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>> we are a nation of explorers. we seek new ways of listening, thinking, and expressing ourselves. we take risks. we learn from experience. we keep moving forward. that is why we encourage and celebrate the explore in all of us. >> and now bbc news night. >> russia's hidden heroin epidemic. this week, more than 2 million at six. 30,000 russians died from heroin every year in what has been likened to a tsunami sweeping over the country.

we have a special investigation. >> sometimes to commit crimes. sometimes we have tension. some addicts might even kill someone. >> why is the president of america getting ranted at by the president of afghanistan? after the date for the general election is announced in britain and the political parties look to woo voters, we attempt to gauge the mood of the swing voter. russia has accused the united nations -- states of conniving with afghanistan's drug producers by refusing to destroy opium crops.

last year, they reversed their policy of the eradicating opium. opium production has risen by nearly 50 times and russians have become huge consumers. it is estimated at 2.5 million russians are heroin addicts. it is predicted to that 30,000 will die this year. some of the scenes in the report are disturbing. >> in the siberian city, they are bringing out the dead. igor was only 20. two days ago, he was found slumped in a stairwell with a needle in his arm. now, he is being taken home to his parents.

unemployment, and decay, and alcoholism. the average man here will be lucky to get to 60. now a new scourged sweeping the city -- where one. -- heroin. this is one of the worst drug neighborhoods in the city. we have been told that this area wilhas one of the worst drug us. we will watch the door. it does not take long. others are easy to spot. some are not.

above, the lookout keeps watch. over the next hour, a stream of people come and go. my local guide says most of them are junkies. this is happening less than 100 meters from a police station. on another street corner, we find another addict. mark is willing to talk but first she would like to get a fix. as we drive, he calls a dealer. within just three minutes, he set up a meeting. this dealer is much more cautious. she is hiding somewhere behind these trees. a few seconds later, the deal

was done. you can see her in the pink coat. back in his squalid one-room apartment, he prepares to shoot up. he has no job and the drugs have driven away his wife and children. every day, he passed to find the equivalent of 10 pounds to pay for his habit. >> sometimes you commit crimes. some addicts might even kill someone. >> what will happen to you if you don't give up? >> i'm not worried about dying. i would welcome it.

the quicker the better. it is better than this life. there are so many problems. >> one way or another, where one is for to kill him. the last time he was in prison day tested him and found out that he has hiv. he is one of two and a half million heroin addicts in russia. this year, around 30,000 will die. around a third of attics are hiv-positive. not surprising, heroin is a big political issue in moscow and it is causing deep strains between russia and the west. more than 90% of the heroin that ends up here comes from afghanistan, specifically the southern provinces. this is the same places that are supposed to be under the control of the u.s. and british troops.

last year, the u.s. government reversed its previous policy and said that its troops will no longer take part in opium eradication. the reaction in moscow has been -- >> heroin pours down on us like rain. we can put up our umbrella but we cannot stop the rain. we need to stop the clouds from forming. they need to be destroyed. it is 3:00 in the morning. for the first time ever, the secretive drug police have agreed to take a foreign television crew on a raid. this flat is thought to belong to the drug gang. inside, there's no sign of the gang.

under the bed, that agents find this bag. it is stuffed with 10 bottles of heroin. this is worth at least a million dollars. the police think that this is about 15 kilos of afghan heroin that they have seized in this apartment. this is in addition to about another 20 kilos that they cease to add another location. this is a tiny fraction of that is pouring into rush at every year. russia is the biggest market for her when in the world. at least 30 tons was smuggled them last year. the problem is it's a vast size and proximity to central asia. the drug routes push north.

on the border with kazakhstan is more than twice the length of the u.s. mexico border. some head west towards moscow. much more of smuggled north into the city of siberia. they call this the drug line. this is one of the major routes for afghan heroin traveling out of central asia into russia. before nato toppled the taliban regime, there was no where one here at all. the day, there is at least 30,000 drug addicts in mississippi alone. across town, at the journey home is nearly over.

lord, my son. my little boy. why did you leave me, she says. >> we don't want anyone to go through what we have been through. he was under 20. drugs are held and you can see the results. -- hell and you can see the results. this woman knows nothing of the taliban or the drug war. she only knows that her son is dead. >> more than 7000 servicemen and women have been killed in afghanistan since 2001. they gave their lives, we have

been told, to keep us safe by turning afghanistan into a functioning democracy. suddenly countries have started to sound unpredictable. president karzai has said that he would join the taliban. >> he has a way of testing the patience of his friends. >> what i see a but the addiction to the troops. we are clarifying that afghanistan is a country. they must make sure that this is seen by the government's and they must recognize that there can be -- >> he must walk a line between seeming like a national leader and gratifying his friends. the recent comments are something that the white house

thinks is too far. >> he is a democratically elected leader of afghanistan. >> we are disgusted with some of his recent statements but i don't think that they are in a position to drop him. there is really no alternative. we are trying to carry on what the west thinks is doing in afghanistan which is highly questionable. they think they have a military program. they think that they will work directly and try to bypass president karzai. >> just why they don't get rid of him, you just need to look at how - this could be.

they had a reputation for corruption and the president's brother was far too powerful. the remedy in the shape of a coup from south vietnam seemed like a thing of the past. >> when they have tried to removeday top or force, the truth comes out. -- by a coup or force, the truth comes out. a puppet leader is a recipe for disaster. >> go back 25 years, you can see the most successful incidence of local leadership. the soviets moved one man out of power and put another in his place. this set the conditions for the soviet withdrawal. from there, they were working through a local power structure when they carried out their

constitutional coup. they were able to use the afghan party to help them. >> president karzai is sweeping through the fraudulent election last summer and as a result, he is the president of afghanistan. the americans have accepted that result. therefore, they are stuck with him. they could try to drop him but how would they do that without making it worse? they could try to persuade him or try to work around him. what they're trying to do is bring enough pressure to bear to indicate that tolerance is not unlimited. >> the leader presents his american counterpart with delicate decisions about protocol. president karzai is expected in washington next month and

everyone will be looking for signs that the rift will be deepening. >> i spoke to the secretary of state. what are countries like yours and hours over here doing risking the lives of young people for a man who claims that we read the election? >> the u.s., nato, britain, they are in afghanistan because it is in our national interests. we have vital interests in making sure that there are not future risks that emanate out of afghanistan as we have experienced on 9/11. that is why we aren't there. we're not there to prop up any particular government. we will work with president karzai and his government. at the same time, we will work to establish an effective

governance. all ultimately, the key here is the relationship between the afghan government and its own people. they will all benefit after the bond is strengthened. >> the fact is that we have saved this man's life. he turns around and says we have fixed the elections. >> he is the leader of the afghan government. we are trying to grow the capacity of that government to be able to sustain -- >> you don't seriously suggest that he could stay in office without the support of nato? >> we are trying to create a government that will work on its own. they will have an effective economy. this is in our interest.

this is a partnership that we are trying to build. >> you have mentioned opium. the former u.n. envoy has said that perhaps president karzai has a taste for it himself. what is your explanation for why he is behaving like this? >> he is a crucial political figure. to the extent that we see real politics going on in afghanistan, president karzai will have a relationship with the international community but he also has to establish a relationship with his own people and the mix of tribes that are unique to afghanistan. we understand that. at the same time, we have stated clearly that we have concerns about the things he has said. president clinton talked to him late last week. the leaders will meet in

washington and we will work through the concerns that he head. >> this will go ahead? >> i expect that he will. he said he does not want to be a puppet for the united states. we agree with that. we are trying to make sure that there is a government that works on behalf of its people. once we can achieve that, we can reduce our military presence. >> is there no sanction that the u.s. could bring to bear on this man? >> we want to help him. we have to work with him. there are things that we expect him to do. we are encouraged by some things that he said. now we will work with him and make sure that he does the program that he outlined. able to utilize the resources that the international community is bringing to afghanistan.

there are things that we expect from him just as there are things that he expects from us. >> can you cut him loose? >> that is not a decision for the united states. he is the leader of afghanistan. we're also working with leaders at the regional and local level to make sure that they can deliver on what the people expect of their government. >> thank you very much for joining us. >> the british prime minister called a general election for may the sixth. pollsters and political strategists are trying to identify the group of people who could decide the outcome of what is expected to be a close race. they have had soccer moms in the u.s.. many think that the key will be motorway man. he depends on his car, cares about his positions, and lives

in new housing. our reporter took up residence in a station in search of motorway man. >> this is a key battleground i election.l xxthe service stations or the people who use them could help decide the outcome. when we heard that, we knew we would have to use the latest in geographical measures to find our service station. when the editor told me i would be spending the election

campaigning motorway services, i could not get out of the door fast enough. >> i have a booking. i am here for the election. >> as soon i was checking in at the park. i don't know if you have anything in the nature of a hot tub. in a funny kind of way, it is becoming a home away from home for me. a great place to spot the voters who could make all the difference in may. don't take all of our word for it. if you cannot trust a -- who can you trust? >> motorway men and women, they

tend to live in new housing on the periphery of provincial towns and cities. they will have new cars, they will have houses with all of the new gadgetry. they are also driven by personality politics. and 1997, they went to blair. in 2010, they would probably be inclined to the new man on the block. >> james is thinking of voting conservatives. >> and do you like the look of cameron? >> possibly. i think that labor has had its day. >> i would like to see a leader

that turns britain back to the right. we should have a great economy. >> i would vote democrat because we don't believe in either the labor party or the tory party. >> there is no literature whatsoever. no one has been knocking on the door. everyone is waiting and waiting. >> the motorway man feature, it is the traffic camera they all want to be on. where we have based their cells in the east midlands is in the

middle of prime swing country. if there is to be a change of government, several of these seats will be changing hands. several members of parliament are clinging to majorities of less than 10%. luiz gosling is the assistant manager of the services. >> it would be in december. i work full time, he works full time. >> she is another one of our electors of the month. >> gordon brown seems like a good leader. >> i their allegations of him bullying people that he worked with? >> obviously, bullying in a

physical way or extreme. if he is just a strong person and he knows what he wants, that is quite a good thing. >> he could have a job running a service station. >> for the moment, it is the domain of motorway man with his laptop and his coffee. are you saying that basing yourself in a motor way station is not the craziest idea. >> not at all. our analysis is about 11.6% of all households. that translates to about 15%. >> 15%. under stringent new guidelines, i should point out that i am not

necessarily here every night. still in all, some of us are keeping watch on a vital front line here at home. following the voters, the motorway services. >> that is all for this week. from all of us, good night. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. the newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> i am ken burns. >> i am henry louis gates jr.. >> for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage. >> for conversations beyond the sound bite. >> for deciding who to vote for. >> public broadcasting is my source for intelligence connections to my community. >> bbc newsnight was presented