is in the city of butcher and called for those behind the killings to be brought to justice with him, his update at this hour. but our doc film on the war in your credit is coming up next. you can see june for that or you can find more news and analysis on our website, t w dot com. i'm clear, richardson and berlin for me in the entire team. thank you so much for watching. ah, imagine how many portion of loans are thrown out in the world? climate change given comp, the story. this is my plan, the way from just one week. how my wife can really get we still have time to go. i'm going with what 5th? lou. lou

spring 2021 we're than 100000 russian troops had amassed along the ukrainian border in what was then the biggest military deployment since hostilities between the 2 countries began ah, in eastern crane's gun, bass region,

ukrainian armed forces were fighting russia backed separatists. good seized control, using russian weapons from 2014 to 2021. fighting claim, the lives of over $14000.00 people there. infrastructure and livelihoods were destroyed. ah, for a bloody conflict. further escalated by the russians. in april 2021, ukraine's president followed him usa lensky, looked to the west for support. germany and france sought to mediate eastern european countries, were alarmed. the

e. u was divided. some favored diplomacy. others argued, russian president vladimir putin had little interest in talking with escape of the royal peace at the european or e e level. there is still really no well thought out strategy on how to deal with russia human mit osland allgate. you and the gun union, some fear that puddings go on ukraine was to reassert russian power by undermining western unity. we go let you me a critique or vladimir putin to it's all to your politics and steal economics is you, he has no respect for anyone to his people. exxon ukraine. once part of the soviet union was vulnerable to proteins, re venture st ambitions. you miss and i'm a question as president put, we must assume that president hutton won't keep his word and me won't play by the rules and will be arlington. i saw a military force give i dances. it's not

a boom. genie to remember that putin once said which m. f a fight is inevitable. the rock you must do strike 1st, eat not the pew at something to keep in mind lou. back then it was clear that rushes actions could have global implications. rushes behavior towards ukraine had already triggered a new cold war, and europe seemed powerless to stop it. in this film, we talked to international experts, people on the street and ukraine's president in a country on the brink of war. to build it. yet it was i st. georgia board, the you my think it will, it could possibly be it to world war 3 to and then europe, our neighbors in the countries of the european union. they will all suffer as a result. direct one that he was that the 30 years after declaring

independence from the soviet union, ukraine was trapped in a conflict with pigeons, russia, he wanted the war to end, and accused moscow of fomenting on rest in ukrainian sovereign territory. they are actually leading the fighting in ukraine, but nonetheless, it's hard to get to a point where you are talking about constructive actions to end the conflict if russia is, in fact, denying that it's doing european heavyweights, germany and france, stood by ukraine to a point, lou the, i'm going to shift my number, people want to do business with russia. that group is very strong, politically in germany, the dodge and the german committee on eastern european economic relations is extremely active. it's not as,

as fight to the se in to is skipped. invite anti and in addition, large parts of the german population feel a great resonance with gun and closeness to russia wouldn't more so than to the usa . nea tools, flint once fuck stark eyes to did was on that him you put in, wanted to reassert brushes, status as a global superpower, and appeared, determined to expand russia's sphere of influence. e fled, say russia swallows ukraine. it makes it that different russia. and this is, this is the russian calculus. it needs to control covertly, overtly ukraine in order to expose and project also european implant. then, in the spring of 2021 russian military maneuvers on the border with ukraine breezed concerns. was putin planning in attack

park eve in the east of ukraine, lies just 40 kilometers from the russian border. people here feared their city would be in the line of fire, glass shelves. so that was when i heard it yesterday. i felt pretty scared. is maria, apparently they've installed missiles that can travel 270 kilometers. and from belgrade to har, keith is what? 45, yes. and if we get hit, then that's it. that's the end. so the can, yes, no stress, it's very scary that this could reach us any more that we could be forced to leave it, move away and all that. because nobody knows what will happen acts, especially as rosa following independence.

some ukrainians have leaned towards western europe. others towards russia, a division that could still be seen and far keith, when we filmed there, sometimes with russia, including family ties, remained strong at the time. is it got most of how can russia be our enemy when they are people that he's our own people? we have the same mentality, we have the same roots, we have today, history. you, you do still used you. but as long as there is equal to in mind, there will be no war or hostility. everything will be fine as long as police meet russia. and that's not just my opinion, but the opinion of my friends to put in plain russian military action along the border, was a response to provocations by nato. he issued a warning to oregon is that they will be,

but i guess it was a shoe pityingly when curious them leslie because i personally was relieved as a d. and the book got double nosey yet you usually non i do. when you come or anybody you are the gold very dear with machine your i see it that was a way and we'll cross new jer to arcadia, and i will just, bridget, yet them with him. up but he let kirsten concrete and plushie, samuel ukraine's president volota musa lensky addressed, put indirectly with an offer to discuss the conflict by give a portion, yoga to fight, ye shall, dash emptied, luggage lamps, theatre voice, which king graves called dunbar. goodwin, slow grain putting declined zalinski z invitation. he said zalinski should discuss the conflict with the separatists in eastern ukraine. not moscow,

or denial of russia's involvement in the war. now put in was openly demonstrating russia's military might write on ukraine's porter. my porch was a sheet. we're close to, we're neighbors in a. she stood it. this is angie or graphy, our history and life. so i can probably tell why this is happening. scott bad is the 1st of all. it was to test the strength of the new administration of the president of the united states and to see his reaction on that again. e o, but the, your at, ah, in mid april u. s. president joe biden reached out to his russian counterpart and invited him to a summit. biden wanted to talk face to face, to dial down the bellicose rhetoric. pigeons, military demonstration had gotten by his attention.

i think vladimir couldn't, does deserve credit for being one of the most strategic minded and patient ah, leaders in europe right now. he knows what he wants to do. he's patient about it. he does it. and he exploits weaknesses, exploits division, exploits opportunities as their eyes cochin announced the end of military maneuvers and the withdrawal of troops. the immediate danger had been averted, but ukrainian forces remained on alert. observers reported russian military hardware stayed in place in cave. tensions ran. hi. who, who are sia is asha, is an aggressor and it must be cited everywhere from every microphone. every one

should know that he is not the bigger study. where there's this feeling like the world is ruled by teenagers is the whole whose bodies are surging with hormones. 01, you'll notice on you, it's such a nightmare. the gauges go. florida. volota musa lensky was no ordinary president. prior to his election, he spent years sling the ukrainian president on t v. in the late 19 ninety's, the russian speaking zalinski studied law in his home city of creevy and central ukraine. genevieve starting advocates on him that he is booty does. he said, i didn't dream of becoming a lawyer or a serious prosecutor off what? you know, i didn't want all that and i wanted to be a student. so back then, we set up a small theater. he knew more of a comedy theater, a small comedy theater, coleman, g. seattle, and the key common genie, adaptive zelinski left law behind when he graduated from

college and made comedy his profession. by 2014, he was working on a new tv series servant of the people in the satirical comedy zalinski play the history teacher who's unexpectedly elected president. after promising to tackle corruption from just with the series made its debut in 2015 and was a huge hit something with oh was it is a good that was it. so now i'm gonna look good. i got a question. he shows it shows 20 eastern priscilla fission that we're seeing a lot of young men there. but again, you know, to michelle, ukrainians laughed in recognition as the show lampooned, the country's corrupt politics, where oligarchs walking law and money talks about them with right, it's more,

the website is younger all, nothing. but rama is the big m statutory asking them you. why you michel some on my hands on it up on a mouse. good luck. i talked a series debuted at just the right time, a year before ukraine's then president victor yanna coach, had been forced from office and the full extent of his wealth and embezzlement, exposed. while i'm assisting, chase vill symbol is that all day? jessica? yet? oh gosh, a deal. they said it was, they stopped that the estate yonder covert jet, built for himself, became a tv set, the official residents. oh sir lensky is fictional president who goes to you put up a muscle watson? yes. just a big wooden house and it's weird and bizarre, but it's not surprising in terms of a how luggage it is and how expensive it is. because, well,

i think everybody pretty much knew what's i mean, how, how much money is being stolen and how, how it is use. the real life story that led to yanna coach's departure is dramatic . it marked as see changing ukraine's identity as well as in its relationship with putins, russia, from one of relative harmony to hostility. in november 2013 president gentle cove. ich refused to sign a trade agreement with the e. you hm. yeah, you more reasonable e. it's critical skill though i told him directly, and openly way aerobic victor federal which you are making a big mistake. we shall order gray uni. oh no, he replied that the ukrainian government, even after analyzing the pros and cons of such a course, we had come to the conclusion that it was premature for us. great premature for

ukraine. just to take an active step towards europe. riley goof, le euro and that we should remain in the orbit of the soviet. there's the not soviet but russian system are done for ye. yeah, he does get overseas. in keith through western ukrainians poured on to the streets and protest. lee demanded jenna coverage. either sign the agreement with the you or leave office you will cut, you know, if we look at the people who went to these protests and ukraine in 2014 these and put these people were no longer divided between east and west. by though the majority of them came, of course, from the very nationally oriented west,

not truly, let's not say the majority and he had a large proportion. mia, i'd close on time. instead, young coverage turned to moscow for aid. tensions were high demonstrations continued in february 2014 ukrainian security forces attacked protesters gathered on the my done or independence square in central cave. oh, in total, more than $100.00 people were killed. ukraine's parliament voted to impeach the president general coverage for the country. his destination, russia dead yet in vladimir

putin had not anticipated the scenario at all. he did to p was convinced that he could keep young coverage and power engine kavitsky and regularly told general coverage that he needed to crack down harder. a confederate had commit reef optimal . ah, but not all ukrainian supported the protest. mm. exploiting pro russian sentiment in the east. in march 2014 poaching illegally annexed crimea, while maintaining it was a secession. the annexation of the strategic lexia peninsula quickly followed sundays, hastily called referendum, in which its residence overwhelmingly backed breaking from ukraine. and joining russia was led to and crimea was annexed. we've, we're so happy. we thought we could be annexed to me. my friends, everyone,

we kept thinking that russia was going to take us back to get a good many in ukraine, feared exactly that. that coaching would go even further. who knew what they could do. the same thing that they did with crimea will objectively they have enough resources for that, that the western alliance, meanwhile, was stymied enough. newsome play those in c h. s shoe. and there we found ourselves in a completely new situation. schiff delita, who, where the russian head of state had basically made choices for the great country of ukraine. and try to keep its precedent in place. got any price, can you kind e at the county and then immediately proceed with not only to annex crimea,

but to absorb the whole province of crimea. will city as well as the city of sylvester poetry. me, which has a special status. ah laptops you and to make them both subjects of the russian federation seed to levy does the best of both guests that she speaks yet. a doll fair do sushi de la c dash o in response to crimea, annexation, members of the g 7, imposed harsh sanctions against putting and russia manhattan guns under ignition them. it is ation that us to this lily. the russians hadn't expected the west to react, so united lee and decisively for clayton in russia that leading representatives often asked me why you of old people, that you should understand that we feel humiliated images, not them. you yourselves were humiliated after world war one lies. but that's not a good historical comparison. gotta the comparison is precisely

a country with such a difficult history as germany must stand up resolutely for the law to be upheld mas. that's why the message that had to be sent was a red line has been reached. i know here in india. oh, in april 2014 tensions rose again, fighting broke out between russian back separatists and government forces in the industrial and largely russian speaking don best region in eastern ukraine. poaching was accused of fueling the unrest, or mr. chevy given volney civil but of asia. the more sure to say that i was very surprised would be an exaggeration humor. so $34.00 gyla a 5th, which is because i knew one thing from talking to yeltsin or she's listening to

potent yes. no. and speaking with many russian official, me was single. oh, really, they kept saying, florrie will be repeating to me. the cooper of ukraine has been, will, is, and will be part of russia's strategic interests. says family set up a huge sneak in that as soon as he observes, much of this means that russia would never agree to ukraine, taking a western position where you love the law for choosing to follow a civilized western democratic course says law jackie law demo creditor all part of the conflict escalated quickly within the 1st few months, hundreds of ukrainian service men and volunteers were killed. there's evidence,

rush and weaponry, had been supplied to the separatists and some russian soldiers were fighting alongside the rebels. lou august 29th. so close to 400 fatalities the highest number on any single day up to that point. this man's 26 year old brother, demeter oak, was among those killed to sit for me. he was everything sweet. why we were a family of to me and him with you and now i'm alone here. i miss him. it was a my heart bleeds because he's gone. he's gone was, were you will,

he's gone or you know, all the way an exodus. as people said, don bass menilli, think me of, i am very angry yard or it pains me a lot. i come from there and like my city has half destroyed also my kids got really one there. it is in ruin. if the school i went to for 9 years is half destroyed. yes, glen the whole block where i grew up, i mean like houses shot through, destroyed a them all. and this is my gift card. where there wasn't that much fighting it the like you've got a gift, bill began delay with dc. the impact of the conflict was felt far beyond ukraine's borders. in july 2014 passenger fight m h 17. on route from amsterdam to kuala lumpur was shot down over separatist held

don bus lou, all 298 people on board died. evidence emerged that the plane was hit by a book surface to air missile belonging to a russian anti aircraft missile brigade. suddenly the conflict was making international headlines. russia was waging a covert war on european soil and killing you citizens. ah, in 2 months earlier before the war escalated oligarch and former government minister, petro porsche jenko had been elected president of ukraine on a pro european anti corruption ticket. he pledged to return crimea to ukraine and, and the war and don bass

o france and germany initiated talks between ukraine and russia. in february 2015 and by the rose, the party signed the minster to agreement in san to re establish ukraine's control over its border with russia. but only after elections had been held in the disputed territories. it also required a change to the ukrainian constitution that would grant special status to occupy don boss. the agreement didn't name rush as a pot. sponsorship president, along in his memoirs, french president, francois alone described how potent raised his voice in the negotiations and threatened the ukrainian president order saying he would destroy the ukrainian forces classes. oscar. and that's the best evidence that russia was very active there. and these protocols, as they also called, were assigned literally under the gunshot, because a russians are ill. they,

verbally threatened, ah, military operation and divide civil are which they actually then executed in public, but have that put it in retrospect, politically speaking, things should have looked a lot different with in russia should have been portrayed as the warring party and ukraine should have been allowed to make demands, among other things under her smith. when confronting fujen, poor, ashamed go, looked weak, and dis peace efforts failed. minsk too was never fully implemented, polishing cause reforms were also called into question or assessment. that is, that he a did the things that he had to do, that for the results of joint pressure from the civil society and from the international community. i don't think it was ever serious about um, really making a change in the system and, and annexing the there's

a corruption infrastructure. so that becomes a threat to him, and he's always, that's, that's a thing as 20 to true to a close ukraine's next presidential race began petro poor, a franco saud reelection. what his main challenger was, a political outsider, followed him year. so lensky could become famous for playing the president on t. v. on the 21st of april, 2019 zalinski was elected with an outbreak majority. he won over 73 percent of the vote, compared to parish ankles. 24 percent. he lensky. that only 10 anthony chic zalinski was never

a politician. and he still not won a security press, but it worked because he was strongly supported by several very powerful oligarchy in the media. your finances are, they financed his campaign, cafe, and devoted media attention to the landscape. anti parish ankle candidacy. does it in ski? ah, in a seeming paradox, zalinski was elected you largely thanks to the oligarchs backing. yet his ordinary man, anti corruption persona one over the voters. i voted for zalinski . here we no longer wanted porous jenko. we didn't want what he had. yeah. as though i was expecting to see in zalinski a liberal even if he lacked conviction. you're a man for whom people's rights and freedoms mean something for those that have 0,

violet that are awesome. ah, ne, moscow appeared ill prepared for this which in the soviet scheduler. oh, $10.00 as a soviet man after all. so as the rest of the russian leadership age and for these people are free and open elections are in general, more than a little suspect. bish wooded. you've gone when? who in his inaugural address president zalinski said his 1st priority was to bring peace to don bass and and the war with russia. he travelled 1st to brussels, now playing the statesman in real life with their

strategic course of ukraine to achieve full fledged membership in the e. u and nita regis, secure in deck. as did use in over you, you green remains unchanged. who nato was faced with the dilemma? if it granted ukraine membership, the alliance could find itself at war with russia. why do you mean business to our engagement with that alliance? they on going, aren't russian aggression remains a major challenge for your underlining securing mm to p it, discuss to see this dual credit. now imagine ukraine becoming

a nato member, get the most, which is what they're striving for. so not the plea. that would mean nato is suddenly on rushes at southwest border. if the work done them food, she seen this way. dose of what happened with crimea is a defensive reaction from russia. let me know. and a kind of warning gog we're look, we russia will not tolerate ukraine becoming a member of nato. dana sola jim nodded back from brussels. zalinski reached out to vladimir putin on facebook to get her children have been interesting because he doesn't like, you know, put neither peggotty. nada, right? absolutely. chicken. a with awe in late july a ceasefire was agreed to along with an exchange of prisoners zalinski,

his presidency. got off to a promising start. ah ah ah, we have to begin all the steps publicly. all the steps in means brought us in there monday. i hope that i have, i just forgot to say about it. all a journalist we're we're, i all will have the near is meeting in norman be for martin and will speak about it and will speak all the steps during the not the future i during the near future, we have to do all the stuff to finish this horrible war but zalinski soon saw that russia was holding fast to don bass.

well, we have little information about what is going on in the occupied parts of the boss, but what we know is that there is quite substantial brain washing that is going on . there are a myriad of images, was the posters referring to the 2nd world war, showing their low cold kind of leaders was children and saying how they are defending this territory from, you know, vicious ukrainian regime. russia was also handing out lots of passports in don bass. ready ready zation on practica, she's pay for the rats here. are it's a common practice of the russian federation to force people in occupied territories to take russian transport or, or to change the ethnic composition of the population missional for and the to

colonized such enclaves with new russians. i'd say additional clot muscling of colon use of our residents of the occupied lu hunt's can donetta regions. young were often simply forced to obtain russian pos pool. and so for on i just think that washington, the net shemekia chest a believe without them they wouldn't be able to leave normal lives in the territories all when they and them all in all my receive state services or confirm their identity. and so i think that is an awful here or even to think which is sir it in the future swears over it like that. the signals coming from germany and france were hard to read after 2015 and the failure to implement the minsk agreements. the warn ukraine seemed to have largely been forgotten. in 2019 berlin in paris, successfully lobbied for russia to be reinstated in the council of europe. it had

been expelled in 2014. following the annexation of crimea. ukraine's representatives were furious. you my dear friends who will vote for this will make your blaze will find your place in the history because you will give us the ability to rush it to go further. that was worrying judge no, no sanctions in council of europe. there was, there were in georgia, no sanctions oregon. so of europe finally aggression against your brain sanctions 5 years. and, oh, sorry, we are coming back. then in august french, president manuel micron unexpectedly announced his own russia reset policy lid. i've de la hossa is dicky france has long dreamed of being the power that maintains the balance in europe between east and west on the hook

uplifted whist. so let's just say in addition to other economic and politically important decisions being made by the new french president in the context of french politics, e for my call. so hutton was an important pond on the chessboard. cafe lou will play, you know, my cool paulia. pretend it did dump you a bottle sulu alicia ah, but eastern european nations expressed concern your card at such thought look at it to some ways thrash you and booth shook sadly at school. it is formerly, it seems to me that the fears of the former soviet republics, especially the baltic states, are quite understandable with them because the memory of how they were incorporated

into the u. s. s. r is still very much alive, annually slow because the theory a growing it doubles up. of course. the events and eastern ukraine stoked these fears. yeah, usually it's a striking show causality soon as orderly. me got those, the likely annexation of crimea, the actions and don bass and so on. certainly fed the spheres side and so that they became stronger. it is that i hear him, but bitterly thine is the 19 is sitting in blue, france, and germany will question marks. but in the past, ukraine had always been able to look to the united states for support. been september 2019. kristen in soleski major's 1st official trip to the us to give his inaugural speech at the united nations in new york. you very much. i left was a just almost read you them res. vomiting zivare more visit near my year to enjoy

the me. new storm. last name moser. but why does it have miss betsy glee, baby, nor amiably. he not you wrong, but his visit was overshadowed by the scandal engulfing venue as president donald trump, in which he played a big part. it hinged on a phone call between the 2 men, 2 months before in july 2019 or in the called trump asked ukraine to investigate his democratic rival, joe biden, and his son hunter. if ukraine refused us 8 would be withheld. i wanna know what 12 well, so when president donald trump froze $400000000.00 in u. s. military aid to ukraine to allegedly pressure the country's leader for personal political favor, ukrainians got nervous. dia, i'm the fun from fha one,

and the call from trump was outrageous. it outrageous was, is via a nationwide and has tisha, and it wasn't just a nasty call. none behind it was a real and extremely dangerous threat to ukraine, both to feel namely, if i remember correctly, that $400000000.00 wouldn't be released from military equipment which ukraine desperately needed. and billy taylor shawls was, don't, did you okay in little english pot? oh, for after that phone call in july, zalinski was pressured by members of trump's inner circle to make a public statement that ukraine would investigate the biden's. in september, the press began reporting on trump's demand for an investigation in exchange for aid. under mounting pressure, trump released a rough transcript of his call with zalinski by then,

democrats in congress, had launched a formal impeachment, inquiry blue trunks, impeachment impacted ukraine's relationship with the united states. mm. mm. so what happened is a u. s. domestic politics exploded, or the effort to impeach president trump and ukraine, it stopped being a national security concern and a foreign policy concern. and instead became a prop. i was, it was a device for going after the president are going after the democrats. ringback ringback ringback ringback ringback ringback ringback ringback ringback ringback it took a crisis on the ukrainian border puddings military maneuvers in the spring of 2021 to push ukraine towards the top of new president, jo biden's, political agenda. it also forced the u.

s. and europe to rethink their own relationship with russia. should they be staunch allies for ukraine, or should they keep their distance? what about zalinski? what role would he play in the months to come? reasonable when vision of used to be, i'm worried. we're not sure why don't you? the troop members and equipment near i borders keep increasing. ah, there's real concern, we'll keep it to last or since the beginning of 2014. since the start of the war in dunbar. actually, since russia's annexation of crimea chow, there's been understandable concern. mueller. you will not it fetch and it's did. an escalation could occur at any time, would be a key moment. doing

business with russia for many international companies. that's no longer an option since the war began. they support the sanctions against routine except losses in the billions. but some of boycotting the boycott, supply made in germany. in 30 minutes on d. w. ah.

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if we know we won't live forever. an illusion. about time presenting futures past starts april 14th on d. w. ah . this is dw news, and these are our top stories ukrainian president, while the demure lensky has called, or urgent action from the un over alleged russian war crimes. he addressed the un security council after evidence emerged of what appeared to be a deliberate, massive feeling of civilians in the city of butcher outside the ukrainian capital. when the zalinski urged the security council to seek full accountability for.