[Alec] Putin's invasion of Ukraine
has made his country a pariah.
Many Russians still support him.
A lot of them have been repeating
the same talking points from state media.
speaking Russian
[Alec] What's the role of the news media
in Russia today?
People need information. People get information.
Shouldn't it be to question the government as well?
[laughs] Seriously, you're so funny.
[Ben] It's been almost four months
since Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
Outside of Kharkiv, the Russians have fled.
[Panama] speaking Ukrainian
[Ben] While shelling here has eased,
it hasn't ended.
We haven't been able to get out.
When do you think it would be safe
to come back here, live here again?
[woman] speaking Ukrainian
dramatic music
[shouting]
[people chattering, shouting]
soft dramatic music
[people chanting in Russian]
[man] shouting in Russian
Hurrah! Hurrah!
[crowd shouting]
This is Victory Day, where Russians remember
their relatives who fought in World War II
and the victory over Nazi Germany.
What the Kremlin is doing is tying that
to the current military operation in Ukraine,
where it claims that Russia is again fighting Nazis.
speaking Russian
dramatic tense music
[Alec] While the rest of the world
looks on in horror
at Russian atrocities in Ukraine,
in Russia, President Vladimir Putin's
approval rating is nearing an all-time high.
But that's partly because most of his citizens
are given a hugely deceptive picture
of what's actually happening on the ground.
speaking Russian
[all shout in Russian]
[Alec] In his 22 years at the helm,
Putin has bent government institutions to his will,
removed all political rivals,
and shut down every major independent news outlet.
In their place, state-controlled television
claims that Russia is once again
locked in a struggle against fascism,
with Ukraine's democratically-elected,
Jewish president standing in for Adolf Hitler.
speaking Russian
[Alec] Putin's propaganda resonates with many Russians
who long for the days when they were still a superpower.
speaking Russian
[Alec] That evening, we went
to the Koshkin family's apartment in the suburbs
to find out how they get their information
about Putin and the war.
speaking Russian
[crowd shouting]
[Alec] In 2014, a popular revolution
replaced Ukraine's Kremlin-friendly government
with a pro-Western one.
In response, Putin annexed Crimea
and stoked a separatist conflict
in Ukraine's Donbas region.
In eight years of fighting,
civilians on both sides have been killed,
but Russian propaganda has portrayed it as a genocide
against the pro-Russian separatists.
speaking Russian
[Alec] That's why Putin has been able
to convince many Russians that the current invasion
is actually a defensive operation.
speaking Russian
[Alec] Even Russians' phones
are full of Kremlin propaganda.
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
have all been banned in favor of Russian social media
that amplified the same conspiracy theories
as state TV.
speaking Russian
[Alec] While many Russians believe
the West is being lied to about events in Ukraine,
it's Russia that's writing laws
to hide the truth about the conflict.
Even calling Putin's "special operation" a war
is now punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Protests against the invasion in February
were snuffed out by police
and journalists were arrested for reporting on them,
including me.
I'm an American journalist.
speaking Russian
State media have responded
to evidence of Russian atrocities
with conspiracy theories and lies,
accusing Ukraine of killing its own civilians
in Mariupol
and faking the massacre in Bucha.
speaking Russian
For journalists critical of the Kremlin,
Russia is a dangerous place to work.
The newspaper Novaya Gazeta
was the last major media outlet
providing an alternative to the propaganda coverage
of the war.
It had kept working through the murder
of multiple reporters over the years,
and its Nobel Prize-winning editor
was recently attacked with paint and acetone.
It was forced to stop publishing
after warnings from the authorities
in the first weeks of the war.
speaking Russian
[Alec] With no one questioning the Kremlin line,
the true cost of the war remains hidden.
While Moscow says it's lost only 1,351 troops,
the real number may be as high as 15,000.
soft eerie music
Journalists are blocked
from covering military funerals,
so to speak to the family
of a soldier killed in Ukraine,
we travelled 16 hours into the mountains of Dagestan,
avoiding police and security services.
Dagestan has the highest casualties of any region,
but even there,
grieving relatives were suspicious of anyone
who questioned the invasion.
soft somber music
speaking Russian
[sighs]
[Patimat] speaking Russian
[sniffs]
speaking Russian
[producer] speaking Russian
tense music
[Alec] After the interview,
the family called a local official,
and he ended up putting out a police alert for us.
Police questioned us for about two hours.
They couldn't find anything wrong with our documents,
but it was pretty tense there for a while.
That tension remained throughout our reporting.
Our crew was detained again in downtown Moscow,
a place we'd filmed dozens of times before.
As we've been talking to Russians
about why they still support Putin
and his military operation in Ukraine,
a lot of them have been repeating
the same talking points from state media
about how Ukraine is full of Nazis,
the U.S. is using them to attack Russia.
One of the people behind all that messaging
is Margarita Simonyan,
the head of state broadcaster, RT.
speaking Russian
[Alec] Simonyan is one of the Kremlin's
most prominent mouthpieces.
Her channel has been suspended by YouTube,
U.S. cable providers, and the European Union
for what the EU called manipulation
and disinformation in its coverage of the war.
She insisted that her own crew also film our interview
and tried to shift the focus from Russian aggression
to American hypocrisy
just like state TV does every day.
What's the role of the news media
in Russia today?
As always.
It's the same as in the United States,
as anywhere in the world.
People need information, people get information.
Shouldn't it be to question the government as well?
[laughs] Seriously, you're so funny.
You know, it's such a funny mantra
that you guys always use.
"The role of the media is to question the government."
When was the last time you questioned your government?
We do it every day on our newscast.
You do? Really? I don't know.
I watch American television.
I don't see that they question their government that much.
You recently called for the prohibition on censorship
to be removed from the Russian constitution.
Why? Who are you looking to censor?
Many things.
Lots of radical, nationalistic terrorist rhetoric
that can be found anywhere,
especially on Western-owned media
and platforms.
Instagrammers, YouTubers,
all these people are starting to question and speak out
against this military operation in the Ukraine.
Starting to?
They are starting to?
They are not starting to.
Some of them are stopping to.
[laughs] Most of the people that you mention
did it in the first day.
And believe me, many of them-- and many of them I know--
regret it.
You are mentioning this proportion of people
and you are absolutely ignoring 80% of the people
who agree with Putin.
[Alec] What is Putin's place in history?
I ask because a lot of people in the West
say that that's what this military operation
in Ukraine is about.
It's about Putin trying to cement his place in history.
A lot of people in the West invent a lot of bullshit
and happily believe in the bullshit
they have themselves invented.
We didn't start the war.
The war started in 2014.
If you don't know that fact,
it doesn't mean it never happened.
Go to Donbas.
[Alec] We were there in 2014 in Donbas.
When were you there last time?
-2018. -What did they tell you?
A lot of them said they would like to be part of Russia.
See? But--
On the side controlled by the separatists,
a lot of them said they'd like to--
By the separatists? Separatists? Seriously?
[sighs] Okay. Have a good day.
[microphone rustles]
Nice to meet you.
[indistinct speech]
For Simonyan, the pro-Russian separatists
in the Donbas region are freedom fighters,
and calling them anything else
threatens to undermine the narrative
she and state media are telling Russians
about Ukraine.
This is the alternate reality
that most Russians are still living in.
It's a reality where Russia is cruising
to a quick and painless victory in Ukraine
and life will soon return to normal.
speaking Russian
[both] speaking Russian
[people cheering]
dramatic music
tense tone
[indistinct speech]
[Ben] These soldiers here just discovered
Thirteen Russian corpses that have been left here
that were killed from what looks like shelling.
The stench out here is really strong
and you can see there's burn marks all over them.
Some of them have really shrapnel wounds
all through them.
This is a really brutal, morbid place now,
and it's their job to just clean these up.
tense music
Just 30 miles from the Russian border
on the outskirts of Kharkiv,
the Ukrainian counteroffensive is working
and Russian losses are on full display.
According to some estimates,
Russia has lost up to a quarter
of its original fighting force in Ukraine.
[Vasil] speaking Ukrainian
[soldier] speaking Ukrainian
[Vasil] speaking Ukrainian
[Ben] Does it feel like
you're pushing the Russians out of here now?
Does it feel like you're winning this?
[Vasil] speaking Ukrainian
[Ben] Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine,
who is actually winning has changed almost weekly.
This war looked very different five months ago.
Russia rained cruise missiles around the country
in a multi-pronged nationwide assault,
encircling the capitol
and taking control of cities and villages.
Vladimir Putin expected Ukraine to fall within days.
[explosion booms]
But then Ukraine surprised everyone.
Civilians rallied behind a charismatic president,
Western money and weapons flooded the country,
defense lines held,
and Russian forces pulled back.
It was clear that Moscow and the world
had overestimated Russia's strength.
dramatic music
In newly-liberated areas,
the reality of Russia's military capability is clear.
They weren't ready.
We are riding along with Ukrainian military
who's taking us to some
of the recently liberated villages
just outside of Kharkiv central.
These villages, two days ago,
were still under Russian control,
but they're still within artillery range,
still within mortar range.
tense music
[Panama] speaking Ukrainian
[Ben] Just days ago,
this was a Russian military encampment
and artillery position used to bombard Kharkiv.
speaking Ukrainian
[Ben] Jesus.
[Panama] speaking Ukrainian
[Ben] The Russian soldiers here were ill-prepared
and sent in with decades-old weapons.
It was clear that at this stage of the fight,
Putin had miscalculated.
speaking Ukrainian
Oh, wow. This was made in 1989.
It's amazing. Everything that we're seeing,
all of the Russian gear is old, Soviet-era stuff.
[Panama] speaking Ukrainian
[Ben] These are Russian MREs.
[Panama] speaking Ukrainian
[Ben] But while the Russian forces are down,
they aren't out.
[Panama] speaking Ukrainian
So there's incoming fire just up the way there.
[Panama] speaking Ukrainian
That shell just went right over us,
hitting the village over there.
speaking Ukrainian
[Ben] The war is entering a new phase,
and now the Russian military is once again on the advance.
After months of Ukrainian momentum,
Russian forces have taken back full control of Mariupol
and are now focusing their push
around the Donbas region
where the Russian-backed separatists
and Ukrainian forces
first started fighting in 2014.
Needing a win after losing so much ground,
Putin has said that taking back the Donbas
was the goal all along.
The new strategy: consolidate Russian forces
on a narrower front
and slowly pound each village into submission.
We're just a few miles from Izyum,
which is one of the hardest and the most dangerous
front lines of the fight right now.
The Russian forces are trying to encircle this area.
They lose control here, and Donbas could be circled
and all of the soldiers around there could be in trouble.
So this is a really key part of the fight
and an important and dangerous place
for these guys to be fighting.
[soldier] All right, let's go. Go. Go. Go. Go.
[Ben] Ready?
This position is just a few hundred meters
from the Russian front lines.
Go ahead. Go ahead.
[soldier] Careful for the pipes.
[Ben] In this hidden bunker two stories underground,
these soldiers, surrounded on three sides,
are one of the only units standing in the way
of countless Russian tanks, artillery units,
and soldiers.
Is this pretty safe here?
Uh, it has been thus far.
[laughs]
As you can see, it's a pretty sturdy building.
Denis Polishchuk,
a Canadian Ukrainian volunteer,
is one of the hundreds of foreign fighters here.
He was born in Ukraine and raised in Vancouver,
and has been fighting on and off with no pay
since 2014.
Why do you do this?
[Denis] I'm originally from Ukraine.
I dropped out of university to go fight in 2015,
and now this unit is close and dear to my heart.
Is it dangerous here? Is it hard to work here?
The enemy positions are very close by.
It's kind of the luck of the draw
every single time you go outside.
What is it like for the soldiers living here
under all this shelling and attacks in this basement?
[Denis] It does take a toll on you after a while.
You can definitely see it in the eyes of the soldiers
that have spent more than a couple weeks here.
At the same time, though, we're on our own land.
We're doing what we came here to do.
There's nobody here that really doesn't wanna be here.
[indistinct speech]
We had two, uh, two of my buddies were injured
yesterday out there.
They crawled in here to find more cover.
-[Ben] How are they? -[Denis] One's in a coma.
The one who lost his legs-- the 18-year-old.
[Ben] And that was just here? Just right outside?
Yeah, just outside. Yeah.
[Ben] This war is now a battle for position.
Ukrainian forces are on the defensive,
trying to slow the Russian advance.
But they try to take a breather when they can.
[laughter]
[singing in Ukrainian]
[explosion booms]
[Ben] But it's never long between Russian attacks.
speaking Ukrainian
This position is now under direct fire.
We just got an incoming shell that just hit right above us.
The entire building shook.
It seems like the Russians know where this place is
and they're firing on it right now.
[explosion booms]
For six straight hours,
Russians fired hundreds of tank shells
on the position.
These guys are saying they're pinned down right now.
We haven't been able to get out.
The shelling has been really intensive all around here.
[indistinct chatter]
Finally, there was a lull in the shelling
for us to make our escape.
[soldier] Go, go, go!
tense music
[Ben] This car is totally ripped up.
The windows have been destroyed already
'cause of the shelling that was already here outside.
We're speeding down this road now
to try to get out of here quick.
According to government officials in Kyiv,
up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers are dying each day.
This is a new, more organized Russian offensive.
They're consolidated in the Donbas
but can continue to shell from inside their own country,
a tactic that maximizes chaos with minimal effort,
spreading Ukrainian forces even thinner.
As they continue to defend against this assault,
they're also trying to make the area safe
for people to return.
[both] speaking Ukrainian
tense music
[Ben] We're in the northern suburbs of Kharkiv
with the Explosive Ordnance Removal team.
It's their job to come into these houses
and pick up the unexploded ordnance
that are falling all around here.
[both] speaking Ukrainian
[explosion booms]
[Ben] It's really active here.
There's lots of fighting just close--
[explosion booms] Live artillery fire
is booming all around here.
So even when these guys
are trying to clear these areas out,
there's still a fight going on.
speaking Ukrainian
[explosion booms]
[engine turns over]
[Ben] A few days later, one of the team members
stepped on a hidden mine and lost part of his leg.
It once seemed like Ukraine had stopped Russia,
but they continue to occupy nearly a fifth of Ukraine,
and they're pushing for more.
President Zelensky says he's unwilling to give up
any occupied Ukrainian land.
For now, the war is approaching a stalemate,
but for Russia, it's a waiting game.
As more Western weapons come in
and longer-range Russian Grad and cruise missiles
continue to fall,
both sides are settling in for a long fight,
and no Ukrainians are safe.
[distant explosion booms]
speaking Ukrainian
[continuing explosions]
[Ben] Nearly a quarter of the buildings in the city
have been destroyed.
Nadya Rubenuik stayed behind
even as her neighbors fled the near-constant shelling.
[Nadya] speaking Ukrainian
[Ben] For Nadya and the countless civilians
living through a capricious and violent war,
this is their new normal.
Do you worry about being killed here?
speaking Ukrainian
somber music
tense dramatic music