on protestors in his home country. next stop r t sophie shevardnadze guides us through parts of the kremlin the public just don't get to see and meets those whose unseen efforts keep the wheels turning in russia's seat of power. from a bird's eye view the oddly shaped triangle formed by moscow's kremlin could be seen as the heart of. a small state within a state these red walls have been protecting moscow's kremlin for more than five centuries. to even idea of its size so we decided to actually go around it before

going inside we must start right here at this. time you watch. the extent of the kremlin walls is over two kilometers and if you want to go around it you better go real fast because the winters in russia are really cold it's minus ten today. the first kremlin was built south of woods a couple of times before being rebuilt in white stowed. three hundred years later the walls in a tower square faced with a famous red rake but if you actually pulled away the red brick you would see a wall as whites as a bridal gown and some of those walls are almost six meters thick.

right here on the red square wasn't depend moats filled with water and together with a ring of twenty towers it made the kremlin and inaccessible fortress known around the world. that there was another target log worse to witness it took us twenty seven minutes to go around the kremlin walls but what was behind them well join me on a journey to the heart of the kremlin to places him from the tourist he got to meet some real kremlin insiders although they may not be the usual news makers you see on t.v. . so that you going to true kremlin scholar this man is practically saturated with kremlin history so good to deaths of uday and finally we meet good to see you sir couldn't ask a gate is the major passage into the kremlin and traditionally it has always been

open for arriving visitors during the day since the time of ivan the terrible sars in the emperors used to when visiting moscow or anyone entering the gates take off their high note to all of the savior of smolensk whose image can be seen above the gate. and tearing through game to enforce. legend has it that when napoleon passed through the. twelfth tour his famous by calling from his had confront the savior. in nine hundred forty five the saudi cuny and martial. broke both rules in one moment she entered the press square through spassky gate to receive the first victory day parade on horseback and wearing his service cap. so when did the i can appear here. has been here since the sixteenth century but disappeared

during the soviet era it was only a year ago that restores discovered the icon under a layer of plaster while examining the mystery only. thanks to them it was saved. in the name of the father. and the holy spirit amen. this busking gate was open for passage until the late ninety's but most are transports to and from the kremlin disturbed tourists walking along the red square and the kremlin walls and with the new millennium came the decision to close the gate. now it opens only on special occasions during the ninth of may fixture day parade for example or on inauguration day to receive the presidential motorcade. the only other visitor to pass through the gate is

a giant christmas tree put up earlier celebrations. of could you lead me through those gates no but we can enter the kremlin through the private entrance a secret entrance for a closed circle is just around the corner. and is very easy to get inside the kremlin together with you. as for me i've always wanted to get to the kremlin clock and especially to the bells it seems a child i always stood outside looking at the clock and i thought a magician lived there commandments the clock and also when the bells rang i was simply rooted to the ground can i get inside with more yes but you're not dressed warmly i'm of there is a strong wind up there i have this very cold i think you'll have to put on something warmer. this basket tower was the heart of the kremlin's defensive line it was and to suppose that any offensive would come from the southeast and that the tower would be to first attacked as

a result house trifle and artillery units in the mid seventeenth century spot the first to bear the team who had eight eagle emblem of russia during soviet times they were all with one. the five pointed star. but the towers true jam has its chimes its clock face has a six meters diameter numerals and clock hands are all gold plated a total of twenty eight kilograms of gold is needed just to coat them. inside this basket are right now true tower wizard you can those are of those all about how to keep time. oh sissoko. so good to meet you so wanted to clock appear in the tower because we see today has been here since they seem fifty two. clocks appeared on the small sky tower during the time of zometa harl romanov let

me tell you more about them at the top of all that i'm following you. to reach the clock one has to climb nine floors of spiral stairs. hear the clock your stern steadily waking every fifteen minutes to signal the bells to strike every quarter hour for one big hit on the hours and. fifty children of the purpose of the bells ringing previously when few people had watches the chimes informed everyone of the toy. previously the clock course operated manually but since nine hundred thirty seven three electric motors to cover everything else has been preserved in its original form. our clock is the oldest one in the. can you see the pointer at the end.

this point to regulates the speed of the clocks motion if the clock lags behind it increases the speed if it's forced the point to slows it down so they do lag behind but you never notice it because once it starts to pick up specialists quickly eliminate the problem acting like an ambulance so far we haven't noticed it but we're close to revealing that's right. this is an ancient bell ringing. for setting up melodies at the tower it's almost two and a half meters in diameter and what is this ng it sings the national anthem of russia. yes yes. the bell strikes the melody of russia's national anthem every six hours cables run from the drum below to the very top where the bells chime in the bell tower. well here are

the bells yes we're in the bell tower. if you look up you'll see it's still house. forty eight bells hang here in imperial times but were lost during the soviet era today the chimes sings the russian anthem with ten bells and a few metal beats up here at ten stories of the ground it's always very windy. we've got to go now because the main bells and us are ringing and we are risking mccarrick death and also it's very cold so we're getting out of here. from the noises of the bells just a few minutes later i found myself near the kremlin central square where people are preparing for a special effect so right now we're only cathedral square where

a giant fir tree is being decorated for near celebrations these streets between the palaces a warship and the palaces of the stars and can just tell you something one hundred years old which basically means that it was born when the last star was still alive . one can see that the russian christmas tree has won a very demanding seasonal beauty pageant. gardener spend several months searching moscow regions for the right candidate at least thirty meters tall pyramid shaped and displaying. once these criteria is where match the judges ignored. is especially ordered for this christmas tree and it's scary to straight into the kremlin. it's out there already for manners like twenty times my height and in no time is going to be wearing at department store walls jewelry and decorations about

two thousand pieces and one thousand five hundred. garland that's like almost enough to surround the kremlin and. the trees decorations from top to bottom to begin with the large star of bethlehem. it is a quarter of the size of the rugby stars atop the kremlin towers but during the holiday season it is the most important one of all. though they look oversized ornaments are light kremlin old timers believe that if you have a chance to hang at least one piece onto the tree and make a wish to come true. now we're going topsy just like decorate this gravely you or your tree. i wonder how long it is. out for me so sergey for how long have you been decorating christmas trees. well this is the first time that i'm just curious in this tree for the past four years

i've been working with christmas trees at cathedral square so who decides how to decorate a christmas tree which is a design project is drawn up to clearly define how to use decorations by the way the total weights of the decorated christmas tree is thirty tons and four hundred kilos. well if this size of the tree is any indicator the presence under is also promised much.

but. the next point of my journey is the grand kremlin palace usually it is of anywhere important state ceremonies mostly dignitaries are invited here but in the past children were also received thousands of them came to celebrate the.

tradition of arranging holidays for children in the kremlin dates back to more than fifty years the first reception was in the grand kremlin palace his largest whole st georges in one nine hundred fifty fool. back then christmas tree was tracked directly up the stairs through their front door without much thought for the ancient interior over sixty meters deep st george's hall is the size of a football page a giant for a tree used to be mounted right here in this massively have the object is to be dragged across this park here for that was originally late in eight hundred forty five. when it's scraped that chandelier each one weighing three tons by the way and it's tinkling produced an almost surreal chime also large nails were hammered into this floor to fix this huge christmas tree they can't sue danced and sang in this hall where we're asked not to shuffle because it would ruin the floor nevertheless

the interior was heavily damaged even i was asked to come in with soft indoor shoes and i tried my best. these wrongs honor the memory of heroes who received the order of st george for their courage and the. second generation. is also a fine but a fighter to preserve the host reconstruction still one has changed after the reconstruction but it will support the pocket has definitely changed because we did it with high quality vanish to make it. very rare is that in two percent of the pocket survived since one thousand nine hundred eighty five when it was. this it percent of the flooring was replays during restoration in one thousand sixty eight thousand nine hundred sixty nine it took. two. children's parties were moved to

a new building in the early sixty's the kremlin palace of congress built on the. it's obvious that this building is from the soviet era and it stands in stark contrast with the kremlin's architectural character the palace used to be a key side for communist forums and now it's the most prestigious musical venue in this country and also a stage where the world's greatest artists show as an hour or elton john tina turner here they made they've all been here. right now free hershel's are underway in the state kremlin palace for performing for thousands of kids. inside we have an appointment with a kremlin oldtimer children's writer alexander the script at the very first children party men t. fifty three let's win there i think with broken the soviet tradition of staging performances here at the kremlin before. the tree would light up then kids

would be shown to play with a revolutionary theme park there. with them on trains applause for what it was about a boy toy out of his current situation so in the story of the sentence of a different time. when i came to the new year policy there was no coverage on the floor on all sorts of gone with the roof it turned out to the during the so some of the children had weapons selves on the concrete out of . them to be washed and hung out to draw off to bits. when days they were your performances are more predictable but still very colorful nevertheless. by tradition at the end of the show the main character of the new year celebrations makes his grand entrance.

children always leave kremlin with gifts however the greatest drama is after the show when parents surround the new year straight to pick the children up who risk to disperse like in kremlin inner sanctum. so how do they like this show wasn't ok. all right so now it's about time to find out where one can even hear the really kitchen. it is not on the fence the state. has to meet you. talking about what's here. short let's go over there. that's where we.

were it's so if you. so this is where all. that is take place. so good.

i don't think i'm. very fond of. lobster salad. in a. sophisticated. now. on a business trips so when someone in the countryside street scene with pickled cucumbers also a traditional delicacy security officers. as a rule are very carefully checked before it reaches the presidential mouth. so when your. secret service.

make sure that most. people. only. on holidays there. was a lover of the. secretary of state. personally promoted international receptions thanks to him. with parmesan cheese to go with ravioli i guess i can say that i can feed the president are you going to have some. oh no. this is so good. after lunch and there is an order perhaps in sars. i decided to acquaint myself with

a show of the peace and quiet in the kremlin. a whole regiment of young soldiers live here guarding the kremlin and the president. berets. the presidential regiment is rehearsing a performance with weapons and are not only soldiers but also honor guards they protect to the unknown soldier at the eternal flame. please show me some special tricks that i can teach you if you want all right let's do it like a pro commando is. but. let me show you the then up to the shoulder. bend to the foot hold the carbine with the right term i'm not going to cut myself and my you won't cut yourself i'm told it. almost now shoulder the web. but lift it up your hold it with your left. i'm

holding it be careful it should not lean on the left shoulder. this is the position in which we start the owner guards are. young men between eighteen and twenty or selected across the country for the presidential regiment. one can see that they are. in perfect health background and professional appearance. as well the guards very handsome young man of similar hates are chosen. for their emergency situation when people break the existing rules for example if people step over the chain. with this kind of signal where the kid was tapping the rifle on the ground the public immediately understands what this noise means and don't go any further. the most frequent violators are young girls

that always try to flirt with the guards. but this is to know you guys are not allowed to move never mind smile. here is your signature move it is about we would raise the leg about seventy eighty degrees move the body forward and put the full foot on the ground just makes the food you step with your bend a little. quick march. you're doing it well you could join our company in a couple of months. to the rights. it's time for the guys to prepare for the changing of the guard but i couldn't miss a chance to take a look at their uniform wardrobe. when it is cold we wear ceremonial overcoats the overcoats are very warm with color of. course. when the temperatures twenty degrees below zero we were warmer uniform cold to

because. it is made of plus it has very warm fur it feels halted even when it's minus twenty. four hour journey into the heart coming to an end time for me to move behind the kremlin walls so i can make it for the changing of the guards. so the guards are changing every hour daily from eight am to eight pm these guys any weather. rain out in the summer but the most hard part of course. there motionless no matter what but hey that's the price you pay to leave rent free inside the kremlin.

it's. the full.

run of goal opposition activists peaceful antigovernment rally in moscow leading to blanchard's with the police and injuries only old science why no more from you will be in just a few moments. on confirmed reports the same socialist francois hollande parents the incumbent cozy and france's president down so election with official exit polls set to be released imminently as you can see here live from paris much celebration so we'll be keeping you posted as those results come in. and a leading human rights activist. arrested just days before our c.e.o. is to air his interview with assault in which he spoke of the violent crackdown on protesters against.