>> hello and welcome to "focus on europe," where the focus this time round is still inevitably on the conflict in ukraine. and one of the closest allies of russia in the gruesome war of aggression launched by vladimir putin is alexander lukashenko, the autocratic leader of belarus. the relationship between the two men goes back a long way, and they still meet on a regular basis, which is a huge source of irritation and anger to the opposition that has

however largely been crushed by lukashenko. and that has in turn, of course, forced many to seek asylum in ukraine. including, for instance, scientists and artists. and men like alexei. he'd already been living in ukraine for a number of years and had signed up to join the military there. so, while belarus the country stands side by side with russia, many belarusian people are fighting shoulder by shoulder with the ukrainian armed forces. and, for his courage and his commitment, alexei has paid a high price. >> alexey has to learn to stand on two feet again. originally from belarus, he's been part of the ukrainian army off and on for about eight years. now, the war has taken its toll. two weeks after the fighting started, he was on a reconnaissance patrol when a russian shell struck nearby. now he's learning to walk on an

artificial leg. >> two, or three weeks ago, i still needed two crutches, not like this one, but real crutches that you wedge under your arms. now, i manage without. i use this one like a cane. >> now, alexey trains recruits. so many belarusians have joined ukraine's armed forces since the war started that they've formed an entire regiment of their own. alexey came to ukraine in 2014 after kyiv's euromaidan protests. >> ukraine is one of the last free countries remaining of the former soviet republics. if it had lost its freedom, if the maidan protests had been put down, there would've been no future left for the region, neither for ukraine, nor for belarus. >> now, the belarusian regiment numbers several hundred troops. many of them fled to ukraine in 2020, after president alexander lukashenko crushed mass protests all across belarus.

roscar, as his fellow troopers call him, is part of the regiment. he also took part in the protests in belarus. >> we were hoping we could topple lukashenko peacefully. but unfortunately, our hopes did not come true, and the regime is still in power. my task now, is to do everything i can to bring down this regime. >> to the soldiers of the belarusian regiment, the ukrainians' fight is also very much theirs. they can't go back to their untry now anyway. >> i could expect a life sentence at the very least, and at the worst, execution. for my participation in the

protests, they could charge me with extremism, and now, on top of that, with being a mercenary in the war. >> the fighters have many different political opinions. what unites them is their opposition to the regime in belarus. in 2014, alexey first joined the right-wing nationalist azov battalion. since february, he's been with the belarusian regiment. he describes himself as a nationalist. >> belarusian nationalists want to live in a free country. the form it takes, whether democracy or something else, is not so important. the main thing is that people can choose and develop as they wish. at the moment, there's no development in belarus. >> now, alexey's morning starts with physiotherapy.

his body has to learn to keep its balance without help from the left leg. he's down to receive a new, electronically controlled prosthesis eventually. if alexey had his way, he'd like to go back to the front. >> i won't be able to return to active duty like i used to. but there are many different jobs at the front, different kinds of weapons. but i won't be able to fight in my former unit. that's physically no longer possible. >> for the time being, it's training, training and more training. he still has many steps to take before he can return to the front. >> a very different note, what you can see here are young bulgarians enjoying one of the very popular students' balls that mark the end of school days and the pursuit of new challenges. but here, too, the war in ukraine casts a shadow. because just like in the rest

of europe, the conflict has sent consumer prices spiraling. still, in the capital sofia, daniela says no corners will be cut when it comes to making sure that daughter natalie will have a day to remember. and that means, lots of glamour and glitz. >> it's 07:30 a.m. today, 19-year-old natalie graduates from school, one of the most important days of her life. she and her mother have been preparing for it long in advance. today she's going to feel like a princess. >> i'm not nervous, but the family get-together at the restaurant could be a bit nervewracking. >> she's got just enough time for coffee, before going to have her hair and make-up done. she's aiming for hollywood glamour. her mother daniela took out a loan to pay for it all. >> if you count all the preparations and the party

afterwards, it cost around 3000 euros. that includes the restaurant, her outfit, make-up, hair-do, all the accessories and other details. >> what does it mean for an ordinary bulgarian family to spend so much? >> you have to save up the money for a long time. most people take out a loan to do it. that's how we finance everything in life. at any rate, you couldn't pay for it from your salary. >> as an accountant, natalie's mother earns an average income. in bulgaria, that means about 500 euros a month. mother and daughter both have to get by on that. her first appointment is for make-up, as she starts to get ready for the big day. >> this only happens once in life, and i want it to be unforgettable. as a girl, you have your make-up, hair and a manicure

done, and you pick out a dress. these preparations are very important to us. >> about an hour later, natalie's ready at last. but she's still got to hurry, the most important part is yet to come. bulgaria's one of the european union's poorest countries. currently, less than half the population earns enough to cover their living expenses. the moment natalie's been waiting for the whole morning has come: it's time to put on the dress. it cost daniela 400 euros. the pair of them took 3 months to find exactly what they wanted. >> you are so beautiful! just gorgeous! [chatter] let me straighten the netting a little. and the back, too, bravo!

>> after meal, the family showers natalie with presents. it doesn't show at the party, but many here are worried about their futures. ♪ the war in ukraine has made a difficult situation far worse. now, inflation's running at 14.4%. >> of course, we feel it. there's a kind of fear that affects us all. it's a psychological stress, and we feel it. but if we look back at history, we see that we're not the first to experience inflation and a war. >> natalie's mother daniela has gone into debt for her daughter's sake. the costs for the celebration have exploded over just the past few weeks. >> everything's gotten more expensive. everything. bread, cheese, meat. for example, chicken breast

used to cost 3.50 euros a kilo. now it is seven euros. the price has doubled. a few months ago, the party might have cost me around half as much. ♪ >> after the meal, natalie gets together with her schoolmates. many of them have rented a car especially for this day, so they can strut their stuff. in front of the alexander-nevsky cathedral, sofia's most famous landmark, the graduates count down their 12 years at school, and the party begins. [cheers and applause] but while they may party like there's no tomorrow, pressure on the country is increasing. in late april, russia cut natural gas supplies to bulgaria. for now, the country can manage. but if the sanctions on russia lead to a cut in the flow of oil, things could get much worse. most of the graduates here don't want to think about it. how do you imagine your life 10 years from now?

>> a family and a job. i see my future in bulgaria. you can accomplish a lot here, you don't have to go abroad. >> they'll leave the problems for another day, the the money woes, rising prices, news of the war. tonight, they just want to enjoy the celebrations. >> temperatures are high in many parts of europe and people are looking for places to cool down. but many rivers and lakes across the continent are in poor shape, not least in the uk. a close look at the river thames that runs through london shows that a number of places along its course are badly clogged up by a sickly mix of cleansing wipes, leaves, toilet paper, sludge and effluent. but as we see now, some hardy spirits have taken up the battle against the muck.

>> debbie leach is not impressed. few would guess what she's pulling up here. the river thames in london has a few undesirable spots along its banks. and this here. >> it's wet wipes, that's caught on this twig. it's about one-and-a-half-meter-thick mound of wet wipes, mixed with twigs and some silt, a few leaves. but it's basically solid, used wet wipes. >> locals have dubbed the area "wet wipe island." this starts life in people's bathrooms. >> it comes from people's houses. people are using wet wipes in their bathrooms and then they're thinking yuck, i'll flush that down the loo. there's no biodiversity there at all. all the small animals you'd expect to see on riverbanks and on foreshores is gone. >> debbie is part of a group of britons monitoring the condition of the rivers, something the authorities here rarely do these days. many are outraged that toilet

waste could end up here on the riverbank. retired police officer ashley smith heads up a group that conducts daily detective work. the water company for the thames region runs a purification plant not far from here. >> we see quite a nasty coating of gray, fine sediment on the bottom and brown and gray algae, which is coating the gravel, choking any weed life out of it. >> ashley smith is on his way to a spot where the company releases the purified wastewater into the stream. but directly next to it, ashley points to a second pipe. this one sometimes spews out untreated wastewater. >> the actual chemicals, the hormones, the drugs, the bacteria, the human waste, the heavy levels of phosphate and nitrate and ammonia, that all comes out here, and that makes its way down into the river windrush, and then into the river thames.

sewage last flowed from it two days ago, he says. >> he's collecting film evidence. >> i'm gonna put some gloves on, because i'm going to touch the camera after it's been in there. >> the companies are allowed to release untreated wastewater into the rivers, but only in exceptional circumstances. when there's flooding or the sewers are full after heavy rain. otherwise, it's illegal. >> our analyst can tell if it's happened by looking at water industry data, flow data, taken on fifteen-minute intervals, he can establish whether it's happened too early. if they've discharged it before treating sufficient for their permits. and we've found a lot of illegal activity in that way. >> the water company insists its activities are legal. the environment agency relies on companies to self-monitor. but the public outcry has now prompted an investigation.

uk rivers are among the most polluted in europe. the government and water companies are accused of failing to modernize the sewage system over decades. >> this is basically a consequence of victorian infrastructure. it's a huge undertaking to remove all of these storm overflows. they are there for, you know, emergency, flash flooding events. they've always been part of the system. but we're taking action right now to eliminate some of these and reduce their harm. >> but it's predicted to take ten or twenty years. so ashley wants to keep up the pressure by exposing as many illegal activities as possible. he recently found an undocumented pipe from thames water. >> it's about three meters down into the thames here. the water is in a shocking state: containing feces, old food, and grease. >> every time we've come, it's been worse than the last. it's dreadful. it's really bad.

>> the water company claims not to have released any untreated sewage here since march last year. so it's a mystery how this condom came out of the pipe. >> we'll present it to the environment agency, and i expect them to do very little. they've become almost redundant and a spectator in the engagement now between campaigners, the water industry, and counselors, and local people who are now really pushing for the changes. >> two of those local people arrive on the scene. they were hoping to go swimming. >> it's looking a bit browner than usual, isn't it? >> it's not looking good, is it? >> no. >> no. >> at least the water company now issues warnings when it's releasing sewage into the thames. >> it's disgusting, and we shouldn't have to put up with this. you know, the river here was so clean, you could see the riverbed only a couple of decades ago. >> their group has come up with another strategy to get this

stretch of the river cleaned up. >> the aim is that we're going to try to get designated bathing water status, which will mean that the environment agency are obliged to monitor regularly, and try and impose some sanctions on thames water. >> they devised their plan along with trevor willia. he takes regular samples and sends the results to the authorities. >> so you can see it's quite dirty today, because it has just rained. but hopefully not for much longer. >> because their strategy worked. this stretch of river has now been granted bathing water status. so things ought to get a lot cleaner here soon. >> it'll be the second river in the whole of the uk to have a bathing water status, so hopefully other rivers will follow suit and other water companies will take note that they can't get away with dumping their waste in the river and polluting our environment.

>> the campaigners are having to go to great lengths and even resort to tricks. but they, along with many britons, just want the uk's rivers to be cleaner again. >> even i admit it -- shopping can be fun. but it can also be intimidating, what with all the attractions and distractions. so for people like joelle, who are vulnerable to anxiety issues such as autism, it can be particularly stressful. but a supermarket in the small swiss village of urdorf is part of a chain of stores that has adopted a new approach. >> loud, brightly lit, and colorful. the average supermarket can be tortuous for people with autism, the sensory overload hard to bear. so twice a week, this supermarket near zurich scales everything down -- lights, music, commercials. it's known as a "quiet hour." the idea came from new zealand. >> i read about it two years ago in a magazine.

i was so touched by the article, i found it really heart-warming, and i thought, if they can do it in new zealand, we can do it in switzerland. >> so without further ado, hansruedi schnellmann and his brother introduced a quiet hour too. across twelve stores. for people like joelle, who now ventures into the supermarket with her support dog rocky. he's allowed inside even in the quiet hour. shopping used to be almost impossible for joelle. >> everything comes at me, at the same volume, speed and intensity. i can filter things out. the radio's on, the shelves are being stocked, and i can't block out what's happening. >> joelle doesn't want special offers. she wants everything to stay in the same place. she always shops with a list, and sticks to it. >> it's so difficult when they reorganize the shelves.

i organize my shopping list so that i can just pass through once. that way, i minimize my stress. >> joelle needs the calm atmosphere because her brain processes sensory input differently. but many other customers also appreciate the quiet hour, and so do the staff. >> you're calmer with the customers. >> the first time they did it, i thought: is this a power cut? i was quite confused. >> it's nice, a lot less hectic. >> taking out the stress, with a low-sensory hour. a great idea that seems destined to catch on more widely. >> fantastic idea. now let's go to the langhe region of northwestern italy to meet a man called roberto anfosso. he's very unusual, in fact

unique in this day and age because as a doctor, he makes house calls on horseback. he carries all his equipment in a saddlebag flung over the horse's back when he rides out to do his daily rounds. and i'm sure you can imagine: it's an important service that he provides. after all, the average age of his patients is 70. some are over 100. ♪ >> ambra and roberto. an inseparable duo from langhe in italy's piedmont region. but this is no pony trek, they''re on their way to work. >> i'm the head doctor and the horse is my assistant. she's both my friend and a message that i bring to my patients. ♪ >> the pair ride up and down the hilly terrain. as long as it's not an emergency, doctor anfosso

prefers to ride to his appointments. so his first task of the day is to get his assistant ready for action. >> hi, ambra. >> hello gorgeous! look, i brought you a little treat. ambra is my new horse. i got her three years ago. a doctor that comes to tend to the sick on horseback is seen as someone who has time for his patients. that fact alone, that people know their doctor is taking the time for them, does the patients good, and makes them feel well cared for. >> roberto anfosso has been a doctor for four decades.

15 years ago he decided to combine his hobby with his job. the response from patients has been very positive. but he has to be prepared for everything. >> this saddlebag has all the things i need for my appointments. the other one contains everything i need to tie the horse up while i'm seeing my patients. once, the horse ran away while i was examining someone. she tore the snap hook and took right off. >> going from an easy trot to an elegant gallop, ambra and roberto cover at least eighty kilometers a week. ♪ >> the horse symbolizes strength, elegance and vigor. those are all characteristics that my patients lack due to ill health or old age. so, when i come with ambra, it's as if we're bringing those attributes back to them.

♪ >> hello. >> yes, i'll be with you in half an hour. see you soon! >> roberto cares for some 1500 patients scattered across the hills and small villages of this famous wine region. the area has been a unesco world heritage site since 2014. wine-grower adele altare is roberto's first patient of the day. >> good morning! >> good morning! >> how are you? >> good! nice you came to visit. >> of course! just let me tie my horse up and i'll be with you shortly.

>> today is just a routine check-up, to monitor the patient's heart and blood pressure. >> your blood pressure is fine. 120 over 80. that's ok. >> i'm always happy when he comes to visit. it's like in the old days when there weren't any cars. there's something special about it. >> now breathe in, and then hold your breath for a moment. we are the only health care center in all of italy, where, when you call a doctor, we send in the cavalry, free of charge! ♪ >> it was once said, "no hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle." roberto anfosso might just agree. >> lovely, wonderful and heartwarming. if you've enjoyed this latest edition of "focus on europe,"

do join us again next time round. until then, bye-bye and tschüss. ♪

brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. sri lanka's president bows to public pressure and resigns. troops are still on patrol in the capital and a nighttime curfew was in effect yet again. also coming up -- russia strikes central ukraine. at least 23 people are killed after missiles hit the city, far away from the frt