>> this is "focus on europe." thanks for your company today. russia's invasion of ukraine has left a trail of devastation. once-vibrant cities have been reduced to rubble, their landscapes no longer recognizable. one place that has been especially hard-hit is kharkiv in the east. parts of ukraine's second-most populous city have been razed to the ground by russian troops. those left behind have bn struggling to survive in the bombed-out ruins. nearly four million people have

fled the war in ukraine. but not everyone can or wants to leave. people living in the war zone are in urgent need of food and medicine. aid convoys travel daily towards the ukrainian border many of them come from germany. the volunteers have been pooling their resources to help those suffering. we accompanied an aid convoy on a round trip from frankfurt an der oder to the polish border town of przemysl. this is a 1600-kilometer journey mixed with hope and fear. >> four vans full of donated medical devices are on their way to the ukrainian border. on the way back, these helpers plan to bring as many refugees with them as possible. wilma peters is at the wheel. she's from munich and normally plworks as a tour manager fors wmusicians and bands.. but since the war broke out, she's made it her mission to provide humanitarian aid. wilma: when i see all the children,t

definitely hits me. but i'm not like, "oh this poor kid needs my sympathy." i'm thinking, "let's get this kid out of here." >> the drivers are all volunteers from across germany. some knew each other before, while others joined up to form the convoy. they cad watch what's happening in ukraine. florian: you have to do something to help. i'm not the kind of guy to just walk on by when someone's dropped their bag. i can't help but step in and pick it back up. and that's the kind of reflex i'm having here, too. >> but they're not on some tour. they're heading toward a war zone in ukraine. felix: i'm not afraid. i certainly have a degree of respect for the situation, but my motivation to helis far greater than any fear something might happen. if a shell were to hit right

next to us, we'd have to make a quick getaway. >> for their first stop, they're visiting knut borowski. the berliner is renting a room in a hotel in southern poland. from here, he crosses the ukrainian border with private aid transports once a day. his usual cargo consists of medicine, medical supplies and devices. he urgently needs all the donations from wilma peters' convoy. knut: this will go to a children's hospital in lviv that's treating many children from the conflict areas. they absolutely need these supplies. >> knut borowski and his crew immediately set off for ukraine. the helpers' convoy is continuing onward to a refugee camp for new arrivals in przemysl. this city on the ukrainian border is accommodating refugees in a former shopping center.

we aren't allowed to film there, but many people are outside, too , getting groceries and supplies. they all have to register to journey onward. the same goes for drivers coming here to pick up refugees. they must provide their personal data to help prevent human trafficking. wilma: hey armin, what's going on? >> five ukrainians have already signed up to ride with her. and that's just the start. wilma: armin has another five ). he's taking them to the lake today, then tomorrow to hanover and cologne. felix: we've got ten. wilma: hello! >> these refugees, like most, are women and children. they're from near kharkiv, in eastern ukraine, one of the hardest-hit regions. after over two days of traveling by bus and train, they want to reach germany. they're at their wit's end.

>> slowly and tired, but all is ok. our town was bombed in the center. our house is ok, but it's so scary. alina: they say that kharkiv, the city kharkiv, is destroyed, totally. a lot of civil people die in their homes in the basements. >> they're torn between the despair of war and the relief of having made it to safety. and they're still worried about the men left behind fighting for ukraine. alina: the husbands and all in ukraine. my husband too in ukraine. mom's husband too in ukraine. and we decided to go and be safe. i don't know. felix:

good, they're taken care of for now. >> accommodation in germany was organized by florian erlbeck. florian: here, it's decided who goes where. meaning their fate's decided here. and that's tough. but for now, let's try to arrive safe and sound. wilma: felix's eyes water up, and you think, "someone's heart is melting, huh?" >> these refugees have a ten-hour drive ahead of them. but they won't be stopped at the border. they can stay in germany for years and were, and their children can go to school there. >> many russians have also left their homeland in protest, and in fear of persecution. long before the war broke out, olga romanova no longer felt safe in moscow. the regime critic now lives in exile in berlin, where she takes part in protests against president putin. olga and other russian

dissidents are united in their support of ukraine, and it's a freedom not afforded to her in russia though she's hopeful that it will someday change. >> freedom for ukraine! russia without putin! >> russian journalist and human rights activist olga romanova is fighting her own battle against putin's tyranny. she's attended every demonstration in berlin since russia's invasion of ukraine. she fled moscow after a poli raid on her ngo's offices in 2017. now, the situation is much worse, she says. olga: over a thousand people have already been arrested because they took to the streets of russian cities. these are brave and desperate people. and it's much harder for them than for us here, because they've got neighbors,

co-workers, parents and even children who are against them. >> in russia, all protests against the invasion of ukraine are now prohibited. it's not at least 15,000 -- demonstrators have been arrested. anyone here who criticizes putin's war faces up to 15 years in prison. lev vladov fled russia for berlin just in time. he wrote a well-known blog calling for sustainable development in his home city, chelyabinsk. russia's invasion of ukraine came as a shock to him. he dared to condemn it publicly. lev: my friends and relatives started writing that i was taking the position of an enemy of the state. i was aghast, just devastated. for the first time in my life,

i felt like i was in danger of physical violence because of my views. and that's what people were threatening me with. >> lev vladov quickly packed his things and drove to estonia - then on to germany in his car. friends in berlin took him in. lev: the whole life i was leading in my own country has been cut off -- all my plans, a huge numbeof friends, all my books. i don't know if i'll have a chance to see any of that in the next 10 years. olga: ok. hello in georgia. so, you've made it into georgia.

do you have any documents proving that you were arrested twice in russia? good for you! >> olga romanova and fellow activist yuri help out russians like lev. they spend most of the time on their phones organizing the logistics. so far, over 300,000 russians are thought to have left the country. olga: the people fleeing russia understand how terrible this war is and what's happened to our country. >> expat russians gather for a rally in front of the russian embassy in germany lev vladov, too. berlin has become a magnet for liberal russians. the white, blue and white flags are a symbolic break with the regime in the kremlin. swetlana: that's why i've got a new flag here. it's not a russian flag. it's a flag for all russians

who are against this war. >> and for romanova and others, it's a symbolic break with their homeland. olga: there was one russia, but now, it's all gone. now, there are two countries inside one. i very much like the other flag -- white, blue and white, with the blood cleaned off it. it has no red stripe. it's a russia that's completely different. i don't know what this russia could possibly have in common with the one that demands ukrainian blood and war, or how they could be genetically >> stop putin's war! >> from her self-imposed exile in germany, olga romanova does whatever she can to help like-minded people in russia. she's not ready to give up hope of a return to democracy in her home country or an end to the war against ukraine.

>> the consequences of the war are now reverberating around russia. not only in moscow, but also in much smaller cities like kaluga. western companies are leaving in droves, and the sanctions are starting to bite. and yet russians, like dmitry surusov, see no cause for concern. he doesn't follow politics and has no interest in the war russia is waging in ukraine. but even dmitry is unable to escape the consequences. >> work has come to a halt at volkswagen's kaluga plant, less than 200 kilometers south of moscow. like many other western companies, vw has temporarily stopped production in russia. only the security guards remain. the other roughly 4000 workers are on paid leave. but the employees don't seem

the least bit worried. kaluga-2, as this little suburb is called, is home to 35-year-old dmitriy surusov and his wife. he started out as a welder for vw and moved on to quality control years ago. he's not too concerned about the shutdown. dmitriy: it's a vacation -- i'd call it a vacation -- because the production stop is paid, so everything's ok. we'll rest up for now, and then, we'll go back to work. viktoria: grocery prices have risen, but we haven't felt it that much yet. i assume we will later on. we've come through so much in russia, so many crises. it's not all that scary. >> volgograd, saint petersburg, the couple likes to travel, but rarely ventures abroad. dmitriy earns a little on the side, renovating apartments. he and his wife watch fishing

videos on youtube but never the news. dmitriy: you have to know what's happening in your own life, not what's going on in the world. your neighbors or the people at the supermarket can tell you all about world events. >> the couple has only a vague idea about what the kremlin terms russia's special military operation in ukraine, and they don't seem especially interested. dmitriy: only when things start going wrong for you do you get interested in politics. as long as everything's ok, why should you care about politics? as long as you've got time to head out to the lake, walk your dog and go fishing, you should enjoy those moments. >> the lakes are where many russians go for recreation to enjoy a session in the banya, the russian sauna, then a dip in ice-water. expressing political views

could get them in hot water in today's russia, so people are cautious. yulia: in the current situation, if people are being persecuted, and we don't understand how all that could happen, we have to cope with it somehow -- for example with a little winter swimming. maria: it's important that the companies that have left the russian market for now end up staying, because we use their products. without them, it would be very hard on us all. >> often, the differing views reflect a generational conflict. on the topic of sanctions, the young woman's father simply repeats the official version presented on state media. michail: everything's fine! but some businesses have closed. no, we still have the same ones. everything's working as usual; everything's fine. >> but volkswagen's shut down production. michail:

do you know how many different car brands we have? toyota, volkswagen and many more. they'll start producing again, soon. everyone needs money. >> lots of jobs in kaluga depend on the auto industry. along with vw, the volvo trucks plant has temporarily halted production. mcdonalds has closed its doors. mercedes has stopped exports to russia. must the land revert to domestic car production? natalya: the problems are huge. but our leaders say we'll manage it all. unfortunately, the population believes them so far. it's easier for ordinary people to think that way. they refuse to see the problems, and there'nothing you can do about that. >> but bar manager kyrill shvetsov is bracing for a real crisis. he already sees prices rising. alcohol producers are pulling out of russia.

without brands like these, the cocktails his bar serves will change radically. shvetsov knows many sanctions will affect ordinary russians. kyrill: we're not getting punished like this for no reason. but the rafts of sanctions that hit the entire society don't seem to me to be the right strategy. >> he's just trying to get his bar through the crisis. but many in kaluga have no idea of the grave consequences economists expect from the sanctions. perhaps as a precaution, the propaganda for the kremlin's special military operation calls on everyone to pull together. >> russia's invasion of ukraine is also impacting france's election campaign. before the war, a re-election for president macron in april seemed uncertain. protests for more social justice by the so-called yellow vests appeared to be weakening

his chances. and france's right-wing parties were also making gains with their anti-muslim rhetoric. but macron has emerged as a crisis leader on the international stage. that's led to a surge in the polls for him and to confidence for his campaigners. anais brood is campaigning for emmanuel macron. just a few weeks ago, she was still ridiculed for her support of the french president. many voters did not believe in his capacity to unite the country. but the war in ukraine has changed things. >> hello! emmanuel macron is with you for 2022. have a nice day! >> she's in the paris suburb of saint-denis. trying to convincing voters that macron and his republique en marche party give all citizens a chance. that's easier now. anais: people are realizing that we have a president who is playing a diplomatic role in terms of

maintaining dialogue between ukraine and russia, and bringing the states of the european union together. it wasn't obvious that they would agree and speak with one voice to confront russia. >> macron's international crisis management skills are helping him at home. those losing out in france are the far-right populists. baptiste festor de suremain runs the youth wing of éric zemmour's reconquête party. he's afraid that muslim immigrants and islam are drowning out traditional french values. baptiste: another halal shop, as we see everywhere. not really that surprising. it's problematic that halal places are becoming more common than french restaurants, at least here. >> he and his friends came to campaign at an elite school in

paris. hoping to find some support as, according to the polls, 30% of french voters are thinking of voting for the radical right. but they were met by protests from left-wing students. baptiste: lots of violent individuals came. i preferred to leave for the safety of the militants. not because we were defeated. it could have got dangerous. oh, wow, a glass bottle. a really democratic method. >> éric zemmour was a rising star in france. but his once gushing admiration for russian president vladimir putin has dented his image. baptiste: he wasn't necessarily opposed to vladimir putin, not like the west that wanted to break off all discussion with him. like a lot of others, a lot of other politicians, i don't

think anyone saw what was coming, even the ukrainians, at the beginning. >> emmanuel macron now presents himself as a statesman with a vision. he's always negotiating, often by phone with president putin or his ukrainian counterpart volodymyr zelenskyy. many french voters think he's the only french politician for this situation. >> among the presidential candidates, he seems to be the only one capable of maintaining a dialogue with putin and doing all he can to make sure this conflict ends as soon as possible. >> i'm really not pro-macron. but when i asked people around me whether they pictured someone else like marine le pen, valérie pécresse or jean-luc mélenchon managing this conflict, we all thought no. they might be more dangerous

than anything else. >> anaïs brood is glad that macron is profiting from the international situation. but she points out that he hasn't yet won the election. many voters regret he hasn't managed to push his reforms through. others say these are too radical. anais: there are people who criticize emmanuel macron's record. that's legitimate and that's why they can say they disagree in a presidential election. those people who disagree with the direction macron has taken will not vote for him. >> but perhaps in the end they will, so she's doing all she can till the last minute. because against the far right, every vote counts. >> "it is only with the heart that one can see rightly." -- this is a message from the famous book "the little prince" one that is of heightened importance during these times of conflict. it was written during the

second world war by french author antoine de saint exupery. it has since become one of the world's most popular books, selling millions of copies. now the manuscript and original drawings are being exhibited in paris. >> a very special treasure has travelled from new york to paris for the first time. the parcel was safe in the hold , not betraying the fame of its contents -- the original manuscript and illustrations of "the little prince", one of the world's most popular books. about a little blond boy who comes to earth from a tiny asteroid and knows so much about the really important things in life. >> "the little prince" is a universal book because, with simple words and lots of philosophy, it touches on subjects that concern everyone -- love, friendship. the book talks about creating ties with friends, and the

effort it takes to maintain a relationship. >> some of these handwritten texts, sketches and drawings have never been published. the exhibition also tells the story of antoine de saint-exupéry, a man who liked to write and paint, and was also a passionate pilot. herote "the little prince" in 1942 when he was living in exile in new york. two years later, he died while on a reconnaissance mission. the plane wreck was only found in 2003. >> the exhibition wants to show that everything saint-exupéry lived, did and wrote, led to "the little prince." by following him and his works, we can glean small indicators that help us better understand the book. >> for example, the proud rose, whom the prince loves but who seemingly treats him with disdain. experts believe that saint-exupéry's wife consuelo inspired the character of the rose. the environment is also an important theme in the book.

saint-exupéry saw on his flights that the earth needed protecting. >> saint-exupéry wrote in "the little prince" in 1942, that when you've finished washing and dressing each morning, you must tend your planet because it's fragile. his asteroid is fragile. and today that resonates in a very particular way. we must tend our planet more than ever. >> "the little prince" has been translated into hundreds of languages, including fictional ones, such as "star trek's" klingon. but the main message is always "it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." >> a message we can all take to heart. that's all from us this week at focus on europe. don't forget you can watch more of our show online at dw.com. thanks for watching and bye for now. ♪

>> this is dw news, a life berlin. another massive shipment of american weapons headed for ukraine as president biden says vladimir putin never succeed. just as he did last week, biden announced another $800 million in weapons for ukraine. also coming out tonight, russian poodle claiming victory and control over the besieged city of mario paul -- mariupol.