peter: hello, and a warm welcome to “focus on europe.” it's good to have you with us. we are more than half a year into russia's war on ukraine now. for russian troops, it's not working out as planned -- they are increasingly on the defensive. the ukrainian army is on the march, especially in the northeast of the country. here, they are recapturing places and regions, such as the town of lyman. according to ukrainian military reports, gains have also been made in the south of the

country. now, despite these successes, some thousands of ukrainian soldiers have been captured by russian forces. maksym is one of them. he is a prisoner of war, who took up arms when russia invaded his country. his parents have not heard from him for several months. they now live in constant fear for their son and have not been able to get in touch with him. for maksym's parents, the days are filled with heartache and uncertainty. reporter: every morning, yevgeniya butkevych takes a few minutes. she's holding a photo of her son maksym. she hasn't had any sign of life from him since he was taken prisoner by the russian military months earlier. she's terrified he's being tortured, or that he's no longer alive. yevgeniya: i sit and cry, while my husband's still asleep. when he gets up, i wash my face

and try to be strong for the day. i only allow myself to cry like that early in the morning. reporter: yevgeniya and oleksandr butkevych invited us in to hear about their son. maksym butkevych volunteered for military service. for years, he'd worked as a ukrainian journalist and stood up for refugees and human rights. when russia invaded ukraine, they tell us, maksym decided to fight for his country. oleksandr: he's a pacifist and an anti-militarist, has been all his life. but he told me, “i have to join the army. i have to defend the values i've fought for my whole life”" reporter: maksym's parents only found out he'd been taken prisoner from a video shown on russian state media. it showed their son being

interrogated in a cellar somewhere. yevgeniya: it was terrible. the first thing i felt was pure horror. i saw my only child and thought, this can't be true. reporter: over the following weeks, social media channels close to the kremlin labelled maksym a nazi, an ultra-nationalist, and even a british spy over and over again, simply because in 2003 he worked as a producer for the bbc. his parents went to the ukrainian military, ukraine's security service, and aid organizations, but no one could tell them anything. oleksandr: my biggest worry is that they won't treat our son as a p.o.w. but as a criminal, the way they've been doing with many others. i'm worried that they'll put him on trial using all these

lies and trumped-up evidence. reporter: according to ukraine's security service, over 7000 ukrainians have now been taken as prisoners of war by russian forces. the security service is collecting as much information as possible, but its work is highly confidential, so it turned down our interview requests. however, an attorney representing 50 families of pow's was prepared to talk to us. vladyslav ignatiev works closely with the security service, trying to bring the pow's back home. he thinks russia will be accusing more and more ukrainian soldiers of being nazis or committing other invented crimes. vladislav: i think this is done mostly for the political purposes. when you create such an, you know, importance of the person, like, he's a great nazi, you may use it to -- in their political trade.

reporter: maksym's parents are determined not to let that happen. they have filed an emergency appeal with the european court of human rights, hoping it'll put pressure on russia to allow international organizations access to their son. yevgeniya: we're doing this so we can find out how maksym is doing. we really have just one goal, that maxsym and his comrades be set free. reporter: until then, yevgeniya and oleksandr butkevych are trying to remain strong, and fight back the panic and fear they feel for their son. peter: olga strelnyk is one of more than seven million people from ukraine who have fled their homeland, and who have been registered as refugees in a number of european countries. olga's journey took her to the region of galicia, in the very northwest part of spain, to the

rugged atlantic coast where the weather is sometimes, well, rough. but olga feels at home there. and that has a lot to do with the sea, the locals, and one very welcoming little town. reporter: odesa feels a bit like home. the atlantic reminds olga strelnyk of her home region along the black sea. she and her family and about 100 others fled here, to northern spain, to escape the war in ukraine. olga: it's my family. so, for me it's more easy because it's a beautiful place, and beautiful people, and very kind people in cariño. reporter: the town is called cariño, which means love or affection in spanish. and that's just what olga and her fellow refugees experience here. at the traditional sardine festival, they're already part of the community after just a few months. olga: it's not huge place, but it's a chance to see everybody, to say

hello and ask, how are you. reporter: the people of cariño, in galicia, made it easy for them to settle down and start new lives. >> we accept everyone here. >> cariño is a welcoming town and of course the ukrainians are welcome and respected here. reporter: javier colorado manteiga from caritas has been helping however he can for months. and he knows all the newcomers. javier: we could get to know each other a bit better if they spoke our language better. but that's just a question of time. and the kids are great. they really absorb everything and learn the language super-fast. reporter: cariño has less than 4000 residents. many of them are elderly, and the town's population had been shrinking. jose:

the young people arriving are a rejuvenation for us. we are getting more people of working age. and that rejuvenates the town. reporter: olga strelnyk and her colleagues feel they have a bright professional future here. in ukraine, they worked for a platform selling spare car parts. they were in cariño on business when the war broke out. they wanted to expand their operations to spain. olga: in galicia, there are a lot of advantages, because there are people very kind to other people who would like to start business here. so, it's not spain, like madrid and other huge cities. we can't just come for, i don't know, one year and take the money from the market and go away. we would like to build a very huge business here. reporter: today, they're visiting their

new office spaces for the first time. it's a welcome distraction from the war back at home and their fear for their loved ones. their ukrainian colleague magdalina shpak can relate. she's been living in caro for many years. and she's put dozens of people in touch with locals. magdalina: there's a big difference between refugees and migrants. migrants leave their country because they want to. they want to. they plan things and decide where to live. refugees don't have that luxury. they just head off without anything. reporter: olga strelnyk returned to ukraine after the war broke out. she had to fetch her children, 16-year-old hordey and nine-year-old agata, at the border to romania to bring them to safety. olga: it was very bad, this feeling. because i have seen a lot

people in the line. but i'm so afraid for my children. reporter: her ex-husband stayed behind. and her mother is still in odesa, too. they talk to each other several times a day. olga: you can explain how you feel now. and nobody says, ok, i'm normal. you can explain that i'm sad, i miss, i'm feeling not good, or i'm glad to see new people. more things now are not formal. because you understand that this day can be the last. reporter: after escaping the war, the newcomers want to get back to work. their digital business is helping create jobs in the spanish town. plus, the café they've fixed up has now become a meeting point

for young and old. peter: if you were out at sea, you'd be pretty happy if you'd been lucky enough to spot a dolphin or whale, wouldn't you? but imagine if your boat were suddenly attacked by one of those animals, by a killer whale. that is exactly what is happening off the atlantic coast of spain, where there are more and more reports of orca attacks on sailing yachts and on fishing and sport boats. marine biologists are faced with a mystery, and sailors, well, they're left wondering how they can stay safe. >> killer whale. reporter: a sailor's worst nightmare -- a full-grown orca rams a boat off the spanish coast. the animal is strong enough to damage the sailing yacht or, in the worst case, to capsize it.

it's happened to rafael martinez, too. he's had 30 years' experience sailing the seas with his wife, and the couple from cadiz are not easily shaken. but their encounter with the orcas was terrifying. rafael: suddenly i felt a jolt. the boat spun around 180 degrees and was facing north. that was when my wife spotted the orcas. the first thing i did was radio the coastguard for help. because when an animal that massive attacks your boat and you don't know how long it's going to go on, anything could happen. reporter: fears are growing on spain and portugal's atlantic coast. more than 300 incidents have been recorded in the last two years. sailors say that the spanish

coast guard is having to launch rescue operations on a daily basis for people whose boats have been damaged by orcas. the crew of this boat were able to record the dramatic scenes. orcas -- also called killer whales -- are predators that can weigh up to seven tons. these four orcas pushed the yacht back and forth like a toy. they seemed especially fixated on the rudder. >> nobody will -- believe this. every time i go on one side, he goes to the bloody other. reporter: the marine mammals besiege the boat for about two hours. scientists prer to call e events “encounters.” but rafael martinez and most sailors are calling them attacks. rafael: at one point i felt panic. the orcas had been at it for 15

minutes, and suddenly i see a piece of the rudder floating behind us. reporter: without a rudder, the boat is impossible to steer. the big question is, why are the orcas doing this? dori: something's been done to them that's completely destabilized them. it was as if they'd gone completely crazy. reporter: the port of conil de la frontera. locals say the competition for food is making the orcas aggressive. the marine predators and the fishers are both hunting for bluefin tuna. in the fight over the prey, fishers have injured orcas with harpoons, according to animal rights activists. the fishers have a different theory. antonio: we think that a sailor accidentally injured an orca calf. and that's why the animals are now attacking the underside of the boats.

that's never happened before. reporter: whale researcher ezequiel andreu prefers to avoid the word “attack.” he estimates there are only about 40 iberian orcas left. protecting this endangered species is top priority. ezequiel: it's very difficult toind the cause -- the orcas aren't telling us. but what we can say with a high probability is that it's related to a variety of interactions with humans. we think it's a learned behavior over time, which is passed on to the rest of the group. reporter: most of the sailors take little comfort in such explanations. they say scientists and authorities aren't doing enough to ensure the sailors' safety. rafael martinez says the animals should be monitored with gps transmitters. if nothing is done, he fears

one day an orca might be killed. rafael: if your boat and your life are in danger, then you defend yourself. i feel sorry for the orcas, but if it's a question of their life or my life, then i choose mine. but it should never come to that. we need studies and solutions to the problem. reporter: the couple plan to continue sailing. but one thing they want to avoid at all costs is another encounter with the iberian orcas. peter: meet ludovic-mohamed zahed. he is a scholar of islam, a mosque founder, and openly gay. he was reported to be the first french muslim to be civilly married to another man. and while many would argue this was his right, there are those who say islam and homosexuality are not compatible. even in marseille in the south of france, where zahed lives.

he has allies in his fight against prejudices. but the path he has chosen is long and risky. reporter: imam ludovic-mohamed zahed is praying for tolerance. and he's happy to do so with a woman. that in itself is already pretty unusual. but the real surprise is that the muslim scholar is openly homosexual, and fighting for gays to be accepted in islam. ludovic-mohamed: this can't go on. there's too much violence, pressure, and degradation. people pretend we don't exist. sometimes there's even physical violence in our families and communities. reporter: after studying to become an imam back in his native country of algeria, zahed fled here to marseille, in southern france. in his new home, he came out as homosexual. and founded an islamic institute.

these days, he also officiates gay weddings. ludovic-mohamed: thank you for coming. i'm very honored to take part in this ceremony. reporter: it's about acceptance and standing one's ground. officially, same-sex marriages are not allowed in islam. ludovic-mohamed: congratulations. reporter: that's why some imams in france have threatened zahed and pitted muslims against him. ludovic-mohamed: some people are very angry without knowing me. it's crazy that people can hate you or want to see you dead without even knowing you. reporter: according to one survey, over two-thirds of muslims in france have prejudices against homosexuals. >> we're muslims. we don't have that kind of thing.

we behave with decency. >> for us, to be homosexual, and do such things, is a terrible sin. and that's why muslims don't do that. reporter: but zahed wants to belong to the muslim community. he's already gone on five pilgrimages to the holy muslim city of mecca. he wants to show that homosexuals can be good muslims. ludovic-mohamed: it was important to me and us to be physically present and show that we exist and are part of the community. that we have the same practices and that we're no less human or spiritual just because we're, as they put it, different. reporter: the imam is calling for open discussion about a new, reformed islam, with more

tolerance towards minorities. he moderates talks on social media. and today's guests are a catholic clergyman and salima, one of few women who are imams. salima: there is a sura, that you know better than me, that says we have created man, we have created women, and we have created something in between. repoer: salima values her brother in faith, and says he is breaking new ground. salima: what ludovic is doing is he is creating an institution. he's institutionalizing a new, modern, inclusive islam. and this is new. there's nobody offering those tools. reporter: zahed also wants to protect those who are in danger because of their sexual orientation.

like this group of homosexual refugees. some have had their lives threatened back in their home countries. and their fellow believers here don't always show them tolerance either. >> it's time to sound the alarm for tolerance. reporter: the imam has been supporting this artistic work for years. here, the group is putting on a dance performance. ludovic-mohamed: it makes me happy to see how much good it does the participants. and it's interesting for the audience, too, because some struggle to understand these identities. when they're just a reality, which the audience discovers here through art, and that's a wonderful thing. reporter: in order to win over more

people for his cause, ludovic-mohammed zahed wants to share this with others. he's determined to keep at it, despite the risks. ludovic-mohamed: sure, there are moments when you're afraid. but not really. and that's not going to hold us back. peter: a made-to-measure suit -- the quintessential outfit of the well styled english gentleman. but during the pandemic, working from home became the norm. a sartorial shock for london tailor james sleater, demand suddenly dropped. he feared his custom-tailored suits would be replaced by sweat suits. but now, one of london's most famous menswear streets is buzzing again. reporter: london's savile row, where men's wear meets tradition. james sleater opened his shop here in 2008. before that, he was a banker.

now, he offers custom-tailored suits, primarily for the office. and he was doing good business, until the pandemic. james: our general tailoring business obviously took a huge hit. we were probably 80% down in revenue. since unlocking, its been incredible. very few people remained the same shape, actually, in lockdown. everyone either went on a health kick, or they sat back and became lazy and ordered lots of takeaways because there was nothing else to do. reporter: so, in other ways, the lockdowns helped fashion. changing physiques meant new wardrobes. james sleater's employees have never been busier. after months or even years in lockdown, many gentlemen feel like trying something new, something a bit looser and more comfortable. james: if i put on a blue suit in the morning, it's just one decision, trousers and jacket come as a parcel.

but if i pick a jacket out, i have to think what trousers to put with it, what shoes. so actually, it requires a lot more thought, and a lot more work for your tailor, therefore. reporter: it's all to do with a yearning for freedom, says fashion blogger aleks cvetkovic. and with the hope the lockdowns are now a thing of the past. aleks: the business suit is having quite a tough time. but that does something, i think, something quite exciting. because if men no longer have to wear the suit as a uniform, they can use the suit as a tool to express themselves. so, what we are seeing in london, or what we've seen over the last 1.5 years or so, is a big de-corporating of the suit. the suit has become much less corporate and much more of a lifestyle garment. reporter: and so, james sleater needn't worry that his craft will go out of fashion.

james: the suit is definitely never going to die. there's always an occasion to wear a suit, whether it be to an interview or a wedding. going back to your question about an english gentleman, you can never be overdressed. its so much better to be overdressed than underdressed. if i turn up to a cocktail party and i am the only person wearing a tie, i can just take the tie off. but also, there is nothing wrong with being best-dressed guy in the room. reporter: the english gentleman still aspires to be well-dressed. he's simply expanded his repertoire, and his range of colors. peter: lifestyle choices liberated from lockdown. sartorial elegance is more fashionable than ever, it seems, and it's great to know that there's something stylish, colorful, and comfortable to wear for everyone, whatever the occasion. that's all from us this week at “focus on europe.” you can watch our show on our website any time again. thank you, and bye for now.

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10/27/22 10/27/22 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> today to never hear of again from a threatened outright, the of atomic weapons which even after nagasaki, continued to be produced. amy: as pope francis calls for peace in ukraine, how i progress