lara: this is "focus on europe." i'm lara babalola.

glad you could join us. britain is gearing up for the coronation of king charles, who became monarch last year upon the death of his mother, queen elizabeth the second. it's an occasion charles has been preparing for his whole life, and the stakes are high both for the king and his wife, camilla. a series of scandals and public quarrels have placed the royal family under intense scrutiny. now the king is under pressure to preserve the future of the monarchy and the united kingdom. this crown is the centerpiece of the coronation and a symbol of the monarchy. it's made from solid gold and is set with hundreds of precious stones and pearls. dazzling to some, but to others, it's spectacle they would rather not witness. british republicans, including ben clinton, want to abolish the monarchy altogether. unthinkable for supporters of the royal family, who are in the planning stages of their own coronation parties. for them, it's a chance to witness history and the first such ceremony in 70 years.

>> marching into a new era. the coronation of king charles. the festivities are aplenty, and not just in front of buckingham palace. all over the country, the crown's subjects are preparing for their new king. boyn valley road in maidenhead, a small town in the south of the uk, is no exception. >> the queen was a wonderful role model. i think charles will be good as well. >> in honor of the big day, the residents are closing off the whole street. the party committee has their work cut out. >> it's big, it's a big celebration. and we are looking forward to it. >> but not all britons are so enthusiastic. republicans ben clinton and david mcalpine are up in arms.

a change is long overdue, they say. >> why should we not have the chance to vote for our own head of state? why should we have to put up with a family that has been unelected, that no one can aspire to be head of state in this country? no young person can look up and think, i want to be able to do that, i want to make that a goal to improve people's lives. it goes against every democratic norm. >> and not only that, the monarchy is expensive, republicans argue. an investigation by a british newspaper estimated the king's personal fortune alone at nearly two billion pounds. hardly reasonable at a time when some britons can barely feed their families, they say. >> my lords, pray, be seated. >> it's this enormous privilege and unearned wealth and position, it reinforces the whole class system.

it's like the apex of class in this country, which is a severe issue. so no one can really get to the top. >> charles iii, unlike his late mother, has drawn protests at his public appearances. but despite the odd egg flying his way, he seems unfazed by the negative attention, walking nonchalantly past demonstrations, like this one in the north of england. the slogan -- "not my king." younger britons in particular are increasingly skeptical of the royals, according to polls. >> we're hoping to grow really by these coronation protests. we're hoping to grow by putting a light on some of the very unjust things the royal family have been doing in the last few decades, not just the last year. i think this provides a really great opportunity for us to show our message to the world. >> but back in boyn valley road, the republicans' message

goes unheard. the children color in the king's carriage and other royal motifs while the adults prepare for the festivities. >> so we can write scones down. >> what to serve with afternoon tea, where to place the union jacks. the party planners agree, 74-year-old charles is the ideal head of state. >> he understands problems that the country has, he understands the strengths that the country has. >> because britain has always had a monarchy, it's a history, it's part of the structure of the united kingdom. not to have it would be detrimental for the country. >> it might send shock waves around the world, if he did step down and the monarchy stopped. >> charles, camilla, and the royal family are still popular in britain, drawing much admiration for their royal splendor. they will continue to represent

the country internationally. at least for the time being. because young britons are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the traditions, the centuries-old form of government, and the monarchy. lara: it's crop planting season for farmers, and tilling machines are digging up the fields in order to prepare the soil. but in ukraine, one of the world's top grain producers, aerating the earth comes with great risk. oleh girman fears for his life when he sets foot on his fields. fighting is ongoing on ukraine's eastern front, though in the region of kharkiv, ukrainian troops were able to push back russian forces and hold onto territory. but the war and destruction has turned many fields there into death traps for ukraine's farmers. >> now that spring has arrived, oleh girman should be tilling

his fields. but he can't. russian forces may have withdrawn from the kharkiv region, but they left explosive souvenirs behind for the ukrainian farmers. >> the russian position was over there. they mined everything in front of it. these are my fields. who knows what's lying there? >> to plow this soil and plant it with heavy seed drills would be downright suicidal for oleh girman. >> to me, that looks like an anti-tank mine. it was lying close by here and probably rigged up with some kind of trap. >> after the heavy fighting that took place in the kharkiv region, the countryside is regarded as 100% contaminated with mines and unexploded devices. and they're not hard to find. this is one end of a russian smerch missile. it contains the thruster.

no one knows what else might be buried here. oleh girman sees his entire livelihood threatened. before the war broke out, he had 30 employees. since then, he says he's lost half a million euros. he's one of thousands of farmers suffering the same fate in ukraine, once known as europe's breadbasket. >> it's very painful. and so is what i've heard from other farmers. some farms have been completely destroyed. >> now, ukraine is thought to have the highest density of landmines of any country on earth. national and international organizations like britain's halo trust are on site, trying to clear and defuse the mines.

>> anti-personnel mines with pressure plates, anti-personnel mines with bounding fragmentation, grenades on trip wires. we are finding all sorts of cluster munition used in ukraine, anti-vehicle mines in plastic and metal cases. >> experts say that 30% to 40% of ukraine's entire surface area will have to be swept before being opened to the public. >> we have people that are not able to walk on their own land, on their own yards, go for a picnic, or walk freely because of the mines. on the other hand, they can't cultivate their land, which in most cases is the first source of income for the family. other scenarios can be infrastructure areas that are again contaminated. just in ukraine, we are seeing the number of accidents increasing. >> but many farmers have to take the chance in order to

survive. in some regions, they're risking their very lives by tilling the soil. >> shrapnel, here, here, and here. it'll take a long time to get it all out. it's like a gaping wound, not many metal splinters, mostly plastic and rubber. now, it's bearable, but the first day, it was no fun at all. >> yuri ran over a landmine with his tractor. he's lucky to be alive. but he won't give up, even if he has to clear the mines himself. he shows us some military equipment he found in the field. >> the way i see it, i'm not the first, and i won't be the last in ukraine to get blown up. >> oleh girman is also

considering clearing his fields himself to save his farm. >> if they don't help and the when second year comes around, when people can't work and they don't get help, some leave and won't come back. it'll be very hard to restore all this, if we don't do it now. >> he is worried that this growing season will make or break the future for him and his farm. lara: sweden is well-known for its position as a politically neutral state. but russia's invasion of ukraine has led to some swedes questioning this longstanding policy. now, the northern europeans are breaking with the status quo

and are seeking protection from nato, the defense alliance of european and north american nations. sweden is keen to be admitted into the alliance as soon as possible due to its close proximity to russia. stockholm has just expelled several russian diplomats for allegedly threatening state security, as relations between the two nations sour. for young soldiers like filippa, the war in ukraine has changed everything, and military training exercises have taken on a newfound urgency and importance. >> see that fallen tree? about 100 metres from here? aim for that area. the enemy line is somewhere in this forest. intelligence has reached filia and her group that enemy forces are close by. we've been given permission to accompany this swedish military unit on an exercise, but are asked to avoid using last names.

the 20-year-old conscript signed up for military service before russia's invasion of ukraine. the war changed everything for the young soldier. >> initially, the military service was more something that was just fun. getting to do sports, meet new people. but for myself and many others, it's much more real now. the situation out there is heating up. >> an enemy unit has been spotted. in the woodlands north of stockholm, the unit trains with blanks. but what happens when the rounds are live instead? the war in ukraine is on all the conscripts' minds. >> some feel better talking about it. but there are others who don't talk about it at all, because they can't deal with it. i don't think about it anymore, that's what keeps me functioning. it really scares me.

>> with war having become a reality in europe once more, sweden is preparing for the worst-case scenario. unlike neighbor finland, they had suspended the military draft here for several years. now, there are proposals to double the number of conscripts. tanks rolled onto the baltic island of gotland last year. usually a favorite amongst swedish vacationers, the once demilitarized island is now hosting forces once again. strategic positions in the baltic sea region make sweden and finland especially interesting for nato, says finnish security expert minna ålander. >> overall, finnish and swedish accession means what we call the "correlation of forces," is changing in the region, changing in favor of nato. previously, russia had something of a free pass to disrupt the nordic and baltic countries at will, to apply pressure on them like that.

>> sweden has long prided itself on not officially taking part in any military alliance. during the cold war, prime minister olof palme championed peace and understanding and shaped the image of sweden as a respected moral authority. palme's former comrades-in-arms can no longer believe their eyes. a majority in the country now supports nato membership. göran greider, editor-in-chief of the social democratic newspaper, dala-demokraten, believes that the application to join was a mistake. >> the world needs states that do not belong to any military bloc, because what we're seeing in the west, this enormous arms build-up. the war cannot go on for 50 years. at some point, it must come to an end. when that happens, we need non-aligned states, like what sweden used to be.

>> back in the forest, the soldiers prepare for the next skirmish. filippa and her unit catch their breath. joining nato would offer sweden support from the alliance. but what the soldiers here know is they must defend others in return. >> of course, we would prefer not to worry about this. but i do. and it weighs on me. >> this summer, filippa will have completed her basic training, after which she will leave the military. the decision, she says, was made independently of the war in ukraine. lara: many brides want to stand out on their wedding day, but a look such as this is truly unique in europe. the bride, kdyre, is taking part in a centuries-old tradition. she belongs to the muslim minority of the pomaks. the ethnic minority have managed to preseve their culture, despite the period of

oppression during bulgaria's communist regine. our reporter attended the wedding day in southern bulgaria's rhodope mountains. there, in the secluded village of ribnovo, he witnessed a celebration like no other. >> this is a very special moment for 20-year-old kdyre avdi. together with her sisters, cousins, and young female friends, she is arriving at the central square in the mountain village of ribnovo. she's a pomak, a bulgarian muslim. at first, she dances alone for the villagers, and then with her groom, isuf musankov. their wedding ceremony will go on for two and a half days, a succession of traditional rites, receptions, and dances.

ribnovo lies high in the rhodope mountains of southwestern bulgaria. the road up from the valley wasn't paved until the 1970s. during bulgaria's communist era, ribnovo had a reputation as a rebel hotbed. saturday morning, the first day of the wedding. friends and relatives hang the bride's trousseau on a wooden frame. favorites are blankets, bedspreads, and red pantaloons. they're displayed for the entire village to inspect. grandfather mehmed is content. kdyre is the second of his granddaughters to marry. mehmed himself got married in secret around 50 years ago because the communist government had prohibited muslim weddings. mehmed doesn't even have any photos left of his own wedding.

>> we used to have a few photos, but after 1970, everything changed. activists invaded people's homes. they tore up the women's pantaloons, their scarves, the men's caps, and all the photos, just tore them to shreds. >> like many others, mehmed was forced to change his name to sound slavic-bulgarian. >> manol mladenov avdikov. i didn't sign anything, but that was my name for 20 years. and it went the same way with my children's names. >> sunday, the second day of the wedding. the wedding procession moves through the village. the celebration picks up speed. the couple are decorated with

gifts of money. the whole village has turned out. the people of ribnovo are proud of their culture. their traditional wedding customs are unique, so they've applied to unesco for intangible world heritage recognition. >> it's important to us to have the wedding traditions of the people of ribnovo recognized as intangible world heritage in bulgaria and part of the unesco list so we can achieve the same kind of visibility as the various other ethnic communities in bulgaria. >> at the bride's parents' home, the gelina ritual is starting. it stands for purity and a new beginning. the bride is meticulously and elaborately made up. the ritual's origins are said to date back to ancient times. more and more people are

gathering in front of the house, waiting for her to appear. it takes an hour and a half to complete the bride's transformation into the gelina. now, she can present herself to the assembled company, with her eyes closed, as tradition demands. for the pomaks of ribnovo, this is one expression of just how vital their long-suppressed culture has remained. lara: the croissant and the baguette are two of france's most popular culinary exports. now, though, modern bakeries are refining traditional

recipies and adding new ingredients to these staples. but for some, that's simply out of the question. organic bakers like maxime bussy have adopted a puristic, less-is-more approach. one that involves turning the clock back hundreds of years. >> maxime bussy is happiest when he is kneading his sourdough. with only flour, water, and salt. >> i do it by instinct. >> in his tiny bakery in central paris, there are hardly any machines. here, craft reigns supreme, like in his grandfather's time. bussy is a purist, and honors age-old french traditional baking at his boulangerie. even the 41-year-old's tools are hand-made. >> i built this kneading trough a little while ago. i mounted it on a massage table so i can adjust the height.

>> the french are famous for their baked goods, like butter croissants, pains au chocolat, and, of course, baguettes, all of which bussy rejects. they are too complicated and contain chemical additives. everything that comes out of his oven is the real deal. >> they should have come out sooner, they're a bit dry. >> real sourdough is a rarity in france now. but it tastes delicious, bussy says proudly, and doesn't cause allergies. but there's more to it. bakers like him want to return to a lifestyle in communion with nature and with all those with whom he works. >> often in the crafts, the links in the chain are human.

i know the miller and the farmer who grows the wheat. it's in our interest to cultivate these local channels and rediscover the true taste of things. that nourishes us as much as the bread does. >> here in paris, bakeries like bussy's are still new. but outside the capital, there are bakers practicing their craft at an even more grassroots level. benjamin pelletier grows his own wheat for his bread. >> it's all alive here. these are all plant scraps. >> "quality over quantity" is his motto. >> the idea here was to revive varieties that were cultivated before world war ii, to offer something different, an alternative to all the modern varieties we have today.

>> on his farm, the baker not only farms, but also mills the wheat. known as peasant bakers, they make up a small minority of the some 35,000 bakers in france. but their ancient methods are becoming more popular. >> these two machines are stone mills. our methods are very simple. the grain is milled in a single operation. in industrial mills, the flour goes through the millstones 12, 13 times. ours is very raw, very simple. >> peasant bakers stand for authenticity and quality of life, which is why bussy's bakery is only open four hours every day.

the neighborhood customers are curious. they are intrigued by the concept. >> and the bread? >> good. >> wow, it's delicious! >> peasant baker bussy is not concerned with getting rich. he is more than satisfied with his craft and his life. lara: some say kneading dough is a form of meditation. that's all from us this week at "focus on europe." bye for now. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

05/18/23 05/18/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> one of his aides who is at the meeting said to me, really does not talk about pardons, you have to talk to me and he is going to ask you for $2 million. and i laughed. i said, i don't have $2 million. i said, are you out of your mind? amy: the justice department is facing calls to investigate donald trump's attorney and former new york city mayor rudy