hello, and welcome to “focus on europe.” it's good to have you with us. it's been a year since russia launched a full-scale invasion into ukraine. one year ago, many believed that russia's huge army would have an easy time taking control of the country. russia itself seemed confident, too. the advances, however, quickly stalled. ukraine has been fighting fiercely. but the war has devastated the country. the russian army has been

targeting the energy supply in ukraine. and it's mainly affecting civilians. people continue to suffer under russian aggression. shortly before the war started, we met marta, a doctor, in the capital kyiv. she and her husband serhii wanted to do something against the threat from russia. so, despite having no combat experience, they decided to volunteer to support the army. now, after a year of being on the frontlines, they say the war has changed them, as it has changed the whole country. reporter: marta and serhii are on leave from the front. it's been months since they've had the time to stroll through kyiv together. they've been on duty since the very first day of the war. marta: this time, it's like to return completely to the time before war. i could see all changes actually, what happens to kyiv, but i think kyiv like renewed after a few months since beginning of war.

so now, it's much more peaceful here, i would say. yeah, and it's good. it's good to have a place where you could return from a front line and understand that it's quite peaceful. reporter: we first met the couple a few weeks before russia's full-scale invasion. marta and serhii had just joined ukraine's territorial defense forces, a military reserve of the country's armed forces. few members had previous military experience. marta and serhii didn't either. they got training once a week in the very basics of combat. marta: all this stuff that you could

just see on the movies, on the documentaries, you know, it seems very simple, but in general, when you started to do it, it's quite difficult because you need to know how to do it correctly, not to be in danger for yourself and for your colleagues. so it's quite important skills. very basic, but very important skills. reporter: at that time, the territorial defense forces were intended to support the military in case of war, but mainly behind the front lines -- at checkpoints, for instance. a year ago, nobody knew whether or not russia would actually invade. but if war did come, marta knew she wanted to be prepared. marta: it's difficult to explain to foreigners why we exactly know what to expect from russia, but it happens in our history many, many times, when they just physically destroy all roots of ukrainians. reporter: marta did not consider herself the adventurous type.

before the war, she'd been living an ordinary, low-key life. she had a house just outside kyiv, a garden, and some pets. after studying medicine, marta was supervising studies for international pharmaceutical companies from home. but she sensed that the tranquility wouldn't last. marta: it's almost impossible to imagine what will happen, if i have to leave it, if i have to just fight, and it will be destroyed. it could happen. i'm trying to be ready for this because it's still -- how to say -- definitely, i don't want to preserve this on the price of living under occupation. >> damn, that's close. reporr: war came much faster than expected. the pair was part of the defense forces as soon athe war began. with russian troops swiftly advancing on kyiv, their

hometown became a war zone. serhii was fighting in the trenches, while marta served as a medic in a first-aid station. these days, the territorial defense forces no longer stay well behind the frontlines. they've become active combat units and are deployed to some of the most perilous sections of the front. marta and serhii were both recently at the fiercely contested donbas front. marta: i am still afraid of anything

because serhii is a little bit -- i mean, not a little bit -- he is far more advanced in this, and i'm still afraid. but what already happens when i know that i have to go there, you know, i just could go. otherwise, i would never go there. reporter: now, for the first time, the couple has some time off together. serhii: honestly, i was not really optimistic in the first months of the war. i had the feeling that we were losing, each minute. it was a big problem. it was difficult to see this from the news, from the situation. but i see how the army became stronger.

and i'm really proud to se this. reporter: but as they walk around their hometown -- which for now, is more or less peaceful -- they come across reminders of the war. in the center of kyiv, the authorities have put wreckage of russian tanks on display. but the two have already seen plenty of those. the hypothetical situation they started preparing for over a year ago became a deadly and all too bitter reality. isha: people in estonia are also worried about a russian attack. this baltic nation supports the western position against putin. estonia is a member of the eu and nato. the western military alliance is trying to ease estonia's fears at the ämari air base. since 2014, nato fighter jets have been taking off from here to safeguard the airspace over the baltics. german pilot christoph

hachmeister tells us in case of an emergency, every second is crucial. reporter: thermal underwear, a water immersion suit, boots, a g-suit, a life jacket, and a helmet. it takes lieutenant colonel christoph hachmeister less than two minutes to put it all on. right next door, his eurofighter waits, refueled and armed. if the alarm sounds, the pilot has to be airborne in under 15 minutes. christoph: it's a very short amount of time for such a highly complex system. it's no big secret that, for all pilots, when you're fast asleep and the alarm goes off, your pulse rises a bit. the adrenaline kicks in because you're trying to get ready and be fully alert, so you can get your job done no matter if it's day or nighttime.

reporter: hachmeister is the german detachment commander for nato's enhanced air policing mission in estonia. he has four eurofighter jets, their pilots, ground crew, and support personnel under his command, a total of around 150 people. their mission is to protect the air space over the baltic states, to identify potentially hostile aircraft and keep them out of nato air space. nato fighter jets can regularly be heard overhead in the neighboring town of keila, just over 10 kilometers from the airport. and not everyone is thrilled by nato's presence in the region. >> fascists are fascists. they're everywhere. reporter: who are the fascists? >> nato. people say the russians are

occupiers, but when the german planes fly here, then it's fine. >> of course i support it, because i know the reason why they're flying here. it's reassuring. >> they're here to defend us in case of a potential attack. >> in my opinion it's all --, it's all circus. >> we're never going to know what russia is going to do next. reporter: to ensure the aircraft remain operational at all times, mechanics work around the clock. thousands of parts and more than 40 computers have to be checked and maintained. several hours of work on the ground go into every hour in the air. each hour of flight costs about 74,000 euros. on top of that, the jet's weapons are extremely expensive. christoph: this here is the iris-t infrared missile. and this marking indicates that

it's live. it has an internal rocket engine, which can ignite and send the rocket flying off this guide rail toward its target. reporter: none of the three baltic states -- estonia, latvia, or lithuania -- has fighter jets of their own to patrol their airspace. since they joined nato in 2004, allies have taken over this role. and after russia's illegal annexation of crimea in 2014, nato has been flying from a second base in ämari. christoph: you can see the presence of the nato countries, and not only in the baltic region. they're present in poland, and romania down towards the black sea. nato's presence has also become more visible to russian forces. we're showing them that there are red lines, that we're here, and we're ready. reporter: the russian planes are not far away. one of their main routes is just north of the estonian

coast. russian military aircraft regularly fly without transponders, a device that transmits information and flight data. and they don't communicate with air traffic controllers on the ground -- a potential hazard to civilian air traffic. in these instances, german air force pilots are sent to intercept and identify the aircraft. christoph: there's nothing normal about an uncoordinated encounter of two fighter jets in international air space. when you're approaching an aircraft that you're not in contact with, and you don't know what the other pilot is doing, what their intentions are, or their flight path, of course you're a bit more tense. reporter: christoph hachmeister says his troops have trained long and hard to be ready for any possible scenario. for the germans, this mission comes to an end in april, when

they will be relieved by the british royal air force. isha: turkey and syria have been shaken by earthquakes, yet again. there have been more deaths, injuries, and suffering. turkish authorities have registered more than 6000 aftershocks following the catastrophe that happened a couple of weeks back. densely populated areas are at a much higher risk. experts now warn that big cities such as istanbul could collapse completely because building standards are often not observed there. in the city of düzce, some former earthquake victims have managed to build earthquake-proof houses for themselves. reporter: this new residential area shouldn't have been built here at all. it's located in the western turkish city of düzce, one of turkey's most earthquake-prone regions. erbay yücak doesn't see that as

a problem. together with the civil engineer in charge, yücak discusses the final details of the construction work. together, they've supervised every step of the process. erbay: some construction companies do things like add chemicals to the concrete, to make it flow better. if you don't monitor that yourself on the building site, you can end up in a situation like the earthquake in the east. the more supervision, the safer it is. reporter: over two decades ago, yücak, a lawyer, founded the “hope homes” cooperative housing project with like-minded people. they wanted to form a community and construct affordable and earthquake-resistant housing. at the time, their hometown of düzce had just experienced one of the worst earthquakes in its history. it measured 7.2 on the richter scale.

more than 800 people died. nagihan parlak survived. but since she was a renter, she was left on the streets following the quake. she joined hope homes, and now, almost 24 years later, she shows erbay yücak the apartment she just moved into. it's one of 237. nagihan: this is the kitchen. erbay: wow, a sunroom. i want to have a look. nagihan: of course, we still fear there will be more earthquakes. but we also know that our houses won't crumble like the ones in the east. we all regularly visited the construction site, delighted to see every step forward, whether it was seeing the windows installed or gas pipes.

we're a community here. erbay: they've waited patiently all these years and trusted our projections. without having the trust of the future residents, we wouldn't have had this kind of success. reporter: their success has set an example in turkey. at one point, the cooperativ had to sue the state in order for the earthquake victims to be provided with a plot of land. the courts eventually ruled in their favor. erbay: according to the law, we were also entitled to a low-interest construction loan from the state. but at first, they didn't want to give us that either. we ended up taking legal action against them and won the case. reporter: a few kilometers away, the mayor of düzce is checking the aid deliveries for the region in eastern turkey struck by the latest earthquake. his city wants to send mobile toilets and showers.

faruk özlü is convinced that his own city is well-prepared to withstand the next big quake. in düzce, new construction can only be four stories high, which is unusual in turkey. faruk: we're in the process of completing an urban renewal project. about 25% of the old, unsafe housing remains, and we want to replace it in the near future. reporter: faruk özlü is part of the ruling justice and development party. but he is full of praise for the determined building cooperative in his city. faruk: they managed to come together and see this housing development through. i think it's a great success. reporter: the last time the earth began to tremble in düzce was last november. but despite the earthquake measuring 5.9 on the richter scale, everything went relatively smoothly. most injuries were not too

severe. although there were damaged buildings, the hope homes were not among them. they withstood the quake, unscathed. nagihan: i wasn't too worried about the buildings. but we still rushed to the construction site to have a look. i had already put some furniture in the apartment. but not one thing had been knocked over. reporter: for yücak, parlak, and the others in the building cooperative, a decades-long struggle is coming to an end. their fight for earthquake-resistant, affordable housing was a success. and they hope it can be an inspiration to others in these uncertain times. isha: they live in terrible conditions and work for very little money. in southern italy, thousands of african harvest workers are forced to live in unsanitary shelters. their accommodations often lack basic heating.

an aid project in san ferdinando wants to restore people's dignity. by building special housing for them, the initiative hopes to reduce their hardships. reporter: sanoh is on his way to work. he asked to remain anonymous to protect his family. sah lives inosarno, a small town in calabria, but he's originally from guinea. he's been in italy for eight years, and he's currently working as an orange harvester. we accompany sanoh to the plain of gioia tauro. many harvest workers are employed here, and, like sanoh, they came as migrants from africa. sanoh: we start at 7:30 in the morning and work for seven hours in the field here. reporter: his wage is between 50 and 60 euros a day. it's good work for good pay, he says. but it will soon come to an end.

sanoh: when the boss says the harvest is over, we have to find another job. we go where there's work. reporter: sanoh shows us where he lived until recently, a camp for harvest workers near gioia tauro. around 500 people live there in precarious conditions. we are advised to stay outside, as the camp is partially under water. sanoh: the situation is tough. now there's no place to sleep, either. they say there will be a new building with more space soon. eating here or trying to cook, it's hard. i can cook, but the water from the well is not drinkable. if you drink it, you'll get sick. reporter: the trash attracts rats and stray dogs. the water from the night's rain

builds up between the tents. we visit the “house of dignity.” up to 20 migrant workers have found a safe home here. why is it called the house of dignity? francesco: it's called house of dignity because it's important to us that this isn't a passive form of assistance. the workers are contributing to the costs based on their income. 90 euros is the maximum. it's not free housing, which we think is important in taking out an element of passivity. reporter: sanoh shares an apartment with four other men. it has one bathroom and two bedrooms. sanoh: this is my room and my bed, with my warm blanket -- otherwise, i'd freeze. i bought it in town for 40

euros. reporter: francesco helped sanoh get a residence and work permit. without that, the harvest workers essentially have no rights. francesco: we are a kind of safe space, and this house is an example of that. “mediterranean hope” works to ensure humanitarian access routes. and then we provide protection once people arrive. reporter: francesco also gets help from local growers. the “mani e terra” cooperative buys oranges at fairly negotiated prices and conditions. the fruit is then sent to church congregations and private individuals in germany, for example. the proceeds are used support migrant initiatives in calabria. giuseppe: what characterizes the traditional supply chains in our agriculture is the cruel exploitation of people by people. the ones most affected by this

are harvest workers from non-eu countries, sucas migrant workers from africa, living in unimaginable conditions. reporter: aid organizations and orange growers have worked together to provide some hope for seasonal workers. sanoh has a roof over his head when he comes home and has more safety and security than many other harvest workers. isha: now, a toaster is an essential part of most british homes. breakfast often includes toasted white bread with butter and jam. but what should one do once the toaster stops working? many britons simply throw their appliances away. but a repair shop in london is showing that there is another way. repairs tend to be cheaper, and far more environmentally friendly. and this trend is catching on.

>> and then water was leaking out of here. resheedan: yeah inside, and then black stuff came out, and it makes a funny noise. reporter: after five years of regular use, resheedan katun's blender is acting up. instead of throwing it away, she enlists the help of the fixing factory, a repair shop in london's camden borough. they repair rather than toss, and the service is free of charge. the manager dermot jones and his volunteers want to reduce electronic waste, which is harmful to the environment. the u.k. is europe's second largest e-waste producer, with each household generating 55 kilograms annually. dermot: it's got to change. it's not sustainable. it's destroying the planet. and it would be really, really simple just to redesign things so that they're fixable and you can buy the parts, or the things that are already made, just help us out. reporter: the repair shop is supported by donations and the national lottery community fund. their enthusiastic volunteers are also key to the organization, such as jamie johnson, who was inspired by his daughter.

jamie: yeah, i think they're a lot more aware probably than my generation, i would say. they're a lot more up on things for the environment and trying to live more sustainable. reporter: fixing things is also cheaper. resheedan katun's blender cost 100 pounds at the time, and the spare part is available online for around four pounds. resheedan: now we are living in a crisis, you know. it's very hard, for everybody, you know. reporter: in view of the inflation crisis and climate change, repair shops are gaining in popularity. and the fixing factory's success rate is 90%, according to manager dermot jones. >> thank you very much. i'm delighted. reporter: resheedan katun's blender works perfectly again, thanks to the fixing factory in london. isha: i hope that inspires you to get

your appliances repaired, too. that's it for “focus on europe.” thanks for watching. goodbye. ♪ [captioning performed by the, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

03/16/23 03/16/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> i ahere in ethioa to reafrm a pledge president biden made late last year. as he put it, the united states is all in on africa and all in with africa. amy: secretary of state tony blinken is in africa this week as the united states openly