they are causing widespread crop failure forcing desperate farmers to seek state support. and it's ninety two years to the day since the bolsheviks executed the last russians are nicholas the second and his family the deaths and three centuries of rule by the ramada dynasty r.t.s. talked to story of how board has written the book the last days of the remarks about the tragedy and its mark on the country's history. today i'm in oxford with helen rappaport she's an expert on the russian imperial family particularly the last days of that arm on us who were assassinated in a classroom by a jury in the bolshevik revolution helen rappaport thanks very much for talking to r.t. now you focus on the last thirteen days of that i'm honest lives in your pattern but why did you choose that period well when i looked at the stories of. the end of the dentistry i suddenly realised that although we knew the broad span of

nicholas's rain and the overall story no one had looked at any great detail in those final few days particularly new culture in berg and the main reason for that was because until the collapse of communism there was no access to some of the important eyewitness testimonies by the guards and your crew for your oscar who was in charge of the party of so we didn't have enough evidence to look at that really closely and when i did start looking at it closely i found it absolutely fascinating and gripping and it was the story i wanted to tell the city was in a terrible state of panic the bolsheviks were basically taking everything they could out of your culture and work that was worth anything because it was the center of the mining industry so it was gold semi precious minerals and they wanted to get that all out before the city fell so in terms of taking the imperial family there what do you think the saw for example must've felt when he

knew they were going to catch him because your book had a large factory and industrial population a very heavily politicized workers who were very loyal bolsheviks and the sars heart sank when he was told that he was going to be taken there he said i would go anywhere but if you catch him but because the people there are so against me. i once the family arrived in a pattern but they lived in increasingly horrible circumstances they were actually told the minute they arrived you are now entering a prison regime and there was a big difference between how things were in some polls square they had a relative degree of freedom to move about to go to church to go outside to see people in the outside world the awful thing that happened when they arrived that you can't remember their immediately greeted by a place surrounded by an enormous stockade

a wooden stockade was but built right around the house the windows were painted white so the family once they're inside that house could not see the outside world they were denied newspaper several tonight letters and parcels no visitors so they were effectively cut off and what kind of family were they at that stage well they were incredibly close knit family very devoted to each other and i think the thing that one of the fundamental things that held them so closely together was they had this very deep very profound orthodox faith and they did take a rather fatalistic attitude to god's will and what would happen happened to to them also the girls in many ways were very immature for their age very on worldly they've lived such a cuckoo life that the alexander palace in outside some petersburg once alexei was born found to be hemophiliac everyone closed in to protect him to protect the

family so in that way they managed to survive better i think than other families would because there was so so used to being only in each other's company but it wasn't just the family who were in their pattern of house was that they were also accompanied by some of their old retainers while the retainers were intensely loyal they volunteered to go with the roman australia culture and it was very uncertain what was going to happen to them they might must have had some sense that it might all. and horribly so they're intensely loyal particularly docked to port king who i think of all of them had a sense that this might end in something dreadful he was very pragmatic very realistic and one of the last letters he wrote from the house an unfinished letter said basically i don't expect to get out of here alive but what was interesting was that when the romanovs first arrived there was an obvious in intensely hostile attitude to them from the guards many very young local fact she workers who

volunteered what they considered was an honor to guard in this bloodthirsty czar and his family and as time went on a strange thing happened some of these young guards began to develop a sympathy for the family especially the girls and especially aleksei who was very very sick but interesting lee although they could empathize with the children especially and came to like the girls actually and even thought this all was a perfectly decent chap they never liked that sari tsa they always found a very. stuck up and still demanding that people bow and scrape to her even in that situation but as time went on the guards began to fraternize a bit too much became a bit too friendly with the girls especially and that was when there was a massive clampdown and yaakov furore ski was brought in and the whole thing changed and so it's made it more about yeah of little ski he is often portrayed

sort of maniac all merger us but in fact you sort of bring out a slightly more complex side to his personality well he was an absolutely ruthless cope blooded pragmatic dedicated bolshevik he was also a local checker manner chica was the precursor of what became the k.g.b. the the russian political secret service so he was there for a purpose he was sent in to inforce clan. on the press nice ation to really make the route regime there a very strict prison regime and effectively to prepare for what was now an increasing venture as he was that they might have to kill the family because the white and the counter-revolutionary forces were working their way east from blood of all stock right in far the far west of russia working their way back to walk along the translight be a rare way towards a culture which isn't a focal point on the railway line amongst the gods was there anything that they

weren't going to go through with it yes absolutely just before they came to kill the family you're asking was issuing orders about who was supposed to kill whom they were all given an individual target and some of the guards immediately said we will not kill the girls and the number of killers in the end was reduced because of that and in fact the ultimate solution was pushing all in a room and and killing them all together but that turned into a bloodbath didn't it and you've spoken to a forensic expert tell me what you what his opinion of what happened was what concerned me was the terrible inefficiency with which they murdered them i mean some some people think they were just lined up in a row bang bang bang you're dead it was not like that it was a dreadful ill conceived ill executed murder you can't say it was an execution it was brutal because you know you're also didn't plan it he didn't check out whether

they were these guys were good shots they didn't check the guns they had a mixture of some efficient guns browning's and coats and also old army issue not guns which probably didn't work they didn't count the fact they were killing eleven people in a small dark basement room which rapidly became full of acrid smoke noise panic hysteria people screaming and running around it was an absolute catastrophe because they then had to brew. salie finish them off any one of them the family really who had a quick death was actually nicholas because the minute they the order came to fire they all want to take pop pot shot at the czar of course so they could say well i shot nicholas so he died immediately but the others suffered horribly particularly the children and then the burial also. total. total mismanaged from the sub worst of it was that the man in charge of the detail

to take the bodies out into the forest in a truck or a very rapidly old fear truck arrived dead drunk and late so with one shovel. one shovel to bury some people it was it was just silly and the other thing was they hadn't properly checked out the site they'd chosen which was a mine working in the forest and when they got there they discovered first of all it was too shallow and secondly it was full of water and that to get throw eleven bodies down there they'd almost immediately be found by the local presence so they had to go back the next morning hold the bodies out and go in dump them somewhere else it was just dreadful now the murder of a man a family is often attributed to a sort of maverick branch of the castor and bolsheviks but you believe that the order can be traced directly to lenin well lenin was very careful to always cover his tracks and he he never ever took responsibility for anything as controversial as the merger of the roman arts but he said categorically we must not have

a living banner we must not have anyone surviving from the family around whom a counter-revolution could could gather and gain a you know gain gain power so the decision was made in moscow during meetings with gul a short in a man from the soviet he went back and forth quite a few times to moscow now got a shock and was very good friends with your course filled love who was lenin's right hand man said lawford worked as opposed to tater new country but he knew the city he knew the bolsheviks there and i think fundamentally a tacit agreement was given by lenin that when the time came and the judgement of when that time came was left to the culture bolsheviks when they knew that the game was up and the city was going to fall to go in and kill more and me. going forward to the present day what would you say is the abiding legacy that i'm on a family to me the most interesting thing i found when i went to russia when i went

to catch a bug was this incredible development is this sense of identification of the romanovs with off the top sea and specifically with everything all from mother russia of nationhood of a united country but everything that russia lost under the depredations of seventy years of communism this is terrible nostalgia for the roman also because nicolas wasn't a good saw he was terrible terribly incompetent in many respects but the biting thing is this terrible sense of the merger of innocence and the roman also represent for ordinary russians to believe as a sense of nationhood an orthodoxy that they feel they've lost thanks very much i.q. . the

drain carries away the russian empires gold reserve. to save it from the. five hundred tons of gold. dozens of counted. six hundred fifty million dollars ruble. that is still awaiting the arrival of a. sentry a long way. ministry of the. wealthy british science. monitor.

market why not. find out what's really happening to the global economy with mike stronger no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune in to the report.

the latest headlines and the week's top stories international threat members of two terrorist cells have been arrested on suspicion of planning attacks on russian cities both groups are believed to have links with global terrorism. startling statistics three decades twenty five million deaths and over sixty million infections much to talk about at the international aids conference which starts today. in that confusion the u.s. media claims that an iranian scientist who says he was abducted by american secret services was spying for washington. drying up record high temperatures in russia are causing widespread crop failure forcing desperate farmers to seek state support. and actually take a look at the world sports with don't go away. you're

with sports news on r t hello welcome of yours i had lines no red carpets or hard courts during the next three weeks for syria no williams. while in football tyrian retrains with his new club the new york red bulls for the first time. and jorge around so will start first all the grade for the fourth straight time at sunday's german ground. but we kick off with russian premier league football was in its in pittsburgh on all nine points clear of the top off. beat. or the trustee stadium nicholas small berths and on should all call for the goals there too late games and moscow is nama held off the visiting our stall three two and sparta

titleholders sort of being to move up to set off trayvon the win. over in the us terry henri practiced with the new york red bulls for the first time since he surprised the world by signing with the m.l.s. team this week the bulls management announced they will not trust their big signing back into action despite the desire of the former boss on a star aika to play andriy a member of the disastrous french campaign at the world cup hasn't played for almost three weeks the thirty two year old's debut will be an exhibit should match against old man next state and the strike us as he is looking forward to getting to know the team on the trip. just really love him you don't supply when you join a team of the people to talk to the sort. of different people there is a city still to one side and. that's why i wanted to go. shopping.

but i want to be one of the one of the guys. for a little bit since the books. and also the lives of some of the most of the to myself all the guys over there shot of it that is a. it's also a new beginning for her held his first training session as real madrid manager it was the first chance maureen your has had to cast an eye over his life as the bulk of this are still in school where missing all as all those who took part in the world cup will be returning to the club for a few weeks the new boss faces the difficult task of returning ryall to their former glory after barcelona detonated let me go the last couple of seasons. to other news now the court of arbitration for sport ruled in favor of seven athletes who had appealed the i.o.c. his decision to disqualify them from the save me america's one hundred meter relay

sprint as was stripped of their two thousand gold medals the teammate marion jones was found guilty of doping the i.o.c. has now lost two rulings in five weeks involving stripped olympic medals and here is what president jacques rogge had to say not a concern because you know we have created to go to the beach. to be independent and know having a lifeline to the international olympic committee or the. mission of the it depends if you have to believe you have created since no two you know i mean we're disappointed that we lose a case of course but it strengthens is to say to be at peace you can trust the court of arbitration it depended three. zero it was a pretty it's a consumation of the the. on to the stop the france now where a diamond league meeting finished on a high note of friday with usain bolt out the forming in the one hundred meters

bowls winning score of nine point eight in four seconds is still far from these and the world's best body close enough for him to bat the main rival anthem patry at powell yohan blake completed and all jamaican podium by claiming braun's wheldon to leave the champion ball to return to competitive racing just a few weeks ago having recovered from an achilles tendon injury. elsewhere jeremy warren are continued his comeback after a nice surgery by claiming gold in the men's four hundred meters and this is fourth diamond league win of the season. ten is now and world number one series in the well drawn from next month's. off to cutting her right on a broken gloss at a restaurant the younger williams all smiles here at the wimbledon galo will be working the red carpet or any other surface for some time now thanks winds eighty year old needs surgery and will miss three events leading up to the u.s.

open williams offers no other details about what happened but sad she's upset at having to speak of the tournaments in istanbul cincinnati and more. move the g.p. championship lead the whore hill around so has taken a fourth straight goal ahead of the german grand prix in sol's during the theology yamaha ride o'clock in the fastest time in a session that was dragged flagged made way through due to his bikes feeling or well on the track van spies and randy deep in e.f.l. in the splayed oil but avoided serious injuries meanwhile around so held on to take the pace is still no we're launching his challenge for the first week of the season from second place. join him and the and so on the front so well champion when it's in the us see his return to racing on the six weeks of the break will stop. the bush has been difficult. because. we're so fast. for the most but most human by race so well we've. improved so much.

from just. on to the to the france no where else falls alexander to be in the court has won the thirteenth stage or had a break mark cavendish and italian i decide but that's it's best when since returning from being banned no changes at the top of the general quest fixation though with andy shaq sticking. to his house a minute later time tour de france winner i'll bet a quarter of the riders have now crossed the alps and well after the period. now rushes fast and only formula one driver that if they're off met fans on red square the race a. day racing and then you'll ask one car parade around the kremlin. reports the. race near the kremlin walls in the middle of july has already become a summer tradition. this year old russian formula one fans are in for

a special treat as the first russian driver ever to compete in f one. has come to moscow to take part in the race. the twenty five year old driver who took to the wheel of his racing car in march explained the main challenges of being an f one driver and you. can say. it's your start to. finish it well so that's much much more. it hasn't earned a point since his successful display in shanghai and is no fifteenth in the rankings there are no team has been improved cory that will hopefully help the driver to climb up the table in the last in races of the season recently speculation has emerged that more bill for the new contract for next season and placed with another driver however remains team principal says he was so disappointed with the result and the way peter off is improving i heard very pleased. to tell you do. you clearly very well and for very well i was for

a one hour is not a terrorist or very high you know but this is a very powerful. and like every new driver in formula one you know you need time so to understand to to get the best of your car it's not easy is very tough competition needs to develop like a normal driver you know either you do very well so far so we just there now we're just waiting to see how it develops and before the end of season we will have so these guys from exeter recently this board. commercial miracle still said to us you could be among the countries that could be considered for staging and therefore the grand prix will be working this. year i think with just now an informal on the way. this is why i'm here i think is very ready for summer no one comes to try to explain. what we do being a russian driver results you know history would have to have a grand prix of russia and some discussion are things now starting but it's always good because to the undoubtedly events like this will help bring the prospect. a

little closer contender but top of our cheap. and on to baseball with a legendary new york yankees owner george steinbrenner and announce a bob shapard both boss the way last week the team all of them with a tribute before friday's game against tampa bay captain derek jeter address to the fifty thousand crowd from behind the home plate and called for a moment of silence. we get. to honor two men. who are both shining stars in the universe. both men mr george steinbrenner mr bob sheppard cared deeply about the responsibilities to this organization and to our fans. and for that you really remember baseball history and in our.

meanwhile the game turns out to be a good one where the sports side of foreign makes why share a line day saying go on curtis granderson be tried failed again as throw the dramatic come from behind wayne adding contrast to the song on the bass that began the evening a jaybird that kept them nice for the cream pie test which sure is ecstatic. about slater's this fall for now coming up after this is the weather so they'll go away. wealthy british style. expert on. market why not. find out what's really happening to the global economy

with mike's concert for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune into cars a report on our hungry for the full story we've got it for. the biggest issues get the human voice face to face with the news makers.

trying. to. get through most of whom she is. she was trying. to do to. the speech congress. in the united kingdom is available in the house bill and if you want to go to the old waverly hotel they can hold her to the millstone hutto country house. the bill clinton's the rembrandt the groom the chesterfield the montague hotel the royal the rubens hotel.

the latest headlines and the week's top stories here's our team international threat members of two terrorist cells have been arrested on suspicion of planning attacks on russian cities both groups are believed to have links with global terrorism. startling statistics three decades twenty five million deaths and over sixteen million infections much to talk about at the international aids conference which starts today. kidnap infusion the us media claims that an iranian scientist who says he was abducted by american secret services was spying for washington. drawing up record high temperatures in russia are causing widespread crop failure forcing desperate farmers to seek state support.