this is bbc news. the headlines: the head of russia's wagner group says its forces now surround most of bakhmut, the east ukrainian city that's been the focus of extensive fighting. the mercenary group says the last open roads leading westwards out of the city are under heavy russian shelling. the white house has confirmed president biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed sucessfully during a routine health screening last month. mr biden�*s doctor said the affected tissue was removed from the 80—year—old's chest, and no further treatment is required. an interim report published by a british parliamentary committee says there is evidence that the former prime minister

broke lockdown rules on four occasions and that the breaches of regulations should have been obvious. now on bbc news, our world: inside the illegal puppy trade. chloe, would you like to be in a video about how much i love you? and you, bambi?- a video about how much i love you? and you, bambi? dogs have never been _ you? and you, bambi? dogs have never been more _ you? and you, bambi? dogs have never been more popular. - you? and you, bambi? dogs have never been more popular. in - you? and you, bambi? dogs have never been more popular. in the l never been more popular. in the uk, we have bought 3.2 million pets during lockdown. in europe, puppies are now a multibillion euro industry. but where are all these puppies coming from? for the first time, our world

unveils a criminal underground trafficking drugs across europe. trafficking drugs across emcee-— trafficking drugs across euro e. .,, , trafficking drugs across euroe. , ., europe. those englishmen also dealt in drugs. _ europe. those englishmen also dealt in drugs. the _ europe. those englishmen also dealt in drugs. the criminals i dealt in drugs. the criminals are breeding _ dealt in drugs. the criminals are breeding dogs _ dealt in drugs. the criminals are breeding dogs in - dealt in drugs. the criminals are breeding dogs in unleyl are breeding dogs in unley since puppy mills in hungary. —— unlicensed. the dogs are sold into a vast pet trade network in western europe that handles 8 million puppies a year. many are illegally passed off as the offspring of a much loved family pet. hungary has emerged as a dog breeding power in europe. in

the last two years, it is legally exported over 70,000 puppies within the eu. a huge network of puppy farms grew up here after the collapse of the soviet union.— soviet union. the system changed. _ soviet union. the system changed, the _ soviet union. the system changed, the state - soviet union. the system | changed, the state farms, incorporated farms, were privatised. so people stopped working with cows and working with swine and the italian tradesman came into hungary and saw a big business and they started to build up the network of mm started to build up the network of puppy producers here in hungary and then the people step—by—step realise that they can make money on dogs instead of keeping swine and rabbits. and they put these animals to the place of the swine and poultry and rabbits. the industry _ poultry and rabbits. the industry is _ poultry and rabbits. the industry is controlled i poultry and rabbits. the industry is controlled by the government through licensing and farms are expected to conform to animal welfare

standards. but anyone can register online to be a breeder without any initial checks. this town ofjust 60,000 people has 154 registered breeders. they can agency charged with random checks of hungary's network of nearly 3000 breeders. 0urteam network of nearly 3000 breeders. our team hasjoined breeders. our team has joined along breeders. our team hasjoined along with their chief that. but this breeder has passed inspection. the vet in charge says they don't have anything more to report to us. it is only documentary - more to report to us. it is only documentary work. | more to report to us. it is i only documentary work. but more to report to us. it is - only documentary work. but some audio captured — only documentary work. but some audio captured minutes _ only documentary work. but some audio captured minutes earlier - audio captured minutes earlier reveal some findings.

they conclude this farm follows the regulations and remains legal. nebi says they had a private exchange of opinions and their views should not be linked to the authority's findings. puppy farming is good business. a buyer in western europe will pay a minimum of 1000 euros per puppy. the average monthly wage in hungary. this leads to people breeding dogs in terrible conditions. these dogs were

found in hungary, locked in the dark, lying on their own faeces, and carcasses of other dead dogs. these illegal breeding sides are known puppy mills. illegal breeders came in as many dogs as possible to produce letter after litter of puppies. these puppies ultimately find their way into legal markets. in hungary most of the operations against puppy mills are initiated by charities. edina was one of the animal rescuers involved in closing down this puppy mill. edina now cares for some dogs she has rescued from the puppy mills across hungary.

the recent discoveries of the farm's conditions has led to international pressure for hungary to tighten their laws. convicted puppy mill owners now face jail. in this town, the nebi have had a tipoff about an

illegal puppy mill. a bad smell is coming from inside and it looking after the dogs. after several hours of waiting, the owner turns up. in 2020, pups4u sent nearly 4 million dogs to belgium, huge hub for trade. after the inspection, the nebih has done more than ten dogs with ear, skin, and eye infections. hungarian law states that if conditions lead to long term health damage, it is defined as a mill. the nebih decides that is not the case in this instance and will only impose a fine and inspect again in the nearfuture. but impose a fine and inspect again in the near future. but it is contentious.—

contentious. this is a qualified _ contentious. this is a qualified case. - contentious. this is a qualified case. if- contentious. this is a qualified case. if you | contentious. this is a - qualified case. if you don't treat an ear infection, then it goes down and down and down, and that is able —— animal cruelty. and that is able -- animal cruelty-— and that is able -- animal cruel . ~ ., cruelty. our world contacted pu -sluu cruelty. our world contacted pupsltu but _ cruelty. our world contacted pupslou but they _ cruelty. our world contacted pupslou but they did - cruelty. our world contacted pupslou but they did not - pups4u but they did not respond. the booming puppy trade in hungary is attracting traders from all over europe. some of them come to market is looking for a cheap deal. 0nce looking for a cheap deal. once they collect enough puppies for a shipment, they send them off legally to their clients. edina has come to this market looking for puppy sellers. edina is concerned that puppies bred with low welfare standards are making their way into the legal international market. this registered breeder has nine dash—cam puppies left and has sold all the females to an austrian trader. —— dachshund.

he is charging 100 euros per puppy- he is charging 100 euros per puppy. edina is going to buy one to check its credentials. to sell puppies legally, they must be at least eight weeks old, fully vaccinated, microchip, and rested by a vet on a national database. but a few simple checks reveal the truth. it is likely this puppy has not been vaccinated. in order to travel legally

outside the country, puppies need a pet passport with valid vaccinations, and these can only be issued by a vet. corrupt vets sell fake passports to puppy mills without vaccinating or without seeing the puppies. this puppy is lucky. edina will give him up is lucky. edina will give him up for adoption to a good home. those puppies left might face a gruelling journey to markets in the west where they can be sold for up to anything —— for anything up to 3000 euros each. the most lucrative markets are in belgium and the uk. a journey of a 1000 miles. thousands of puppies are smuggled through borders hidden in vehicles. most passed through germany on their route west.

german police mount regular patrols looking for puppy smugglers. in 2021 bc is nearly 2000 puppies being smuggled across the country. in the same year, the uk saw a 260% increase in puppy smuggling. in response, it is proposed to ban the imported dogs under six months old. but that will not always deter the smugglers. this car and then travelling in convoy was stopped by german police. inside they found eight aduu police. inside they found eight adult dachshunds, split between the two vehicles. the dogs are being transported from hungary to the uk in terrible conditions. the shipment was also bigger thanit the shipment was also bigger than it initially looks. four of the dogs were heavily pregnant. at the shelter they

gave birth to 21 puppies which would have been worth about £42,000 on the british market. the trafficker had picked passports for some of the dogs, stating they were his pets. but the evidence shows that he had most likely sourced them from a puppy most likely sourced them from a puppy mill. the dachshunds were being transported by a man called peter. after the dogs were seized, he was released without charge. a couple of days later he was caught again, this time at the british border, where he had more dogs seized. dog trafficking can carryjail

trafficking can carry jail sentences, trafficking can carryjail sentences, but traffickers are very rarely prosecuted. 0ur very rarely prosecuted. our world contacted peter, that he did not respond. 0nce world contacted peter, that he did not respond. once the puppies are out of hungary, illegal traders have to create a story around the puppies to sell them. a team of government vets have been working with the country's because animal charity to try to crack down on this illegal trade. criminal gangs are now moving into the puppy trade so the vets have asked that we mask their identity. the team

is finding an increase in the number of online ads linked to the illegal puppy trade. it isn't difficult to find suspicious ads online. this ad just says" boxer puppies" they asking 1200 euros per puppy. and i got this picture of the father. i checked the picture with google lens, and found this picture here. —— lens. it is a solid picture. this can't be the father dog. —— stolen picture. be the father dog. -- stolen icture. , , ., .,~ picture. this is a fake account set u- picture. this is a fake account set up to _ picture. this is a fake account set up to make _ picture. this is a fake account set up to make it _ picture. this is a fake account set up to make it look- picture. this is a fake account set up to make it look like - picture. this is a fake account| set up to make it look like the puppy set up to make it look like the puppy came from a family home. selling a small number of puppies born from your own pets is perfectly legal, but in order to sell large numbers of puppies, you need to be registered as a commercial breeder, and have regular inspections and pay taxes on

the sale. selling through social media and online auction sites allows illegal traders to set up multiple accounts. many of these claim to be selling puppies born from family pets. this seller has been linked to a network that has sold many puppies. the investigatorfrom puppies. the investigator from four puppies. the investigatorfrom four paws is trying to confirm the evidence. this is a risky operation. 0ne the evidence. this is a risky operation. one of the team goes ahead with a hidden camera,

posing as a buyer. 0nly ahead with a hidden camera, posing as a buyer. only when they are inside the flight will police confront the seller. with the puppy locator, the rest of the team and a police closing on the flat. —— close in on the flat.

the seller is unable to prove where he got the puppy from so it is seized. the vet suspect the puppy has been smuggled into the country. legally employed puppies need a passport and proof of investigation, this puppy has

neither so it will have to go into quarantine. given the seller's record, it is likely this puppy was one of many that was smuggled from hungary. it is part of a network that takes an puppy is part of a network that takes an puppy seized from the illegal puppy trade. in the last few weeks, they have taken in 69 puppies that were trafficked from hungary. all of the puppies here were being transported to belgium. belgium is one of the main markets for puppies bred in hungary and other eastern european countries. every hour belgium legal imports 19,000 puppies

from eastern europe. as thousands of puppies arrived to patch up like this, where clients can order through click and collect. in belgium is it is legal to sell puppies in pet shops but it is illegal to sell some from puppy inaudible. this event visits wholesale puppy traders where she spots illnesses commonly found in puppy illnesses commonly found in puppy mills. this is found at one of the traders she visited. —— found. —— filmed.

0ur our world has tracked down and 0ur world has tracked down and ex— our world has tracked down and ex— worker from these wholesale pet shop who has agreed to talk to us. ., ., , ., to us. there are dogs of the day every — to us. there are dogs of the day every day- _ to us. there are dogs of the day every day. the - to us. there are dogs of the | day every day. the workload to us. there are dogs of the i day every day. the workload is a very heavy is only two employees we did not have enough staff for all of those dogs. dogs had to push with that noses and then they get water but not all dogs do not

understand it and some dogs are to small so they did not drink. anyone can buy as many puppies as they want here, no questions asked. british gangs have brought puppies outlook into cash in on this lucrative trade. , u, cash in on this lucrative trade. , h, ., cash in on this lucrative trade. , ., , trade. they came here to resell those trade. they came here to resell these dogs _ trade. they came here to resell these dogs in — trade. they came here to resell those dogs in england. - trade. they came here to resell those dogs in england. those i those dogs in england. those englishmen, they also dealt in the drugs. they bought about 20 dogs when they visited. they showed me the car and i so it was a ready full of dogs. i once saw a picture of their boss, he lived in a bag a huge house with four or five bentleys in the driveway. they really have plenty of money. anthony has won several cases against belgium shops selling sick puppies from puppy mills.

they make millions and, again, there are seven conventions per year, maybe it is 40,000 heroes, that is not a real problem for them. jail sentences _ problem for them. jail sentences for- problem for them. jail sentences for illegally trading in dogs are extremely rare and require investigations into criminal networks across borders that few authorities are prepared to tackle. these dogs have all been rescued from a breeders and traffickers. but thousands are trapped in puppy mills that produce tens of thousands of puppies that are now flooding the market. there are not enough credible breeders to meet the huge demand for puppies so for now the most effective way to fight against illegal puppy traders to do thorough research where the puppy comes from.

hello. some subtle changes in our weather as we head through the weekend. it is going to start to feel just a little bit colder. it will often be cloudy. there will be some scattered showers. most of those showers will be falling as rain. but into the start of the new week, the changes become more dramatic. it will certainly feel much colder, particularly given the strength of the wind, and there'll be some snow and ice to contend with in places. at the moment, though, the really cold air is quite a long way away to the north of us. we do have this cold front sinking into the picture on saturday.

that will bring a band of cloud and some showers in north—east scotland, and then slumping onto the east coast of england. even further west, i think there'll be quite large amounts of cloud. best chance of any sunshine across parts of western scotland, north—west england, maybe parts of wales as well. temperatures 6—9 degrees, about where they have been, really through the last few days. now, as we go through saturday night, again, we keep large areas of cloud, some showers, particularly in the north of scotland. if you do see clear spells for any length of time, you could just about get a touch of frost. most places where it stays cloudy will stay just above freezing. and into sunday, another mostly cloudy day with limited sunshine, but a few more showers around this time and some of those showers across high ground in the north of the uk, could start to turn wintry, because it will start to feel just a little bit colder. but the changes really kick in as we move out of sunday and into monday. developing across the northern isles is this weather front. now, it'll push its way southwards. initially it will bring some rain, but on the back edge that is likely to turn to sleet and snow.

and behind it, we open the door to significantly colder air. it will be cold enough for snow showers in the north of scotland. eventually some snowfall getting down into parts of northern england. and then by tuesday, that weather front continues to journey southwards, clearing most areas through the day. behind it, some sunny spells but some showers, and it certainly will be cold enough for those showers to fall as snow. and those are the temperatures on the thermometer, but factor in a brisk wind, particularly in northern and eastern areas. this is what it will feel like. it will feel like —4 celsius at best there in aberdeen. there are already met office yellow warnings in force for snow and ice in parts of northern and eastern scotland, north—east england, but there could be some wintry weather in other parts of the uk as well.

this is bbc world news. i'm monika plaha. our top stories: the head of russia's wagner group says its forces now surround most of bakhmut, the eastern ukrainian city that's been the focus of extensive fighting. we have practically surrounded bakhmut. if early were fighting against a professional army, increasingly we are seeing old people and children. the white house confirms president biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest during a routine health screening. a probe into lockdown parties at downing street indicates the former british prime minister should have known rules were being broken.