Putin's pride: Cossacks and the church | DW Documentary

[Music] [Applause] last winter in Moscow [Music] thousands of people lined up in the middle of the night to be a part of an old ritual the Russian soul we're unbeatable our faith in God makes us strong something resembling a baptism for adults is taking place next to a church the faith will take a quick dip in ice-cold water [Music] during the Soviet era this Russian Orthodox ritual to mark epiphany all but disappeared now it's being revived this is not just about faith it's a way to show the world what Russia is capable of [Music] Russian television is here to show President Vladimir Putin taking the plunge 400 kilometers from Moscow the man who serves as a role model for his country enters the chilly water [Music] this ritual unites Russians in different parts of the country the faithful are impressed that their president is leading by example a good Russian a religious Russian is faithful to his roots his country when the system in which he lives we want to bring back these values and need someone to lead the way and that's that in your Putin many things that were banned in the Soviet Union are now presented with pride including Cossack traditions [Music] not far from Red Square are the offices of Tsar grad TV a broadcaster that propagates a return to traditional values even in the lobby it's clear who has the say here the president and the patriarch of Moscow and all Russia the broadcaster was founded by Konstantin Malafaia an Orthodox businessman and Putin al I hear journalists criticize Western decadence and declare homosexuality to be a cardinal sin so our grad TV's biggest star is host Andrei afanasiev that's our studio is considered one of the best and definitely a well-equipped in Russian and say in the world the main specialty of it is a hand-painted icon of Jesus Pantocrator it's one of one of the symbols of our channel in 2017 Andrei Afanasiev made international headlines when he produced a video offering Russian homosexuals a free one way ticket to the US this is not a joke we really want you to move there where you can openly submit to your sins [Applause] sar grad TV says these kinds of pieces have increased viewer numbers substantially the broadcaster claims a quarter of all Russians have watched its programmes at least once [Music] I'm Andrea Fenn a CEO welcome to the Russian answer the program's fight for Family Values and against abortion and they depict the West as decadent and corrupt these are also favorite topics of owner Konstantin Malathi of the 45 year old business tycoon amassed his wealth through banking and Internet companies people call him the orthodox oligarch though he sees himself as a monarchist he's also said to be in direct contact with Vladimir Putin putting in my ass definitely good substitute for the turn for this moment different because what he's doing right now it would be the best what what could be done by Bourne sir he personifies himself with Russia to pass this sense of patriotism and orthodoxy on to the next generation Constantine Molefi F has also founded a school the st. basil the great school is located in an upscale neighborhood in Moscow 400 pupils attend classes in what resembles a palace the school is a training ground for Russia's future elites the walls are lined with images of past czars and famous russian writers constant reminders of the pre-revolutionary Russian Empire the point was of course enough for our children to know watch these paintings and it's it's given something to your heart and to your mind even if you are not mentioned this deeply in your mind you always would remember you know something good nice you know and back to Russian history to make sure nothing distracts from this special atmosphere cell phones aren't allowed at the st. basil the great school for just over 1,000 euros a month even young children get to learn all about tradition including Church Slavonic which is still used in Orthodox services do you like Church Slavonic along with the classical education pupils are also taught good manners proper etiquette and dancing fifteen year old Barbara is the daughter of an oil company CEO she's attended the school for four years we're not too bad [Music] this traditional dance was very popular in the 19th century we're practicing it for our schools anniversary celebrations when our parents and many other guests will be here celebrated in the style of the Imperial era the ball is one of the highlights of the school year Barbara will also dance before the watchful eyes of school founder Constantin Malafaia I'll admit I'm a bit nervous but after the dress rehearsal there will be less stress and at the ball I'll be much better Barbara lives in an exclusive residential area not far from the school with her parents and her younger brother her room is decorated with Russian icons but recently Barbara has also been learning to play the guitar and her walls are also covered with posters of rock bands which aren't on the curriculum at the st. basil the great school I'm a completely normal teenager I listen to alternative rock like a Rammstein three days grace and Green Day and there's imagine dragons and My Chemical Romance she made the rainbow flags which symbolized the LGBT pride movement herself yeah my parents don't know what these colors mean at school they tell us that homosexuality is something bad but I think that all people are equal even if someone has black skin or a different sexual orientation they should be respected and loved this evening Barbara's parents are hosting a dinner party her father Andre is cooking a specialty from Siberia where he grew up [Music] this is Siberian sturgeon the favorite dish of people in the north we lived in the north for 40 years my parents moved there in their youth in the days when it was still the Soviet Union that's why what's here yeah it's come so easy Andrei trained as a geologist he worked for an oil company and rose through the ranks until he became its CEO now he belongs to the Russian elite delicious Barbara's mother Anastasia is also preparing a Siberian specialty emini dumplings filled with ground meat and onions Russians love them just another married couple and Barbara's grandparents have been invited for dinner and of course there's lots to drink I wish you luck and love in Russia it's a tradition to say a toast before drinking another glass I drink to your big family may it remain united that's what's most valuable and that you honor tradition to you Thanks we've known each other so long maybe these Russians are so focused on tradition because their recent history has been so chaotic from any change breeds fear in Russian history every major change has led to violence we've always had bloody revolution and coos with many deaths and lives shattered here they're all Putin's supporters mainly because Russia has enjoyed sustained economic growth during his rule since 1999 the average income has increased tenfold today we have more faith in the future the country has stabilized we feel protected in every way you can make money legally stability is the most important thing but Putin doesn't just have the wealthy upper class behind him he can also rely on the support of a legendary Slovak people known for their courage and fighting skills the Cossacks their troops on horseback once defended Russia's borders and spread fear among opponents and religious minorities rostov-on-don in southern Russia is the center of Don Cossack culture Grigory is 15 years old his father and his grandfather with Cossacks his life's aim is to defend his homeland computer autumn 24 everyone must decide if he's a patriot or not today Russia is subject to many dangers from abroad should I have to defend my motherland one day I'm even prepared to sacrifice my life so who knew things to Grigory has already internalized the Cossack values of patriotism militarism and orthodoxy it's a mixture that matches Vladimir Putin's conservative ideals Grigory is a cadet at the highly regarded Shakti Cossack school here two hundred and twenty young men are preparing for their military service hey all the flags of the Russian Federation and the Rostov region Samira nah in Soviet times Cossacks were oppressed after the Iron Curtain collapsed their culture began to flourish again Putin officially integrated them into the Russian army this school is publicly funded Lamia I expect our president to hold the country together and ensure our welfare Jeremy Sherwood today is most important duty is the security of our country and you must see to it that there is peace in our nation because what's happening at our borders frightens Grigory and his fellow pupils have the same curriculum as in other Russian schools they study everything from math to literature but here there's a special focus on history specifically the history of the Cossacks [Applause] [Music] for cossacks your head covering as a question of Honor our forefathers only removed it to pray when they entered a church show were communing with God Kozik died on the battlefield he was never buried with his cap it was always brought to his widow along with the uniforms and weapons pupils are also told about their forefathers heroic deeds Grigory and his friends are proud of these stories the most but discuss the vehicles hakeem cossacks played a key role in almost all the wars they were the first to go into battle it's because of them that Russia was so powerful so at the school they also put theory into practice they reenact historical battles to internalize heroic feats from bygone days let's come here for school director Vitaly it's an indispensable exercise what we've read isn't enough we have to put on the uniforms of our forefathers and use their weapons and march for kilometers in the same conditions we have to withstand cold and snowstorms that's the only way to learn our history [Music] after an hour of drills and temperatures of minus 15 degrees Celsius the Cossack students can finally warm up but before they eat they have to pray the electrician immutability 4motion yes I want to share this adventure with my comrades say if they ever need me I'll help them out I feel connected to them and perhaps will later serve in the same regiment the older students are doing bodybuilding their big role model is Vladimir Putin is Putin a strong man for you yes he has a strong character he's physically and mentally strong he's even a martial arts master that's how he can lead a country of 150 million people only he can help our country advance and develop I don't see anyone who can equal him or replace him as president like every weekend grigory is packing his things tomorrow he's going home it's a 200 kilometer trip [Music] he lives in a small town of some 8,000 people in this house because I missed you so much I missed you too grigory's parents are divorced his mother Yelena works in a medical lab and earns around 300 euros a month when her son comes home she lets him sleep in the only bed that's my brother he's a soldier and a special forces unit he's my role model that's what a real man and soldier should be like a million euros to chu'lak Yelena does worry about her boys but her love for her country is paramount the gentleman the most important thing is that my sons defend our nation they must be prepared to sacrifice themselves for their comrades if necessary I've raised my sons to be real men they've got that he ever speak the ocean she thinks Putin is a good president he supports the revival of Orthodoxy and has had many churches built for us Cossacks that's important since Putin has been in power the Russian Orthodox Church has enjoyed a noticeable revival in the last two decades around a thousand churches have been restored or rebuilt each year many were destroyed during Stalin's rule since 2011 65 churches have been erected in Moscow alone another 150 are in the planning the idea is for every muscovite to have a house of worship with an easy reach [Music] the Moscow Patriarchate has even been offered the city's green spaces as building sites a conflict has erupted between residents and church leaders over the Torah Anka Park in northern Moscow on the one side are priests and the faithful who are staking their claim by holding regular masses here [Music] on the other side are angry locals who don't want to lose their Park Natasha is the group's spokeswoman for two years she's been fighting to have the construction stopped or at least postponed bastard Aisha there are already four churches in this district this would be the fifth why did they have to destroy the park when there are already so many recently Natasha and her friends were attacked by a group of thugs I was punched in the head it gave me a black eye and broke my brow bones because I filed a police report I received threats will kill you in the name of our faith other protesters were beaten up too but to date the police have stood idly by I want to ask you many of us were attacked and injured by SS type thugs yet nothing was done about it [Music] [Applause] the group which calls itself 40 times 40 is protected by the authorities it acts on behalf of the Orthodox Church the name 40 times 40 refers to the 1600 churches that were said to exist in Moscow before the Revolution former hooligans and martial artists comprise this armed wing of the Orthodox Church the group holds President Putin in high esteem and claims to act in Russia's interest these scenes show 40 times 40s violent intervention tour frança Park in their own way they demonstrate the growing power of the Russian Orthodox Church we meet members of the group one of its leaders Artyom invited us to a church in the basement they're practicing martial arts beforehand they also pray here welcome the waiter come line up to pray Oh Josh recently missing the city's symmetry the pre-disaster the boot warrior can be seen simply flip the switch the group is comprised of a colorful mix of students police officers and IT experts like Artyom twice a week they gather here to train after work so let's go and keep moving Artem tells us that to defend their conservative faith they need to be physically fit our emblem is a bull gatir an orthodox knight who defends the russian church with a sword in a shield orthodoxy and our country are important to us during the Soviet era such emblems were forbidden now they're being used to win the faithful respect we have to protect our members and our cathedrals if someone attacks us or makes fun of holy things then we have to try to defend them we must defend them over time 40 times 40 have made themselves indispensable we're taking on more and more duties at first we only defended holy sites now we also help at the patriarchs church services on the same evening 40 times 40 we'll be on duty at a ceremonial mass attended by then Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour Moscow's largest Cathedral is heavily guarded only invited guests are allowed in but you need it to get in where I got it that's a secret he used to work here [Music] artyom and his friends don't need an invitation around a dozen people from their group are in attendance officially they're here as stewards the cathedral is full of security personnel the church service is being transmitted live on television then Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has come to hear patriarch Kirill sermon in person for Artem Medvedev's presence is a good omen I'm sure of not just on you somewhere our best times were always when political power in the church were united as long as this alliance lasts nothing can happen to us Steinem boo boo graduate Madhvi ativ was here to represent Vladimir Putin who was attending a celebration in st. Petersburg special turkey mostly Christians like it that Putin is an Orthodox believer he supports the church and that's very valuable [Applause] in spite of their violent methods Artyom and his friends are welcome here 40 times 40 enjoys the support of the church and likely that of the authorities too [Music] at least that's the opinion of the demonstrators protesting against the construction of the church in Moscow story Anka park the attacks against them were never investigated and Natasha Afghani have been targeted again and again in the middle of the night we suddenly heard someone sawing at our door my husband opened it and 15 masked men stormed in and pointed their guns at us several special units were involved in searching our house including the Secret Service if we - yes they were all after us which either come from oh really sir [Music] Yevgeniy and eight other activists each received unwelcome visitors who were accompanied by TV crews clearly these home searches were meant to serve as warnings but since you have Kenny began receiving death threats over the Internet he now fears for his life one guy from 40 times 40 wrote that he's digging a grave for me in the park and that he plans to bury me there when I went to the police they said come back when you're dead but death threats are no laughing matter in Russia journalists lawyers and politicians have all been victims of deadly attacks many still remember the assassination of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov just steps from the Kremlin Nemtsov served as Deputy Prime Minister of Russia under Boris Yeltsin he later criticized the corruption under Vladimir Putin the funeral procession for Nemtsov turned into a protest march against Putin but the Russian president denied any responsibility for the killing Elia a 52 year old engineer wants to make sure the murder isn't forgotten I wrote a poem for name sake your reward for telling the truth was getting hit with four bullets like boris nemtsov Elia hoped that post communist Russia would develop into a Democratic Society he's never belonged to a political party Nemtsov included but he's protesting against what he views as a politically motivated murder there are people at the top who can contract their subordinates to murder opposition leaders today were governed by terrorists once a week Ilya holds a night long vigil his daughter and son-in-law worry about him yes bucko no puzzle I've come back safe and sound each time you say that and then you call us from the police station to come get you I know the police department well exactly and that's not the only danger but even numerous arrests haven't dissuaded Illya on this Monday he'll once again spend hours in the cold to keep the memory of one of Vladimir Putin's most vocal critics alive [Music] Elia drives 50 kilometers to reach the site of the murder the bolshoi mosque for etske bridge near the Kremlin [Music] how long have you been there not you cold it's okay we were a bit late anyways together they've created a modest memorial [Music] Plus let me look just one minute to go Nemtsov was murdered at 11:31 p.m. what states-general they observe a minute of silence in front of the walls of the Kremlin you know you know it heroes don't die kyoya new yet a few passers-by stop to express their support she wasn't killed because he was against against Putin it's very clear and everybody knows who killed him except our judges that's a very sad story where he said story for our country five Chechens acting as contract killers were jailed but there's been no investigation into who ordered the hit [Music] I'm in safe when I knew that the site is cleaned very often to drive would be protesters away Elia and his friends take turns guarding the memorial seven days a week around the clock time and again their vigil has been attacked by ultra-nationalists one of them struck down Olga's husband a man came up to Yvonne and asked you don't like Putin answered why should I like him then the man hit him and ran off yvonne was taken to the hospital where he died of heart failure since then his wife has attended the vigil on her own [Music] less than three years after nemtsov's assassination another opposition politician was prevented from taking part in the Russian presidential elections protesters chanted down with Putin Alexei Navalny made a name for himself blogging against corruption he planned to challenge Putin in the 2018 election but was barred from running due to a conviction for a legend embezzlement Navalny is convinced the Kremlin leadership fears him at this rally Navalny was arrested and held for eight hours authorities said the rally hadn't been approved Navalny supporters were furious and chanted Russia without Putin Russia without Putin down with the Tsar almost earlier today Putin is the newts are what else can you call someone who's been in power for almost twenty years Russia has degenerated into nothing more than a feudal country that's ruled with bayonets clubs and crosses Evon is just 16 he'd love to vent his anger in front of the windows of the Kremlin but hundreds of police officers are blocking the way [Music] unfortunately Putin's won again today there aren't enough of us [Music] during his 19 years in power Vladimir Putin has eliminated his most dangerous opponents his United Russia party holds close to three-quarters of the seats in the State Duma one of putin's most faithful mps is vitaly melona he's the architect of russia's gay propaganda law which has caused many LGBT teachers their jobs so it means that you cannot address yourself to an infant saying that that sodomy sodomy is a normal way of life that's what absolutely sheared by vast majority of Russians so we put this tradition into legislation the gay propaganda law was passed almost unanimously with just one abstention the European Court of Human Rights has ruled it discriminatory [Music] malone off' comes from saint-petersburg the former Russian capital is also the birthplace of Vladimir Putin [Music] long known as Russia's window to the west st. Petersburg is home to many sexual minorities but gay bars aren't recognizable from the outside they don't advertise or fly rainbow flags [Music] [Applause] in a modest apartment on the edge of the city lives a man who is waging his own personal war on homosexuals he's a jeweler by day but at night he takes on the role of a criminal investigator he tracks down LGBTQ teachers using the Internet we will cheat you learn now hold him if I see teachers on a gay or lesbian website then I find out where they work and contact the interior ministry legal action is taken against them sometimes they just quit on their own Tamura doesn't require much evidence one photo on the net is enough what's that look at this music teacher she's pictured here with her girlfriend they're clearly lesbian and pupils can see that if she published all her photos now she's been fired she even went abroad to escape the pressure at national Alinea Tim Orr claims he's caused 70 educators to be sacked so far due to his activities he's now barred from entering the US and the EU [Music] meanwhile in the ritzy area of Moscow where Barbara lives her family is looking forward to the school ball her mother has hired a hairdresser to make sure Barbara shines in front of putin's friends I'm very excited about this prom and yeah it's like a dream when princess came to the prom and he's like my child dream but whilst the revival of a Czarist Russia may be a dream for some for others it's a complete nightmare you

Channel: DW Documentary

Views: 1,152,552

Rating: 4.6625614 out of 5

Keywords: Documentary, Documentaries, documentaries, DW documentary, full documentary, DW, documentary 2020, documentary, Russia, Vladimir Putin, patriotism, tsarist period, Cossacks, Russian Orthodox church, Soviet Union, homosexuality

Id: euxt0argojI

Length: 42min 26sec (2546 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 26 2020