>> hello and welcome to "focus on europe." we begin with the war that continues to ravage large parts of ukraine. in recent days, violence there has reached a new and even more shocking level. in the small town of bucha, close to the capital kyiv, russian troops appear to have brutally massacred innocent civilians. their remains were left literally scattered along the streets -- men, women, and children. the ukrainian government and many in the international community believe the atrocities are war crimes.

the kremlin, for its part, denies any involvement. during russia's invasion of ukraine, vladimir putin has had the influential backing of patriarch kirill of moscow. time and again, the head of the russian orthodox church has sided with putin. all the more remarkable, therefore, that a small russian-orthodox monastery here in germany -- in a village north of berlin has been giving refuge to a number of ukrainians seeking shelter from putin's bombs. >> [speaking foreign language] >> abbot daniil greets his guests. normally, only his nine monks would be eating in the small kitchen but this , russian-orthodox monastery has taken in about 20 refugees from ukraine, so now everyone takes their meals in shifts. ira's dog, sonya, has found refuge here, too.

>> she's innocent, just as we are. we're all just waiting for peace -- peace everywhere in the world. that's my greatest wish now. >> their common language is russian. abbot daniil has integrated the refugees into the monastery's daily routine -- including the chores. >> in the monastery, we live by the principle ora et labora -- pray and work. we have four hectares of land, so there's plenty to do. >> ira's been assigned to the hoeing. together with her daughter and parents she's found sanctuary in the russian-orthodox monastery. as a practicing christian, she assumed the monks to help her family. she got to know father daniil some time ago via facebook. >> to me, being here is heavenly peace. the nights are quiet. and we hope and know we'll wake up every morning, and

everything will be peaceful and calm. >> ira shows us photos of her life in kyiv -- visiting the christmas market with her daughter, outings with her mother. she never dreamed a war was possible, and she'd have to flee from her own country. >> every day, we're in touch with our neighbors on social media to find out who's lost their apartment in kyiv. >> from the outside, the russian-orthodox monastery looks impressive. but the manor house is dilapidated and unsafe. the monks and refugees are crowded into the former servants' quarters. they use every little bit of space. >> this is our house chapel. we've now set up temporary beds

for our refugee families here. >> the room is cluttered. before any mess would have had to have been quickly tidied. but now father daniil doesn't mind. >> what's important is that they feel good here and safe. that's the main thing for me. we have to ask, what would christ have done? i think christ would've allowed this. >> abbot daniil is convinced that christ is on his side. yet the russian-orthodox church supports the war against ukraine. that pains father daniil. his monastery was built partly with funding from russia.

>> any war is terrible. and it doesn't have to be this way. we all have to live together in peace. and if needed, diplomatic solutions should be found, but please, never war. >> the russian-orthodox cleric is standing by ukrainian refues. heees how these war victims are suffering, and his heart goes out to them. even my hair started turning, verygray during those days.ot. >> over facebook, father daniil receives more calls for help almost daily. most recently, a priest friend looking for a safe place to stay with his family of seven contacted him. the friend had hoped to come to

the monastery. father daniil had to make a tough decision. >> we don't have any room left. we're overcrowded. it's sad that he asked me so late. now, he'll have to wait a while. but i'll find a solution. it's no problem. >> but in the monastery, politics have to be left at the door. at this table, all people are just people, all with a shared wish for the war in ukraine to end soon. >> now, it is an open secret switzerland has long been one of the most accommodating countries for russian business. yet, following the invasion of ukraine, the swiss government agreed to match eu sanctions, and clamp down on russian multi-millionaires. well, it's been over a month now since those sanctions were announced and critics say swiss

authorities are up to their old tricks and only really going through the motions. >> if anyone knows the secrets of swiss banking, then it's this man. sylvain besson is an investigative journalist, and for many years, he has focused on offshore banking. since the start of the war in ukraine, he's been particularly interested in the hidden assets of russian oligarchs. switzerland unfortunately >> doesn't have a special unit for tracking down these oligarchs' assets. they're in banks, or other places such as galleries or duty-free storage depots where artworks are kept. these actors have to declare that they have clients who are subject to sanctions. >> but this requirement is taking effect very slowly, if at all. at a rally in bern, it was ukrainian president volodomyr zelensky himself who called on switzerland to take more

assertive action against the oligarchs. "do something to fight the people who have unleashed this war," he urged. he was referring to people such as roman abramovich, whose luxury jet is currently grounded at the basel airport. also on the international sanctions list is alisher usmanov, seen here handing over a multi-million dollar donation to the ioc museum. and then there's gennady timchenko, a close associate of putin and one of the world's richest oil tycoons. he owns a villa on lake geneva with an underground tennis court , thought to have cost 19 million dollars. switzerland is a paradise for oligarchs, says swiss politician roger nordmann. >> for two reasons -- they can lead a good, discreet life, and it's an optimal location for wealth management. and of course, these oligarchs try and park their cash, or

even hide it, and that's why they're all here. >> a task force has been set up to change that. it aims to help track down the oligarchs' assets. the idea has triggered bitter debate in the swiss parliament. critics say it's the end of the road for switzerland as a financial center. >> we immediately insisted that switzerland have its own task force -- a klepto task force, like the ones in the u.s. or germany, because these complex ownership structure, with straw men, joint stock companies and so forth must be completely exposed. otherwise it's much too easy for , the oligarchs to hide their assets. and that can't be. >> even a task force won't change the fact that over the past 10 to 15 years, a welcome culture was created that extended to these oligarchs, so

for peoplen putin's inner circle. >> the sanctions will have a significant impact on switzerland's status as a financial and business hub, says investigative reporter sylvain besson. >> the swiss population are in favor of the sanctions, quite simply because this invasion is a serious crime and there's no justification for it. >> if the sanctions are properly enforced and the assets are actually traced, switzerland as a haven for oligarchs will be a thing of the past. >> well, the tough sanctions imposed against russia are adding to the pressure on companies and governments scrambling to procure the raw materials they need to survive in increasingly competitive energy markets. one place where those tensions are playing out is covas do barroso in northern portugal. on the one side, foreign

companies, wanting to mine lithium, a key component in batteries. and on the others, protesters such as nelson gomes who believe it will destroy the ecological balance. >> every morning, nelson gomes walks through his barn with a heavy heart. he wonders how much longer he will be able to keep his cattle. many who live here in covas do barroso, in northeastern portugal, farm for a living. but that could soon change because of a lithium mine. >> we're talking about mining on a huge scale. all the rocky debris, the volumes of water that'll be consumed, the noise. and we're right next door. >> an entire village feels threatened and is intent on blocking the project. this banner reads "no to the mine, yes to life." these signs say, "together we resist." nelson gomes and his neighbors have founded a

citizens' initiative. carlos gonçalves is also on board. he's a beekeeper concerned about the impact on his 450 hives. >> the mine here will use as much water as the whole community. so where's all that water suosed to come from? we don't have it. sure, we can redirect a stream. but streams have already been drying up more in recent years. >> this is a consequence of climate change. yet lithium mining is part of a solution to fight global warming. these pictures from mexico show what lithium mines look like. the harmful alkaline metal is used to produce batteries. in turn, these are used to store electricity, also from renewable sources. portugal is thought to have the largest lithium reserves in europe.

test drilling has already been conducted near covas do barroso. for most people here, however, this wealth is a curse. even in boticas, the region's main administrative town, we only found one person in favor of the project. >> i think it's important that we facilitate the lithium mine. we can't always just think about the environment. we've also got to think about the economy. >> it would appear the portuguese government is also intent on tracting the lithium. the ministry of environment and climate action informed us it was committed to the european green deal and wanted to help ensure that europe could meet its own lithium needs. the light metal could soon be extracted just over 100 kilometers to the south of covas do barroso. in vila garcia where quartz mines already exist, and where there's less resistance from the largely older population, people here are used to mining.

>> i'm not sure what the plan is or whether it'll be beneficial to us. >> some say it'll create jobs. and we need those. >> this makes their job all the more difficult. josé almeida and his friends are raising awareness in neighboring trancoso. they want to inform locals. their argument is that lithium mining represents a dramatic encroachment on the natural world. >> there's not been enough information about what it'll mean for people living close to the mines. to some extent, it's being pushed through behind people's backs. >> 20 kilometers away in pinhel, the mayor even has plans to sue the portuguese government. rui ventura says just the years of preparatory exploration on 40 percent of the land unsettled investors. he expects europe to look for less aggressive alternatives.

>> we all know how important lithium is. but we also know that there are other options without lithium. we should continue to investigate those. we h have to let the scientiss do their work. europe's always saying that, but doesn't do it. >> nelson gomes, the farmer from covas do barroso, also knows that for now, lithium is crucial for meeting climate targets . but he says the price is just too high. >> we have a healthy, sustainable lifestyle here. if they dig holes in our land, and destroy everything, then i wonder what'll become of our region after the mines have closed. >> just four years ago, the un listed his home region a globally important heritage system because people live in

harmony with nature. those here are not willing to give that up. they're also fighting climate change -- in their own way. >> now, on a very different note, if you set out to uncover traces of turkey's rich but neglected jewish heritage, then one place to go would be the western city of izmir. its jewish community was once vibrant and cosmopolitan -- until waves of discrimination in the past century forced many jews to flee. now, some like nesim bendjoya are returning, determined to revive izmir's hidden treasures and above all its synagogues. >> the kemeralti bazaar district in turkey's aegean coastal city ízmir. the historical area's roots reach back to ancient times. but anthropologist nesim bencoya is looking for different roots, namely traces

of his own jewish ancestors. >> the residence you see down there is a so-called jews' court from the ottoman period. the jews themselves called these houses kortejos. they came to the ottoman empire from spain. >> nesim bencoya returned to his hometown ízmir in 2010. like many turkish jews, he had previously emigrated to israel. in ízmir, he's been working with a foundation to save the architectural remnants of jewish life here -- in particular, the city's remaining synagogues. most of them are in the former jewish quarter, which is now a poorer area. >> i'd like to turn these sites of jewish life into spaces for art and culture. that would also benefit the

district because it would attract visitors -- ones who aren't just looking for cheap merchandise. >> he shows us one of six remaining synagogues. the hope is that, one day, it will host exhibitions and concerts. the building is hardly more than a ruin, but it dates back to the byzantine era. >> the debris was meters high, with trees already growing on it. the roof was long gone. and look here -- the numbers of the rows of benches were marked. now, we just have to find out who sat in them. >> the initiative has been getting plenty of support including from germany. most muslim residents here also stand behind the project. they hope it will bring in more tourists. >> tourists appreciate this history more than we, the quarter's residents, do. but i'm hoping we can learn something about it, too. >> but there are also anti-semites in turkey.

when israeli president isaac herzog came to istanbul in mid-march, a demonstration was held outside a synagogue where he was attending a prayer service, and antisemitic prejudice is easy to find on istanbul's streets. >> money rules the world. and since the jews have so much of it, they end up ruling the world. >> we show the jewish faith respect. but they have no regard for our religion. >> it's clear that they rule the world. it's a few powerful families who do. >> nesim bencoya has heard these prejudices before. they are one reason why he organizes tours of ízmir's former jewish quarter for his turkish countrymen. >> for most of them, it's the first time they see a synagogue from the inside. that's a first sp. the next time, they might attend one of our cultural events.

>> currently, there's a debate and honest conversation being held about discrimination and violence that non-muslim minorities suffered in the past. one catalyst for this seems to have been the popular turkish streaming series "the club." the series dramatised real-life attacks on christians and jews in 1955. bencoya was a young boy at the time. >> a potentially violent mob had gathered on one of the city squares. my mother rushed over to the neighbor's with me. i remember her shouting that people were running through the streets, and that they might attack our houses. when i watched the part of the series that dealt with those events, all the fear i experienced as a little boy came back to me. >> as a consequence of the harassment and discrimination, many jews left turkey. today, only about 20,000 remain

in the entire country, and barely one thousand in izmir. >> only the older ones among us are still here. hardly any of the 30 and 40-year-olds are left, at all. and we're having one funeral after the other. >> nesim bencoya is one of the very few jews who have returned , and he wants to en-sure that at least the cultural heritage of ízmir's once proud and thriving jewish community is preserved. >> well, returning our attention to the war against ukraine, which has literally torn people, families and communities apart. take for example the ukrainian chamber orchestra called the kyiv soloists. they were on tour in italy when the war broke out. now they're staging benefit concerts across europe to support people back home. and the musicians insist that

they will keep playing until they can once again see their loved ones. ♪ >> it's rehearsal time in regensburg. the piece is called "dream of an old forest." it's a nostalgic composition. and here, it reminds of the time before the war. >> i really feel i'm in the carpathian forest after the rain with a lot of sounds like birds. ♪ >> these fifteen musicians were only supposed to be gone for two weeks. now they have no idea when they will be going home. >> my cello is not my cello. my cello stayed in kyiv. in my apartment. and we don't know when we'll

come back. >> the war took them all by surprise. a few hours before russia attacked ukraine, they had set off for a tour in italy. now they are travelling around europe, from one benefit concert to the next -- such as this one in basel, switzerland. while war rages in their home country, they do their best to play music. ♪ >> our minds and hearts are in the ukraine. so it's difficult to perform because music requires feeling. and we're all thinking about our families in the ukraine. >> these days the musicians are always on the move, performing in different cities and sleeping in different hotels. they are all separated from their loved ones and try to keep in contact as much as possible. >> we feel ashamed that we're here in normal life, just

sitting and waiting. >> my husband is there. i haven't been apart from him during the last 11 years. i never been apart for longer than two weeks. >> nobody in ukraine resents them for staying abroad. they know they can't go back yet -- even if being away is painful. anatolii says he refuses to panic. he's forcing himself to get through this even if the fu-ture is so uncertain. >> all our plans, what was important, apartments, cars, everything we owned, is not important anymore. nobody knows what will happen. where they'll live, work. what can be done in such a situation? >> if the male members of the ensemble weren't performing abroad, they would have to fight in the ukraine. they prefer to contribute to peace through their music.

and introduce their audiences to ukrainian culture. >> war is destructive. art is opposite. art is positive energy, creative energy. ♪ >> we all decided to stay in the west because we know that musicians cannot do anything in ukraine. they're not soldiers. but we will do everything to help if there is just a tiny glimmer of hope. ♪ >> we do so hope that there will be a happy end to that story and many others like it. for now that's all for "focus

on , europe" this time round. thanks for your company. goodbye and tschüss! ♪

>> this is dw news, from berlin. the u.n. secretary general describes a war in ukraine as people. also on the program, president biden asked the u.s. congress for another $33 billion for ukraine. the fight against russia is not cheap and then caving into aggression would cost more. olaf