the ii‘ul‘ei "nu—”m headlines: iiiiéi ill/”l headlines: president it'liéi ill/”l headlines: president from's spokeswoman has said a proposed meeting between the president and the north korean leader kimjong would not happen unless washington sees concrete steps or actions by pyongyang. —— kim jong—un. sees concrete steps or actions by pyongyang. —— kimjong—un. martin shkreli a former us drug fund invested has been sentenced to seven yea rs invested has been sentenced to seven years in prison. he had become notorious for hiking the price of a life—saving medicine in 2015. the first aid convoy since the beginning of the week has crossed the front line into eastern ghouta year damascus. shelling force many trucks to turn back on monday. and british military personnel have been deployed to salisbury to help in the investigation into the intended murder of a russian double agent sergei skripal. before our next programme, let renew these pictures from california. you

may rememberfrom these pictures from california. you may remember from earlier these pictures from california. you may rememberfrom earlier in these pictures from california. you may remember from earlier in the week, flippy, the burgerfooting robot serving customers at a strong in pasadena. the idea was to replace human cooks but afterjust one day on thejob he has been forced to ta ke on thejob he has been forced to take a break. why? because he was just too slow. apra one‘s human help are getting some more training to, so are getting some more training to, so that the robot can keep up with oui’ so that the robot can keep up with our burger demands. you're watching bbc news, and it is 12:31am. from the conflict in ukraine to accusations of hacking and then sanctions, relations between russia and the west have deteriorated dramatically under vladimir putin. it had of next week's election, a moscow correspondent has travelled through southern russia, the urals and siberia to explore how deep russia's rejection of the west now

runs. under undeeradimir putin, a under vladimir putin, a tragic feeling has surged. to many russians, he is the strong man who stood up to the west. this country once embraced western—style freedoms and democracy. now there is increasing talk of russian values and a russian ways. here in the frozen heart of siberia, it feels an extremely long way from europe in every sense. but politics aside, in some ways, west and east now feel more similar than ever. as vladimir putin stands for a fourth term as president, i have been travelling around the country to see how deep russia's rejection of the west now runs.

it stands as silent testimony to a brutal past. a time of paranoia and total power. this is the only part of stalin's do about survived. but this was a prison camp —— gulag that survived. this was a prison camp into the 1980s, where serbia russia sent its political opponents. now there is a fight for its history, with those who dig too deep branded enemy agents of the west. —— soviet russia. this man found at the museum over 20 years ago, recovering the stories of those held prisoner. but

perm 36 has now been taken over by the authorities. victor's organisation was labelled a foreign agent. he says the focus of the museum then started to shift. translation: before there was you public interest in the history of the gulag. now that interest has died and the dominant idea now is that the gulag was necessary for the country and the economy and for discipline and order. the physical reminders have been preserved, but staff admit there were moves here that seemed to justify all this, even a plan to add the memoirs of prison guards. dress? russia is trying to build a more powerful state, so perhaps there is a policy dictated from above that says we don't need to remember all the bad things, let's just remember the good things. these days russia sees

threats to its power in unlikely places. this place here is the only 93v places. this place here is the only gay club in perm, and we have been invited to meet the local drag queen who is performing. every weekend, ruslan is transformed. a factory worker by day, i night he becomes whoever he wants. the painstaking makeover takes several hours. the crowd in this basement club are out and proud, but beyond these walls many conceal their sexuality. ruslan accepts his double life as a russian reality. gay pride has become a slur here, gay rights seen as a concept imposed by the west. translation: if

93v imposed by the west. translation: if gay people are and not forced to talk about it openly or are out in company —— out in public, we are fine. russia's borders are open. if you want to hold hands with your boyfriend in the street and kiss and have everyone clapped, then go for it. buy a ticket and travel. but at perm's only lg bt it. buy a ticket and travel. but at perm's only lgbt support group, they are too nervous to even put a sign on the door. under vladimir putin it has become a crime to promote homosexuality to the young, and police have raided this group twice to check out their activity. when we came they were discussing famous gay figures from history. on other days, masha provides counselling and support. we met up again at the flat she and nadia share with their pets. masha does not mention her sexuality at work. a child psychologist, she

is worried he would be accused of 93v is worried he would be accused of gay and the gander. nadia tells me eve ryo ne gay and the gander. nadia tells me everyone has heard of the new law and it has made the climate here much worse. —— a propaganda. translation: they found an enemy and thatis translation: they found an enemy and that is it. there are a lot of problems here but if you can blame the gaze for everything there is money to sort anything else out. it has always been the way in russia. —— big in some corners, russia looks increasingly conservative. like many, igor discovered religion when the atheist soviet union fell apart. deepin the atheist soviet union fell apart. deep in the countryside he and his family live what they now call a traditional life. the couple say they are children of perestroika. but along with new freedoms, igor says the 1990s wrought a cascade of

corrupting influences from the rest and he —— from the west and he regrets that. translation: u nfortu nately regrets that. translation: unfortunately society is moving away from christian values. this is happening slowly but surely. there isa happening slowly but surely. there is a rejection of traditional family relationships and fewer people are having children. but we are resisting this. the local church became a cheese factory in soppy at times. it is now open to worship again. —— soviet times. and igor says the congregation has been growing, partly through bigger families. so they are collecting funds to restore the rest of the building, one small piece in russia a snack orthodox revival. —— russia's orthodox revival. far away in rostov, we found cossacks riding into battle, or at least a constructive one. they are another force now enjoying a revival. the

cossacks see themselves as born warriors. defenders of russia's borders the centuries. these days their brand of patriotism is on the rise. this battle of the civil war is now being replayed. the cossacks taking on the red army. it is part of the historical re—enactment, but it also about patriotic action here. many of these people are young student at cossack schools. vitaly isa student at cossack schools. vitaly is a tutor, and is playing a key person in the battle. cossacks want to serve their country and their land, ithink to serve their country and their land, i think this is important, too raise our children as defenders. the boy said they want to become offices

in the russian army one day, they said loving their country is the most important thing. so what do they make of the hostility now between russia and the west? translation: i had never thought about it. to me what happens in my own country is more important. and what about all the new cold war talk? translation: we don't really have any negative thoughts about the west. but when conflicts came to eastern ukraine, other cossacks were among those who joined the fight. for them it was about protecting fellow russian speakers, and land that many here treat as their own. the border isjust that many here treat as their own. the border is just a short drive away. we can't take a camera any further down here, but this is a road that leads directly to eastern ukraine, where officially there is a ceasefire now. but in actuality are

fighting still goes on almost every day. and it is from here that russia has been supporting and supplying that conflict right from the very start. russians who died fighting in ukraine are remembered here as heroes. the kremlin still denies sending serving soldiers, despite the evidence. but the war was a breaking point in relations with the west. i tried asking a passing woman about the conflict. she agreed many locals did go to ukraine, but i don't want to talk, she said, especially to the bbc. alexandr, though, did agree to meet. he went to fight in ukraine himself and helped many other volunteers are. he insists there was a coup in kiev, backed by the west. view is that sound radical are now mainstream here. dress? volunteer fighters felt

they had to take part in the war, because if they didn't then there towns would be next. ukraine isjust the beginning. we know how things will progress. we remember iraq and afghanistan. it is the west that wa nts to afghanistan. it is the west that wants to divide up our country. afghanistan. it is the west that wants to divide up our countrym is chilling talk, at the signals come from the very top. since flooding and putin was last collected six years ago, russia has been painting the west as an enemy. a force that won the cold war and then rubbed russia's face in it. now moscow is pushing back. and yet all of this is happening when russia looks more western than ever even here a long way from the capital. foreign brands and tastes are now pa rt foreign brands and tastes are now part of life, even as politics drive east and west apart. that growing

gulf worries some here. maria is the creative force behind this business, one of a cluster of fashionable new places in rostov. she is full of energy and optimism about her brand, with plans to expand sales to the west. she is deeply pessimistic about the politics of vladimir putin. and how his message is pushed by russia's powerful state—run media. translation: instead of talking about problems we have inside the country, they talk about how we are surrounded by enemies who all want the west —— worse for us. it is really scary because it leaves everything out, and then people think you need to push back. 0therwise think you need to push back. otherwise we will be overrun and destroyed. maria tells me the hostility could be reversed, though, and quickly, if the message changed. in the meantime, this is her latest,

the bar she opened recently across the bar she opened recently across the road. she and herfriends don't see the west as an enemy. to them it is somewhere to trade with and travel to. for maria, it is also representing the democratic values she thinks russia has lost. to flesh we are europeans, we have a european mentality. we are also russians but in europe. i like to think that russians share european values somewhere inside themselves. today's russia though is steering a path away from europe. with no sign it plans to turn back. as russia's relations with the west have entered a deep freeze, the climate at home has changed too. the i990s climate at home has changed too. the 1990s brought a burst of new freedoms, a move towards

western—style democracy. but slowly, controls have been reimposed. 0ur journey to explore that broadcast next to siberia and to tv2. three yea rs next to siberia and to tv2. three years ago patel was forced to stop broadcasting. since we have been here the cat has even been removed. tv2 wa nt here the cat has even been removed. tv2 want to buy this entire building. since the channel has been taken on air, there isjust a handful of people working here, so we have come along to see what the newsroom is like these days. this place was viktor‘s light for a 20 years. now this independent tv channel is just a lot of expensive equipment gathering gust. officially, tv2 was shut down over a

licence dispute. but viktor does not buy that. the channel's reports are annoyed officials in tomsk. the team found that was theirjob. but reining in the free press was one of vladimir putin's first moves as president. tv2 was one of the last survivors. translation: is obvious that we were no threat here in tomsk. but the authorities are constantly afraid of revolution or losing control. they wa nt to revolution or losing control. they want to control everything, but that is impossible. and they don't trust anyone. back home, viktor and his wife showed me how other media have been tamed. when there were protests against closing tv2, tomsk says

state—run channels ignore them. translation: that is you how free they are. if there is an order not to show something, they won't. most disturbing for this couple is how quickly the new reality has been accepted. here in the frozen heart of siberia, it feels an extremely long way from europe in every sense. but politically speaking, tomsk was a relatively liberal city in russian terms for many years. but all of that has been changing. on the streets, though, nobody seemed too bothered by that. —— seems. translation: tv2 has a right to exist, of course, but i am a supporter of vladimir putin. i will vote for him. translation: i am for vladimir putin. everyone is happy with them. why do we need anyone else. there is

no wars. he managed to agree with everyone. he does everything right. i like at all. those are close to the president, life can be tough. last year, xenia's car was covered in paintand last year, xenia's car was covered in paint and the tyres slashed. men entered the building in the dead of night and sealed up herflat. taking me back to the scene, xenia is sure that she was targeted as an activist for alexey nizami. mr fitton greatest critic has been barred from running for office. —— mr putin. but she think it was a warning. translation: it was clearly to frighten us and to put other supporters off, so that others think twice before going to a rally for alexei navalny, if this is how it can end. undeterred, xenia still

ru ns can end. undeterred, xenia still runs a alexei navalny‘s offers here in tomsk. she was eight when vladimir putin came to power. now 26, she thinks it is well past time for a change. so her team are helping train monitors for the election will stop xenia calls it a fa ke vote election will stop xenia calls it a fake vote in any case, and as vladimir putin's last term brought warand vladimir putin's last term brought war and sanctions, she is worried what the next might hold. translation: i want russia to continue as part of western civilisation, and not closed off behind a wall. yes, we want to be seen as equals. we want to protect our interests, but we do not want to be seen as north korea. we don't wa nt to be seen as north korea. we don't want to be isolated. that seems to be the direction the country is heading in, though. we travelled

north to st petersburg to investigate claims that russia's information war is now targeting the west, too. from here, the kremlin has been accused of using the internet to manipulate opinion at home and abroad. and this building has become notorious as russia's troll factory. it is mostly empty now. the signs as it is up for rent. but an investigation in the united states —based mustafi at operated as an online army designed to sow discord in america. ludmila shows me a fake character she helped to create. she took information and lea ked create. she took information and leaked it from inside the troll factory. her own focus was on russian content, but she says that

they worked in shifts posting up to 80 times a day. translation: i would say thousands of posts appearing on every news story, right before my eyes. if a troll spoke about america or ukraine, it had to be negative. if it was putin's or russia's military, it was putin's or russia's military, it was putin's or russia's military, it was positive. they got written instructions of what to present and the conclusion is that people should draw. ludmila thinks that very few trolls are driven by patriotism. she tells me it is about the money, and, ifa tells me it is about the money, and, if a new boss instructed them to criticise putin, they would. and it seems the trolls are still operating. we have been told that the troll factory has mooted this premises. i am coming to see if any of these people in the smoking shelter opposite work there and what they can tell me. the man tells me

he has seen here and he does not like what they do. inside, i managed to speak to the director of one firm named in the us indictment, but he would not comment on camera its work. 2000 kilometres away perm as weathered all the twists and turns since the soviet union fell apart. it was the home to soviet factories for decades and closed to foreigners. then a dry day transformation. —— then i tried a was