oñoñoñoñoñoñoñoñ >> hello everyone, and welcome to "focus on europe." it's nice to have you here with me. there will be a really special party here in europe pretty soon, and it'll be taking place in the united kingdom. that's because queen elizabeth the second will soon be celebrating 70 years on the throne. to put that into perspective, back when coronated, world war the queen was coronated, world war ii had ended just 7 years earlier, and europe was still very much divided. since then, she's been the undisputed symbol of great britain, accompanying the union through all sorts of political changes, always dutifully, and always in style.

now, people throughout the uk are gearing up for celebrations in her honor, especially, of course, in and around the royal buckingham palace in london. but what is it about the queen that they'll celebrate the most? for most brits, it's either the queen's unwavering work ethic that has earned their respect, or, it's her passion for four-legged animals, especially her dogs, the corgis. ♪ >> for most britons, the queen is simply a part of life. she's always been there and has always been the queen. elizabeth ii has represented her people for seven decades now. which means this is her platinum jubilee. few monarchs can top that. ♪ >> there is a determination about her, to put on the smile, put on the work-clothes, go out, and do what she's got to do.

>> she's maintained relations around the world, which i don't think there is any other person in the world that has done so well at that. >> most britons adore their queen, but the veneration felt for her at this women's institute in south london is something special. the women's institute is an organization that has long been dedicated to giving women a voice. just like her mother and grandmother, the queen is a member here, and an example. >> must be awful to have to go and open a baked beans factory if you don't like baked beans. you know? [laughter] she's done lots of jobs that she probably didn't want to do. but she does it, she smiles. >> angie, georgina, sarah and april meet regularly to do handicrafts. in honor of the queen, they're knitting the monarch's favorite breed of dog, the corgi, for her jubilee. >> if i am truthful i would associate the queen more with

horses than corgis. but nonetheless i am happy to knit very bad corgis. they don't really look like corgis. [laughter] but i have done my best. >> the queen is certain to love the idea. animals, especially real live ones, make the queen happy. she can be observed cheering enthusiastically at horse races, or chilling out with her dogs, which she even had as a child. they're everywhere in the royal residences, even during state visits. >> i know what you want. [laughter] >> april has always been in awe of the queen. she started collecting pictures of the monarch when she was in primary school. she even met the queen once, when elizabeth ii was inaugurating a building where

her mother worked. >> even though my mum was just a cleaner, she actually stopped and spoke to them. she didn't just walk by and smile, she actually stopped and spoke to them. my mum was well impressed about that day. >> the swiss star chef anton mosimann has met elizabeth the second many times. he's one of her favorite chefs. sometimes after a banquet she's even had time for a chat, allowing him a peek behind her politely reserved façade. >> she's really something else in private. she laughs, and takes joy in life. you can really talk to her. back then in buckingham palace, she, her majesty, was there, and i was with my wife. there were 3 of us, and we had a wonderful 20-minute conversation. >> the chef can also confirm that the queen is a hard worker, someone who is disciplined and tireless. >> if there's a banquet, then she always comes herself to see

if everything is just right. very, very much a perfectionist. >> i'm here. a remote, symbolic figure for most britons, yet nevertheless omnipresent, for more than 70 years. >> the queen's just been there. it's a safety, when all our lives change all othe time. you have got to be over 70 two have not known her as the monarch. ♪ >> the ladies of the women's institute are now distributing the corgis they knitted in loving honor of the queen and to provide personal charms and express honor for her majesty throughout the realm. [applause] ♪ >> to eastern europe, now,

where russia's war against ukraine is entering one of its most active phases yet. russian attacks are concentrated primarily in the east and south of the country, with some heavy fighting also occurring near the major city of kharkiv and the neighboring village of molodova. among the people holding out in those places are natasha, vladimir and dmytro. at the moment, the ukrainian army controls the areas where they live. but they are now very, very cautiously, trying to return to something like normalcy. ♪ >> another russian missile could strike at any moment. thousands have hit this region in the past days and weeks. we're on a road east of kharkiv with ukrainian forces, not far away from the front lines. the ukrainian soldiers are showing us the territorial gains they've made in recent days, and the advances they're making against the russians. >> a video posted on social media shows the destruction of a state of the-art russian battle tank.

the soldiers proudly display the burned-out wreckage. >> the guys found out that a convoy was on the road. they were back there. then, they ran out with rocket-launchers and finished it off. >> a few kilometers further on, the villagers of molodova have long been worried their food supplies would run out. but now, the first provisions they've seen in weeks have arrived, milk, rice and flour. at the little store, salesclerk natasha tries to make sure everybody gets their fair share. nearly everyone is hungry. since the war started, molodova has been on the front lines and often cut off from the outside world. natasha's glad the fighting is over, for now. >> we also went to work while the fighting was going on but not full-time. we opened up for two or three hours. people came and did their shopping, and then, once the line was gone, we had to close. the fighter jets were flying

overhead, and we ran home quickly. i was so scared. >> before the war, around 600 people lived here. about half are thought to have fled, but nobody knows exactly how many. russian forces are still not far away. everyone here is afraid they'll return. >> we're scared, so we're sleeping in the cellar. >> the russians used molodova to launch daily missile attacks against ukraine's second-biggest city kharkiv. for 77 days, the village was surrounded by thundering artillery, gunfire, and death. >> for some time, molodova was stuck in no-man's land between the lines. the russians appeared inate march to position their artillery closer to kharkiv. the villagers were no longer able to move freely. >> we meet with 76-year-old vladimir.

he's been stranded here since the war broke out. the road to kharkiv was too dangerous. >> only the ones able to drive to kharkiv to pick up supplies could find out what was going on. this is the back of beyond. people call this the neutral zone. it's not on one side nor the other. so far, we've barely had anything to eat. ♪ >> vladimir heads over to the village's only well. molodova hasn't had running water for several weeks now. he has to walk about a kilometer every day to fetch it. at the well, he meets others who've stayed behind. their animosity toward the russians is growing. >> not only do i want them driven out, i want them to be destroyed. god preserve and protect our soldiers.

♪ >> our convoy stopped once more on the way back to kharkiv. ruins and wreckage as far as the eye can see. the military spokesman wanted to tell us what happened here just a few days earlier. >> a convoy of vehicles carrying civilians set out from here. they were being evacuated. on the hill, as they were approaching this intersection, a tank opened fire on them. they were shooting at these cars from over there, at the civilians. people were killed. >> the whole region has been hit hard, leaving hundreds of deaths to mourn. but the russians have been pushed back from the city of kharkiv, for now. they failed to take ukraine's second largest city.

it's been under heavy siege ever since the war beg. for weeks, the russians bombarded kharkiv day and the ukrainian military has been reporting successes from its counter-offensive, re-taking village after village. and people in the region can breathe easily for now. but nobody knows for how long. rumors are flying that russian troops have been regrouping, preparing for a renewed assault on the city. even so, therere signs that people are getting on with their lives. >> before the war, dmytro was a web designer. now, he and other volunteers from the kharkiv together initiative are pitching in to clean up, rebuild and restore a little bit of normality. his wife and daughter are in west ukraine, in relative safety. does he intend to bring them back anytime soon? >> no. for now, i told them to wait a while longer. of course, they want to come back. but it's better if we wait and see how events shape up and then decide how to move on from

there. >> hundreds of thousands have fled from kharkiv. like the other volunteers, dmytro is anxious for his family to return home soon. they're all hoping their forces will prevail, that the russians won't launch another attack, and that they can eventually stop fearing for their lives. >> and for that to happen, europe needs to support ukraine even more. that is what raphaël glucksmann, a french member of european parliament, has been tirelessly saying. glucksmann is something of a european lobbyist for a wounded ukraine, and he's making a case for a european embargo that has been, well, politically charged, cutting off energy supplies from russia to the e.u. >> raphaël glucksmann, french member of the european parliament, has a clear agenda wherever he speaks. he's one of ukraine's most

vocal vocates. glucksmann is calling for the eu to stand behind ukraine and against russia 100%. russian president putin cannot be allowed to win, he says. >> we won't take part in this war directly. but the least we can do is stop financing the da vladimir putin's death machinery. this is the e.u.'s great failing. even after the war began, billions of euros were poured into that war machine, and we can't seem to reach a consensus on how to stop that financing. >> he gets lots of support on social media. hundreds of thousands are following him. his speeches to the european parliament get thousands of likes. >> how could we tolerate our ministers and heads of vernment working for the interests of russia or china? >> in an interview with deutsche welle, he emphasized how important it is to realize that aid for ukraine is about

europe's own future. >> every time, we act as though it's just about a single issue, a ukrainian question, a georgian question, a syrian question. no. it's a european question. the moment we don't accept the power relationship that is imposed on us, we're the adversaries. that's well understood. but if we do accept it, we've submitted to it. >> these days, glucksmann has been lobbying tirelessly for ukraine's cause. his dedication may have to do with his biography. he's lived in both ukraine and georgia. but he grew up in a multi-cultural neighborhood in paris. his father was philosopher andre gluckmann, one of the western figures to stand up for first dissidents caught up in the soviet system. >> my parents were always asking me give up my bedroom to strangers who didn't even speak french. i hated having to give up my bed to people i didn't even know. but then i got used to sitting down to dinner with people who had very dramatic personal

stories. eventually, it completely opened up the world to me, the whole world sitting at our table. it was an incredible opportunity. >> the eu parliamentarian has been ratcheting up the pressure on companies that are still doing business with russia, including total. the french oil and gas giant has stopped importing russian oil , but continues to buy russian gas. >> what we're seeing today with multi-nationals like total, for example, is that political authority may set a limit, but this private power then decides it doesn't agree with that limit, that its private interests take priority. total must be forced out of russia. total must be obliged to obey political authority. >> criticism directed at economic interests is not always well received in france. the government is ignoring glucksmann, while total keeps quiet and hasn't responded to

our request for an interview. sylvie matelly says glucksmann's demands are too idealistic. >> this position follows the spirit of the times. civil societies expect their companies to take responsibility for their actions. that would be a wonderful and generally positive development. but let's be honest, if we put a stop to all trade with immoral regimes, we'd have to stop globalization immediately. >> glucksmann has even been accused of letting ukrainian president zelenskyy weaponize him in the battle against putin. >> i think in the past 80 years, the rationale for starting a war has never been less clear. the total absence of any

justification for this invasion has never been clearer. it has never been so obvious that the ukrainian government has done nothing to provoke russia. >> so, rapahael glucksmann has no intention of toning down his stance, until the war in ukraine is over. >> if russia's war against ukraine is ultimately decided militarily, it will likely happen in connection with further deliveries of weapons to ukraine. and of those deliveries include tanks like the one right here, the european governments will probably not t have to argue very much about whether they should or shouldn't deliver them. that's because these tanks are, well, they're mostly made of air, they're like bouncy castles. and yet these inflatable weapons from the czech town of decin are actually effective in warfare. they will never fire a single shot, but they will hopefully attract a lot of attention in

return. >> an american-made m60 battle tank, rolling over fields in the czech republic. from the drone footage, it's not easy to tell that this armored vehicle is mostly hot air. propelled by a regular car hidden underneath. but this is no prank. it's a product made by a local arms manufacturer, with a difference. it takes less than an hour to build, not by assembling the parts, but by inflating them. and when it's done it looks , surprisingly real to enemy reconnaissance, at least from a distance. >> it's important in modern warfare that the decoy weapons can't be distinguished optically from the real ones. >> the company currently supplies nato armies.

right now, there's high demand for soviet-type equipment. although it's all very top secret, it's likely these inflatable tanks are heading to ukraine to fool the russian army. the company can produce 15 hand-made tanks a month. >> these are the various parts of a tank. after sewing them together according to the blueprint, all you have to do is inflate it and then it looks like a real vehicle. >> it's not only tanks that are manufactured here, but a whole arsenal of large-scale military hardware. for instance, the sa8 gecko surface-to-air missile system, inflated in just 10 minutes. the price tag is just 25,000 euros. the manufacturer says built-in heating coils can even fool modern thermal cameras and

radar systems. >> a pilot carrying out an air strike has little time to lose. we often hear pilots say, i wasn't sure if it was a decoy or real equipment. and that's the goal we want to achieve. we want to confuse the enemy. that's what gives us a strategic advantage. >> fooling the enemy is an age-old battlefield tactic. it was successfully employed by american troops during world war ii. inflatable war equipment was used to create fake positions to deceive the opponent. the german wehrmacht was led astray a few times by this troop of over 1000 soldiers, known as "the ghost army." >> according to former lieutenant general roland

kather, the modern german bundeswehr also has a stock of inflatable decoys. today these could be used to conceal arms shipments to ukraine. >> the ability to bring western equipment into ukraine is, after all, quite limited. we could possibly use roads or train tracks. in that regard, the idea of working with decoys, both to protect our own equipment, and to make delivery gets to ukraine certainly makes a lot of sense. , >> although such tactics might seem like nothing but hot air to the uninitiated, the experts are convinced. who knows? maybe the term air force will soon take on a whole new meaning. >> here in germany, being openly homosexual, or marrying your same-sex partner, that's been normal for a quite while

now. it's literally no problem. but for stefan diefenbach, who lives here in germany, it is, and that's because he was a member of a religious order in the catholic church, a church that not only rejects homosexuality, but whose employees who do come out should expect to lose their jobs. in some dioceses, things are slowly changing. but catholics, like stefan here in germany, are still struggling to reconcile their sexuality with their faith, and also, with their profession. [chatter] >> tonight, it's going to be a vegetable stir-fry. stefan diefenbach and his husband walter marcelo castillo are cooking. it's everyday life, but for the former priest, it still feels special. >> mmh, looks good, i'm already hungry. >> stefan married his argentinian husband six years ago.

>> sometimes i still say wow, , it's just astonishing. i'm here now, i'm with walter, together. we cook together, friends come over. sometimes it still feels unreal. but then i feel so much gratitude to see that it's like this. >> stefan was a brother in a catholic religious order for over 25 years. he preached and taught in a church that rejects homosexuality, even though he knew he was gay. then his grandfather died, and stefan felt it was time to make a crucial decision. >> do you want to be a priest who hides part of his identity? or is this part allowed to exist? that it really is part of you, something that can be talked about, something you can live with, without a guilty conscience and without fear. >> stefan decided to take a stand against fear.

coming out meant he had to give up his life in the religious order. >> stefan has since set up regular prayer meetings for persecuted gay people. >> please allow christian churches to accept same-sex partners as part of your beautiful creation. each of these services helps change things. they take place. people talk about them, see it happening, hear about it. hopefully, it will have a ripple effect. >> the pastor stefan's community is supportive. they both believe that the church must change. >> if there's no change, if things are just hushed up or kicked down the road, that's something i'm no longer prepared to do. then i would start to look for

people who are willing to live with the consequences, along with me. >> some dioceses are reacting. they say a person's love life is private and cannot be used as grounds for dismissal from church employment. >> it's not going fast enough, it's not comprehensive enough, but it's happening. it's going in the right direction. that is my impression. [chatter] >> stefan and his husband enjoy a relaxed dinner with friends. he stands by his decision to come out, and has never regretted it. >> and that's it from us for this week. thanks for watching, and as always, you can watch the entire episode online at dw.com. on behalf of everyone here at dw's "focus on europe" team, goodbye, and until next time. ♪

anchor: hello and welcome to france 24. the headlines this hour -- ukrainian forces push back from severodonetsk. president zelenskyy says they are fighting for every meter. a coalition in france begins a crucial week of campaigning after estimates showed emmanuel macron could lose the parliamentary majority like -- next week. temperatures in europe set to soar this week. extreme expect -- extreme heat expected in france this week.