Russia's Icy Northern Sea Coast | Free Documentary Nature

[Music] we kept 24 knots russia's best seamen and the foolhardiest reindeer sledders live in the arctic north by the barren sea and those who want to belong to the winter sports elite should move here [Music] to the frosty fringes of europe murmansk is the only big city in the region home to big icebreakers and the russian sea fleet [Music] on russia's northern coast [Music] for olga vladimirovna popova a beautiful winter day doesn't start cozily it needs to be cold russian cold then it's bathing time usually she's the first one to arrive at the walrus ice bathing club beginners need to get used to entering the water but old timers like olga simply enjoy it the pensioner is a bit extreme even by merman's standards as she can stay in the water longer than anyone else once i stayed in the four to 7 degrees cold water for 54 minutes olga stopped counting all the medals she's won at arctic swimming competitions for technique speed or stamina my hands tell me when i need to get out the rest of the body could stay in the water but i feel it in my hands when i must quit that's for people from the south [Music] people living in murmansk need to get accustomed to the freezing cold and they most likely have a job that is somehow involved with seafaring murmansk is the most important civilian port in russia's north even when the air is cold and the small bays freeze the shipping lane stays ice free as the gulf stream extends this far north more than 300 000 people live in the city on the kola peninsula around them almost uninhabited land there are only a few scattered settlements like terry berka one or two generations ago five thousand people lived here now a few hundred inhabitants fear for their existence not because it's so cold here but because there are very few jobs school class consists of only five children she's the teacher for all the first graders in teddy becca it's a lively bunch of curious kids whose future professional life depends on the question if they'll be able to leave the village at least for the time of their job training some of them probably won't cope i'm afraid three of them won't make it there are families with a very low income there's one boy who comes from a big family with four children of course it needs a lot of money to raise those kids and their mother doesn't cope all by herself so there's just one way for him the fish factory larissa's care and warmth counts for much more than ambitious future plans the children are supposed to become strong personalities that's important [Music] in life it doesn't matter where you want to go it's about doing something useful where people appreciate what you do and cherish you [Music] larissa is from terry berka herself and the school is something like her extended living room during breaks her daughters or her husband like coming over larissa's mother was a teacher here as well and at least one of her daughters wants to continue that tradition larissa used to live in the south for a few years but she chose to return to her cold home by the sea all the houses were built by the state back when there was work in terrible people made a decent living with fishing agriculture and fur farming until production here in this remote area got too expensive larissa considered it a gift being able to live in teddy becca because people are friendly and very helpful and it became easier to get one of the better apartments you may wonder how i managed to move in the green five-story house first i had an apartment in a wooden house without any comfort then another also without comfort so step by step i got closer to the green house you can see the school from the kitchen window alexander larisa's husband can see when his wife is on her way home from class he likes to have dinner ready then most of the time he succeeds alexander loves to pamper his women almost every day it's the family's favorite food pierogi stuffed dumplings the recipe is quite simple take a yeast dough and stuff it here close to the sea the filling is of course fish it works best with fatty fish like halibut for example or catfish or salmon trouts work too if you take cod you should add a bit of butter so that it gets nice and moist cod for a while they tried getting used to lighter food but nothing was as tasty as alexander's fresh pierogi [Music] there's not much left of terry barca's once proud fishing fleet but the fish factory is still there it's the most modern one in the north of russia that's where julia works larissa's third daughter with her little son attending kindergarten yulia can start her shift at the conveyor she makes a living from her factory work and most likely that won't change for a long time dissecting fish requires stamina and skill women are mostly better at it than men most difficult is removing the small bones you start from the back so that the meat doesn't stick and there's less waste after filleting [Music] yulia's husband is responsible for the cod supply a skilled factory worker gets 1400 rubles per eight hour day approximately 28 euros including the special fragrance you don't smell smelling is the wrong word you stink i'm not very fond of fish and rarely eat it my mother's different she could eat it every day but that's not my cup of tea on a good day the factory spits out 15 tons of filleted fish but they'll be on a forced break from tomorrow there's a big storm at sea and the trawlers are unable to provide fresh fish [Music] it's a distance of a hundred and thirty kilometers by land from terrible to murmansk there are only a few tiny settlements along the way far on the outskirts of murmansk lies vyacheslav olegovic malchev's workshop he's a sail maker and a legend amongst the russian winter sports athletes vyacheslav is an ice surfer he unfolds his own sail that was damaged during his last race a few seams need to be replaced and sealed there's no bulk production here each sale is handmade for his clientele before he starts production he wants to know exactly who he's dealing with all people are different you can especially see that on tasks that are connected with motion just like on a motorway some drive more aggressively others therefore it's possible to make a sale for a calm character for another person with a rather explosive character you need a difference his whole life is centered around the optimal use of the wind in summer he tests the sails on the open barren sea in winter on the frozen inland waters he's considered an eccentric who takes things to perfection things that have excited him since he was a boy i built my first boat when i was 14 after a drawing in the magazine he doesn't talk prices as they are like the sales custom tailored some of his clients live five thousand kilometers away at the other end of russia waiting for the masters sale vyashaslav's test site is right in front of his door and this time it's his own sales turn in a few days the polar olympic games will start on the kola peninsula and vyacheslav wants to win the gold medal in ice surfing i'm physically fit even though i just returned from the world championship where i came off pretty well the conditions were hard and not like here but i need to work on my fighting spirit psychology and luck make the winner out here he can fine-tune his competition skills all by himself providing no curious brown bear crosses his path and throws him off [Music] balance we leave the coast drive inland and reach [Music] lobozero the village isn't really the hub of the world [Music] and many inhabitants didn't land here deliberately [Music] during soviet times people were relocated mercilessly if the party decided so the sami the nomads of the kola peninsula were brought to lovozzero nikolai selivanov is one of them a reindeer breeder living in a block of flats as anonymously as in the big city he's got everything he needs for reindeer breeding in his shed in front of the house well guarded this is where he stores warm clothes for hunting ropes for catching the reindeer and food for the dog the snowmobile replaced the dog sled a long time ago the reindeer spend the winter far away in the tundra except for nikolai's favorites i need to go and feed the animals that i keep near here for the competition and that's it for today we drive for five kilometers through the sparse forest until we reach nikolai's cuties real men do racing sports reindeer racing the leaders are tethered so that none of the others take off all breeders do that [Music] there are about 30 reindeer breeders here these deer belong to nikolai not like the big herds of reindeer out in the tundra those belong to the state nikolai has a favorite this is the one i like best he may be old but i take him for the race anyway because he never let me down he looks a bit rugged but that's due to the season once it gets cold the animals lose their antlers i call him ramka because his back reminds me of a big frame once they're one to two years old you can see which one of them will become a good racer reindeer breeders in russia are employed by the state and don't lead the free life of their sami relatives in scandinavia nikolai's sons have different future plans sports is great but by no means reindeer breeders you're always away from home and need to endure the hardship of life in the wilderness nikolai is partial to everything modern except in regards to the job choice even as a child i was interested in reindeer i was younger than these two we had a club of young reindeer breeders and spent the whole winter dealing with the animals and things just developed i never thought of any other job when everything is well organized at home when his wife takes care of shopping and no work needs to be done nikolai feels like a king everything is ready when i return home i relax for a month and then it's back to nature again there is one big thing to do go to murmansk for the polar olympic games with ramka it's six days until then murmansk is not an idyllic city al-yosha the stone soldier recalls the destruction during the second world war the allies delivered weapons and supplies for the soviet union to the ice-free harbor so german luftwaffe destroyed the city after the war living space was needed for the fast-growing population industrialized buildings murmansk is still russia's arctic hub and its home for the russian icebreaker fleet the lenin is the first nuclear-powered icebreaker in the world vladimir giorgievich kondratyev is chief engineer aboard the lenin and the most important man after the captain his ship is a legend in russian seafaring vladimir has spent dozens of years surrounded by ice it may be very hard work but it's also very important especially for the transportation of goods the earlier we clear the nsa river of ice the earlier we can transport nickel and other resources on water it's an important task [Music] if you served on the lenin you were among the highest regarded seafarers of the soviet union the icebreaker has been decommissioned but vladimir is still a member of its crew and helps to leave it to posterity in good condition the lenin is part of the atom float the atomic fleet vladimir's old workplace is in the middle of the ship this is the heart of the icebreaker we controlled the nuclear reactor from here all the officers had to be on guard here [Music] the reactor has long been removed vladimir supervised the procedure when he was off duty he enjoyed taking photos this is my favorite photo he's very sweet and even allow me to stoke his beard the walrus is the symbol of the arctic the photo was on display at all the places the real lenin lived during his exile the ship was commissioned in 1959 vladimir always regarded work aboard as of national importance and then the icebreaker lenin that was our success our victory in the peaceful use and mastery of the atom we won the race between us and the americans who would be the first in building such a ship the americans had the freighter savannah but we built the land first and vladimir had a luxury cabin with its own stereo [Music] a few kilometers south it's also about a race the polar olympic games are held every winter and now it's time for the ice surfers race sail maker vyacheslov wants to be the champion they all know each other there aren't too many really good ice surfers in the world introduced ice surfing to the kola peninsula it's a matter of honor for him to speed off in front of the others i've been champion for the past 20 years i was soviet champion once four times russian and four times world champion men and women are judged alike in this regatta [Music] choosing the right sail [Music] one blade or two it makes all the difference between a win or a loss at the age of 54 vyacheslav is the senior in this competition that is decided after several heats his posture shows that this round wasn't championship material you may win one of the rounds by accident but the real champion is crowned after eight or nine heats in the end he only comes in second [Music] a snowstorm approaches terry berka again off the coast the stockman field one of the biggest gas fields in the world was discovered the village may become an important base for gas production larissa and alexander like to take a walk along the abandoned school close to the sea the building is in the old part of terrible and was abandoned when there were less and less children now the pupils attend larissa's class in the new part of the village it somehow looks like those photos of the schools and chernobyl the abandoned school books the unwiped [Music] blackboards sometimes people from town climb through the window and destroy things but it doesn't happen too often anymore since wild foxes have settled in the school people from terrible keep a stiff upper lip they strongly believe in the future of their village but only if gas prom starts gas production it's not over yet but first there's the snowstorm [Music] if you live in terrible you shouldn't be afraid of emergency situations the closest doctor lives more than a hundred kilometers away at least there's a small shop for all things necessary in the old part of cheliberka margarita alexandrovna mayorova is the owner and if her shelves are a bit empty it's due to problems with the supply there's a business district in murmansk where i get my supplies i can call there beforehand and i'll have everything ready when i arrive for pickup prizes but she needs to drive there which takes a whole day and it's impossible during a snowstorm no surprise then that there are a few bottlenecks once in a while for years margarita knows her customers needs and theoretically there's everything the heart desires except for oysters they collect oysters and mussels and surely don't expect me to have them on offer sometimes they're simply washed ashore of course margarita is aware that many villagers don't buy at her place but drive to the supermarket in murmansk either by car or bus because it's cheaper but she's got her regulars mainly senior citizens who consider a drive to town too much of a hassle i first arrived here in 2003 i love the nature and the people are very nice and pleasant not like in the city so i decided to stay my customers are like relatives to me for the next 10 days teddy becca will be marooned the attempt to leave the village by car is futile the major part of the cola peninsula isn't accessible by roads and the few roads mostly lead to murmansk the city never sleeps the harbor is essential for delivering supplies to the north of russia the coast guard is stationed here trawlers more here resources are handled here and ships are repaired here the shipyard workers are famous for their capabilities to get everything afloat again with passion and endless patience there is military grade hidden between the trading ships it's the navy really secret matters are hidden from prying eyes there are huge military installations all around the city all are prohibited areas but the song and dance ensemble of the navy fleet is open to the public sixty men and women will attend rehearsal at murmansk today they are all professional artists they're not looking for artistic experiments but cherish marine musical traditions to perfection [Music] alexander felipenko can't count all the uniform rehearsals he attended [Music] there's nothing simple in ballet dancing it's all about basic things you need to force yourself it's hard physical work that's what professional dancing is all about the easier it looks the more work it required as it is a military ensemble they perform in uniform is allowed but individual changes to the attire is strictly forbidden they don't wear fantasy costumes it's their working clothes that were slightly adjusted for the performance this variation of uniform is called number two normally it's not used in the north it's a rather southern variation for the black sea fleet normally we wear black shirts but we use the lighter ones as they have a more festive look when they rehearse they do it with heart and soul it's as if they're performing in front of a big crowd of civilians or their own troops first priority is that the armed forces enjoy it in prosperity and adversity the ensemble is the ideological flagship of the fleet it shall inspire the seamen in their daily routine when they're going gets tougher [Music] and the main thing is to keep our young sailors spirits up they're away from their moms and dads for a long time [Music] nobody is supposed to feel like a star it's the esprit de corps that counts [Music] of course every artist has its dreams we dream about the big stage and the greatest thing would be a performance at the moscow kremlin according to their mission the ensemble's musical pieces tell about life as a sailor mother russia bravery or all things combined our next piece is called salty water it's the collective showpiece its choreography was flashed out many years ago generations pass but the dance remains the same salty water the barren sea the quiet things of the sea it's the dance of the northern sea fleet [Music] hello there is less choreography at the polar games but it's not the athlete's fault it's the reindeers [Music] okay [Music] here the top knobs of the community of the russian sami come together nikolai is there as well of course putting on his traditional attire for the start this would be too much of a hassle in everyday life this morning things aren't as they should be the reindeer's olympic spirit is low [Music] so they're taught a sami lesson without antlers there's more discipline in the group this didn't work well he doesn't want to race but rather run away the animals behave back but apart from that everything's fine slay race nikolai's bib number is 76. the main principle of the competition is simple you just need to scare your deer as much as you can then they run like the devil if everything goes well too slow one of the animals floundered up on the hill second event on skis it's hard on skis you need to stay on your legs and control the animals at the same time this time everything seems perfect they all run in the right direction nikolai stays upright but then [Music] he's still a bit slow i don't know most likely i won't get first or second place but he has a safe haven with the colorful ladies around him and if the reindeer aren't as stubborn next year nikolai will surely win the icy race at the russian northern seacoast again [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

Views: 209,765

Rating: 4.8389263 out of 5

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), nature documentary, Free Documentary Nature, Russia, Barents Sea, Kola Peninsula, Murmansk, Arctic Circle, Arctic, Severomorsk, Olympic Polar Games, Reindeer, Reindeer Racing, free nature documentary, Free Nature Documentary 2020, Travel Documentary, tripadvisor, Arctic Life, Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis, Russian Federation, Murmansk Oblast, Arctic Sea

Id: pH_KyXXDpJQ

Length: 43min 45sec (2625 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 04 2020