDS ARE FOR SALE ON AN ONLINE BLACK MARKET.
SO WITH THE FAKE NAMES HE BOUGHT THE SUSPECTS' PASSPORT RECORDS. >> THE PASSPORT NUMBERS ON THE TWO PASSPORTS WERE ITEM EXCEPT
FOR THE LAST DIGIT. >> THE LAST DIGIT. EXACTLY. >> SO THEY WERE CLEARLY MADE ONE
AFTER THE OTHER. >> EXACTLY. >> Reporter: SUSPICIOUS, CRISTO GROZEV STARTED DATA MINING.
BASED ON OFFICIAL RECORDS, IT SEEMED AS IF BOTH MEN WERE BORN AT THE AGE OF 32. AND THERE WAS AN UNUSUAL STAMP
ON THE PASSPORT DOCUMENTS. >> THERE WAS A BIG BLACK STAMP IN THE CORNER OF THEIR FILE WHICH SAID "DO NOT PROVIDE
INFORMATION ON THIS PERSON. IN CASE OF A QUERY CALL THIS NUMBER." AND SURE ENOUGH, WE CALLED THAT
NUMBER. AND IT WAS THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE. >> Reporter: WHEN THE MINISTRY
OF DEFENSE ANSWERED, GROZEV KNEW THE WOULD-BE ASSASSINS WERE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE AGENTS. TO MATCH THEIR FACES TO THEIR
TRUE IDENTITIES HE SPENT WEEKS COMBING YEARBOOKS AND PHOTOGRAPHS FROM RUSSIAN MILITARY ACADEMIES.
>> THE END RESULT WAS THAT WE WERE ABLE NOT ONLY TO IDENTIFY THE REAL IDENTITIES AND THE AFFILIATION TO THE MILITARY
INTELLIGENCE, WE WERE ABLE TO FIND A THIRD AND A FOURTH MEMBER OF THE SAME KILL TEAM THAT THE BRITISH DID NOT EVEN KNOW ABOUT.
>> Reporter: OVER MONTHS GROZEV UNCOVERED A NETWORK OF RUSSIAN HIT MEN, WORKING THROUGHOUT EUROPE, ARMED WITH NERVE AGENT
FROM A GOVERNMENT LAB. HE BOUGHT AIRLINE MANIFESTS AND FOUND SOME OF THE ASSASSINS' TRAVEL OVERLAPPED THE CAMPAIGN
STOPS OF ALEXEI NAVALNY, THE TOP POLITICAL OPPONENT OF VLADIMIR PUTIN. >> AND WE FOUND A TOTAL OF 66
OVERLAPS. WAY BEYOND ANY STATISTICAL POSSIBILITY FOR A COINCIDENCE. >> THEY'D BEEN SHADOWING HIM FOR
MONTHS, YEARS. >> THEY'D BEEN SHADOWING HIM FOR FOUR YEARS. THEY STARTED SHADOWING HIM THE
MOMENT HE ANNOUNCED HIS PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRATIONS IN 2017. APPARENTLY BEING ON STANDBY FOR
A POSSIBLE ASSASSINATION WHENEVER THEY WOULD GET THE SIGNAL. >> Reporter: A SIGNAL CAME IN
2020. ON A CAMPAIGN TRIP NAVALNY WAS POISONED WITH THAT SAME NERVE AGENT.
HE RECOVERED IN A GERMAN HOSPITAL, RETURNED TO OPPOSE PUTIN, AND IS NOW IN PRISON. BELLINGCAT'S INVESTIGATION FOUND
ASSASSINS ALSO TAILED OTHER PUTIN OPPONENTS. >> AND WE FOUND, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THE TEAM THAT HAD POISONED
NAVALNY HAD TAILED AT THE MINIMUM 12 OTHER OPPOSITION FIGURES, THREE OF WHOM HAD BEEN KILLED IN FACT, POISONED.
>> Reporter: INVESTIGATIONS LIKE THAT ARE PUBLISHED ON BELLINGCAT'S WEBSITE, WHICH IS BLOCKED IN RUSSIA.
BELLINGCAT IS A NON-PROFIT FOUNDATION WHICH HAS TRAINED MORE THAN 4,000 JOURNALISTS AND WAR CRIME INVESTIGATORS IN ITS
TECHNIQUES OF GEOLOCATION, VERIFICATION, AND DATA MINING. >> WE'RE HEADED INTO AN ENTIRELY NEW ERA OF HUMAN RIGHTS
INVESTIGATIONS AND WAR CRIMES INVESTIGATIONS MORE GENERALLY. >> Reporter: BELLINGCAT TRAINED ALEXA KOENIG'S TEAM AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER. KOENIG IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER, WHICH HAS USED
BELLINGCAT'S TECHNIQUES TO EXPOSE ATROCITIES IN MYANMAR AND CHEMICAL ATTACKS IN SYRIA. >> THEY'RE SHOWING THE WORLD
THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A LARGE OUTFIT LIKE "THE NEW YORK TIMES" OR THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT TO PULL THESE
DISPARATE BITS OF INFORMATION TOGETHER AND ACTUALLY GET UNDERNEATH WHO'S DONE WHAT TO WHOM AND WHEN.
>> Reporter: STILL, KOENIG SAYS THIS NEW ERA IS CHALLENGED BY THE FACT THAT ANYONE CAN AN INTERNET CONNECTION CAN BE AN
INVESTIGATOR. >> THE PROBLEM BECOMES HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THEY'RE RIGHT? >> THAT'S ALWAYS THE RISK.
AND I THINK ONE BIG CONCERN IN THIS SPACE IS THE EFFECTS OF DOING THIS WORK AND MAKING SURE YOU DON'T GET IT WRONG.
>> Reporter: ALEXA KOENIG'S UC BERKELEY CENTER RECENTLY WORKED WITH THE UNITED NATIONS TO PUBLISH GUIDELINES FOR WITNESSES
WHO POST EVIDENCE AND FOR AMATEUR INVESTIGATORS. >> STANDARDS. >> YES.
>> RULES OF EVIDENCE. >> EXACTLY. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE BEING REALLY INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE
ABOUT HOW TO USE A LOT OF DIGITAL TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES TO ULTIMATELY SOLVE THESE PUZZLES. BUT THE PROBLEM IS A LOT OF THEM
ARE NOT TRAINED AS LEGAL INVESTIGATORS. THEY'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE CHAIN OF CUSTODY AND
HOW DO YOU ESTABLISH THAT SOMETHING YOU GRABBED FROM THE INTERNET HASN'T BEEN CHANGED IN TRANSIT AND SHOULD ACTUALLY BE
TRUSTED AS RELIABLE ONCE IT REACHES A COURT OF LAW. SO OUR WORK IS HOPEFULLY DESIGNED AROUND HELPING THEM DO
THAT IN A WAY THAT MAXIMIZES THAT VALUE FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. >> ULTIMATELY, WHAT IS YOUR HOPE FOR YOUR UKRAINE INVESTIGATIONS?
>> WE ALREADY HAVE BEEN APPROACHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT. WE'VE BEEN APPROACHED BY SEVERAL
PROSECUTION AUTHORITIES IN EUROPE WHO WANT TO INITIATE THEIR OWN CASES INTO WAR CRIMES. AND WE NOT ONLY HOPE BUT WE KNOW
THAT OUR DATA BASE, OUR RESEARCH NOW WILL BE USED IN A FUTURE LET'S CALL IT SOMETHING LIKE A NUREMBERG TRIAL.
>> Reporter: THERE MAY BE NO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR RUSSIA IN A COURTROOM. BUT THE WORK OF TRADITIONAL
JOURNALISTS AND BELLINGCAT'S EXPANDING DATA BASE ARE OVERWHELMING PUTIN'S PROPAGANDA. >> YOU HAVE EXPOSED A NUMBER OF
RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS, SOME OF WHICH INVOLVE ASSASSINS, AND I WONDER IF YOU FEAR FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY.
>> YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT YOUR OWN SECURITY. IT'S AN EXTRA LEVEL OF PARANOIA. IT DOESN'T KIND OF RULE MY LIFE,
BUT YOU JUST HAVE TO BE KIND OF HYPERSENSITIVE SOMETIMES TO CERTAIN THINGS. >> WHY TAKE THE RISK?
WHY YOU? >> IF RUSSIA IS TO SUSTAIN ITSELF, IT HAS TO RULE BY FEAR. YOU CAN'T JUST LET THAT FEAR
OVERTAKE YOU. IF YOU'RE IN A POSITION TO DO SOMETHING, IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION, IF YOU HAVE THE
MOTIVATION AND YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO DO IT YOU SHOULD DO IT. >> Reporter: UKRAINE WILL BE THE
MOST THOROUGHLY DOCUMENTED WAR IN HISTORY. RUSSIA SAYS NO CIVILIANS HAVE BEEN HARMED BY ITS FORCES AND
SCENES OF ATROCITIES ARE STAGED. BUT PUTIN'S DEFENSE IS A THROWBACK TO A PREVIOUS CENTURY. ANALOG DENIALS IN THE AGE OF THE
DIGITAL WITNESS.
>> HOW BELLINGCAT IS USING TIKTOK TO INVESTIGATE THE WAR IN UKRAINE. AT
>>> OVER THE YEARS WE'VE DONE A NUMBER OF STORIES ABOUT WRONGLY CONVICTED PRISONERS WHO GET EXONERATED WHEN A CRUSADING
ATTORNEY TAKES ON THEIR CASE. IN PRISONS AROUND THE WORLD, HOWEVER, THAT RARELY HAPPENS. IN KENYA, FOR EXAMPLE, MORE THAN
80% OF INMATES HAVE NEVER BEEN REPRESENTED BY A LAWYER. JUSTICE DEFENDERS WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE THAT.
IT'S AN ORGANIZATION STARTED IN AFRICA BY A SOFT-SPOKEN 37-YEAR-OLD LAWYER NAMED ALEXANDER McLEAN.
JUSTICE DEFENDERS HAS WORKED IN 55 PRISONS IN KENYA, UGANDA, AND GAMBIA, GIVING LEGAL TRAINING TO HUNDREDS OF INMATES WHO CAN THEN
HELP THEIR FELLOW PRISONERS, THE INNOCENT AND THE GUILTY, GET A FAIR HEARING IN COURT. THEY ARE ALSO HELPING SOME
PRISONERS GET LAW DEGREES. AND AS WE FOUND OUT WHEN WE VISITED KENYA BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN
ASTOUNDING. FIKA MAIN PRISON OUTSIDE NAIROBI IS A MISERABLE PLACE. BUILT ALMOST 70 YEARS AGO TO
HOLD 300 PRISONERS, WHEN WE VISITED THREE YEARS AGO THERE WERE MORE THAN 1,000. IN THIS ONE DANK HOLDING CELL,
140 MEN WERE PACKED TIGHTLY TOGETHER, THE AIR THICK WITH THE SMELL OF SWEAT AND URINE. THEY'D BEEN ACCUSED OF
EVERYTHING FROM TRESPASSING AND ROBBERY TO ASSAULT AND MURDER. SOME HAD ALREADY BEEN CONVICTED. BUT MOST HAVE YET TO STAND
TRIAL. THEY CAN'T AFFORD BAIL. SO THEY'LL LIKELY HAVE TO WAIT HERE FOR YEARS.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, BROTHERS. OUR WORK IS TO HELP PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE LAWYERS TO ACCESS JUSTICE.
>> Reporter: THAT'S ALEXANDER McLEAN, THE FOUNDER OF JUSTICE DEFENDERS, WHICH HAS BEEN WORKING IN KENYA'S PRISONS FOR
13 YEARS. >> HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE A LAWYER? >> TWO.
THREE. >> Reporter: JUST THREE MEN IN THIS GROUP OF MORE THAN 200 PRISONERS HAVE AN ATTORNEY.
>> WE THINK IT'S A PROBLEM THAT OFTEN POOR PEOPLE GO TO COURT WITHOUT DEFENSE. >> Reporter: DEFENDING THE
DEFENSELESS IS AT THE HEART OF ALEXANDER McLEAN'S MISSION. MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN PRISONS IN KENYA DON'T COME TO
COURT KNOWING THEIR RIGHTS, KNOWING HOW A COURT WORKS. >> YOU MIGHT MEET PEOPLE IN PRISON WHO THINK THE POLICE ARE
THE ONES WHO'VE CONVICTED THEM OF AN OFFENSE. OR THEY'VE NEVER HAD A COPY OF THEIR JUDGMENT.
SO THEY KNOW THEY'VE BEEN CONVICTED BUT THEY DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT OF AND WHY. AND SO OUR HOPE WITH OUR WORK IS
THAT WE GIVE PEOPLE FAIR HEARINGS. SO EVEN IF THEY'RE CONVICTED OR THEY'RE GIVEN A PRISON SENTENCE
AFTERWARDS THEY SAY, WELL, THAT'S FAIR BECAUSE MY VOICE HAS BEEN HEARD. >> Reporter: MORRIS KABIRIA WAS
SENT TO FIKA PRISON IN 2005. HE WAS A POLICE OFFICER AND WAS ACCUSED OF STEALING A CELL PHONE AND CREDIT CARD.
>> HOW MUCH TIME DID YOU END UP IN PRETRIAL DETENTION WAITING FOR YOUR TRIAL? >> EIGHT GOOD YEARS.
>> EIGHT YEARS. >> EIGHT YEARS. FROM 2005 TO 2013. >> Reporter: IN COURT HE CLAIMED
HE'D BEEN FRAMED BECAUSE HE DIDN'T PAY A BRIBE TO A SUPERIOR OFFICER. THE JUDGE FOUND HIM GUILTY OF
ARMED ROBBERY AND GAVE HIM THE MANDATORY SENTENCE. DEATH. >> THE DEATH PENALTY FOR AN
ARMED ROBBERY. >> YES. >> WHEN THE VERDICT CAME, DO YOU REMEMBER THAT DAY?
>> VERY MUCH. WHEN THE JUDGE SENTENCED ME TO DEATH, TO SUFFER DEATH BY HANGING, I JUST SAW BLACKNESS
EVERYWHERE. >> Reporter: McLEAN TOOK US TO LANGATA WOMEN'S PRISON IN NAIROBI, WHERE JUSTICE DEFENDERS
HAS TRAINED 47 INMATES TO BE WHAT THEY CALL PARALEGALS. THEY'RE GIVEN A THREE-WEEK LAW COURSE WHICH ENABLES THEM TO
TEACH OTHER PRISONERS ABOUT BAIL, COURT PROCEDURES, AND RULES OF EVIDENCE. THE PARALEGALS ALSO PREPARE
PETITIONS AND WRITE APPEALS CHALLENGING INMATES' CONVICTIONS AND SENTENCES. >> WHAT YEAR DID YOU ARRIVE
HERE? >> Reporter: JANE MANYONGE BALM A PARALEGAL FIVE YEARS AGO. SHE WAS A SCHOOLTEACHER WHEN SHE
WAS CHARGED WITH KILLING HER HUSBAND, WHO SHE SAYS WAS ABUSIVE. CONVICTED OF MURDER, SHE TOO WAS
GIVEN A MANDATORY DEATH SENTENCE. >> YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOUR RIGHTS? >> NEVER.
NEVER. >> HOW COURTS WORK. >> NEVER. AND THAT'S WHAT PROPELLED ME TO
JOIN THE PARALEGAL. THAT LEGAL BASIC KNOWLEDGE THAT I GET, IT GOES A LONG WAY. YOU DON'T NEED A DEGREE TO DRAFT
SOMEBODY AN APPEAL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. >> HOW DOES THAT FAEEL? >> YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE STILL A
HUMAN BEING EVEN IF YOU ARE HERE. YOU CAN DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE SOMEONE'S LIFE.
>> Reporter: ALEXANDER McLEAN BEGAN VOLUNTEERING TO HELP OTHERS AS A TEENAGER, GROWING UP IN SOUTH LONDON.
HIS FATHER WAS JAMAICAN AND HIS MOTHER IS ENGLISH. HE FIRST WENT TO AFRICA WHEN HE WAS 18 TO DO HOSPICE WORK, IN
PRISONS AND HOSPITALS IN UGANDA. >> WE WENT ONTO THIS WARD, AND BY THE TOILET ON THE FLOOR I SAW A MAN LYING ON A PLASTIC SHEET
IN A POOL OF URINE. AND FOR FIVE DAYS I WASHED HIM AND TRIED TO ADVOCATE FOR HIM. CAME THE SIXTH DAY AND HE WAS
LYING DEAD AND NAKED ON THE FLOOR. >> IT'S NOT SOMETHING A LOT OF PEOPLE I THINK WOULD VOLUNTEER
TO DO. >> I GUESS THAT SOMETIMES IN LIFE WE SEE THINGS THAT WE CAN'T UNSEE AND THEN WE HAVE A CHOICE
AS TO HOW WE RESPOND TO THEM BECAUSE EVERY PERSON HAS GIFTS AND TALENTS AND SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR SOCIETY.
OUR SOCIETY CAN ONLY FLOURISH WHEN THE INHERENT WORTH OF EACH PERSON IS VALUED. >> Reporter: AFTER RETURNING TO
LONDON AND GRADUATING FROM LAW SCHOOL HE COULD HAVE GOTTEN A HIGH-PAYING JOB. INSTEAD, IN 2007 HE STARTED A
CHARITY TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS IN AFRICAN PRISONS. AT NIEB NAIROBI'S COMMITTEE MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON, A
NOTORIOUS AND SOMETIMES VIOLENT PLACE, HE MET GEORGE KARABA WHO WAS ON DEATH ROW FOR KILLING A MAN IN A DISPUTE OVER LAND.
>> I REMEMBER THE FIRST THING THAT HE ASKED WAS HOW HE COULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE US WITH READING MATERIALS.
>> Reporter: SO McCLEAN BEGAN COLLECTING WHATEVER BOOKS HE COULD FIND FOR THE PRISONERS. >> MY SENSE WAS THAT BOOKS COULD
TRANSFORM US AND TRANSFORM OUR CIRCUMSTANCES AND TAKE US TO A DIFFERENT PLACE. >> 9, 10, 11.
>> Reporter: PRISON AUTHORITIES HAD ALREADY STARTED AN ACADEMY OF THEIR OWN, WITH CLASSES FROM FIRST GRADE THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL,
TEACHING MATH, ENGLISH, SCIENCE AND RELIGION. AND WITH McCLEAN'S HELP THEY TURNED A ROOM AT THE END OF A
CELL BLOCK INTO A LIBRARY. >> YOU CAN'T IMAGINE THE HAPPINESS. YOU CAN'T IMAGINE.
>> JUST FROM A BOOK. >> YEAH. BECAUSE WHEN YOU START READING THIS BOOK IT'S ACTUALLY
ENLIGHTENING ME. IT'S LIKE NOW I'M BEING OLD UP TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. IT STARTED GIVING US HOPE.
>> Reporter: McLEAN WANTED TO DO MORE THAN JUST IMPROVE LIFE IN KENYA'S PRISONS. HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THOSE
ACCUSED OF CRIMES HAD I AFFAIR HEARING. >> OFTEN IT'S PEOPLE FROM BACKGROUNDS OF PRIVILEGE WHO
BECOME LAWYERS OR BECOME POLITICIANS AND MAKE THE LAW BUT IT'S THE POOREST PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETIES WHO DISPROPORTIONATELY
FEEL THE IMPACT OF THE LAW. AND I WONDERED WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE TO TAP INTO THAT LIVED EXPERIENCE.
>> Reporter: SO IN 2012 McLEAN ARRANGED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON LAW SCHOOL FOR INMATES TO BEGIN TAKING A THREE-YEAR
CORRESPONDENCE COURSE. THE SAME ONE NELSON MANDELA TOOK WHEN HE WAS IN PRISON. TO QUALIFY THEY HAVE TO PASS AN
ENTRANCE EXAM AND HAVE A TRACK RECORD OF HELPING OTHER PRISONERS WHILE THEY'VE BEEN BEHIND BARS.
>> SO EVEN IF THEY MAY HAVE MURDERED SOMEBODY AND HAVE A LIFE SENTENCE, IF THEY HAVE TRANSFORMED THEMSELVES IN
PRISON, IF THEY ARE SERVING OTHERS THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO QUALIFY. >> YES.
BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT THERE'S MORE TO SOMEONE THAT'S KILLED THAN BEING A MURDERER OR MORE TO SOMEONE WHO'S STOLEN THAN BEING
A THIEF. I DON'T THINK ANY OF US HAS TO BE DEFINED BY THE WORST THING THAT WE'VE DONE.
>> Reporter: REMEMBER MORRIS KABIRIA, THE COP IN FOR ARMED ROBBERY? HE ENROLLED IN LAW SCHOOL AND
FOUND THE LEARNING CURVE STEEP. >> I HAD NEVER TOUCHED A COMPUTER IN MY LIFE BEFORE I WENT TO PRISON.
>> REALLY? >> YES. I TOUCHED THE FIRST COMPUTER IN THAT LAW CLASS.
>> Reporter: IN SOME WAYS THEY ARE LIKE LAW STUDENTS ANYWHERE. IN THE CHAPEL AT COMMITTEE MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON WE
WATCHED AS HE THIS HELD A MOOT COURT, A MOCK LEGAL HEARING WHERE THEY ROLE PLAY, ARGUING CASES WITH ALL THE GRAVITAS AND
GRANDEUR OF A REAL KENYAN COURTROOM. SOME PRISONERS PLAY PROSECUTORS. >> THIS SOCIETY AS A WHOLE NEEDS
PROTECTION. >> Reporter: OTHERS THE DEFENSE. >> IT IS BETTER TO ACQUIT NINE GUILTY SUSPECTS THAN CONVICT ONE
INNOCENT PERSON. >> Reporter: THERE'S ALSO A DEFENDANT. >> WE PROCEED.
>> Reporter: AND PRISONER JUDGES TO RENDER A VERDICT. >> THE APPELLANTS HAVE PROVED THEIR APPEAL.
[ APPLAUSE ] >> Reporter: YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED PRISON GUARDS IN ATTENDANCE.
REMARKABLY, SOME OF THEM ARE TAKING LAW CLASSES AS WELL. WILLIE OJOLU IS THE CHIEF INSPECTOR AT LANGATA WOMEN'S
PRISON AND JUST COMPLETED HIS UNIVERSITY OF LONDON LAW DEGREE. >> I DON'T KNOW THAT I KNOW OF MANY GUARDS IN THE UNITED STATES
WHO TRAINED TO BECOME A LAWYER SO THEY CAN GIVE LEGAL ADVICE TO THE PEOPLE THEY'RE GUARDING. IT'S PRETTY UNIQUE.
>> WELL, IT SOUNDS UNIQUE, BUT THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS HERE. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE BROUGHT TO PRISON AS A PUNISHMENT BUT NOT
FOR PUNISHMENT. >> I'VE NEVER HEARD IT PHRASED THAT WAY. SO YOUR GOAL IS NOT TO PUNISH
THEM BUT -- >> TO HELP THEM IMPROVE ON THEIR LIFE AND MANAGE THEIR LIFE PROPERLY SO THAT THEY DON'T GET
IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW. ♪ >> THREE YEARS AGO INSIDE COMMITTEE MAXIMUM SECURITY
PRISON THERE WAS A GRADUATION CEREMONY THE LIKES OF WHICH NO ONE HERE HAD EVER SEEN. 18 INMATES, FORMER PRISONERS AND
GUARDS, RECEIVED THEIR UNIVERSITY OF LONDON LAW SCHOOL DEGREES. GEORGE KARABA GOT HIS.
WHILE HE MAY SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE IN PRISON, HE SAYS HE'S BEEN TRANSFORMED. >> IF I DON'T GET OUT OF PRISON
I WILL STILL CONTINUE DOING WHAT I DO. >> TO SEE SOMEBODY YOU'VE HELPED GET OUT OF PRISON --
>> IT GIVES ME GREAT SATISFACTION. >> DOES IT FEEL LIKE PART OF YOU GOES OUT WITH THAT PERSON?
>> I FEEL PART OF ME IS ACTUALLY OUT. AND THEREFORE I'M GOOD. >> GEORGE KARABA AND OTHERS
HELPED MORRIS KABIRIA APPEAL HIS DEATH PENALTY CONVICTION. KABIRIA ARGUED THE CASE HIMSELF AND WAS STUNNED WHEN THE JUDGE
ACQUITTED HIM OF ALL CHARGES AFTER 13 YEARS IN PRISON. >> IT FELT LIKE I DID NOT HEAR RIGHT.
SO I ASKED, WHAT? AND SHE TOLD ME, HEY, COME ON, I THOUGHT YOU'RE A LAWYER. >> YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE WHAT SHE
WAS SAYING? YOU WANTED TO SEE IT IN WRITING? >> I DON'T BELIEVE IT CAN HAPPEN THAT WAY.
BECAUSE IT WAS NOT EVEN IN MY MIND. >> FIRST IMPRESSION IS VERY IMPORTANT.
>> Reporter: MORRIS KABIRIA WAS FREED. BUT WHEN HE GOT OUT, HE WENT RIGHT BACK TO PRISON, AS A
FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE OF JUSTICE DEFENDERS. HERE HE IS TEACHING INMATES A LESSON HE LEARNED IN COURT
FIRSTHAND. ALWAYS LOOK THE JUDGE STRAIGHT IN THE EYE. >> DON'T JUST LIE LOW.
DON'T KEEP QUIET. IT MIGHT AFFECT YOUR DEFENSE OR YOUR CASE. >> Reporter: JUSTICE DEFENDERS
SAYS SINTS WE'VE SINCE WE'VE VISITED KENYA THEY'VE PROVIDED MORE THAN 37,000 LEGAL SERVICES TO
PRISONERS AND SEEN ALMOST 11,000 PEOPLE RELEASED. THIS WAS PAULINE NAJERI'S WALK TO FREEDOM AFTER FIVE YEARS IN
PRISON FOR FRAUD. >> THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DARLING, FOR COMING. >> Reporter: HER DAUGHTER WAS
THERE TO GREET HER. >> SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOUR PARALEGALS ARE TRAINING HAVE COMMITTED VERY SERIOUS OFFENSES.
>> FOR SURE. >> DO THEY REALLY DESERVE A CHANCE TO GET OUT? IF THEY'VE REALLY COMMITTED
THOSE CRIMES. >> WE'RE NOT DETERMINING SENTENCE. THOSE WHO ARE GUILTY OF OFFENSES
SHOULD BE PUNISHED. AND THE PUNISHMENT SHOULD BE PROPORTIONATE AND IT SHOULD BE VIEWED TOWARD EQUIPPING THEM ONE
DAY TO LEAVE PRISON AND TO CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY. BUT THOSE WHO ARE INNOCENT SHOULDN'T BE WRONGLY PUNISHED.
>> Reporter: JUSTICE DEFENDERS RELIES ENTIRELY ON DONATIONS AND SPENDS ABOUT $2 MILLION A YEAR HELPING INMATES.
THEY'VE BEGUN TRYING TO EXPAND THEIR WORK INTO OTHER PRISONS IN AFRICA, EUROPE AND TH UNITED STATES.
>> WE HAVE A SHARED HUNGER FOR JUSTICE. >> Reporter: ALREADY THEIR IMPACT IN KENYA HAS BEEN
PROFOUND. MORRIS KABIRIA WAS PART OF A TEAM OF JUSTICE DEFENDERS WHO SUCCESSFULLY CHALLENGED THE
CONSTITUTIONALITY OF KENYA'S MANDATORY DEATH SENTENCE. THE LAW WAS CHANGED, AND AS A RESULT THOUSANDS OF DEATH ROW
INMATES BECAME ELIGIBLE FOR RESENTENCING. >> THAT MUST FEEL EXTRAORDINARY. >> EXTRAORDINARY.
I LOVE LAW. I EAT LAW AND DRINK LAW AND LOVE LAW. >> YOU EAT AND DRINK IT?
>> COMPLETELY. EVERY DAY. I DO EVERYTHING WITH LAW. >> LISTENING TO YOU TALK ABOUT
THE LAW, IT SORT OF MAKES ME EXCITED ABOUT THE LAW. >> YES. YOU KNOW, THERE IS ONE THING WE
DO. WE MAKE ASSUMPTIONS AS PEOPLE, AS A SOCIETY, AND WE DIG OUR GRAVES THROUGH THOSE
ASSUMPTIONS. LAW IS NOT FOR LAWYERS. LAW IS NOT FOR THE GOVERNMENT. LAW IS NOT FOR SOME PEOPLE
SOMEWHERE OR THE RICH. LAW IS FOR EVERYONE. >> IN THE COMING WEEKS 100,000 INMATES WILL HAVE BEEN ADVISED
BY JUSTICE DEFENDERS, WITH THEIR PLANNED EXPANSION INTO NEW PRISONS AND COUNTRIES THEY AIM TO SERVE 1 MILLION PRISONERS BY
2030.
>>> FOR DECADES NOW RUSSIANS HAVE KNOWN THE DRILL. WHEN THERE'S BAD NEWS BREWING SUCH AS THE DEATH OF A LEADER OR
A CONVULSIVE EVENT SUCH AS THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER, STATE TV SWITCHES ITS PROGRAMMING AND BEGINS AIRING TCHAIKOVSKY'S
BALLET "SWAN LAKE." NOTHING TO SEE HERE, FOLKS. BUT ALSO NOTE THE CHOICE OF DISTRACTION.
BALLET IS CENTRALLY IMPORTANT TO RUSSIAN SOCIETY AND TO RUSSIAN IMAGE. DANCERS SLICING THROUGH THE AIR
AND CHALLENGING LAWS OF PHYSICS AND GRAVITY REPRESENTS CIVILITY AND GRACE. BUT AFTER FEBRUARY 24th, WHEN
RUSSIAN MILITARY TROOPS INVADED UKRAINE, RUSSIAN BALLET TROOPS HAD THEIR WESTERN TOURS CANCELED AND MOSCOW'S BOLSHOI THEATER HAS
SHUTTERED SHOWS BY DIRECTORS CRITICAL OF PUTIN'S WAR. AS WE FIRST REPORTED EARLIER THIS YEAR, THIS BRUTAL WAR PLAYS
OUT ON THE MOST DELICATE OF FRONTS, LEAVING BALLET IN EXILE. ♪ WHEN BALLET DANCERS ARE
DESCRIBED AS GOD'S ATHLETES, WELL, YOU COULD OFFER UP OLGA SMIRNOVA AS SUPPORTING EVIDENCE. SHE TREADS ON AIR, COMING IN ON
LITTLE CAT FEET. SHE'S A RUSSIAN PRIMA BALLERINA, ONE OF THE WORLD'S LEADING DANCERS.
BUT DAYS AFTER RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE, SMIRNOVA PIROUETTED AND STEPPED OFF HER STAGE AT THE RENOWNED BOLSHOI THEATER WITH
DRAMATIC FLOURISH. ♪ SHE TOOK TO SOCIAL MEDIA TO EXPRESS HER OUTRAGE AND THEN
FLED THE COUNTRY, THE MODERN-DAY VERSION OF NUREYEV OR BARYSHNIKOV DEFECTING. >> WHEN YOU SAT DOWN TO WRITE
THAT SOCIAL MEDIA POST, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO COMMUNICATE? WHAT DID YOU WANT TO SAY? >> I JUST COULDN'T KEEP IT
INSIDE. I WAS SO ASHAMED OF RUSSIA. THIS IS THE TRUTH. I'M NOT ASHAMED THAT I'M
RUSSIAN, BUT I'M ASHAMED BECAUSE OF RUSSIA STARTED THIS ACTION. >> I WANT TO READ WHAT YOU WROTE.
YOU SAID YOU WERE AGAINST THIS WAR WITH EVERY FIBER OF YOUR BEING "BUT I NOW FEEL THAT A LINE HAS BEEN DRAWN THAT
SEPARATES THE BEFORE AND THE AFTER." >> IT'S HOW I FELT. 24th OF FEBRUARY.
THIS WAS THE LINE. BECAUSE IT'S ALL CHANGED. ALL CHANGED. THE REPUTATION OF RUSSIA AND
RUSSIAN PEOPLE. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A SOLDIER, YOU'RE JUST RUSSIAN, IT'S SO -- IT'S STILL MAKE A SHADOW ON YOU.
>> BEING RUSSIAN. >> BEING RUSSIAN. IT'S REALLY PAINFUL. >> Reporter: PREDICTABLY,
SMIRNOVA'S POST WENT VIRAL. SHE WAS, AFTER ALL, A LEADING LIGHT AT MOSCOW'S BOLSHOI BALLET.
FROM THE RUSSIAN WORD FOR "BIG," BOLSHOI IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST BALLET COMPANY AND THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS.
THE THEATER IS PHYSICALLY CLOSE TO THE KREMLIN, A SHORT WALK AWAY, AND ALSO ALIGNED INEXTRICABLY WITH TE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT. CZARS LOVED THE BOLSHOI. FOR DECADES COMMUNIST LEADERS USED THE BOLSHOI THEATER FOR
POLITICAL STAGECRAFT, HOLDING RALLIES AND GIVING NATIONAL ADDRESSES THERE. >> THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
CELEBRATES RUSSIA. EVERY IMPORTANT GUEST WHO WOULD VISIT SOVIET UNION WOULD BE INVITED TO THE BOLSHOI TO SEE
THE PERFORMANCE, AND THAT WAS THE PRIDE OF RUSSIA AT ANY TIME. >> Reporter: ALEXEI RADMONSKI TRAINED AT THE BOLSHOI SCHOOL
AND WAS FOR A TIME ITS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR. HE WAS BORN IN RUSSIA BUT GREW UP IN KYIV, WHERE HIS PARENTS
STILL LIVE. ♪ AT THE TIME OF THE INVASION HE WAS IN RUSSIA CHOREOGRAPHING TWO
BALLETS. HE LEFT THE COUNTRY IMMEDIATELY, UNWILLING TO CONTINUE WORKING IN A WORLD SO TIED TO THE PUTIN
REGIME. >> AS I WAS GOING IN A TAXI TO THE AIRPORT, I FELT THIS -- SAND CASTLES FALLING APART BEHIND MY
BACK. >> THE SAND CASTLES WERE THE WORK YOU HAD DONE -- >> YES.
YES. YES. IT WAS AN AGONY. IT WAS A VERY HARD DAY.
>> Reporter: AND OF COURSE A CATASTROPHIC DAY FOR UKRAINE. INDISCRIMINATE BOMBINGS AND MISSILE STRIKES RAINING DOWN
UPON THE COUNTRY, CRUSHING LIVES AND DREAMS. NOT LEAST THOSE OF AN ASCENDANT BALLERINA FROM KYIV, PAULINA
CHEPEK, AGE 17. YOU WANTED TO BE A BALLERINA FOR YEARS AND YEARS. WHAT WAS IT LIKE WHEN SUDDENLY
YOU COULDN'T GO TO SCHOOL, COULDN'T DANCE? >> I WAS SHOCKED AND I LIKE -- OH, MY GOD.
AND FIRST ABOUT WHAT I'M THINKING, THAT I LEFT MY POINT SHOES IN COLLEGE. >> THAT WAS YOUR FIRST THOUGHT.
>> YES. >> YOU LEFT YOUR POINT SHOES AT SCHOOL. >> I LEFT EVERYTHING, ACTUALLY.
>> WAR DIDN'T STOP HER IN HER FOOTSTEPS. SHE RESUMED DANCING AT HOME, USING WHATEVER SHE COULD AS A
BAR. BUT AFTER A FEW DAYS HER PARENTS, BOTH FORMER DANCERS, FOCUSED ON GETTING PAULINA OUT.
THEY CALLED ON A FAMOUSLY WELL-CONNECTED FIGURE IN THE TIGHT-KNIT BALLET COMMUNITY, NEW JERSEY-BASED LARISSA SAVLIEV.
>> YOU'RE GETTING THIS BARRAGE OF E-MAILS FROM PARENTS AND FROM DANCERS. WHAT ARE THEY TELLING YOU?
WHAT ARE THEY ASKING YOU? >> PLEASE HELP. THAT WAS -- GET US OUT OF HERE. THEY'RE WILLING TO GIVE UP
EVERYTHING ELSE, BUT THEY HAVE TO DANCE. AND THE PARENTS WERE -- YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT WE
DO, THEY HAVE TO DANCE. >> THIS WAS THEIR LIFELINE ALMOST. >> THIS IS IT.
THEY JUST -- THEY COULD NOT IMAGINE NOT DANCE. >> Reporter: IN THE 1990s SHE FOUNDED YOUTH AMERICA GRAND
PRIX. ♪ A BALLET COMPETITION AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM PAIRING
ASPIRING DANCERS WITH BALLET SCHOOLS WORLDWIDE. >> WELL, THEY WANT TO SEE HER FOR A FULL YEAR BUT YOU HAVE TO
COME FOR THE SUMMER FIRST. >> Reporter: NOW IN A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS SHE AND THE INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMMUNITY
SCRAMBLED TO ACTION. SAVLIEV TAPPED HER VAST NETWORK, RELOCATING MORE THAN 100 YOUNG UKRAINIAN DANCERS TO NEW SCHOOLS
AND HOST FAMILIES. >> WE GIVE EACH CHILD A NUMBER JUST TO MOVE FASTER, AND WE SAY OKAY, NUMBER 55 IS LIKE -- JUST
GET A SPOT IN STUTTGART. OKAY. NUMBER 54 JUST GET A SPOT IN DRESDEN.
>> CROSS IT OFF THE LIST. >> CROSS IT OFF THE LIST. >> WHEN A SLOT OPENED FOR PAULINA, SHE STUFFED LEOTARDS
AND TUTUS INTO A SUITCASE ALONG WITH A BOTTLE OF HER MOM'S PER PERFUME, A REMINDER OF HOME. AND THEN SHE HEADED TO THE KYIV
TRAIN STATION. >> AND MY PARENTS ARE IN THE WINDOW OF TRAIN, THEY SAY GOOD-BYE, WE LOVE YOU,
EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE. AND I WAS CRYING. AND WE WERE ALL CRYING. I WAS THINKING MAYBE I WOULD
NEED TO TAKE MY SUITCASE AND GO BACK TO MY FAMILY BECAUSE MY HEART WAS BROKEN REALLY. >> HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THAT?
WHAT MADE YOU NOT GET OFF THAT TRAIN? >> BECAUSE IT'S OPEN DOOR FOR ME.
IT'S A DOOR FOR MY DREAM. ♪ >> Reporter: 17-YEAR-OLD THAT SHE IS, PAULINA DOCUMENTED THE
LONELY ODYSSEY ON TIKTOK. TRAINS AND BUSES. FIVE DAYS AND 1200 MILES. KYIV TO LVIV.
POLAND TO BERLIN. FINALLY TO AMSTERDAM, WHERE SHE LANDED AT THE DUTCH NATIONAL BALLET ACADEMY, ONE OF THE
LEADING SCHOOLS IN THE WORLD. >> WHEN YOU GOT TO THE NEW SCHOOL AND STARTED DANCING AGAIN, HOW DID THAT FEEL?
>> OH, I WAS VERY HAPPY. YES. MY MIND CHANGED BECAUSE I WAS THINKING ABOUT MY PARENTS ALL
THE TIME, FOR MY FAMILY, FOR MY SISTER. AND WHEN I GO TO THE BALLET CLASS, THIS WORLD CHANGED FOR
ME. I HAVE ANOTHER WORLD OF BALLET. >> Reporter: HER ADJUSTMENT WAS MADE EASIER WHEN SHE FOUND OTHER
UKRAINIAN DANCE STUDENTS WHO, THANKS TO LARISA SAVLIEV, ALSO FOUND SAFE HARBOR IN AMSTERDAM. ♪
PAULINA FELL INTO A ROUTINE IMMEDIATELY. ON THE CUSP OF A PROFESSIONAL CAREER SHE PREPARED FOR FINAL
EXAMS. SHE WAS JITTERY BEFOREHAND. SHE EMERGED RELIEVED, TRIUMPHANT, AND EAGER TO REPORT
BACK TO MOM. >> WHAT DID YOU TELL HER? >> THAT I WAS NERVOUS BUT WHEN I START I DO EVERYTHING RIGHT.
>> Reporter: IF THE WAR HAS MADE REFUGEES OUT OF SOME UKRAINIAN DANCERS, IT'S MADE SOLDIERS OUT OF OTHERS.
WHEN THE WAR BEGAN, ALEXI POTYEMKIN, A PRINCIPAL DANCER WITH UKRAINE'S NATIONAL BALLET, TURNED IN HIS TIGHTS FOR
MILITARY FATIGUES. HERE HE IS IN DOWNTOWN LVIV, HAVING JUST RETURNED FROM DUTY AS A MEDIC.
>> WHAT WAS YOUR LIFE LIKE BEFORE THE WAR? >> BEFORE WAR I MUST -- I PREPARING NEW PREMIERE IN
UKRAINIAN BALLET. NO, LIKE REAL NORMAL LIFE. AND JUST ONE MOMENT IT'S LIKE CHANGES.
BUT I NEED TO DO SOMETHING. I CAN'T SIT JUST AT HOME IN SHELTER AND WATCH TV, HOW MY FRIENDS DIE AND EVERYONE DO
SOMETHING. >> WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN THESE LAST FEW MONTHS? >> EVERY DAY IT'S REALLY SCARY.
THEY CRASHED EVERYTHING, DESTROYED HOUSES OF CIVILIANS PEOPLE. IT'S BROTHERS, SON, FATHERS,
SISTERS. >> Reporter: WHILE HE SAYS HE'S SHAKEN BY WHAT HE'S SEEN UNFOLD ON THE BATTLEFIELD, HE'S ALSO
APPALLED BY A WAR TAKING PLACE ON ANOTHER FRONT, AT THE BOLSHOI. >> THE BOLSHOI NOW, IT'S TOXIC
THEATER. NOBODY WANT TO WORK WITH YOU. >> YOU SAID TOXIC. >> TOXIC, YES.
IN RUSSIA ART, IT'S POLITICS. IT'S RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT USE IT, BALLET, IT'S LIKE WEAPON. >> Reporter: THE WEAPON WAS
DEPLOYED AT THE BOLSHOI AS RECENTLY AS THIS PAST APRIL, WHEN THE THEATER REVIVED A PRODUCTION OF "SPARTACUS" IN
SUPPORT OF THE RUSSIAN MILITARY INVASION. UNNERVING MANY IN THE DANCE WORLD.
INCLUDING LONG-TIME HEAD OF THE DUTCH NATIONAL BALLET, TED BRANSON. >> WELL, IT WAS A VERY CLEAR
STATEMENT THAT WE HAVE TO SUPPORT OUR BOYS WHO ARE ON A MILITARY OPERATION TO SAVE UKRAINE FROM THE FASCISTS.
WHICH IS A TOTALLY RIDICULOUS CONCEPT, OF COURSE. >> THIS ALLEGORY, "SPARTCACUS ABOUT THE SLAVE REVOLT IS
SOMEHOW BEING CO-OPTED BY THE AGGRESSIVE SUPERPOWER. >> IT'S NOT FOR NOTHING THAT THIS BECAME ONE OF THE SIGNATURE
BALANCE YAIZ OF THE BALLETS OF THE SOVIET TIME. ♪ >> Reporter: ABROAD THE BALLET
COMMUNITY HAS STAGED BENEFIT CONCERTS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR UKRAINE. WHILE RUSSIA'S FAMED COMPANIES,
THE BOLL SLOI AND ST. PETERSBURG'S MARIINSKYI, HAVE HAD THEIR TOURING DATES CANCELED.
>> I THINK YOU NEED TO BE A LITTLE MORE ACTIVE WITH YOUR ARMS. >> Reporter: WITH THE IRON
CURTAIN DOWN ARTISTS HAVE TO PICK A SIDE. ALEXEI RADMONSKI LEFT MOSCOW FOR AMERICAN BALLET THEATER IN NEW
YORK WHERE HE IS ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AND WHERE WE SPOKE WITH HIM REMOTELY THIS PAST APRIL.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU DON'T BUY THIS IDEA THAT INDIVIDUALS SHOULD BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACTS OF THE STATE, THAT
ARTISTS SHOULD JUST BE ARTISTS. >> NO, I DON'T THINK THE ARTISTS ARE SEPARATE FROM POLITICS. AND BESIDES FOR ME IT'S NOT
POLITICS. IT'S ABOUT HUMANITY. IT'S ABOUT RESPONDING TO WAR CRIMES.
RESPONDING TO THE CRIMES OF YOUR GOVERNMENT, OF YOUR PRESIDENT. IT JUST MADE THINGS CLEAR, WHICH THINGS ARE IMPORTANT AND WHICH
AREN'T. AND YOU MAKE A CHOICE. YOU DECIDE WHERE YOU WANT TO BELONG.
>> Reporter: FOR OLGA SMIRNOVA, THAT CHOICE CAME TOGETHER IN A MATTER OF DAYS AFTER SHE CONDEMNED THE WAR.
SHE LEFT RUSSIA AND LANDED ON HER FEET. AT THE DUTCH NATIONAL OPERA IN AMSTERDAM, JUST AROUND THE
CORNER FROM PAULINA'S SCHOOL. >> IT MUST HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO LEAVE THE BOLSHOI. >> IF YOU MAKE A CHOICE, YOU
HAVE CONSEQUENCES. BUT THIS IS HOW IT WORKS. I HAD TO LEAVE EVERYTHING. LIKE MY HOME, MY THEATER, MY
REPERTOIRE, MY PARTNERS, MY PARENTS, SISTER, BROTHER. EVERYTHING. BUT I DON'T HAVE REGRETS.
>> NO REGRETS. >> NO. BECAUSE AT LEAST I CAN BE HONEST >>> I'M JON WERTHEIM.
WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK WITH