Schedule

Looming large across the Kerch Strait, the Crimean Bridge now links mainland Russia and Crimea after opening to car traffic. The ambitious infrastructure project ensures fast and reliable transportation for locals and tourists, travelling to the Black Sea peninsula. Follow RTD on a journey to Crimea to see every nook and cranny of the bridge construction and to explore must-see tourist attractions.

Camp Sundown is no ordinary summer camp because the fun doesn't start until after dark. These campers live with rare genetic disorders that make exposure to sunlight very painful, or even deadly. Unable to repair skin cells that get damaged by natural light, they have to take numerous precautions and steer clear of all the fun usually associated with sun shine. At Camp Sundown, these extraordinary children can enjoy ordinary activities with peers from around the world who have the same condition.

Rock musicians from Russia sing in English to shed light on the truth behind the events on Donbass. Performing on the frontlines and for residents of shelled cities, they use their music as a form of resistance.

Fyodor Yurchikhin always wanted to become a cosmonaut. As a senior engineer in Russia’s space programme, he wasn’t satisfied playing a supporting role. After 11 years of trying, Fyodor was accepted as a cosmonaut candidate at the ripe old age of 38. Five missions and 672 days in space later, his family still worries when he’s away ‘at work.’ But 59-year-old Yuri’s not so sure he’s had enough.

The new series, Cold War Weapons, explores military hardware and techniques created by the Soviet Union and the US during the nuclear arms race. In the first episode of Cold War Weapons, host Marina Kosareva visits one of the world’s best tank museums in the town of Kubinka. When the nuclear arms race between the United States and the USSR began, it became clear that tanks can withstand an atomic blast. The first episode takes a closer look at tanks produced by the Soviet Union and the US during the 1940s and 1950s, their advantages and combat experience.

Twenty four years since being devastated by genocide, Rwanda has become a role model for women's rights in Africa, with female members of society now pursuing careers and taking on leadership roles. However, many poorer and less educated women have been unable to take advantage of their new rights and find their realities little changed. RTD spoke to both women in power and those in menial jobs to find out if gender equality has truly been achieved in Rwanda or whether it's still a work in progress.

Kalderash Gypsies live next to Russian villages, but keep to themselves. To maintain their way of life, they still arrange underage marriages. RTD visits a Kalderash settlement without running water to find out what keeps their culture alive: art, values or relationships?

With RTD, have fun at a Gypsy wedding. Meet a twelve year old husband who’s quit school and his wife, whose teenage dreams collide with her household duties. Meanwhile, specialists in Gypsy culture visit the settlement to record Kalderash music before it dies out. But are they too late?

The Giant Panda has been a symbol of wildlife protection for more than 50 years. It has survived in just one country: China, and its future is constantly threatened by human activity and climate change. In September 2016, the adorable bamboo bear was taken off the endangered species list.

By the beginning of the Maidan, a network of neo-nazi units have already been up and running. The Ukrainian government didn't prosecute them, and there were no repercussions. Ready and able military and terrorist units dispersed and showed up at anti-Maidan meetings in Ukraine’s cities. But the Ukrainian nationalist movement wasn’t formed in a day; it has been building up for decades. How did it happen?

When Auschwitz was freed on January 27, 1945, the survivors met their liberators with shouts of “the Russians have come.” Some 70 years later, the Red Army’s instrumental role in defeating the Nazis in WWII is being wiped from Western history books. However, not all have forgotten who stopped Hitler’s war machine. Those who remember still honour their tremendous sacrifices.

To them, boxing is more than just a sport: it gives freedom, empowerment and the confidence to stand up for themselves. They're the students of Karachi’s first boxing school for girls. Training here, they feel better able to protect themselves but more than that, they also know they achieve more than what their conservative society expects of them.

These rats defy stereotypes: they’re friendly & cute, but most importantly they save human lives. Thanks to their sharp sense of smell, the African giant rats are used to detect explosives. Trained in Tanzania, these clever rodents are sent to countries where landmines left over from war threaten local populations.

The continent of Antarctica is a land covered by ice almost two kilometres deep. Since the 1959 Antarctic Treaty was signed, scientists from all over the world have been able to preserve its unspoilt beauty and explore its mysteries. They tell RTD why they love living in isolation in this international utopia, watched by penguins and other wild animals.

The continent of Antarctica is a land covered by ice almost two kilometres deep. Since the 1959 Antarctic Treaty was signed, scientists from all over the world have been able to preserve its unspoilt beauty and explore its mysteries. They tell RTD why they love living in isolation in this international utopia, watched by penguins and other wild animals.

"Mom, will they kill you?" This is the most common question from adopted children from Donetsk and Lugansk. Kolya, Tolya, and Vova are three brothers who lived in Krasny Luch, in the Lugansk People's Republic. Their father was killed, and their mother fell into alcoholism. Vova, the oldest, has always protected his brothers. Now, he rushes to shield their foster mom when a car drives by. Even in suburban Moscow, the children still don't trust their safety. Other foster parents share similar stories. Often, parents must teach adopted children basic skills—like going to the store or helping at home. Children can't tie their shoelaces but recognize artillery by sound. Now, they're receiving help to heal, catch up in school, and simply be happy.

According to a World Health Organisation report, a 1/3 of the world’s population lives without access to proper toilets. This causes natural water reserves to become contaminated with human waste, which in turn causes disease. India is just one of many countries in which rural populations suffer acutely as a direct result of poor, or no sanitation.

Dubbed the Philippines' last ecological frontier, Palawan Island is in danger from massive deforestation. Stretches of virgin rainforest are being razed to make way for industries taking over Palawan's natural resources. To save the island and its forest-based indigenous tribes, ecological activists take the fight into their own hands, capturing loggers and their equipment, demolishing unsanctioned logging sites and exposing corrupt officials.

Looming large across the Kerch Strait, the Crimean Bridge now links mainland Russia and Crimea after opening to car traffic. The ambitious infrastructure project ensures fast and reliable transportation for locals and tourists, travelling to the Black Sea peninsula. Follow RTD on a journey to Crimea to see every nook and cranny of the bridge construction and to explore must-see tourist attractions.

Camp Sundown is no ordinary summer camp because the fun doesn't start until after dark. These campers live with rare genetic disorders that make exposure to sunlight very painful, or even deadly. Unable to repair skin cells that get damaged by natural light, they have to take numerous precautions and steer clear of all the fun usually associated with sun shine. At Camp Sundown, these extraordinary children can enjoy ordinary activities with peers from around the world who have the same condition.

Rock musicians from Russia sing in English to shed light on the truth behind the events on Donbass. Performing on the frontlines and for residents of shelled cities, they use their music as a form of resistance.

Fyodor Yurchikhin always wanted to become a cosmonaut. As a senior engineer in Russia’s space programme, he wasn’t satisfied playing a supporting role. After 11 years of trying, Fyodor was accepted as a cosmonaut candidate at the ripe old age of 38. Five missions and 672 days in space later, his family still worries when he’s away ‘at work.’ But 59-year-old Yuri’s not so sure he’s had enough.

The new series, Cold War Weapons, explores military hardware and techniques created by the Soviet Union and the US during the nuclear arms race. In the first episode of Cold War Weapons, host Marina Kosareva visits one of the world’s best tank museums in the town of Kubinka. When the nuclear arms race between the United States and the USSR began, it became clear that tanks can withstand an atomic blast. The first episode takes a closer look at tanks produced by the Soviet Union and the US during the 1940s and 1950s, their advantages and combat experience.

Twenty four years since being devastated by genocide, Rwanda has become a role model for women's rights in Africa, with female members of society now pursuing careers and taking on leadership roles. However, many poorer and less educated women have been unable to take advantage of their new rights and find their realities little changed. RTD spoke to both women in power and those in menial jobs to find out if gender equality has truly been achieved in Rwanda or whether it's still a work in progress.

Kalderash Gypsies live next to Russian villages, but keep to themselves. To maintain their way of life, they still arrange underage marriages. RTD visits a Kalderash settlement without running water to find out what keeps their culture alive: art, values or relationships?

With RTD, have fun at a Gypsy wedding. Meet a twelve year old husband who’s quit school and his wife, whose teenage dreams collide with her household duties. Meanwhile, specialists in Gypsy culture visit the settlement to record Kalderash music before it dies out. But are they too late?

The Giant Panda has been a symbol of wildlife protection for more than 50 years. It has survived in just one country: China, and its future is constantly threatened by human activity and climate change. In September 2016, the adorable bamboo bear was taken off the endangered species list.

By the beginning of the Maidan, a network of neo-nazi units have already been up and running. The Ukrainian government didn't prosecute them, and there were no repercussions. Ready and able military and terrorist units dispersed and showed up at anti-Maidan meetings in Ukraine’s cities. But the Ukrainian nationalist movement wasn’t formed in a day; it has been building up for decades. How did it happen?

When Auschwitz was freed on January 27, 1945, the survivors met their liberators with shouts of “the Russians have come.” Some 70 years later, the Red Army’s instrumental role in defeating the Nazis in WWII is being wiped from Western history books. However, not all have forgotten who stopped Hitler’s war machine. Those who remember still honour their tremendous sacrifices.

These rats defy stereotypes: they’re friendly & cute, but most importantly they save human lives. Thanks to their sharp sense of smell, the African giant rats are used to detect explosives. Trained in Tanzania, these clever rodents are sent to countries where landmines left over from war threaten local populations.

"Mom, will they kill you?" This is the most common question from adopted children from Donetsk and Lugansk. Kolya, Tolya, and Vova are three brothers who lived in Krasny Luch, in the Lugansk People's Republic. Their father was killed, and their mother fell into alcoholism. Vova, the oldest, has always protected his brothers. Now, he rushes to shield their foster mom when a car drives by. Even in suburban Moscow, the children still don't trust their safety. Other foster parents share similar stories. Often, parents must teach adopted children basic skills—like going to the store or helping at home. Children can't tie their shoelaces but recognize artillery by sound. Now, they're receiving help to heal, catch up in school, and simply be happy.

Dubbed the Philippines' last ecological frontier, Palawan Island is in danger from massive deforestation. Stretches of virgin rainforest are being razed to make way for industries taking over Palawan's natural resources. To save the island and its forest-based indigenous tribes, ecological activists take the fight into their own hands, capturing loggers and their equipment, demolishing unsanctioned logging sites and exposing corrupt officials.