Russia with Simon Reeve (2017) s01e02 Episode Script

1
I am next to Lake Baikal -
it's said to be the oldest,
deepest lake on planet Earth,
and I'm starting the second leg
of my journey across Russia.
This is a lake
that is the size of a sea.
It is utterly immense.
The average depth of the lake
is nearly a mile deep.
Can you comprehend that?
This is 20%
..of the fresh water
on planet Earth.
This alone makes
Russia a superpower.
I'm really excited about
this leg of my journey.
It's going to take me
an enormous distance across Russia.
From Lake Baikal
in the depths of Siberia,
I'll be travelling thousands
of miles across Russia to the far
south-west of the country and
the majestic Caucasus Mountains.
100 years on from
the Russian Revolution
that was supposed
to overthrow tyranny,
I discover a country where many
are captivated
by their powerful leader
It's possible you might jump him.
..some have turned to the
leadership of a higher power
Are you a reincarnation of Jesus?
..and millions live lives
blighted by alcohol and violence.
With Russia resurgent
on the world stage,
I meet the feared warrior caste
Like this?
..defending the nation's borders.
Oh!
It was spring in Siberia.
For Sergei and his father,
a new fishing season on Lake Baikal
was getting under way.
It's gorgeous here at the moment,
but it gets pretty cold here
in winter, doesn't it?
"It only gets to minus 30."
We know that Russians,
you're pretty tough
but are people from
Siberia even tougher?
HE INTERRUPTS
Sergei and his father come from
a long line of tough Russians
who struck out into the country's
wild and often frozen east
to seek their fortunes.
Near the shores of Lake Baikal,
hardy Siberian pioneers
founded the city of Irkutsk.
I'd arrived on one of
the biggest days of the year.
Bloody hell.
This is the World War II
Victory Day.
Victory over the Germans
in the Second World War
was a heroic struggle,
one of the few events
in their turbulent history
all Russians agree on.
It's become a unifying idea
for the entire nation.
Oh, my God, look at this.
This is the march of what's known
as the Immortal Regiment,
with grandchildren,
great-grandchildren,
relatives, remembering.
Why have you come today?
Around 25 million Soviet
soldiers and civilians
died during World War II.
For every American GI
killed fighting Germany,
it's thought 80 Soviet
soldiers died doing the same.
I think it's only when you see
this sea of faces coming at you
that you start
to really understand
..the scale of the suffering here.
In the West, I think there's
a feeling that we won the war
but it was on the Russian front
where the most horrific battles
were.
It was the Soviet Union that really
fought the Nazi war machine
into the ground.
Look, the line goes
all the way down there.
This is not the centre of Moscow.
Look, if you turn around
this way, look.
Look, that's the
beginning of it, look.
The Immortal Regiment began
a few years ago
as a small grassroots movement.
It's become a phenomenon.
This year, there were 40,000
people in this march alone.
In Moscow, President Putin led
roughly 800,000 on a similar parade
commemorating the victory but also
reminding Russians, many think,
of the importance and value
of military sacrifice.
Time to go to Krasnoyarsk.
Oh, it's up. Platform four.
This is the best way to see
the world's largest country.
Oh, the ground rumbles!
I love a good train journey.
And this
..has got to be the best.
All right, where are we going?
I'm on.
Off on the Trans-Siberian.
The Trans-Siberian Railway stretches
6,000 miles across Russia and covers
an incredible seven time zones.
I was hopping aboard
for just a short stretch,
18 hours and 700 miles west.
Just looking at the photos
from the parade.
There was a lot of pride
and patriotism on display there.
President Putin has been
..very adept at nurturing
and encouraging and exploiting
patriotism in Russia as well.
He's made Russians feel
good about being Russian.
I'd arrived in Krasnoyarsk.
It's a gritty, industrial Siberian
city which grew dramatically after
the Russian Revolution of 1917.
These days, it's the kind of
working-class city where
President Putin enjoys
huge popularity.
And one local restaurant
here is riding the wave.
So this is the President's Cafe.
You wipe your feet
on the American flag.
So there's a very clear theme
to this restaurant.
So what is the idea,
what's the idea behind this place?
You're clearly a massive fan
of the president,
but do you have a favourite photo?
Sofia, when you stand there
and you look at him,
I think you get a little
bit flustered, don't you?
What would you be like
if he actually came here?
I think we should probably warn
President Putin's bodyguards about
you cos I think you might
It's possible you might jump him.
Western leaders would kill for
Putin's poll ratings of up to 80%.
He's even more popular
among young Russians.
RUSSIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYS
Apparently they do this every day.
Why do so many Russians,
young and old, love Putin?
One reason is the traumatic events
that followed the collapse
of the Soviet Union.
Russia's rich in oil, gas,
minerals and metals
and under communism almost
everything
was controlled by the state,
but after the Soviet Union
collapsed in 1991,
these valuable state assets
were privatised and flogged off,
often with the help of
Western banks and bankers.
For the well-connected
and the well-armed,
there were fortunes to be made.
The Russian mafia realised that
rather than piddling about with
drugs and crime, the really big
money was to be made by controlling
and running factories
and businesses.
So they literally
fought for control.
Krasnoyarsk was a major target.
It's an industrial city,
it has a huge aluminium smelter
and that was the scene
of the so-called aluminium war.
Gangs controlled by politicians
and oligarchs fought gun battles
over the aluminium smelter
in Krasnoyarsk.
As violence raged across Siberia,
scores of people connected to the
aluminium industry were murdered.
I met up with Vladimir Vladimirov,
a local businessman who lived
through that time.
It sounds like it was a violent
time, were people?
By the mid-1990s, there were
thought to be more than 5,000
Russian mafia gangs with
more than 100,000 members.
But after Putin became president
in 1999, he cracked down.
Order was restored.
Entrepreneurs like Vladimir were
able to open and build businesses
for the first time.
Oh, wow!
Flippin' heck!
Putin stopped the mafia wars
on the streets.
He was a popular leader, he could've
transformed the country.
Instead, his new Russia
is still a frightening
and brutally corrupt place,
and anyone who questions
the high-level corruption here
faces intimidation or worse.
It sounds as though what you're
saying is President Putin is a long
way away but if he knew what was
going on he would do something.
When both the Soviet Union and
communism collapsed, many Russians
were left without
purpose and meaning.
Millions embraced a Russian version
of capitalism and consumerism,
but that wasn't
the answer for everyone.
In remote wilderness eight hours'
drive south of Krasnoyarsk,
the mountains and forests
have become a promised land
for thousands of Russians
from across the country.
So I think we are stopping here.
Very nice to meet you.
Vadim Redkin used to be the vocalist
in a successful Moscow rock band.
So Vadim has hopped
into this car ahead
..and he's leading us up
into the mountains.
This looks like some sort of
checkpoint for the community here.
What is not allowed here?
Is this your church?
OK. And is this Vissarion
over there?
Can we have a look?
You believe he is the reincarnation
of Jesus, is that right?
There are hundreds of cults, sects,
gurus and mystics scattered
across remote bits of Siberia.
So does he live up on the?
Does Vissarion live
up on the hill there?
BELL CHIMES
Oh, my!
Twice a week, Vissarion's followers
gather to sing hymns
to their divine leader.
Vissarion is a mysterious figure,
even among his own followers.
As night fell,
he still hadn't materialised.
Vissarion has managed to attract
some 5,000 followers to the network
of villages that make up
his Siberian utopia.
Many abandon successful careers
to follow the man they call
The Teacher,
and village schools are raising
a new generation of Vissarionites.
Scary stuff.
I genuinely felt like I should
be calling social services.
They are teaching Vissarion's
ten-volume sequel to the Bible.
Finally we heard Vissarion
was granting us a rare audience
at Vadim's house.
Is that OK? All right.
CHORAL MUSIC PLAYS
Simon.
Thank you very much
for agreeing to meet with us.
Can I ask who you are?
Are you a teacher, a guru?
Are you the son of God?
Are you a reincarnation of Jesus?
You emerged after the collapse of
the Soviet Union
and that was a very difficult time,
I think, for many Russians.
Are Russians uniquely open
to different beliefs
and new ways of thinking?
You lived among us
for a number of years.
You did normal jobs, didn't you?
You were a traffic policeman,
I think, is that right?
And did that help you
to understand who we are?
Critics have accused you
of brainwashing
and embezzling your followers.
What do you say to the critics?
Before he can change
all of humanity,
Vissarion asks his followers
to donate money and provide labour
for his profit-making businesses.
Not surprisingly,
there's one or two accusations
he's exploiting his disciples.
More than half a million Russians
are thought to be members of cults
and the government is now cracking
down on messiahs and gurus
across the country.
Maybe there's something in the fact
that Russians are quite willing
to bow down before the great man
on the mountain, the leader.
They had tsars and tsarinas
for hundreds of years, after all,
and now of course they're all
bowing to Vladimir Putin.
My journey across this vast country
took me on to the isolated
Russian republic of Tuva.
No disrespect to the place,
but Tuva where I'm heading now
is one of the most obscure
places on planet Earth.
We are close to the centre
of the entire Eurasian landmass.
These are the majestic Sayan
Mountains of southern Siberia.
That's a petrol tanker, isn't it?
Oh, I can smell the fuel.
Not good. It's leaking out.
These roads are clearly
a bit dangerous.
Look at this place.
We've come down from the mountains
and suddenly we're
out on the steppe.
The grassy plains of the Eurasian
steppe are one of the great natural
features of Russia's southern
border, spanning the country
almost from the Pacific to Europe.
Where on earth are we going?
I love it.
There are around 190
different ethnic groups
within Russia's borders
but Tuva boasts one of
its most distinct cultures.
Bloody hell. Look at this.
Naching comes from a proud
tradition of Tuvan horsemen.
Tuva was once part of the
mighty Mongol Empire
founded by Genghis Khan,
and Tuvans are closely related
to their Mongolian neighbours.
We've got a bit of
a welcoming committee, I think.
Oh, look.
Spectacular. Utterly spectacular.
I'm slightly speechless.
You lookyou look fantastic.
Who is everybody?
For hundreds of years,
horses were central to the
nomadic lives of most Tuvans.
This family have a herd of 300
semi-wild horses which they breed
for milk and meat
as well as to ride.
He's got it, he's got it.
What's going on? What are you doing?
So there's a lad going on
Bucking, look at that.
Is he all right?
Are you going to go back on? Yeah!
SIMON LAUGHS
This scene has been played out here
hundreds of thousands of times over
thousands and thousands of years.
So this area is known as the
Valley of the King because there are
burial mounds out here dating
back to getting on for 1000 BC.
Look.
He's done it, look. He's right out
there, he's on the horse, though.
Naching and his wife
are Tuvan throat singers,
an ancient musical art form
where performers sing two notes
at the same time. It's an
extraordinary, otherworldly sound.
That was beautiful.
Is it difficult to
maintain the traditions
in the face of Russian TV,
pop music, burgers?
Do you feel Russian first or Tuvan?
THROAT SINGING
APPLAUSE
Not bad as a view
while using the facilities.
Time to head to the city.
These days, the traditional
way of life is increasingly rare.
Most Tuvans are now urban.
The Tuvan capital, Kyzyl,
is a sunny, welcoming place.
It was built up by the Soviets
as they industrialised the nation.
Everyone became a cog
in the machine.
But factories have closed,
staggering rates of unemployment
and poverty have hit hard.
As in most of Russia,
alcohol has become a scourge.
I met up with Sayana,
a social activist who cares
deeply about her community.
How big a problem
is alcohol in Tuva?
Alcohol abuse in Russia
is a national emergency.
One major report showed up to 30%
of all deaths across the country are
alcohol related - that's horrific.
Almost ten times higher than the UK.
Is this the gentleman?
Georgy, I hear you've been
a throat singer for a long time -
do you still sing?
THROAT SINGING
Does the alcohol help
to dull the pain?
Does it make life better?
That's not fully healed, is it?
Stay safe, Georgy,
stay safe out there, OK.
The Russian government has raised
alcohol prices to try to combat
the drinking epidemic.
But the unintended consequence has
been an explosion in production
of cheap and dangerous
bootlegged alcohol.
Sayana wanted to show me
how easy it is to get hold of.
So we've gone to meet a local lady
who says she's knows how to get some
illegal alcohol and she's
just come up to the van,
she's standing at the edge, we can't
really show you her face because
there's a lot of concern that if
she's identified then she could
be beaten up or even worse.
And how much did you pay for this?
Which is about £2.
So if you buy it illegally you can
get it half the price in the shops?
Here is the problem.
There could be anything in that.
I was actually willing to have a try
of it and see what it tastes like,
but, no, not this. It smells
I mean to me it does smell like it's
got a bit of an anti-freeze to it.
This is a big part of the reason why
there are hundreds of thousands
of alcohol-related deaths
in Russia every year.
It is a national tragedy.
I think it's time
to get rid of this.
Hopefully it won't kill the tree.
Russia's creaking health-care
system has struggled to deal
with the alcohol crisis.
Many towns and villages here have
no medical infrastructure at all
and hundreds of thousands
of Russians with serious illnesses
die without receiving medication.
Many here have lost faith in state
medicine and Russian experts say
there are more traditional healers
operating in the country
than there are registered doctors.
Oh, wow!
It's got a surgery, like a doctor.
I was meeting Karaool Dopchunool,
otherwise known as Big Bear.
Up to 30 people come here every day
to seek treatment from the shamans.
HE ROARS
HE ROARS
HE WHISTLES
Are you saying that
you've just started
by curing him of his hangover
and then also you've started
to put him off alcohol for life?
Are Tuvans becoming more interested
in traditional healing?
Almost a quarter of Russia's
population
is made up of minority groups.
Many feel the resurgence of Russian
nationalism under President Putin
is leaving them behind.
HE CHANTS IN RUSSIAN
With that, Big Bear is gone.
SIMON SHIVERS
There's a storm coming.
It's time for me
to head further west.
I travelled on to the city
of Stavropol
..in the far south-west
of the country.
Well kept and well funded,
the region of Stavropol felt
a world away from neglected Tuva.
This area has traditionally been
a stronghold of ethnic Russians.
I was on my way to meet a group
revered for their bravery
and fighting prowess,
a legendary warrior caste
with an ancient code of honour.
HE PRAYS IN RUSSIAN
SINGING IN RUSSIAN
WHISPERS: These are the Cossacks.
The Cossacks were once the feared
military enforcers of the tsars.
Oppressed by the Communists,
the revival of Cossack traditions
and culture has been encouraged by
President Putin who's even
funding Cossack schools.
What's going on here?
Why have you got horses
and men with swords here?
What's going on?
This is the Terek Cossack College
for 15- to 17-year-olds.
It's one of five Cossack schools
in this region alone.
It's a bizarre class
but it looks pretty fun.
Like this?
What?! Oh, OK,
you just stand quietly?
OK, OK.
But the swordplay and horse
riding isn't just for fun.
This school is preparing young
Cossacks to do their patriotic duty
for the motherland.
OK.
Oh, goodness.
I had a question for the class,
I hope that's all right.
I hope that's all right.
Let's have a show of hands -
who wants to join the army?
Wow! Every single one of you
wants to join the army.
President Putin's government is
really pushing the values of faith,
patriotism and of military might,
and those are all very much
the values of the Cossacks,
which makes the Cossacks
a bit of a mascot or an emblem
for Putin's new Russia.
The government is so keen on
Cossack values, they're even paying
for Cossack street patrols
alongside the police.
The Cossacks have long seen
themselves as the guardians
of Christian Russia's
remote border regions.
Immigration is a huge issue here.
Russia is home to more than
10 million immigrants,
the second largest number
in the world after the US.
And regional leaders have asked the
Cossacks to stem an influx of more
ethnic minorities.
Part of your heritage
is that you are strong,
fighting men so there must be
an element of fear, I suppose,
when you appear alongside
the policemen.
I headed south on a long journey
towards the Caucasus Mountains,
home to a group of Russian republics
that are overwhelmingly Muslim.
My route took me right past
the notorious Russian region
of Chechnya.
Russia's relationship with Chechnya,
with the whole
of the Caucasus really,
has long been a very fractious one
with immense suffering
on both sides.
When President Putin first came to
power, he led a brutal military
campaign to crush a long-running
Chechen independence movement.
The Chechen wars claimed
thousands of lives
and militants from Chechnya
have launched terror attacks
across Russia.
Goodness me.
This town was the scene
of one of the worst atrocities in
the entire
..struggle for Chechen independence.
A group of a couple
of hundred Chechen fighters
infiltrated the town
and they attacked the hospital,
they took hundreds
of people hostage,
there was a horrific siege
that lasted a number of days,
and at the end of it
scores and scores of civilians,
men, women and children, were dead.
My destination was Dagestan,
which sits between Chechnya
and the Caspian Sea.
Dagestan has suffered
countless terrorist attacks.
It's been described as the most
dangerous region of the country.
Foreign governments advise against
all travel in this area of Russia.
THEY GREET IN RUSSIAN
Travelling here as a TV crew
can be tricky.
But my guide is a well-connected
man of the mountains.
Dagestan means the
land of the mountains
and since the days of the tsars,
Russia has struggled to subdue
the fierce independent
spirit of the locals.
That is breathtaking.
Just look at the position there.
Seeing the village from up here does
give me a sense of why the community
would first have settled here
because it's a very defendable
position, I think, isn't it?
This warrior spirit was put to
the test when Islamist militants
from neighbouring Chechnya invaded,
trying to create an independent
Islamic state.
Villagers here fought back.
Did you lose friends
during that time?
Did you lose family?
You don't have to say anything more.
This was perhaps the most beautiful
part of Russia that I'd visited.
But these mountains
have seen such suffering.
Conflict in the Caucasus,
human rights abuses by Russian
forces and the influence of
extremist preachers have all helped
to radicalise many young men here.
Extremists from Dagestan
have been fighting
on the battlefields of Syria.
It's now feared many
will return home.
Dagestan's 15 hydroelectric dams
are seen as a prime target
for terror attack.
The threat here is very real.
By some accounts,
up to 4,000 men from this small
republic have gone off to fight
with so-called Islamic State.
The dams have been targeted in the
past and a successful attack could
devastate the local area
and cripple electricity supply.
Arsen heads up a unit
tasked with protecting the dams.
So what's he found?
Right, look at that.
Wow!
The dogs don't just
sniff for explosives.
So the dog is going out to
inspect the suspicious object.
He's got a small camera mounted on
his head that can be used to then
analyse what the object is.
They've even trained the dog so they
can carry a small amount of
explosives in their mouths and
attach those to the suspicious
object and when the dog's at a
safe distance, they can blow it up.
Successful mission,
and the dam is protected.
Hundreds of innocent civilians here
have been killed by terrorists.
Dagestan has one of the highest
rates of terror attack in the world.
But most people here
don't want extremism -
they're determined to keep
their traditional way of life.
My guide was keen to show me
one remote community
with a remarkable heritage.
We're coming into a village
now that's got a bonkers
but brilliant tradition.
Assalaamu Alaikum. Simon.
Very nice to meet you, sir.
Ramazan Gadzhiyev runs one
of the oldest tightrope schools
in the world.
No crash mat.
Quite hard-core.
Is it a good profession?
A tightrope school in the mountains
of troubled Dagestan.
Why has he got
knives attached to his feet?
Nothing more could surprise me.
By now, I'd travelled thousands
of miles across Russia,
gifting me a real sense
of the incredible diversity
of this enormous country.
Here he is, he's on the rope now.
Come on, round of applause, yay!
This is the end of the second leg
of my journey across Russia.
It's a journey, I think, that's
shown me many of the problems
the country faces,
even as it's also shown me
some of the most
beautiful landscapes.
I'm really looking forward
to the third and final part
of my travels here.
I'll be travelling across
the spectacular open plains of
western Russia
This is like stepping back
a century.
..and I'll meet a group of tough
blokes fighting for what they say
are traditional Russian values.
I think I'm going to puke.