hi! welcome to focus on europe. it's great to have you with us. the war in ukraine and russian occupation have been going on for more than 500 days now. prospects of an end are bleak as the situation at the front evolves into trench warfare. the ukrainian counteroffensive is meeting heavy russian resistance around the town of bachmut. both sides are fighting for every inch, and each country is reporting high casualties. this information has not been verified independently.

these two russian men don't want to fight for putin. they fled their country when they were threatened with conscription. they feared being used as cannon fodder on the front line. and were horrified by the idea of killing ukrainian soldiers. one of them fled to georgia, the other to kazakhstan. our reporter met the two men, who even now don't feel safe from the long arm of moscow. for some months now, a young russian man has been living in fear of being discovered - here in tbilisi, georgia's capital. he won't tell us his real name. we'll call him nikita. until last february, nikita lived and studied in moscow. then, he was called up for military service - and he fled. “i didn't want to go to war. leaving the country was my only chance.

i knew the consequences: that i'd have to hide from russia for the rest of my life - i'd never be able to return. but i just don't want to kill people. i'm not afraid of dying or landing in prison. but killing people - i can't do that. thousands of kilometers away, in uralsk, western kazakhstan. igor sandzhiev is living here for now. he'll show his face. he wants to go public. when the mobilization commenced in autumn, 2022, he was ordered to report to the military, ostensibly to confirm his personnel data. but when igor showed up, he was inducted on the spot. that same evening, he was to be taken to an army training camp. a few weeks later, he was to be sent to the front. igor felt he'd been trapped and decided to escape. “to me, it was all or nothing. i thought, either i'll go to prison for many years, because i

left my army unit, or i'll die somewhere in ukraine. i'd rather go to prison. i don't want to take the risk. i don't want to gamble in this lottery called war that president putin is staging. this lottery, as igor sandzhiev calls the war on ukraine, is deadly, he says. the latest media reports say it's cost tens of thousands of russian lives. currently, none of the figures can be confirmed. many of those called up last year under putin's mobilization order were fathers. and many came from russia's poorest regions. a few complained to human rights organizations or on social media about the poor conditions and shortages of arms and ammunition. we get lots of reports about the chaos at the front:

sometimes, nobody knows who the commanding officers are. some say they were simply dumped in an open field with no idea what to do and no leadership of any kind. we've heard that conscripts aren't taught anything - that the entire training consists of firing a machine gun once. human rights activists have noted over a thousand court proceedings over alleged desertions. the actual number of deserters is thought to be much higher. and the general fear of another mobilization still looms. the men who joined the military before the war have even more to fear - like nikita in georgia. he tells us the military financed his university studies. in return, he had to sign on for three years of service after graduating. i signed the contract out of sheer stupidity. there were many things i wasn't aware of when i started university at age 20. i thought, ok, i'll waste three years in the army, but i'll

get my degree. now, nikita realizes how naïve that was. but many other russians did much the same. they never expected that putin would actually invade ukraine. “the financial opportunities for our people are limited. wages aren't paid. health care is poor. mobilization and joining the war effort was the only chance many people had to shore up their budgets. one person might have a daughter about to start college; another might have taken out a mortgage; a third might need a car. but now, with the war in full swing, it's a question of life and death. igor and nikita know that in russia, deserters face long prison sentences - cause enough for their fears. i don't feel safe in georgia - and not because the people here are mean or anything. as a russian, i've never experienced any negative

sentiments from the georgians. but here, i'm just as afraid of the russian state as ever. sometimes, i have nightmares of my old boss knocking at my door and saying, 'i've found you! igor applied for asylum in kazakhstan, but was rejected. he appealed and was turned down again. now, he's facing deportation to russia. igor has no illusions about his future. “i can expect either prison or ukraine at the front. the state media are giving the russians the impression that personnel are in short supply, and men of working age ought to go to the front. but neither igor nor nikita intend to comply.

they're making every effort to stay abroad as long as they can. president putin has now raised the upper age limit for resérvists. and also extended the upper age for conscription. albania was long considered the poorhouse of europe. but the country on the adriatic sea has developed into a tourist jewel - thanks hugely to its natural beauty and long coastlines. one of albania's wonderful pearls is the kune vain lagoon. but it is threatened. first, global warming and erosion have heavily affected the coasts of the country. and second, locals have often been treating nature just too carelessly. albania's lagoons in the north of the country seem like paradise. demush zesja comes here to work. he's been a fisherman for forty years, in kune vain. but the fish population has started to decline, he says.

“since the moment this crab entered the lagoon” there have been fewer fish, fewer eels. from one year to the next we catch less. this lagoon was amazing in the past. you could catch thousands of kilos of fish, of all kinds. only this small strip of land separates the adriatic sea from the lagoon. the sea level is rising, allowing more blue crabs to enter the lagoon. they are replacing the natural fish population, jak gjini says. he's an environmentalist in the region and observes biodiversity. over there is the adriatic sea, and this is the lagoon” the land in-between the two is shrinking, he says, due to climate change. “we have more maritime storms, erosion, high temperatures, floods. all of this has been affecting the lagoon” the sea will swallow

more than the lagoon, jak gjini says, if there is no governmental intervention. albania's coast also will keep shrinking. an estimated one third of the country's coastline is already affected by erosion. this bunker was built during the communist era four decades ago. back then it used to be at least 40 metres away from the seashore. many of these bunkers are already under water, others are close to being immersed by the sea. and there's less beach for tourists to enjoy as the sea advances inland last year we had more umbrellas. this year, we have one row less. who knows what happens next year. maybe we'll lose another row. new hotels are also being built. locals fear the construction will speed up erosion. fation noka is concerned this restaurant, built by his

father in the late 1990 s, will disappear into the sea. the landscape here used to be different: dense woodland, pine trees, as this private footage dating back to 2005 shows. the locals from the village used to come here, back then everything was green. it was like a forest, like the amazon. but now you can see for yourself. not much is left from that time. most of the trees are gone. taken by the sea and by people local villagers who illegally cut them down. fewer tourists come to visit - which means less revenue for his restaurant. “my entire family has invested all the money here in the business and we are very sad about what's happening because

it's our life's investment at stake” the albanian government should be doing much more, to stop erosion, he says. we are headed to the capital tirana. in the environmental ministry we meet klodiana marika. she is tasked with coastal conservation. “what we suffer is the implementation, the lack of the financial resources and also the human resources because when we talk about the financial resources this is linked with the human resources that are needed to work on the implementation process. less than 1 % of the national budget is set aside for environmental protection, she says, and estimates albania would need to spend 30 times as much. money, that the impoverished country, lacks. back in the lagoon, kune vain, the existential threat is growing for people who make their living here.

“this lagoon already gave first signs years ago but we did not take it seriously, that everything here is coming to an end” demush says the times when he pulled in kilo after kilo of fish are long gone. more and more fishermen are quitting. blue crab, that's the only thing, now abundant here. train journeys can sometimes be terribly dull if you need to get from a to b. that's definitely not the case though if you board a special train connecting berlin with wroclaw in poland. here, the journey is a goal in itself. during the train trip, a choice of readings, concerts, karaoke and even dance will sweeten your time. and when you get off the train at your destination, you won't

really care if the train was late. a quick selfie, and it's all aboard the 'culture train'. it's franziska and clemens' first time on this route from germany to poland. on this train, though, it's just as much about the journey as the destination. berlin to wroclaw - accompanied by culture and art. "we're really happy to be headed to wroclaw for the weekend. i think it'll be great, and we'll even take in some culture on the train. there's supposed to be a concert later, apparently. i've never actually been to poland. it's exciting because i grew up in east germany - you'd think i would've been. in the car where the bikes are usually kept, the berlin-based ukrainian trio scho have taken center stage. they're performing a mixture of russian swing and coffee house music.

♪ it's a first for the band, too - performing on the rails, that is. it's wonderful. the people gather round; they're curious, and they listen to us play. some of them even dance, it's fantastic. that's why most of the passengers chose the culture train - rather than the faster eurocity train. "absolutely, yes. i chose it because of all the entertainment on board. it sounded exciting, like something might go down here. right now. it's kind of folklore-y, you could say - i thought it might be a bit more fun, a bit more chic - but hey.

but for the other passengers, 'folklore-y' hits the spot. some are ukrainian refugees, travelling to poland to meet friends. "it's excellent! it would be great if it were like this all the time: the people are happy. they get on the train with a smile. " the train's motto is "what connects us" - more than appropriate in times of war. "we must fight the disasters of the world together. not hate one another. it's good to find projects that bring us together, we're really happy to be here. " a few hours later, we arrive in 2016 's european capital of culture.

wroclaw is a bustling city, full of life. a hip music scene, pubs, clubs, or an evening by the river - and there's stunning modern art here too. franziska, clemens and the other culture train passengers take the weekend to explore the city. we regroup on the train home to listen to their impressions. "what we really noticed on our trip is how seldom we look to the east. our polish and czech neighbors aren't on our radar nearly as much as our westerly neighbors. and that's one of the culture train team's objectives: to encourage people to explore their neighboring country through culture - to travel consciously. "people aren't just glued to their laptops like in eurocity and intercity trains.

they open their eyes, look out the window, strike up a conversation with the person sitting opposite. especially when you're a german traveling abroad, you're on a kind of political mission - to heal the past, to strengthen the ties that have been strained historically. i've learned so much about the city, and it's right next door - i'd love to come back. " it's sunday afternoon, and the culture train weekenders are all back on board. new routes and an ever-changing cultural program - just two things franziska and clemens have to look forward to when they return. roma often experience discrimination and social exclusion. they belong to an ethnic minority in europe. one of the largest roma communities lives

in edirne, turkey. and here, once a year, the country's best oil wrestlers fight each other. it's a popular sport in which the opponents are covered in oil. the roma turks aydincan and bayram have been practicing this sport. and they're both talented. they are not fighting for victory alone, but also for social advancement. in just a few minutes, the match bayram has trained so long for will finally begin. he is about to enter the arena of the oil wrestlers. turkey's best athletes are squaring off here in bayram's hometown of edirne. the 15 -year-old roma is also wrestling prejudice. “i'm feeling really strong. it starts in a few minutes and of course i'm pumped. it's started to rain, too. the kirkpinar tournament is famous - anything can happen.

the wrestlers are first coated in olive oil, to make it harder for the opponent to gain a hold. bayram has already won the title once, two years ago. he wants to do it again. the bout begins. the winner is the first to throw his opponent on his back. both struggle for the decisive hold. then the end is quick. bayram goes through to the next round. bayram's younger brother aydincan is also competing today. the 13 -year-old wants to follow his brother's lead. bayram has already made it into an athletic development program. if aydincan wins the tournament, he might get in too. - i'm nervous, but i've trained hard to win.

aydincan has already won three rounds in this tournament and is now in the semi-final. and within a few minutes he has won again. it's evening in the brothers' neighborhood. only roma live here. their mother sevginur is preparing dinner. she is immensely proud of her sons' success, even though it has not always been easy. “this sport costs money, for their food and equipment. we rent here and my husband only makes minimum wage. aydincan and bayram dream of bettering their social standing through sport. unemployment among roma youth is 65 percent, more than three

times the turkish average. one problem is the lack of role models. “roma have hardly any options - if you don't finish school, you play music. if that doesn't work, you collect garbage. many become addicts. ” the next day, the scene's heavyweights - the bas pehlivans - compete in the arena. few wrestlers make it this far, and some doubt that a roma could ever do it, believing they're all just born drinkers and criminals. bayram has long suffered from such prejudices. “i think this is the best way i can represent the roma. my success so far speaks for itself. a lot of roma, especially in my neighborhood, call me the rose of the roma!

it's bayram's turn in the arena. just before the round he is tense because he has just learned that his opponent is two years older and an experienced wrestler. but bayram fights well. after 20 minutes they take a short break before the round goes into extra time. and again back and forth for some minutes. but in the end it's not enough. bayram loses. his younger brother is only one win away from the title. bayram gives him some last tips and aydincan is determined. “i've trained well and i'll be the champion!

” aydincan's opponent is strong too. like his brother, the 13 -year-old's bout goes into extra time. aydincan celebrates, but is the fight over? the referee hesitates. aydincan has won! now there's no holding back the otherwise reserved boy. two roma brothers and one great dream to fight their way to the top. the housing market in london, as you might know, is overcrowded and overpriced. and yet harrison marshall needed a place to stay in the english capital. the resourceful brit looked for alternatives to a rented

apartment - and came up with the idea of building himself a tiny house. with two floors and a kitchen. it's an amazing project. but it's not everyone's cup of tea. - i'm harrison marshall. i'm a designer and a builder. i'm also an artist. and this is where i live: in a tiny house in a skip. his home measures a full six square meters of living space. it's got a kitchenette, a chair and a bed. the restroom is a porta-potty. he takes showers at the fitness-center. - “what else do i miss? sometimes it's nice having housemates. just because, you know, you feel less lonely. “ but harrison never really feels lonely. as soon as he moved in, he started taking videos in the skip - british english for 'container'. with over 55 -thousand instagram followers, his popularity spills over into real life.

the motivation was simply the cost of living in london. the dreaded house-hunt was so stressful, such a nightmare. even just finding a place that was within budget, typically, there'd be a hundred other people after that same room. harrison worked on his project for about three months, investing about four thousand, 500 euros in it. the city council provided the lot in southeast london. his neighbors let him use their water. all he has to pay is a power bill of about 60 euros a month. conceived as an art project, the aim is to expose the sheer absurdity of london's housing market. his plan was to live in the skip for one year. but if he likes it, harrison might stay longer. for his current needs, this place is perfect! that's all from this issue of focus on europe. thank you for watching on behalf of the whole team, hope to see you again next week, bye for now.

from berlin. dear mary prepares -- germany prepares to bind advanced missile system. the u.s. approves israel's sale of arrow-3 interceptors to shoot down high altitude missiles as germany seeks to build a sky shield in response to russia's attack on ukraine. also, survivors of a nightmare boat journey are rescued off cape verde in the atlantic. more than 60