they can bring into the site, but i'm not sure that they are prepared for this logistically. i mean, it is hard. this is very difficult, the amount of ammunition and that is expanded in lot or more is much more than we ever anticipate. same thing for fuel. ok, that is a mr. ben hodges, former commander of u. s. army europe. many, many. thanks, sir. thanks for the privilege. as we just heard, russian president vladimir putin has put his deterrence forces, including nuclear armed forces on higher alert. in a video speech distributed by the kremlin, putin said that nato powers had made aggressive statements toward russia. he also cited economic sanctions that will cut off major russian banks from international transactions and from vilnius. i am now now joined by constantine agri, d. w. russians affairs, expert contents, constantine, welcome again. what do you make of this? a higher lured order?

well, from an officer, i had a very big problem discerning what actually meant. he never served in the army but his mother and cheap. the expression he used to indicate some kind of heightened states of russian armed forces does not exist in russian military manuals. a form which he used an expression which is roughly translated like heightened, meditated duty. there only 4 states left in in russia minutes. remember, a regular heightened war and fully complete. i mean, maybe he tried to say hi to grace because frankly speaking very interesting, very interesting, lou self nuclear courses. pretty much always. so what you probably wanted to say is that they're going to know you will miss out silos.

they're probably going to give directions to the bombers with nuclear bombs that are on permanent duty in the air 247 actually. but we don't know whether it's true and we don't know whether it's read for real or whether it's an attempt to pressure the western projection. the ukrainian delegation of the b stops into concession. whether it's a threat to base it can again, we'll leverage on it. is this assign the poodle is getting desperate? the war has not gone according to plan so far. well, i suspect that she should be thinking about doing something and let's hope it's not doing doing something doesn't mean nuclear war, but it's not going to i think it already. we already talked about it. i think it's,

it's, it's frankly speaking a p r. disaster already and probably isn't military off of one of the world superpower, not to be able to overwhelm a force which was described by the russian commander, russian, probably, jason, russian politician is inferior to do due to the russian forces. everyone was saying, just like 4 days ago, russian officials were saying, well, the dream will kind of run away. it didn't happen. so i think that he wants to get, well, there's, but all the other hand, interesting, the russian delegation is going to meet. you created the negation on the board, the russian, sorry, of the barrels. and i wonder whether whether it's kind of hectic of diversion, which could well be the case or the attempt to start at least some kind of dial. my suspicion of alas, unfortunately, it's diploma. and because ukrainians will never agree to any demands when you try it. now, it may be designed to give the crime in an excuse to start and even more dishes

campaign. for example, shilling this is with a step is to serve as miss out. that's what i'm afraid. that's a constantine edgar too many thanks. we have some breaking news to report an adviser to ukraine's interior ministry says those peace talks between russia and ukraine have in fact started. meanwhile, russian forces are meeting stiff resistance as they attempt to push further into ukraine. the mayor of keith says the capital is holding its defensive lines, and there are no russian troops in the city and after reports of heavy fighting and eastern ha, keith, the regional governor says ukrainian forces have retaken full control of the city. russia's latest attacks have targeted civilian infrastructure and the military.

chaos at an oil depot, and val seek of just outside of key of emergency services battled to the early morning after russian rocket fire destroyed the facility. it just one of the many targets of russian fire overnight by samuel adjustable. that night was hardened. what did they do? this is revenge. yes. but people rose to defend their state and the, the russian army showed their real face. this is terror when they are going to bomb or ukrainian cities even more, and they're going to killer children even more insidiously. this is evil. last week they said little. russia has confirmed it destroyed what it called, 975 military targets in the campaign so far. but many of its rockets have landed in civilian areas, killing and maiming bystanders. here and key of civilians continue to seek shelter in the cities subway stations. there's little hope it seems for

a quick end to the fighting carolina lin, home billing joins us now from keith. she's with the office of the united nations high commissioner for refugees. thank you for being with us. and if you'll forgive me and let me ask you a personal question, which is just simply, how are you? thank you. i think i'm, i'm shaken like so many others. the problem in many ways. every night i sent a couple of hours in the, in the basement in the bunker last night, and i'm of course, extremely concerned about my colleagues working in the east. i've colleagues in mario polo 7 are done yet in april, as well as in the guns can on yet in central key. and then, and they are spending a big part of the days in shelters and to protect themselves from harm. and so for your peer to be safe, and that's good news, does the latest news that ukraine agrees to whole talks with russia give you hope

i anything that gives hope that can and you know this, this in the military offensive, that's creating a huge humanitarian emergency. on top of one that already existed since 20142015, tens of thousands of ukrainians are on the road as you very well know. what are you seeing from where you are in the capital? so what we're seeing, wearing regular daily contact with internally displaced persons local communities, local authorities in the country who are reporting about the arrival of ukrainians who have fled from their homes. and what they're saying really is they need, you know, roof over their heads, shelter, food and blankets like really key i to, you know, basic necessities as this moment as they are in trying to figure out where,

where they are going. and to that end, what is the you and hcr doing on the ground and give to help them. so in key and it's very challenging at the moment because of that security situation and overall and providing humanitarian assistance in this context where the security situation is so difficult and critical and unpredictable is a huge challenge. but we are working on establishing, you know, a way to do this through i d. p community groups, local authorities and partners who we've been working with over the years because the needs are, are yet. and they are really going back and we'll have to leave it there. but we'd certainly like to see you again. that's a kara lina, lynn home billing with the office of the united nations high commissioner for refugees. many facts in berlin, a demonstration calling for peace in ukraine is underway. police say more than

a 100000 people are taking part. the demonstration is organized by variety of groups, including workers, unions, and religious and environmental groups. protesters are calling on russia to withdraw immediately from ukraine and to respect democracy and human rights. in the past days, there have been numerous demonstrations across the world to support ukraine and demand in immediate end to violence. our political corresponded thomas sparrow is covering melissa, generally, how many people would you say or there and what's the atmosphere at this point? so actually, most people are now leaving. so the protest is in the process of ending about a few hours ago. it was really extremely full right here in the center of berlin. you may see the brandenburg gate behind me. on the other end of the demonstration was another of berlin's emblems. the victory column on between the 2, it was really full. the atmosphere was

a very friendly one. people were really all united in asking for peace at something that we were really able to see when we spoke to people from different nationalities and also different generation. so from a grandmother of 6 who was concerned about the war, 2 families with the young children who were asking, put for politicians to do more to protect children. it has also been a very international protest altogether from what we've been able to to gather here talking to people from different nationalities. they have clearly stressed that they believe that hooton's attack on ukraine is not only an attack on ukraine, but it is an attack on the international community as well. that's one of the reasons why they're now here in berlin altogether. authorities aff stressed that there are around 100000 people who have gathered here in the center of berlin. the images that we've seen certainly showed that amount of people, but obviously from the ground, from what we can see here. now it is also slowly emptying. it was indeed

a very important protest in berlin today for those who want this war to end, who want germany to do more as well. and who specifically wanted to support ukraine? thomas lesson half a minute, but which we sure saw a massive people. are they supporting arms deliveries to the cranium forces in the exclusion of russian banks from the swift system which could very word well hurt russian people. absolutely. they're supporting that they wanted for a long time. in fact, some of the protest that i covered in the last few days, they specifically wanted that so many people are actually happy, at least the ones that we spoke to about. the fact that germany has now changed course. so certainly another element here is not only about showing that they want peace showing that they're against vladimir putin. it's also, they want the german government to do more. they have wanted the german government to do more for a long time. and this is something that they clearly showed here in berlin today. that is a thomas sparrow in berlin. many, thanks, thomas. you're watching

d. w. news. don't forget there's complete coverage of russia's war against ukraine on our website, d, w dot com. a mike, look who in berlin from me and the entire news team here. thanks for watching. there's more news as always at the top of the hour. with

who am i we are in, i believe with long renown ford's mom, i will get one of the media likes of legal angela inviting me either at night or the school doughty at these today like an environmental disaster is unfolding here in my head. the worst in europe today would all before, when i did it be joining the model, tories of kara on t w, somalia has been hit hard by a and it's always

a sad though all of them on each of us. but there is a way out affordable desalination of sea water and initiative by somali business men demonstrates how it can be done. pico africa in 60 minutes on d, w o. and they've had no peace for for decades. the people of iraq country is devastated. and there's no end to the violence. how did it come to this g? i witnesses review an unprecedented story with

theory life with the great documentary series, iraq destruction of a nation starts march 4th on d w. ah. ah, she's very, i'm not got it. i'm gonna shoot on a sagel if we are in colorado for centuries, this city has been famous for its marble, used by michelangelo and many other artists. but for some years, cora has been not only concerned with the quality of its marble to day. a real environmental disaster is happening here, perhaps one of the worst in europe. this is sandra manfredi of rebel and a whistleblower. and he's been raising awareness about troubles that the quarries

for years exist. i like i like of them of the day we managed to film illegal activities at this quarry here and it was one of our biggest victory allowed on when they got to me. but it was bitter sweetie armada, because right afterwards they loosened my car's wheels, and i could have died driving through the mountain to spend one or can over all of it was torn from these marble veins in tuscany until the 1980s corolla and it's white gold experienced an economic and cultural boom everywhere in the city, you could see artists on workshops. the marble was processed on site. 40 years

later, this magic has disappeared. a modest sculpture festival attempts to prove the contrary . but even tourists only have a fleeting look around. the quarry owners want to convey the outdated image of cultivated artisans with a passion for sculpting marble. the reality to day as that they brain over financial and property empires, or a dam on dover. i p. a theory ravonne. michelle angelo would walk over here and pick the marble for his sculptures area in march more the pita, the slaves of outdoor update dog. he chiseled many of his works from the local marble school door. a gap regime increased dugdeon's franco martini is an expert and he owns the famous michelangelo quarry about 1000 meters up

on this morning, his machines are cutting a new marble block straight from the cliff face. first, in more than one, he is the mountain. griffith got you and we caught the block out of it. why she found we start at the bottom and drill a round besides full nice and straight. a partial partial. i got fema is she got written we used the diamond wire. saw to finish the cart. yes, perfect, i'm in there. this is the wire. we use a fresh water cools it down and the diamond cuts it jamante it used to take 20 days to remove a block, but now it's just 10 hours at most and sometimes even less. sometimes treasurer is found a vein of a pure marble due to its translucence statue, arial,

or star tears marble fetches. a high price kristen ivy, that this is a stat worry of vein and that's ordinary marble. your. she miss your so it's not totally pure, but still a nice specimen value that you can use it to make marble flooring and many other things. if i focus on the international market, there is a high demand from china and the gulf states marble for construction costs, from $150.00 euros per ton, up to $3000.00 euros, or even more depending on its quality, not being a factor and mean after all, i already worked in these quarries as a young boy then and i've done everything ational crop. shanpa and i'm still here up to 67 years of work north sham. freshly. actually more like 140 because we always worked from dawn till dusk. she abra, unlike today where you go home after 8 hours or to rory right?

franco martini isn't interested in environmental protection. he sees these mountains as a gift from nature, an inexhaustible inheritance. ah. only like a thoughtful for nancy. it's in alton, environmental disaster fuel. it's the opposite. it's wonderful macbook the battery . these quarries alike, fields of farming imagination, nobody's destroying the mountains, roughly berry, that'd be like saying you could drink up the ocean's offer, then married up. i don't think we can drink up all the ocean dish or norie. it's the same here, man, jerry will never be able to eat up all these mountains. the very all we do is make a little cut, the very just a little caught, a few understand. we not destroying them. manon she mon, johnny,

the landscape formed by the quarries, however, tells another story. sandra manfredi checks if a quarry has really been closed down, or he exposes illegal practices. it's the only way he says to stop this carnage. laquanda se for some of the iroquois since our group has taken action, were to delete all investigated quarries have been temporarily or permanently shot down money like this one here as or so know what that makes for dozens of site. i'm located in between about 30 and 40 it able to be the man the out the of won it center when see that a apple one helps have been classified as an irreplaceable natural heritage. and

each piece that's removed that it is lost forever. it given there are $3000.00 species of flowers and plants and the apple on out. why that's half of italy's florida for and a few doesn't exist here exclusively. we stick a social up what plants spring up, live, and thrive in unique ecosystems soon and are directly threatened by marble excavation where me said he's good. let's go. once you wanted the up one alps, our home to tuscany is biggest water reservoir. and the unique complex spans 150 kilometers of tunnels and capes. at the current pace, it's unclear what will become of this mountain range. central manfredi isn't the only one concerned in cora. in 2014, a diverse collective emerged, including biologists, lawyers and net workers, and some of them are meeting outside of town to day. when i say to do it

really got rather dark, she thought and murmured cut out her known fritz marble. and aunt is just an open pit mine rage and now she sees a little they caught blocks from our mountains, break them down and send them abroad for processing in low wage countries. yeah, i know you guys back and which is that with terrible environmental damage to the old, the well 5, the benefits are small. minority all flows abroad dealer. it's unacceptable disease that he said that it's that him block. when you cut out a marble block, you destroy 95 percent of mountain. it's insane. the burning business is based on destruction. it deals in by lentils feel that only from young unemployment among young people in massa and canada is twice as high as through lat. tuscany. 3 times as high as in italy overall. i 3 blow, something's not right because i couldn't,

wanda, she could be yoni, the blue moon value, and you say a 5000000 tons of marble or excavated from our mountains every year. and just 50000 tons of it's a used for sculptures. so people can be of it's totally absurd or forecast, pseudo microns ok to day. only one 4th of kara marble is excavated in blocks, while the rest is crushed into pebbles and transported downstream to omnia. the global leader in this highly lucrative market. the marble is ground into a fine powder and sodas, calcium carbonate, used to produce a variety of products like paper, putty, glue, and tooth paste. the swiss company discreetly established itself in the field in the early 19 ninety's and has been continuously expanding its business with the

powder critics claim anya violates legal limits. but in a region with high unemployment. hardly any one would dare defy the princes of kara . the only politician willing to speak to us here is the regions environmental director jackman generally of the 5 star movement says it in no uncertain terms in recent years. politics, marble and justice have been a single swamp. pretty much every law has been violated. this which he has the champion president award. i know some 500 companies employing about 700 wankers extract marble from a mountain of what that means. 2800. john is it in masa and canada are linked directly or indirectly to the industry. jane, north of the needle,

push into pursuing i lodge, a turnover current and generated by the whole sector is 80000000000 euros a year that it will door in the still, these entrepreneurs have amassed astronomical. well, we're out that it gets inc, or anybody. maybe that's why it is so difficult for them to respect our lawyers at ag, whatever, k, just out and politicians, both phones to come to terms with the audio superpower. ah, economic power is concentrated in the hands of a few people that when they dictate local policy, lynette gordion dominant gail up what he took a look at it. in franklin martini's quarry, the marble block has finally been cut out from the mountain and now it has to be lowered down. ideally, in one piece. only now, is he getting an idea of its value? ah,

the quarry owner doesn't like talking about his turnover, but he does reveal the price of this $30.00 ton block a vulgar with. i'll take a closer look at it, but it seems to be a high quality block. we won't know exactly until it's caught to size, but this kind of block is worth about 50000 euros to block. he cuts out several blocks like this one each day. and quarry owners enjoy a lot of extra leeway since they bring business and jobs. this sometimes results in poor safety standards. there have been 11 deaths in a little over 10 years nurse, but at $3000.00 euros a month. the salaries are quite high for the region, and a significant portion is paid under the table. so when it comes to illegal drilling or waste in the mountains, no one complains, but the bar met to le, a smudge made of water and marble dust seemed to be directly responsible for

polluting the rivers flowing down into the valley. my shade to lamar my door. okay . green that there are fish being how can they say the ma metal, la pollute, the environment jelly is the thing. the marble pebbles are crushed and a company makes them into a powder that jane though, render on me and we sell the waste product to that company for so they can make harmless powder. and oh yeah, to no on this powder from our cutting machines is supposed to be polluting the environment activated for that seal. go wallet, median, heavier. it's the exact same powder we store it in bags. it cannot easily escape to quarry at the and then water runs through the bags and is then filtered fee. so all the marble powder stays here. it doesn't go into the rivers. never

sandro manfredi is working with peano, san sony, a retired biologist, to check the foreigner in the center of kara. they start by analyzing the water of a river, free of quarry, waste the damages of arkansas. so we'll see if anything is living in this river. we'll filter the water and see what we find. i'll put the filter into the current and you scratch off the rocks. this should give us a rough idea as to how many species live in the river. oh, can you tell me what's in it? wagner, don't. harrison can't his flyer leave the little green instead there right

there, but we'll go on like when we have a very rich ecosystem here than throttle vacancy on its axis counting about 20 different species, they act walker, meaning the water quality is good. all very good on down. not that it won't really see all the scientists head upstream along another river and continue their experiment. the rain flushes all quarry waste water into the river bed. if i think us, but it's useless are not looking. no, and, oh, mary marlis, a logical coolness. how are they supposed to live buried under this marbles? logical? no, it's unspeakable. no check. no, it has nothing left alive in this river. napoleon, char thought, lay faculty campbell there when modern conveying equipment emerged here in the

seventy's list of i sort of elmira and started being used to direct the momentum into the rivers extract. that was the beginning of the ann. it's laura simply lee she thought go home and everything is covered in my metal. yes, if alicia, like i said like when a landslide buries the buildings in a city may i have sat down avalon guy, the farm guy. it's a biological wasteland military yet. and as i told you, the marble dust immediately settles, creating a hard impenetrable layer. so the mounted soil can no longer absorb the water when there's heavy rain. and that's exactly what happened in 2014, terrible floods hit the city. torrance of water rushed down the mountains unhindered and caused the river to burst its banks. the quarries were immediately identified as the cause and it came in the wake of 2 previous ones in 2003 and in 2010. but this time,

residents expressed their rage in front of the town hall. ah, the absurd response of the mayor at the time escalated their anger even further. the town hall does not feel responsible for this flooding. ah the mayor was escorted away under police protection residents occupied the town hall for several weeks. ah, ah, a very pretty name on it. he who he for the 1st time the people felt responsible for the quarrel. 70000 the car there and faithfully for no one saw the connection. it was a po yankee, that vehicle may be filled in the past will paint the waste from the quarries

garver i to the bit like sponges when it rain whole year. we lay limited the risk of flooding that out so, but today they are no longer protection versus they are a danger. if i thought the least kill in any case, quarry owners like franco martini, are digging in their heels. claiming industrial marble production has priority shown party da da, darrell shorter xander i started out with nothing. andre. oh, i was the poorest guy in the world that also the richest thanks to god. since i've always been healthy and motivated, 35, grandma, no matter, nobody will ever take that away from me. nobody. sure. no, no. may i tell you that? sure. nobody will take that away from me or me. i thought i'll step right over there, dead body from across. she is. she got god very. you're like i said,

who ever misses with my word? i, i'll bury him here. love. oh, got you brush faced with the obvious impotence of the authorities, sandra manfredi had no choice but to denounce the quarries, illegal practices, putting himself personally at risk meter over one day. so one loosened my cars, wheels, i call the mechanical, and it immediately became clear, it was no accident. he prepared an expert appraisal. betty and i filed charges for property damage damage. i mean he survived the ordeal, but it could have been fatal. still, he persists, undeterred by fear or threats on this evening. he is discussing a new campaign stem one alexander sheet,

that the vendor we're planning a tour with my friend, alberto, a director and environmental activists into lisa. and i was on a quarry is in the middle of a nature reserve alisha. and we want to protect the local flora and no delaney bucket him or breast. we're heading off into the mountains here early in the mornings that are there for stock re lucky fun. and we're taking a back way through the forest. so the workers don't see it. when did you throw in and we'll have a good view of what's going on in the quarry from up above. you been me through said valet, answering salmon. the sun rises over the up one alps. sandro and alberto always leave early in the morning. they have been monitoring the quarry workers for years because of the throttle watson. it's nice here.

they are united by their love for nature and their fight to protect the afflicted mountains. alberto st. father and grandfather worked in the quarries themselves to day. he photographs the excesses of the industry knows, thank sure they don't see as it the environmental activist is said to testify in a case about this very quarry. to date, the owner has managed to escape the consequences of his actions as them after, but he collided with. this quarry has an unusual story that it was actually supposed to be shut down. but after an appeal to italy's top administrative court, he was allowed to open it again. that'll let the gum in the illusion, but he has to store his waist on the premises, which is highly unusual. legal can

a cause arctic vista assume gum empty, for you can see the heaps of crushed marble from here. i can't deny it. he did that . he didn't cover of the legally, he should actually be required to transport it down into the valley, through the, the, sorry to the liberal that it does have on the 2 men are searching for more evidence. this footage, taken a few months ago, clearly shows how the trucks are dumping waste in the middle of nature. but it's clear to sondra manfredi, why no one is penalizing them. mister coming, would it be that it was that the owner of the quarry as a very well known, corrupt politician, wrote, or he could always wriggle out of it, thanks to his connections and continue to work despite these violations, sca doc

one this you can reach out to the, to the exam, since we've been working with cameras, it's hard to cover up violation wellness coordinator. and when you recognize film and report them feeling the authorities have to follow up on that mid seventies in august. or at least it's act like they're doing their job or feel that you fight a lot of water. why in mind more only means even the dodo marble has shaped a local identity here since roman times based dizzy on iq. raw materials is a gift of nature more, you can only be found here. lucky. we should emphasize this out when no one wants to close, the quarry has to be, they still rather they should become environmentally friendly and socially and economically benefit every time we did it because we have never had that conform,

it'll talk. but he antiquity, ah, if i saw joe other, russell van thought, i said we're coming changes will only happen through a cultural revolution. they and b was when i say this can all happen very quickly. if politicians and the population pulled together early, divide yet that in and i did it any one of the quarry owners are unlikely to accept this chain. i should get on. we've gone before. they will not give up our relatively high standard of living, just like that job too. but i know that there is no choice. no, for 600 people can't keep on deciding the future of 150000 others. i mean, it's on one . ah,

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who somalia has been hit hard by community change with a issue, but there is a way out affordable desalination of the water and initiative by somali business men demonstrates how it can be done to co africa in 30 minutes on d. w. o or driven by merciless read, others pushing the destruction judge, not only the invaders came to prison, they shut it down to the next to the thank you from a large scale birth of

a budget land grabbers are exploiting the amazon rain forest. indigenous peoples are now bravely opposing them. a long term report from the heart of brazil starts march 9th on d, w. ah prove with

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this is t w's ally from berlin as war rages in ukraine. there are 1st glimmers of hope. ukraine and russia agreed. peace talks, even as moscow's troops draw closer to kiya, fuel the bows come under attack, but the mayor says the city is still holding out. we'll get the latest from our correspondent in ukraine. germany says the war marks are turning point in history. channel love shots announces a massive upgrade of berlin's military capability and plants.