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[Alec]               
      Putin's invasion of Ukraine

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has made his country a pariah.

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Many Russians           
           still support him.

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A lot of them have         
           been repeating

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the same talking points      
          from state media.

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speaking Russian

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[Alec]   What's the role       
           of the news media

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in Russia today?

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People need information.      
       People get information.

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Shouldn't it be to question    
       the government as well?

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[laughs]              
     Seriously, you're so funny.

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[Ben]               
      It's been almost four months

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since Russian forces       
            invaded Ukraine.

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Outside of Kharkiv,        
        the Russians have fled.

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[Panama]   speaking Ukrainian

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[Ben]               
     While shelling here has eased,

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it hasn't ended.

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We haven't been able        
             to get out.

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When do you think         
            it would be safe

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to come back here,        
            live here again?

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[woman]   speaking Ukrainian

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dramatic music

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[shouting]

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[people chattering, shouting]

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soft dramatic music

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[people chanting in Russian]

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[man]   shouting in Russian

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Hurrah! Hurrah!

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[crowd shouting]

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This is Victory Day,        
       where Russians remember

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their relatives who fought     
           in World War II

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and the victory          
         over Nazi Germany.

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What the Kremlin is doing     
             is tying that

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to the current          
     military operation in Ukraine,

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where it claims that Russia    
        is again fighting Nazis.

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speaking Russian

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speaking Russian

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dramatic tense music

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[Alec]               
      While the rest of the world

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looks on in horror

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at Russian atrocities       
              in Ukraine,

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in Russia,            
       President Vladimir Putin's

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approval rating          
      is nearing an all-time high.

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But that's partly because     
          most of his citizens

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are given             
       a hugely deceptive picture

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of what's actually happening   
             on the ground.

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speaking Russian

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[all shout in Russian]

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[Alec]               
      In his 22 years at the helm,

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Putin has bent government     
       institutions to his will,

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removed all political rivals,

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and shut down every major     
        independent news outlet.

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In their place,          
      state-controlled television

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claims that Russia        
             is once again

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locked in a struggle       
            against fascism,

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with Ukraine's          
        democratically-elected,

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Jewish president standing in   
           for Adolf Hitler.

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speaking Russian

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speaking Russian

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speaking Russian

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[Alec]   Putin's propaganda     
      resonates with many Russians

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who long for the days when    
     they were still a superpower.

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speaking Russian

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speaking Russian

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speaking Russian

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[Alec]    That evening, we went

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to the Koshkin family's      
        apartment in the suburbs

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to find out how they get     
           their information

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about Putin and the war.

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speaking Russian

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speaking Russian

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[crowd shouting]

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[Alec]    In 2014,          
          a popular revolution

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replaced Ukraine's        
      Kremlin-friendly government

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with a pro-Western one.

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In response,           
          Putin annexed Crimea

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and stoked            
         a separatist conflict

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in Ukraine's Donbas region.

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In eight years of fighting,

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civilians on both sides      
           have been killed,

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but Russian propaganda has    
       portrayed it as a genocide

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against the pro-Russian      
              separatists.

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speaking Russian

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[Alec]               
     That's why Putin has been able

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to convince many Russians     
       that the current invasion

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is actually            
         a defensive operation.

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speaking Russian

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[Alec]    Even Russians' phones

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are full             
         of Kremlin propaganda.

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Facebook, Twitter,        
             and Instagram

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have all been banned in favor   
        of Russian social media

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that amplified          
      the same conspiracy theories

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as state TV.

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speaking Russian

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[Alec]               
      While many Russians believe

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the West is being lied to     
        about events in Ukraine,

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it's Russia            
          that's writing laws

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to hide the truth         
          about the conflict.

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Even calling Putin's       
       "special operation" a war

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is now punishable         
      by up to 15 years in prison.

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Protests against the invasion   
              in February

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were snuffed out by police

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and journalists were arrested   
         for reporting on them,

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including me.

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I'm an American journalist.

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speaking Russian

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State media have responded

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to evidence            
         of Russian atrocities

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with conspiracy theories     
               and lies,

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accusing Ukraine         
      of killing its own civilians

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in Mariupol

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and faking the massacre      
               in Bucha.

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speaking Russian

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For journalists critical     
            of the Kremlin,

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Russia is a dangerous place    
                to work.

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The newspaper   Novaya Gazeta

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was the last           
           major media outlet

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providing an alternative     
       to the propaganda coverage

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of the war.

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It had kept working        
           through the murder

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of multiple reporters       
            over the years,

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and its Nobel Prize-winning    
                 editor

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was recently attacked       
        with paint and acetone.

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It was forced           
           to stop publishing

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after warnings          
          from the authorities

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in the first weeks of the war.

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speaking Russian

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speaking Russian

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[Alec]    With no one questioning 
           the Kremlin line,

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the true cost of the war     
            remains hidden.

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While Moscow says it's lost    
           only 1,351 troops,

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the real number          
       may be as high as 15,000.

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soft eerie music

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Journalists are blocked

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from covering           
           military funerals,

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so to speak to the family

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of a soldier           
           killed in Ukraine,

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we travelled 16 hours into    
       the mountains of Dagestan,

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avoiding police          
         and security services.

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Dagestan has the highest     
       casualties of any region,

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but even there,

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grieving relatives        
       were suspicious of anyone

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who questioned the invasion.

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soft somber music

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speaking Russian

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[sighs]

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[Patimat]   speaking Russian

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[sniffs]

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speaking Russian

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[producer]   speaking Russian

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tense music

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[Alec] After the interview,

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the family             
      called a local official,

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and he ended up putting out    
       a police alert for us.

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Police questioned us        
        for about two hours.

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They couldn't find anything    
      wrong with our documents,

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but it was pretty tense there   
            for a while.

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That tension remained       
       throughout our reporting.

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Our crew was detained again    
          in downtown Moscow,

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a place we'd filmed        
        dozens of times before.

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As we've been talking       
             to Russians

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about why they still        
            support Putin

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and his military operation     
             in Ukraine,

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a lot of them have         
           been repeating

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the same talking points      
          from state media

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about how Ukraine         
          is full of Nazis,

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the U.S. is using them       
          to attack Russia.

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One of the people         
       behind all that messaging

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is Margarita Simonyan,

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the head of state broadcaster, 
                  RT.

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speaking Russian

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[Alec]   Simonyan          
        is one of the Kremlin's

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most prominent mouthpieces.

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Her channel has been suspended 
              by YouTube,

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U.S. cable providers,       
         and the European Union

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for what the EU called      
              manipulation

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and disinformation        
      in its coverage of the war.

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She insisted that her own crew 
        also film our interview

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and tried to shift the focus   
        from Russian aggression

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to American hypocrisy

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just like state TV does      
               every day.

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What's the role          
          of the news media

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in Russia today?

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As always.

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It's the same           
      as in the United States,

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as anywhere in the world.

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People need information,      
       people get information.

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Shouldn't it be to question    
       the government as well?

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[laughs]              
     Seriously, you're so funny.

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You know,             
      it's such a funny mantra

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that you guys always use.

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"The role of the media       
   is to question the government."

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When was the last time       
   you questioned your government?

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We do it every day         
          on our newscast.

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You do? Really? I don't know.

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I watch American television.

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I don't see that they question   
     their government that much.

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You recently called for      
    the prohibition on censorship

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to be removed           
   from the Russian constitution.

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Why?                
   Who are you looking to censor?

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Many things.

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Lots of radical, nationalistic   
         terrorist rhetoric

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that can be found anywhere,

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especially             
       on Western-owned media

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and platforms.

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Instagrammers, YouTubers,

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all these people are starting   
      to question and speak out

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against this military       
      operation in the Ukraine.

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Starting to?

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They are starting to?

211
00:13:14,502 --> 00:13:15,878
They are not starting to.

212
00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,923
Some of them are stopping to.

213
00:13:18,964 --> 00:13:22,593
[laughs] Most of the people    
          that you mention

214
00:13:22,635 --> 00:13:24,220
did it in the first day.

215
00:13:24,260 --> 00:13:28,516
And believe me, many of them--   
      and many of them I know--

216
00:13:28,557 --> 00:13:29,767
regret it.

217
00:13:29,809 --> 00:13:33,854
You are mentioning         
      this proportion of people

218
00:13:33,896 --> 00:13:37,817
and you are absolutely ignoring 
          80% of the people

219
00:13:37,858 --> 00:13:39,235
who agree with Putin.

220
00:13:39,276 --> 00:13:40,945
[Alec] What is Putin's       
          place in history?

221
00:13:40,986 --> 00:13:43,989
I ask because           
     a lot of people in the West

222
00:13:44,031 --> 00:13:46,450
say that that's what        
       this military operation

223
00:13:46,492 --> 00:13:47,576
in Ukraine is about.

224
00:13:47,618 --> 00:13:49,870
It's about Putin trying      
   to cement his place in history.

225
00:13:49,912 --> 00:13:52,915
A lot of people in the West    
      invent a lot of bullshit

226
00:13:52,957 --> 00:13:54,875
and happily believe        
           in the bullshit

227
00:13:54,917 --> 00:13:57,628
they have themselves invented.

228
00:13:57,670 --> 00:13:59,171
We didn't start the war.

229
00:13:59,213 --> 00:14:01,757
The war started in 2014.

230
00:14:01,799 --> 00:14:03,217
If you don't know that fact,

231
00:14:03,259 --> 00:14:05,052
it doesn't mean          
         it never happened.

232
00:14:05,094 --> 00:14:06,095
Go to Donbas.

233
00:14:06,135 --> 00:14:07,930
[Alec] We were there in 2014    
             in Donbas.

234
00:14:07,972 --> 00:14:09,682
When were you there last time?

235
00:14:09,723 --> 00:14:12,351
-2018.               
      -What did they tell you?

236
00:14:12,393 --> 00:14:14,562
A lot of them said they would   
     like to be part of Russia.

237
00:14:14,603 --> 00:14:15,771
See? But--

238
00:14:15,813 --> 00:14:17,690
On the side controlled       
         by the separatists,

239
00:14:17,731 --> 00:14:18,858
a lot of them said         
          they'd like to--

240
00:14:18,899 --> 00:14:21,735
By the separatists?        
       Separatists? Seriously?

241
00:14:21,777 --> 00:14:23,821
[sighs] Okay. Have a good day.

242
00:14:23,863 --> 00:14:26,365
[microphone rustles]

243
00:14:27,157 --> 00:14:29,034
Nice to meet you.

244
00:14:29,076 --> 00:14:31,203
[indistinct speech]

245
00:14:31,245 --> 00:14:33,414
For Simonyan,           
      the pro-Russian separatists

246
00:14:33,455 --> 00:14:36,166
in the Donbas region       
         are freedom fighters,

247
00:14:36,208 --> 00:14:38,085
and calling them anything else

248
00:14:38,127 --> 00:14:39,587
threatens to undermine      
             the narrative

249
00:14:39,628 --> 00:14:42,172
she and state media        
          are telling Russians

250
00:14:42,214 --> 00:14:43,674
about Ukraine.

251
00:14:43,716 --> 00:14:45,175
This is the alternate reality

252
00:14:45,217 --> 00:14:47,303
that most Russians        
          are still living in.

253
00:14:47,344 --> 00:14:49,513
It's a reality where Russia    
              is cruising

254
00:14:49,555 --> 00:14:52,224
to a quick and painless      
           victory in Ukraine

255
00:14:52,266 --> 00:14:56,020
and life will soon return     
               to normal.

256
00:14:56,061 --> 00:14:58,939
speaking Russian

257
00:14:58,981 --> 00:15:01,901
[both]   speaking Russian

258
00:15:25,507 --> 00:15:28,594
[people cheering]

259
00:15:29,887 --> 00:15:32,890
dramatic music

260
00:15:36,852 --> 00:15:39,939
tense tone

261
00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:46,278
tense tone

262
00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:47,988
[indistinct speech]

263
00:15:48,030 --> 00:15:50,574
[Ben] These soldiers here     
           just discovered

264
00:15:50,616 --> 00:15:53,953
Thirteen Russian corpses      
      that have been left here

265
00:15:53,994 --> 00:15:56,497
that were killed from       
      what looks like shelling.

266
00:15:56,538 --> 00:15:58,290
The stench out here        
          is really strong

267
00:15:58,332 --> 00:16:00,376
and you can see there's      
      burn marks all over them.

268
00:16:00,417 --> 00:16:02,503
Some of them have         
       really shrapnel wounds

269
00:16:02,544 --> 00:16:03,796
all through them.

270
00:16:03,837 --> 00:16:06,131
This is a really brutal,      
          morbid place now,

271
00:16:06,173 --> 00:16:08,842
and it's their job         
       to just clean these up.

272
00:16:08,884 --> 00:16:11,095
tense music

273
00:16:12,304 --> 00:16:14,932
Just 30 miles           
        from the Russian border

274
00:16:14,974 --> 00:16:16,475
on the outskirts of Kharkiv,

275
00:16:16,517 --> 00:16:19,269
the Ukrainian counteroffensive 
               is working

276
00:16:19,311 --> 00:16:23,107
and Russian losses        
          are on full display.

277
00:16:23,148 --> 00:16:24,358
According to some estimates,

278
00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:26,318
Russia has lost          
            up to a quarter

279
00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:28,904
of its original fighting force 
              in Ukraine.

280
00:16:28,946 --> 00:16:31,782
[Vasil]   speaking Ukrainian

281
00:16:36,828 --> 00:16:39,999
[soldier]    speaking Ukrainian

282
00:16:41,290 --> 00:16:44,627
[Vasil]   speaking Ukrainian

283
00:16:59,101 --> 00:17:00,227
[Ben]   Does it feel like

284
00:17:00,269 --> 00:17:01,645
you're pushing the Russians    
            out of here now?

285
00:17:01,687 --> 00:17:03,272
Does it feel like         
          you're winning this?

286
00:17:03,313 --> 00:17:05,691
[Vasil]   speaking Ukrainian

287
00:17:08,318 --> 00:17:11,113
[Ben]   Since the start of      
     Russia's invasion of Ukraine,

288
00:17:11,155 --> 00:17:14,283
who is actually winning      
       has changed almost weekly.

289
00:17:14,324 --> 00:17:16,827
This war looked very different 
            five months ago.

290
00:17:16,869 --> 00:17:19,663
Russia rained cruise missiles   
           around the country

291
00:17:19,705 --> 00:17:22,249
in a multi-pronged        
          nationwide assault,

292
00:17:22,291 --> 00:17:23,709
encircling the capitol

293
00:17:23,751 --> 00:17:25,836
and taking control        
        of cities and villages.

294
00:17:25,878 --> 00:17:29,298
Vladimir Putin expected      
      Ukraine to fall within days.

295
00:17:29,339 --> 00:17:31,216
[explosion booms]

296
00:17:31,258 --> 00:17:33,385
But then Ukraine         
          surprised everyone.

297
00:17:33,427 --> 00:17:35,804
Civilians rallied behind     
        a charismatic president,

298
00:17:35,846 --> 00:17:38,932
Western money and weapons     
          flooded the country,

299
00:17:38,974 --> 00:17:40,476
defense lines held,

300
00:17:40,517 --> 00:17:42,352
and Russian forces        
              pulled back.

301
00:17:42,394 --> 00:17:45,064
It was clear that Moscow     
             and the world

302
00:17:45,105 --> 00:17:47,983
had overestimated         
           Russia's strength.

303
00:17:48,025 --> 00:17:50,819
dramatic music

304
00:17:50,861 --> 00:17:52,321
In newly-liberated areas,

305
00:17:52,362 --> 00:17:55,824
the reality of Russia's      
     military capability is clear.

306
00:17:55,866 --> 00:17:57,743
They weren't ready.

307
00:17:57,785 --> 00:18:00,788
We are riding along        
       with Ukrainian military

308
00:18:00,829 --> 00:18:02,206
who's taking us to some

309
00:18:02,247 --> 00:18:03,957
of the recently liberated     
              villages

310
00:18:03,999 --> 00:18:06,126
just outside            
         of Kharkiv central.

311
00:18:06,168 --> 00:18:07,628
These villages, two days ago,

312
00:18:07,669 --> 00:18:09,296
were still             
       under Russian control,

313
00:18:09,338 --> 00:18:11,131
but they're still         
       within artillery range,

314
00:18:11,173 --> 00:18:13,050
still within mortar range.

315
00:18:13,092 --> 00:18:15,886
tense music

316
00:18:18,055 --> 00:18:21,100
[Panama]   speaking Ukrainian

317
00:18:29,858 --> 00:18:31,026
[Ben]    Just days ago,

318
00:18:31,068 --> 00:18:32,653
this was             
     a Russian military encampment

319
00:18:32,694 --> 00:18:36,323
and artillery position      
        used to bombard Kharkiv.

320
00:18:36,365 --> 00:18:39,785
speaking Ukrainian

321
00:18:42,079 --> 00:18:43,372
[Ben] Jesus.

322
00:18:43,413 --> 00:18:46,792
[Panama]   speaking Ukrainian

323
00:19:06,478 --> 00:19:08,605
[Ben]   The Russian soldiers     
         here were ill-prepared

324
00:19:08,647 --> 00:19:10,440
and sent in            
       with decades-old weapons.

325
00:19:10,482 --> 00:19:13,152
It was clear that         
      at this stage of the fight,

326
00:19:13,193 --> 00:19:15,112
Putin had miscalculated.

327
00:19:15,154 --> 00:19:18,490
speaking Ukrainian

328
00:19:22,619 --> 00:19:25,789
Oh, wow. This was made in 1989.

329
00:19:25,831 --> 00:19:27,791
It's amazing.           
    Everything that we're seeing,

330
00:19:27,833 --> 00:19:32,462
all of the Russian gear      
      is old, Soviet-era stuff.

331
00:19:32,504 --> 00:19:35,841
[Panama]    speaking Ukrainian

332
00:19:44,474 --> 00:19:46,435
[Ben] These are Russian MREs.

333
00:19:46,476 --> 00:19:49,855
[Panama]   speaking Ukrainian

334
00:19:52,482 --> 00:19:54,818
[Ben]    But while the Russian    
            forces are down,

335
00:19:54,860 --> 00:19:57,237
they aren't out.

336
00:19:57,279 --> 00:20:00,657
[Panama]   speaking Ukrainian

337
00:20:02,201 --> 00:20:04,995
So there's incoming fire      
       just up the way there.

338
00:20:05,037 --> 00:20:06,747
[Panama]   speaking Ukrainian

339
00:20:06,788 --> 00:20:08,999
That shell just went        
           right over us,

340
00:20:09,041 --> 00:20:11,168
hitting the village over there.

341
00:20:12,044 --> 00:20:15,047
speaking Ukrainian

342
00:20:18,217 --> 00:20:20,385
[Ben]    The war           
        is entering a new phase,

343
00:20:20,427 --> 00:20:24,890
and now the Russian military   
     is once again on the advance.

344
00:20:25,432 --> 00:20:27,643
After months           
         of Ukrainian momentum,

345
00:20:27,684 --> 00:20:31,146
Russian forces have taken back 
        full control of Mariupol

346
00:20:31,188 --> 00:20:32,606
and are now            
          focusing their push

347
00:20:32,648 --> 00:20:34,233
around the Donbas region

348
00:20:34,274 --> 00:20:35,984
where the Russian-backed     
              separatists

349
00:20:36,026 --> 00:20:37,319
and Ukrainian forces

350
00:20:37,361 --> 00:20:40,239
first started fighting      
                in 2014.

351
00:20:41,323 --> 00:20:43,659
Needing a win           
      after losing so much ground,

352
00:20:43,700 --> 00:20:45,953
Putin has said          
      that taking back the Donbas

353
00:20:45,994 --> 00:20:47,704
was the goal all along.

354
00:20:47,746 --> 00:20:50,332
The new strategy:         
       consolidate Russian forces

355
00:20:50,374 --> 00:20:51,667
on a narrower front

356
00:20:51,708 --> 00:20:55,128
and slowly pound each village   
            into submission.

357
00:20:55,170 --> 00:20:56,672
We're just a few miles       
             from Izyum,

358
00:20:56,713 --> 00:20:59,132
which is one of the hardest    
       and the most dangerous

359
00:20:59,174 --> 00:21:00,550
front lines            
       of the fight right now.

360
00:21:00,592 --> 00:21:02,844
The Russian forces are trying   
       to encircle this area.

361
00:21:02,886 --> 00:21:06,390
They lose control here,      
     and Donbas could be circled

362
00:21:06,431 --> 00:21:08,850
and all of the soldiers around   
     there could be in trouble.

363
00:21:08,892 --> 00:21:10,769
So this is a really key part    
            of the fight

364
00:21:10,811 --> 00:21:12,521
and an important          
         and dangerous place

365
00:21:12,562 --> 00:21:13,772
for these guys to be fighting.

366
00:21:13,814 --> 00:21:16,024
[soldier] All right, let's go.   
           Go. Go. Go. Go.

367
00:21:16,066 --> 00:21:17,317
[Ben] Ready?

368
00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:19,444
This position           
      is just a few hundred meters

369
00:21:19,486 --> 00:21:21,446
from the Russian front lines.

370
00:21:21,488 --> 00:21:22,614
Go ahead. Go ahead.

371
00:21:22,656 --> 00:21:23,907
[soldier]             
       Careful for the pipes.

372
00:21:23,949 --> 00:21:26,618
[Ben]   In this hidden bunker    
        two stories underground,

373
00:21:26,660 --> 00:21:29,538
these soldiers,          
       surrounded on three sides,

374
00:21:29,579 --> 00:21:31,623
are one of the only units     
          standing in the way

375
00:21:31,665 --> 00:21:34,084
of countless Russian tanks,    
            artillery units,

376
00:21:34,126 --> 00:21:36,003
and soldiers.

377
00:21:36,044 --> 00:21:38,463
Is this pretty safe here?

378
00:21:38,505 --> 00:21:40,465
Uh, it has been thus far.

379
00:21:40,507 --> 00:21:42,259
[laughs]

380
00:21:42,301 --> 00:21:45,637
As you can see,          
   it's a pretty sturdy building.

381
00:21:45,679 --> 00:21:47,389
Denis Polishchuk,

382
00:21:47,431 --> 00:21:48,807
a Canadian Ukrainian       
               volunteer,

383
00:21:48,849 --> 00:21:51,727
is one of the hundreds      
       of foreign fighters here.

384
00:21:51,768 --> 00:21:54,688
He was born in Ukraine      
        and raised in Vancouver,

385
00:21:54,730 --> 00:21:57,149
and has been fighting       
         on and off with no pay

386
00:21:57,190 --> 00:21:59,651
since 2014.

387
00:21:59,693 --> 00:22:00,944
Why do you do this?

388
00:22:00,986 --> 00:22:02,738
[Denis]              
      I'm originally from Ukraine.

389
00:22:02,779 --> 00:22:04,948
I dropped out of university    
          to go fight in 2015,

390
00:22:04,990 --> 00:22:08,452
and now this unit is close    
         and dear to my heart.

391
00:22:08,493 --> 00:22:10,537
Is it dangerous here?       
      Is it hard to work here?

392
00:22:10,579 --> 00:22:12,372
The enemy positions        
         are very close by.

393
00:22:12,414 --> 00:22:13,832
It's kind of            
        the luck of the draw

394
00:22:13,874 --> 00:22:15,834
every single time         
           you go outside.

395
00:22:15,876 --> 00:22:17,961
What is it like          
    for the soldiers living here

396
00:22:18,003 --> 00:22:20,672
under all this shelling      
    and attacks in this basement?

397
00:22:20,714 --> 00:22:22,591
[Denis] It does take a toll    
        on you after a while.

398
00:22:22,632 --> 00:22:24,509
You can definitely see it     
     in the eyes of the soldiers

399
00:22:24,551 --> 00:22:26,386
that have spent more        
      than a couple weeks here.

400
00:22:26,428 --> 00:22:28,263
At the same time, though,     
       we're on our own land.

401
00:22:28,305 --> 00:22:29,723
We're doing what we came here   
               to do.

402
00:22:29,765 --> 00:22:32,517
There's nobody here that really 
       doesn't wanna be here.

403
00:22:32,559 --> 00:22:34,519
[indistinct speech]

404
00:22:34,561 --> 00:22:37,022
We had two, uh, two        
     of my buddies were injured

405
00:22:37,064 --> 00:22:38,315
yesterday out there.

406
00:22:38,357 --> 00:22:41,485
They crawled in here        
         to find more cover.

407
00:22:41,526 --> 00:22:43,695
-[Ben] How are they?        
      -[Denis] One's in a coma.

408
00:22:43,737 --> 00:22:45,781
The one who lost his legs--    
          the 18-year-old.

409
00:22:45,822 --> 00:22:48,033
[Ben] And that was just here?   
         Just right outside?

410
00:22:48,075 --> 00:22:49,242
Yeah, just outside. Yeah.

411
00:22:49,284 --> 00:22:51,661
[Ben]    This war is now       
         a battle for position.

412
00:22:51,703 --> 00:22:54,289
Ukrainian forces         
         are on the defensive,

413
00:22:54,331 --> 00:22:56,625
trying to slow          
          the Russian advance.

414
00:22:56,666 --> 00:22:59,086
But they try to take       
       a breather when they can.

415
00:22:59,127 --> 00:23:00,212
[laughter]

416
00:23:00,253 --> 00:23:03,382
[singing in Ukrainian]

417
00:23:09,179 --> 00:23:10,931
[explosion booms]

418
00:23:10,972 --> 00:23:14,226
[Ben]   But it's never long     
        between Russian attacks.

419
00:23:14,267 --> 00:23:17,396
speaking Ukrainian

420
00:23:22,818 --> 00:23:24,861
This position           
      is now under direct fire.

421
00:23:24,903 --> 00:23:28,240
We just got an incoming shell   
    that just hit right above us.

422
00:23:28,281 --> 00:23:29,574
The entire building shook.

423
00:23:29,616 --> 00:23:31,743
It seems like the Russians     
      know where this place is

424
00:23:31,785 --> 00:23:34,454
and they're firing on it      
             right now.

425
00:23:34,496 --> 00:23:37,082
[explosion booms]

426
00:23:37,833 --> 00:23:39,376
For six straight hours,

427
00:23:39,418 --> 00:23:41,420
Russians fired          
        hundreds of tank shells

428
00:23:41,461 --> 00:23:42,838
on the position.

429
00:23:42,879 --> 00:23:45,632
These guys are saying       
   they're pinned down right now.

430
00:23:45,674 --> 00:23:47,008
We haven't been able        
             to get out.

431
00:23:47,050 --> 00:23:50,762
The shelling has been really    
     intensive all around here.

432
00:23:50,804 --> 00:23:52,722
[indistinct chatter]

433
00:23:52,764 --> 00:23:55,142
Finally, there was a lull     
            in the shelling

434
00:23:55,183 --> 00:23:56,768
for us to make our escape.

435
00:23:56,810 --> 00:23:58,270
[soldier] Go, go, go!

436
00:23:58,311 --> 00:24:01,356
tense music

437
00:24:06,069 --> 00:24:08,321
[Ben] This car           
        is totally ripped up.

438
00:24:08,363 --> 00:24:09,698
The windows have been       
          destroyed already

439
00:24:09,739 --> 00:24:12,492
'cause of the shelling       
   that was already here outside.

440
00:24:12,534 --> 00:24:13,785
We're speeding           
         down this road now

441
00:24:13,827 --> 00:24:15,871
to try to get out of here     
               quick.

442
00:24:15,912 --> 00:24:18,623
According to           
     government officials in Kyiv,

443
00:24:18,665 --> 00:24:22,252
up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers   
          are dying each day.

444
00:24:22,294 --> 00:24:25,922
This is a new, more organized   
           Russian offensive.

445
00:24:25,964 --> 00:24:28,008
They're consolidated       
             in the Donbas

446
00:24:28,049 --> 00:24:31,595
but can continue to shell     
     from inside their own country,

447
00:24:31,636 --> 00:24:35,015
a tactic that maximizes chaos   
          with minimal effort,

448
00:24:35,056 --> 00:24:39,102
spreading Ukrainian forces    
             even thinner.

449
00:24:39,144 --> 00:24:41,897
As they continue to defend    
         against this assault,

450
00:24:41,938 --> 00:24:44,316
they're also trying        
         to make the area safe

451
00:24:44,357 --> 00:24:45,859
for people to return.

452
00:24:45,901 --> 00:24:47,819
[both]   speaking Ukrainian

453
00:24:47,861 --> 00:24:49,905
tense music

454
00:24:49,946 --> 00:24:52,032
[Ben]   We're in the northern    
           suburbs of Kharkiv

455
00:24:52,073 --> 00:24:54,576
with the Explosive Ordnance    
             Removal team.

456
00:24:54,618 --> 00:24:56,745
It's their job           
      to come into these houses

457
00:24:56,786 --> 00:24:58,580
and pick up            
       the unexploded ordnance

458
00:24:58,622 --> 00:25:00,290
that are falling         
            all around here.

459
00:25:02,417 --> 00:25:05,504
[both]   speaking Ukrainian

460
00:25:11,635 --> 00:25:14,346
[explosion booms]

461
00:25:15,013 --> 00:25:16,097
[Ben]   It's really active here.

462
00:25:16,139 --> 00:25:17,891
There's lots of fighting just   
               close--

463
00:25:17,933 --> 00:25:19,935
[explosion booms]         
         Live artillery fire

464
00:25:19,976 --> 00:25:21,686
is booming all around here.

465
00:25:21,728 --> 00:25:22,896
So even when these guys

466
00:25:22,938 --> 00:25:24,648
are trying            
       to clear these areas out,

467
00:25:24,689 --> 00:25:27,317
there's still a fight       
               going on.

468
00:25:29,736 --> 00:25:32,531
speaking Ukrainian

469
00:25:33,657 --> 00:25:36,034
[explosion booms]

470
00:25:39,204 --> 00:25:41,039
[engine turns over]

471
00:25:41,665 --> 00:25:43,625
[Ben]   A few days later,      
        one of the team members

472
00:25:43,667 --> 00:25:46,836
stepped on a hidden mine     
       and lost part of his leg.

473
00:25:51,716 --> 00:25:55,011
It once seemed like Ukraine    
          had stopped Russia,

474
00:25:55,053 --> 00:25:58,014
but they continue to occupy    
       nearly a fifth of Ukraine,

475
00:25:58,056 --> 00:25:59,933
and they're pushing for more.

476
00:25:59,975 --> 00:26:02,519
President Zelensky says      
       he's unwilling to give up

477
00:26:02,561 --> 00:26:05,146
any occupied Ukrainian land.

478
00:26:05,188 --> 00:26:08,650
For now, the war         
      is approaching a stalemate,

479
00:26:08,692 --> 00:26:10,777
but for Russia,          
          it's a waiting game.

480
00:26:10,819 --> 00:26:12,821
As more Western weapons      
                come in

481
00:26:12,862 --> 00:26:15,365
and longer-range Russian Grad   
          and cruise missiles

482
00:26:15,407 --> 00:26:16,616
continue to fall,

483
00:26:16,658 --> 00:26:20,328
both sides are settling in    
           for a long fight,

484
00:26:20,370 --> 00:26:23,248
and no Ukrainians are safe.

485
00:26:23,290 --> 00:26:25,458
[distant explosion booms]

486
00:26:30,755 --> 00:26:32,591
speaking Ukrainian

487
00:26:39,723 --> 00:26:42,601
[continuing explosions]

488
00:26:45,895 --> 00:26:48,273
[Ben]   Nearly a quarter       
      of the buildings in the city

489
00:26:48,315 --> 00:26:49,899
have been destroyed.

490
00:26:49,941 --> 00:26:51,901
Nadya Rubenuik stayed behind

491
00:26:51,943 --> 00:26:55,238
even as her neighbors fled    
      the near-constant shelling.

492
00:26:57,574 --> 00:27:00,952
[Nadya]   speaking Ukrainian

493
00:27:09,753 --> 00:27:11,963
[Ben]   For Nadya          
      and the countless civilians

494
00:27:12,005 --> 00:27:14,341
living through a capricious    
            and violent war,

495
00:27:14,382 --> 00:27:16,134
this is their new normal.

496
00:27:16,176 --> 00:27:18,637
Do you worry            
      about being killed here?

497
00:27:19,804 --> 00:27:23,141
speaking Ukrainian

498
00:27:35,403 --> 00:27:37,947
somber music

499
00:27:44,120 --> 00:27:47,290
tense dramatic music