hello and welcome to focus on europe with me live show a prisoner exchange between russia and wisdom countries drew international attention in august with many people celebrating those relief from captivity. russian artist and activists, sasha ask what's your main goal? was part of that historic swap. she was convicted after criticising, put in and his full scale invasion of ukraine, after spending more than 2 years in jail. she now lives in freedom in germany, while she's still processing that dramatic memories of her and prism, and she's determined to build a new life withheld from those who care for her deeply. a free after more than 2 years in a russian prison come to me, my little one. they can hardly believe their luck. on august 1st, after years of waiting, they can finally hug each other again in germany. artist sasha spoke. he lank up from other not they stuck and partner sonya a reunion made possible because of

a prisoner swap between russia in 5 western countries is when they brought us to the airport. and i 1st saw a clear sky without the prison bars. it was unbelievable to be on at the yet. so everything was based in lights don't flash back to 2023, sasha. sketchy lanka was in shock when the court sentenced here to 7 years in prison for criticizing rushes invasion of ukraine. the support of her friends were no help sketchy length. it was arrested for replacing price tags and a supermarket with stickers that said, stop the war and put it is lying to us for support or shout. it's a disgrace near for to is i wanted to do everything in my power, the open list. i knew it wouldn't be able to stop the war that way, but i did it anyhow. he did not for human kind. but for me, for my conscience stories, i couldn't stay silent to judge. it was an obvious show trial meant to discourage

russian anti war protesters. the sentence was a scare tactic such as partners. sonya was devastated, but she refused to be intimidated the after the trial such as mother not dish dot in paris and sonya and st. petersburg fund for her release. we reported on the 2 women as they did. everyone understood that it was on just gosh, even the worst supporters were saying what i said in years for 5 stickers that go down the zillow. the 1st time i saw her in that cage knew, i was so outraged that i couldn't even breathe for right now. but i'm sure then you've got the vanya many russians who let their country end up in paris, including the day stuff they've been staging demonstrations to draw attention to

the fate of the softer and other political prisoners in russian. sedation, i met with you politicians and activists to make sure her daughter wasn't forgot. today we focused on putting political hostages that they just kept in touch with sonya and st. petersburg, who stayed to support sasha despite the risks the booklets. and how are you doing this? it's hard to be in russia because i never feel completely safe, especially since the new lawn l. g. b t. 2 people took effect that brand, sasha, and muz terrorist and extremist. now in russia, you can be put in prison for love thoughts. and for positivism as well. sonya did what she could. she got hold of the special foods and medication sasha needed that was denied and present the last session. socials rights are not respected. yes, it's

a way of putting her under pressure on my last visit. they wouldn't even let me give her drinking water to come in and you called me and i never turned the light off in such a cell and it's always really loud, which is shown bullying. poor care and even torture are common place and many russian prisons. sonya brought food for sasha 3 times a week. she feared that sasha wouldn't survive percent the thoughts. we were afraid that associate had a heart attack the prison doctor wouldn't get to her until it was too late. an acquaintance shot this footage surreptitiously. it was a huge risk given the military censorship now enforced in russia. sonya took the risk to share such a story with the world the this here is rice porridge. it cooked quickly the but sonya wasn't allowed to see

sasha that day. assertion of us, we're definitely not counting on an early release, which is quite cute. unless the government is toppled the unexpected happens. so she was allowed to leave russia. the dish dot and sonia came to copeland germany to meet her. the, the tools come every minute felt like a year. i was so desperate and, and felt like my head would explode. or yes, because i what i told myself no matter what happened, since i had to survive. lose it. go to lanka was traded for russian hitman and spies for mother. and sonya is persistence insured. her name was included on the list of 15 political prisoners. this is not helping me without sonya, i wouldn't have survived the prison if it's what happens, it's

a miracle now she chooses to. so miracles are possible. who sasha is still struggling to regain her health. she's suffering post traumatic stress disorder nature and are to help her deal with the trauma. now she intends to draw lots of pictures of her oppressive experiences in her home country as a free woman with this question, this was my 1st drawing. it shows a prisoner exchange forces. now i have to re learn to live in freedom. i may have been set free, but the realization that i'm actually a free person hasn't sunk in yet. do you mind if this one for your couch is just or lived in mine, use them? i'm so happy they're letting us stay in germany, and we don't have to go back to russia. now we're in a free country and it's so incredible that we can go outside see, and i can to saucer without fear. it makes us so happy to go and show it to you. can you were planning to marry soon. virginia. sasha insist that in spite of all

the hardships she has no regrets, she'd do it all over again. the. the weather at the pool or at the beach seeing women in bikinis in bathing suits is nothing unusual. but now the fashion industry is catching up with the needs of its diverse customers and is catering to muslim women who want to cover up their bodies in montenegro, where about a 5th of the population is muslim. there's not even a separate a beach that allows women to enjoy some hours in the sun without having to worry about unwanted gazes. however, not everyone is happy about that. a beach and southern montenegro are universal on the is ethnic as a new. a minority group in montenegro. she's muslim and has come here today to test a very special place, a beach area reserved for women wearing his job or head scarf as i dropped the girl

. i never before i could experience the fox effect of getting to sun coast and find the lake and do it. it's also good for my house, for my skin, and i think i will get away from today. we're not allowed to accompany her. the fenced off areas, protected from the prying eyes of the outside world. muslim women sunday of here without fails just indicates the special beach for his job, where it is located on one of the longest, sandy beaches on the tragic coast. the long beach stretches 13 kilometers from the montenegrin town of olsen to a bay area and leaves nothing to be desired. there's a beach for dogs, one for kite surface, a new just beach, a woman only beach, and now an area for the job. the women. make up so we can relax and then dress and peace here to as email. there are also women wearing the full a sale,

leaving the address here to go alone knows best and i've already received it. i think it's positive, it's good that they'll, the women can have a space for themselves where they feel free and then observe. they're not disturbing anyone and no one districts that are the need for an estimate that muslim tourist from oliver montenegro and some neighboring countries are now coming to the new who job beach entry costs. 8 euros, and the private operator prioritizes comfort and privacy. our unit has finished sunbathing and needs to cool off. she has to get dressed again to swim. and don super keeney like many others here. the new beach behind the fence is very popular. are you not tells us that you can hardly find the free sun that of the really relaxing to they can enjoy the benefits of son and they feel secure that that is the most important

thing. i guess boots and there's a liberal town with a population of about 11500 inhabitants. the majority or ethnic albanians and almost 72 percent are muslim. nonetheless, a headscarf is still a divisive topic here. are doing a can't avoid it either, especially at work. she's a presenter on a news program. her 1st appearance in a head scarf was memorable to say the least. i was talking about the really important the printer topic a about crime here in montenegro and the all the comments were about to mind your job. you know the topic, use the search we were talking about just what kind of the you are. you are like a m, on the your rep in the make up on let's doesn't fix it with your you don't be on like to visit the list if it goes to reports from kinda hard,

almost all the coma and there are lots of them as, as you can see where that's kind of cool. yeah. the recently there have also been incidents of harassment. the other ones i dropped the girl who runs, i always had a family as a tourist and it was, i chose this eviction energy harden it all thing. and he was so new all that when he saw the revised harvey on, he said you have a lot of interest to go somewhere else. you are not welcome here for, are you not one more argument in favor of the new beach exclusively for his job, the women, but not everyone's a fan. crim miss committee owns a hotel, a few kilometers away. he lived in fryeburg, germany for many years. he's a muslim on paper, but not a practicing one. and he opposes the new beach for covered women. they couldn't bother me. yeah, that will make it swim on any normal beat odds and nobody bothers them. oh, here, but it was even here in our hotel. they're allowed to swim in the pool on the

option and the self installation scares us a bit times. the for me is most the we don't like stream is them. when does this, and that's a bad development for us on the head for many of my friends and tourism most of doing harvey. i misplaced the big them. but so far, unlike in germany, there haven't been any extremist incidents or do you hottest attacks and montenegro we meet our yona again in the city center. she's proud that there's now a beach in her home country of montenegro for women like her door from now on. she wants to visit it more often equipped with a new bathing suit. that's a specific way. so are you into trace on a bricini style that has just come in? the shop assistant seems satisfied. i highly love them. and the parts here, it fits really well with the leukemia, as she doesn't understand why people associated her religion with extremism. ha.

nissan doesn't support the ward and the grind crime. yes. and she says this is one we gave all the rise to a woman to work, to travel or to get dressed. the units made her decision, and as soon as she has time she'll be wearing her. newbert keeney on the long, sandy beach and lights next to her friends and bikinis. until now people of different religions have lived in faith, tear peacefully alongside one another. this may not be the case in other regions, but it's still possible here in montenegro. it's a societal problem that millions of elderly people in germany are facing and still quite a taboo. poverty in old age. those affected by it are often a shame to talk about how they can afford 3 full meals a day,

how they can buy birthday presents for their grandchildren. we met 3 seniors who openly told us their personal stories and well the history of how they got into poverty differs. they all share the same desperate struggle of having to make ends meet the brim, unix. inga who doesn't want to give a full name, is on the way to freelance organized by the association of the split meaning ray of hope. the 67 year old only receives a small pension and the spindle. germany's puppet t loan is most center. i am very careful what i buy when i'm food shopping is to hand. i generally eat very little. you forget how to eat when you no longer have the money i just as you've been mistaken to that one in 5 german pension is on a similar position. they had risk of poverty in old age. in germany, it is referred to as a relative poverty. in other words, they have less than 60 percent of the efforts german income

enough to enjoy your food. it does meet many new people. she'd be happy today to make a new friend. but she is the soul skeptical. my ego danica no need never. oh, but then what's that? oh, potatoes and beans, potato salad, and fried potatoes. who are going to go? i'm not feeling too, isn't it? enough and thoughts, she would need help from a charitable organization set up for poor pensioners. she worked as a nursery school teacher all her life, but a road accident and changed everything. she got seriously injured through no fault of her own. afterwards she was unable to walk and eventually fell into poverty. it's been you and me should i? i didn't fall into it because i didn't work hard enough. i need to die, fell into it because of a situation that wasn't my fault, man,

guns. and that's what changed my entire life working, surviving findings, and could, i don't do anything else, can it? can i get mix under? what to the 800 euro pension is just enough to cover her rent and regular bills to buy food. she works as a private child care for families. she badly makes ends meet them. why are you still living this damn life? no, i don't. and then i tell myself the children need you this the children need you. that's what keeps me going. otherwise, i think my life would already be over my name, and i want to say this quite openly to the camera. there's no more pleasure in life if you can't take part in it and i'm leaving this time even come to the also has to make do with very little after deducting fixed costs, the pensioner is left with around $300.00 euro is a month to take his mind off his financial worries,

the 72 year old likes to psycho through a night. the more i meditated deluxe and the more because i have peace and quiet here. so i me to tell them when i meditate, i mentally put my financial worries into little bubbles, get them to the window, encourage these little bubbles away with it. so i can place and we take all the lives in a small one bedroom, flat named munich. his bed is in the living room that's only can afford, but things used to be quite different. only it was a pioneer of digital video transmission and had his own company on the inside and the good times i brought home up to 10000 german bucks a month. i lived in houses that had 180 square meters of living space. this one was a comfortable life and he saw him. but soon, companies abroad stats are producing the pods cheaper and smaller. the globalized market made him go bankrupt,

he lost everything. insurance justified it was my mistake as far as mine. i didn't put much to the side if you can just so i thought i just thought we're going to enjoy our lives now. and so not really even walk you through. and even if you're self employed in germany, you don't have to pay into the public pension fund for time and schemes of voluntary and private. that's why many people end up like only they pay to, to, to, or nothing at all into the pension fund and end up in old age poverty. but he has developed a method to make ends meet with the list. so he's called an envelope for every week . the money inside will have to do thought is does he me to? so beyond i because i organize myself so systematically, mice, i know my limits are if this to somebody can say now for example, there's only 20 years left because i have to buy cleaning products this week. put somebody who in diesel's case neither self employment,

no one accepted for the reason for her money problems. today she lives in poverty because she cared for her father for 11 years that i must says that he was always there for his family. she did everything. and does it so you don't forget that ferguson. that's why i considered it a given one to be there for my parents to go make slips flushed, and i never gave it a 2nd thought on monday. then that's designed, obviously i need to go commercial if they need to not get the it's not just gisela whose stuff is the consequences of our own selflessness in old age in germany. one in 5 people who calf or relative is at risk of pulling into poverty. so fema cara's, it's even one in full. they use that time for caring, produce the working hours unless and deaf of receive a smaller pension that we need. oh, but the small pension you get is not enough to live on later in life when this

thing, which ultimately leads to old age poverty, 4 chairs carpet but caring for relative saves the health insurance the state and everyone involved a lot of money. it's just so wrong to the not compensate these people in the financially fit today. the 75 year old lives in a counsel fled in born in west germany. together with the 2 cuts, most loyal companions. she has $600.00 euros to live on after rent and bills. when diesel goes grocery shopping money problems become apparent. she doesn't go to the supermarket much because the groceries are often sold and the quantities which she can't afford. at the farm shop though she can buy smaller amounts. oh that's it for you. yep. a shabby i bought some apples to i knew a small cucumber from which is enough for me for 2 days. and the carrots. you can

make salad and soup out of that bible in every, every day it helps such overcome the fear of what might happen. should she one day not be able to get up and walk anymore. but sometimes she loses her courage. this is good. i don't want to go in anymore. i'm different and i want to tell everyone out there as truman. oh, we don't have a good either. please open your eyes or is this i'm the reason i'm speaking so openly is because i can't do it anymore. and i'm not the only 150, i'm millions of pensioners feel the same way. so only also hopes to change his loan to make do with little. but instead he would prefer politicians to distribute germany spells most valley for the politic. what i hope for from

politics is justice, even 100 justice. i want to hear more people. you've worked hard, you've created the foundations for his boss. now you can rest. it's always all i don't see docs on the countries. the gap between rich and per is actually getting wider and wider and wider the or sometimes it only takes one person with a great plan and lots of perseverance to save a hole in the stream. when adam cox from the u. k noticed that more and more british piano manufacturers are forced to give up their businesses because of cheaper competition from abroad. he decided to take matters into his own hands. he runs a company that is said to be the last piano manufacturer in the u. k. located in north yorkshire, england adam and his team won to preserve a british tradition that's been around for more than 2 centuries. this is the last

step to creating the perfect piano. the deafening stress test confirms that adam cox's piano makers have done their work properly over the past 3 to 5 months. no 2 pieces of which are the same. and that's why each one needs to be made individually. it's not the difference between a piece of furniture from the key or i t, as we say in the case where everything is blocked, made by robots. and then something made by a cross person out of real woods by 2012. ford and companies have bought up all but one of the british workshops and move production overseas, mainly to asia. adam cox seized an opportunity in britain's last piano workshop. the pianos are hand built just like they were 200 years ago. british craftmanship at cox is determined to preserve these skills,

a possible culture. and what is coach it? coach is probably the most important thing we have really and our actions and language and make us who we are. speech sound board is painstakingly sounded each string expertly to each camera, carefully glued large scale producers use machines to assemble the instruments in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the price. but more and more british customers are tiring of mass produce goods. cox order books are full and there is no shortage of new recruits the power of the modern world and that so i think it's quite nice price from bright from all of that. yeah, it feels like a nice, nice route to go down before retiring. cox wants to pass on as much knowledge as you can to the next generation and ensure that traditional british panel building lives on perhaps even in more than

a single workshop. well, that's it for today's show. i hope you enjoyed it. remember to stop by our website and to follow us on social media for more in depth stories from across europe. for me and the rest of the team. thank you so much for watching. my name is live, show by and see you next time the of the camels instead of cows central kenya. many farmers have switched over and disasters

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