óçóç ♪ hello and welcome to "focus on europe." thanks for joining me today. as we enter the new year, russia's war against ukraine continues and with unrelenting ferocity. [explosion] one area that's been hit especially hard is that of bakhmut, in eastern ukraine. there, the almost non-stop artillery has left the city completely destroyed. russian troops have been trying to capture the strategically important region for months. while ukrainian forces, meanwhile, have recaptured many other towns. this situation is not how

russian president putin envisioned the course of his campaign in ukraine. his war has destroyed countless towns and villages, killed thousands of civilians, and has wounded or killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers both on the ukrainian and russian sides. with the advance of his troops stagnating, and the russian economy badly battered, the question remains -- what has putin gained from all of this? and the russian population? many in the country are still behind their president and the war. but there is also resistance. >> they chant "freedom," quiet at first, then louder. since the war began, sights like this have become rare. demonstrations and protests are illegal. court hearings give the opposition one of their few chances to meet. >> if i stand here with a sign for even a minute, i can be arrested and fined. and that money would finance the war. i come here to at least see a

few people who think like i do. >> everywhere, the reporting about russia is negative -- russia is putin, aggression and war. but there are many russians who are against it. >> not many people showed up, after all, but around a hundred are waiting to be admitted to the courtroom. in the end, the sentence to be announced here, is about the war. ilya yashin was sentenced to eight and a half years in a penal colony on charges of discrediting the military. he had discussed butcha on his livestream and shown what is being reported on the war tside of russia. "don't worry," yashin called from the glass box. "if someone thinks putin will rule for eight more years, there are a very big optimist." but there's little to be optimistic about. the opposition has mostly been locked away or driven into exile.

russian media are only allowed to depict the war being a success. the country seems shrouded in a fog of lies and uncertainty. even one of president putin's former speech writers now lives in exile. abbas gallyamov switched sides years ago. he says the war has been putin's biggest mistake. it's changed everything for russia. >> a year ago, putin was still a great leader. everybody saw him as one of the strongest rulers in the world. but as it turns out, he's brutal, and not strong at all. his image has faded, especially in comparison to zelenskyy. >> yet, putin still appears firmly in control, even as very cautious criticisms are heard from within his own camp, criticism of the retreat from kherson, that only weeks before, russia had annexed against international law. and criticism of the partial-mobilization debacle.

in the kremlin, putin hangs medals on soldiers who've excelled during his so-called special military operation. but cracks are appearing in the self-confident façade. putin has increasingly had to explain his conduct of the war, even as he sips sparkling wine with the newly minted heroes. >> now, we're getting lots of criticism for bombarding our neighbor's energy infrastructure. yes, that's what we're doing. but who started that? who attacked the crimean bridge? >> the war is doing putin very little good, and russia less, as en his supporters can see. luxury items aren't the only goods missing from the shelves in central moscow. sanctions have been felt across the country. almost all the foreign car makers are gone. this former renault factory has returned to production of the domestic moskvitch model.

it's advertised as a kind of super-car, made in russia. in reality, it's an exact copy of a chinese model. generally, chinese and russian cars are the only new models available. even so, russia's economy is doing better than expected, says aleksandra prokopenko. she was once an advisor to russia's central bank. now, she's in exile. >> the west was expecting the sanctions to tear russia's economy apart. and that could have worked. but the govement resnded professionally. russia's economists have served it better than its generals. if they'd imposed an embar on oil and gas last spring, it might've looked different. but now, there's enough money. russia can carry on with its risky military adventure.

>> and that seems to be precisely the plan. an exhibition of historical military hardware in moscow. the current war isn't directed only at ukraine. the enemy is the west in every respect. it's as if putin were out to prove the superiority of russian culture once and for all. even so, his exspeech writer says he won't go down in history as a positive figure. >> he would've had to depart earlier and leave a strong regime behind. but the regime is weak. it won't survive putin. to be a hero for the history books, he shouldn't have come back after medvedyev's term in office or had himself re-elected over anover. ♪ >> the choir sings the old red army sung about the "sacred war" for him. now, putin has no way back. nobody knows whether he regrets his special military operation or not. but his own fate is bound to it

and to a final victory. >> in ighboring tvia, people are extremely worried about the ongoing conflict. the eu member state used to be a soviet republic, so it shares a common past with russia. our reporter traveled there to meet a weaver named. janis rozentals who, along with his family, lives in the small town of abavciems. for the rozentals, russia's attack on ukraine has already changed their lives. things have become more expensive, but unlike in much of europe, latvians have another concern as well -- their proximity to their big neighbor. >> janis rozental is from latvia weaves seven meters of linen by hand a day on average. he uses it to make around 8 scarves. in the winter, janis and his wife laila build up their stocks. in the summer, they sell their goods on markets across europe. they've been in business for 20 years, and it's been going ok,

but the covid crisis hit them hard. the war in ukraine has made things even tighter. >> i never know what to expect at the gas station these days. and when i turn on the light, i see money disappearing. but those are just practical concerns. what's much worse is how we're losing our humanity. [dog barking] >> luckily, janis rozentals has friends and family helping him to build his house. the prices for construction materials have skyrocketed by over 20%, and the completion date just keeps getting pushed back further and further. the rozentals live in western latvia, in the tiny village of abavciems. janis enjoys the picturesque scenery twice a day when he brings his children to school and picks them up again. [laughter] but things aren't as idyllic as they may seem.

latvia, with its two million inhabitants, is among the five poorest countries in the eu. it had close economic ties with russia for decades. and even janis rozentals had a customer for his business there. but the war put a stop to that. >> the people there liked what we created. but i can't sell my soul. now it's just sad. sad and dumb. >> and many others feel just like janis. since the war, people have become increasingly uneasy about their eastern neighbor. over thirty years ago, the latvians declared their independence from the soviet union. but the trauma of soviet occupation is still rooted very deeply. around a quarter of the population speaks russian, mostly in the capital, riga. and many in latvia sympathized with russia and the kremlin's policies, at least before the war.

>> now we see that this change is tremendous, that the number of people who are still talking about russia as a neighbor with whom we can negotiate orrade is decreasing enormously, so all the rest who understands what happens, they see that russia is invader and that we have to very careful not to have ukrainian situation, ukrainian kind of war at our borders, in our territory. >> the rozentals think the war in ukraine is horrible. but they say even though ukraine is not far away, they still don't feel their own country faces any great danger. they believe nato will protect them. and that a russian attack on latvia would inevitably lead to world war iii. >> it feels kind of apocalyptic. you wake up in the morning and

you just don't get it. you read the news and think, what the hell is going on in this world! but i'm still hoping for good things. i think you have to make the best of it, hold on to your humanity, and not lose faith. it may sound childish, but i believe in miracles. >> the rozentals' house is deep in western latvia, just a few hours' drive from the russian border to the east. the latvians and russians share a common history that stretches back centuries. but they face an uncertain future. >> no matter where you go on corsica, there's a chance you'll run into a cow on the street, and even on the beach. since there are hardly any fences to restrain them, cows,

bulls and calves lead a life of absolute freedom on the french island. some of the owners of the animals, though, have been a little too laissez faire when it comes to itemizing exactly how many heads of cattle they own. that's because for each cow they declare, there's some money that's provided by the european union. but now, every corsican cow has to be registered and in a way that's not making farmers happy. >> corsican cows have a relatively good life. often, they're not even fenced in. they're free to roam wherever they like. so, hardly anyone can be exactly sure who owns which cow. and many farmers are perfectly fine with this laissez-faire approach. the confusion of cattle allows them to report more livestock to the eu than actually exist, says lia bastianelli. she has set out to bring order to the chaos.

>> the numbers of cattle in corsica have exploded on paper because the farmers get subsidies for every cow. >> so, lia and her team are trying to find the true number of cows in corsica. to do that, they plant a microchip known as a bolus in the cattle. >> we use a tube to introduce a bolus right into the cow's rumen or stomach. gravity will keep the bolus there for the animal's entire lifetime. >> just a moment of discomfort, and the cow has swallowed the bolus. >> it's quick and virtually painless. the round shape allows it to pass easily. >> from now on, subsidies will only be granted for cows with

the bolus chip. the owners of these cattle in the taravu valley have accepted this solution. >> i think it's a good thing. it had come to the point where it had to be done. i can adjust. i don't make things difficult like some people. >> but other corsicans are afraid of losing their generous eu subsidies, estimated at a total of some one and a half million euros per year for fictional cows. only about half the 50,000 cattle declared are thought to actually exist. in the village of marignana, the mayor thinks this cheating is only to be expected. he says the eu would do better to subsidize sheep and goats more. >> the way certain eu subsidies are allocated means that some farmers keep cattle even when they don't have the righspace. >> some farmers were failing at cattle ranching and saw

inventing fictional animals on paper as a way out. >> all of us have taken on more than we can handle now and then. and people end up regarding all cattle ranchers as fraudsters, when they're not. but there are bound to be a few . we've seen them. >> not only are the figures for cattle unclear -- the pigs in corsica run free, as well. but nobody has suggested microchipping them so far. many corsican farmers fundamentally distrust the authorities in paris and brussels, with their borders, rules and regulations. they say these bureaucrats can't understand the realities of cattle ranching anyway. they just patronize the farmers. >> the cows are born outdoors. they live in freedom. and now they have to swallow some weird foreign object that they don't understand. i don't like this method.

that's dictatorship. we're living in a dictatorship of the free market. and i get the impression that i'm being spied on more and more. >> now, the first bolus chips are in place. they can be read electronically. they clearly identify each and every cow, and lia bastianelli is optimistic. >> you can see that many farmers work hard and really need these subsidies. being able to identify the cattle better makes the allocation of that aid possible, to distribute it better to those who need it most. >> in the end, the real winners are the corsican cows. still nobody is demanding that they be fenced in like elsewhere, and denied their freedom. >> what you see here, right behind me is a very special

bank in the italian capital of rome. it's special because it doesn't manage money, it manages time. time that's worth at least as much to its customers as actual money. to be clear, the currency is work hours and by exchanging those hours, patrons end up hopefully with a deal that not only feels fair, but that lets them reconnect with the people in their community all with the help of their local time bank. >> alessandro from the time bank! >> alessandro has brought two hours with him. who or what they're for, he doesn't know yet. >> where do i go? >> this is my studio. >> nice! >> mauro hasn't finished setting up his new apartment.

he's a guitarist. but when it comes to diy, he's all thumbs. he wants to put up shelves, but he's worried about drilling into a power cable. but at least he's a member of the time bank. >> for little things, it's ideal. if you need something small done that you can't do yourself, you contact the bank, and they send someone. >> alessandro, who is also a musician, is confident that he can install the shelves. >> i used to work in construction. so i've done a little bit of everything -- electrics, masonry -- and now i can put that to good use. >> we're in pigneto, a multicultural neighborhood in rome. many people here don't have

much money and inflation is consuming the rest. so, they exchange. >> good evening, signora vera. may i come in? how are things? >> all fine. >> vera is 80 years old and spends a lot of time alone. >> i need to have friendly company around. a dear friend of mine passed away. he was also a kind of confessor for me. i've always had a confessor friend. >> now stefania is there, with an hour of her precious time for conversation and playing cards. stefania and vera are also members of the time bank. >> i like to offer my time, company, and conversation to those who need it.

>> behind this inconspicuous door is the time bank's office. the idea is that all activities are worth the same and can be exchanged. if alessandro works for mauro, he can redeem that time from another member, vera for instance. there are many time banks in italy, and pigneto's is one of the oldest. ilaria records all the hours spent. there were over 600 last year, and the crisis is making the number grow. >> the types of requests have changed more than anything. we have more requests for practical help. we're an important institution for the neighborhood here. >> it is vital for me. vital. >> vera has only recently moved to rome and knows very few people here. as well as socializing with

stefania, managing to beat her at cards would be a nice addition. but that's a wish stefania isn't prepared to grant her. >> you can get a lot out of keeping someone company. the exchange is enriching. >> 80-year-old vera says she's unable to pay off her time debts. but she doesn't have to. unlike ordinary banks, the time bank is not that strict about repayment. >> very good, very good. >> alessandro is finished, too. if he had drilled into a cable, he would have been insured by the time bank. he's not sure what he'll do with his two hours of time credit. but more importantly, he's gotten to know a fellow musician in the neighborhood. >> would be nice to play together sometime.

>> yes, let's organize something. >> mauro pays back his time debt the very same day by teaching guitar in the evening at the time bank. and stefania redeems her credit with mauro. she works as a childcare worker and playing cards with vera helped her afford this guitar lesson. >> i'm very excited. i can't wait to get started. for my first communion, i got linens, and my cousin got a guitar. honestly, i've been waiting 40 years for this moment. >> at the time bank you only have to give a little to get a lot back. >> skiing or snowboarding down the alps is getting more and more difficult each year. that's because human-induced climate change is causing temperatures to rise in europe's mountains, shortening the winter season in the best case,

and making it nearly impossible in the worst. even in switzerland, having enough snow is something you can no longer take for granted and for the people who earn their living from winter sports, the situation isn't easy. >> first there was no money, now there's no snow. patrick angehrn manages the chair lift at the hochwang ski resort in graubünden, and he's worried. donations are being collected to keep it running at all. >> we have fixed costs. unlike big ski resorts, we have only a limited number of customers to cover them. and that's the big challenge, reaching critical mass. >> it is almost impossible to manage both climate change and the exploding costs. in the valley, the lift operator explains that all the smaller ski resorts are on the brink of collapse. according to a study, a total of 40% of all swiss ski resorts have already closed. and the trend is rising sharply. photographer and author daniel

anker is following the trail of dead chair lifts with his camera. a structural change is taking place, and he's capturing what remains. >> the old towers and lift stations are quite pretty really, like memorials. the big cable car stations just stay there and become abandoned spaces. they're a little mysterious to go into. >> in san bernardino, the ski business shut down ten years ago. the control center is deserted and the gondolas are dusty. after the initial shock, the village managed to recover with a toboggan run, cross-country skiing, and hiking trails. it's less lucrative, says hotel owner hans peter wellig, but it works. >> we then decided to concentrate mostly on ski tours. and that's actually proved successful. we've had a go season the last few years.

>> they plan tours for their guests with mountain guides, depending on the weather, but are still fighting to reopen the ski areas. if winters continue to get warmer, they'll have to adapt, says florian möhl. >> nature is always stronger and it's good that it's stronger. weather will always happen. fortunately, we can't change that either. and so it's very clear that we are the ones who have to be flexible. >> switzerland is changing, and where lifts have come to a stand still, ski tours and other sports have taken over the slopes. >> still plenty of ways to enjoy the mountains! that was our look at europe this week. if you missed anything, or want to share this episode online, you can find it at dw.com. on behalf of the whole team, thank you for watching. stay safe, and until next time. goodbye.

♪

♪ nicole: this is dw news, live from berlin. the eu plans new sanctions on moscow on february 24. european commission president and a team of top eu officials have been holding talks with a lot of her zelenskyy head of the summit on friday. also coming up, pressure marks 80 years since the battle of stalingrad. vladimir