Schedule

Sonya, a 14-year-old resident of the Lugansk People's Republic, recalls that the Ukrainian armed forces deliberately targeted residential areas in Donbass. Two of the girl’s neighbours were cooking a meal in the courtyard, for example, when a shell killed both of them. This tragedy compelled Sonya to join the volunteering project herself. Now, over the course of the past year, ‘Food for Life Charity’ has distributed over 800,000 hot meals in Donbass. Who are these brave and compassionate youth who risk their lives and help others under the extreme threat of enemy fire?

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.

After the 9/11 attack, the US was adamant about catching Osama bin Laden and sent troops to hunt him down in Afghanistan, hiding under the protection of the Taliban. Then, after bin Laden had been killed, the US stayed in Afghanistan for another decade for what was officially described as fighting the Taliban terrorist organisation. But in reality, the results of their presence go way beyond that.

Shortly after Russia's military operation in Ukraine began, many Russians abroad felt a surge of Russophobia from mainstream media and some Western politicians, to everyday interactions. Russians are losing their jobs and even being threatened with violence. How are they coping with the abuse?

Beetroot soup, aka borsch, is one of Russia’s most famous dishes. Oscar and Glen go to a medieval town to make one of the most authentic versions: tsar borsch. This centuries-old recipe includes four kinds of meat and takes six hours to make. While it simmers in a wood-fired oven, the two take on the local Cossacks in an unusual duel before returning to a truly royal meal. 

Since 2014, the Donbass militia has enlisted foreign volunteers ready to fight modern fascism. They are Italians, Serbs, Columbians, Mexicans, Americans and others from all over the globe. In Europe and USA, they are considered criminals who could face decades in prison. Today foreign volunteers continue fighting in the ranks of the Donbass militia in the special operation. What stories do they tell?

Gandhi’s philosophy of minimalism and non-violence won India's independence from the British Empire. Today, as India’s economy booms, his modern-day followers tell RTD that Gandhi’s principles are needed more than ever. These include a manager who runs barefoot, a Harley Davidson enthusiast who teaches school kids to share, and Gandhi’s last surviving staff member.

How does it feel to operate under shelling with limited resources? This is what Donbass doctors do every day as they attend to service members and civilians injured by the Ukrainian armed forces. They set up medical units in empty buildings, often destroyed, d do their best to save lives with the means they have and even manage to work up a smile. How do they make it work?

Lhasa’s Potala Palace in Tibet is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It crowns the mountainous city, drawing in tourists. To preserve its unique architectural heritage, a local architect is recording all the precious details of the city’s palace, monasteries and old houses. His mission: to keep Tibet’s architectural traditions alive in the 21st century.

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.

Every 36 hours, a woman dies in Honduras, making the county one of the world’s deadliest places to be a woman. Honduras has the highest rate of female homicide in Latin America. In 2021, more than 240 women died violently.

Aurus is Russia’s state-of-the-art presidential car, designed especially for Vladimir Putin. The Russian president initiated the automobile #1 project, and it was completed in record time: design and construction took only five years. Hence, the car made its first public appearance at Vladimir Putin’s inauguration in May 2018.

Nikolay Milovanov has become a TikTok sensation at 70. He is a math and physics tutor, and he shoots viral videos, ‘explaining complex things in simple terms. How? His short cheerful rhymes become ‘earworms’ and actually help you memorise formulas and theories! Nikolay is convinced that effective lessons can’t be boring. Caution: his cheerfulness and zest for life can be ‘infectious’!

Best observed in high latitudes, the Northern Lights have been fascinating people for centuries. A group of enthusiasts from St. Petersburg, known as the Aurora Hunters, has mastered the art of chasing and predicting them. Natalya, the group’s leader and mastermind, has created a website packed with statistics and forecasts invaluable for everyone who fancies spending a chilly night in the middle of nowhere staring at the sky.

Mountains of garbage have long been acknowledged as a monument to humanity's time on this Earth, now dubbed the Anthropocene era. It has had a disastrous effect on the environment, our health and society, but can anything be done to solve the global waste crisis? RTD travels across Europe to meet scientists and experts for an inside look at the issue of trash and strategies for reducing it.

Sonya, a 14-year-old resident of the Lugansk People's Republic, recalls that the Ukrainian armed forces deliberately targeted residential areas in Donbass. Two of the girl’s neighbours were cooking a meal in the courtyard, for example, when a shell killed both of them. This tragedy compelled Sonya to join the volunteering project herself. Now, over the course of the past year, ‘Food for Life Charity’ has distributed over 800,000 hot meals in Donbass. Who are these brave and compassionate youth who risk their lives and help others under the extreme threat of enemy fire?

Beetroot soup, aka borsch, is one of Russia’s most famous dishes. Oscar and Glen go to a medieval town to make one of the most authentic versions: tsar borsch. This centuries-old recipe includes four kinds of meat and takes six hours to make. While it simmers in a wood-fired oven, the two take on the local Cossacks in an unusual duel before returning to a truly royal meal. 

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.

After the 9/11 attack, the US was adamant about catching Osama bin Laden and sent troops to hunt him down in Afghanistan, hiding under the protection of the Taliban. Then, after bin Laden had been killed, the US stayed in Afghanistan for another decade for what was officially described as fighting the Taliban terrorist organisation. But in reality, the results of their presence go way beyond that.

Since 2014, the Donbass militia has enlisted foreign volunteers ready to fight modern fascism. They are Italians, Serbs, Columbians, Mexicans, Americans and others from all over the globe. In Europe and USA, they are considered criminals who could face decades in prison. Today foreign volunteers continue fighting in the ranks of the Donbass militia in the special operation. What stories do they tell?

Gandhi’s philosophy of minimalism and non-violence won India's independence from the British Empire. Today, as India’s economy booms, his modern-day followers tell RTD that Gandhi’s principles are needed more than ever. These include a manager who runs barefoot, a Harley Davidson enthusiast who teaches school kids to share, and Gandhi’s last surviving staff member.

How does it feel to operate under shelling with limited resources? This is what Donbass doctors do every day as they attend to service members and civilians injured by the Ukrainian armed forces. They set up medical units in empty buildings, often destroyed, d do their best to save lives with the means they have and even manage to work up a smile. How do they make it work?

Lhasa’s Potala Palace in Tibet is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It crowns the mountainous city, drawing in tourists. To preserve its unique architectural heritage, a local architect is recording all the precious details of the city’s palace, monasteries and old houses. His mission: to keep Tibet’s architectural traditions alive in the 21st century.

Welcome to the Mobile Mini Circus for Children in Afghanistan! It’s an oasis of joy and creativity amid poverty and never-ending war. Here, Afghan children have the opportunity not just to learn acrobatics or juggling, but to develop trust and communication skills. Discover another Afghanistan with RTD, as we follow the troupe and hear from kids about their unusual hobby and hopes for the future.

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.

Beetroot soup, aka borsch, is one of Russia’s most famous dishes. Oscar and Glen go to a medieval town to make one of the most authentic versions: tsar borsch. This centuries-old recipe includes four kinds of meat and takes six hours to make. While it simmers in a wood-fired oven, the two take on the local Cossacks in an unusual duel before returning to a truly royal meal. 

Every 36 hours, a woman dies in Honduras, making the county one of the world’s deadliest places to be a woman. Honduras has the highest rate of female homicide in Latin America. In 2021, more than 240 women died violently.

Aurus is Russia’s state-of-the-art presidential car, designed especially for Vladimir Putin. The Russian president initiated the automobile #1 project, and it was completed in record time: design and construction took only five years. Hence, the car made its first public appearance at Vladimir Putin’s inauguration in May 2018.

Much of El Salvador is gripped by gang violence. Turf is divvied up between two warring gangs. Children as young as eight are recruited. Many see no choice in life but to join and take up a life of crime.  But some ex-gang members and youth find refuge with a volunteer ambulance corps called the ‘Rescue Commandos’. To save lives, these dauntless paramedics brave neighbourhoods where even the police won’t go. 

Nikolay Milovanov has become a TikTok sensation at 70. He is a math and physics tutor, and he shoots viral videos, ‘explaining complex things in simple terms. How? His short cheerful rhymes become ‘earworms’ and actually help you memorise formulas and theories! Nikolay is convinced that effective lessons can’t be boring. Caution: his cheerfulness and zest for life can be ‘infectious’!

Best observed in high latitudes, the Northern Lights have been fascinating people for centuries. A group of enthusiasts from St. Petersburg, known as the Aurora Hunters, has mastered the art of chasing and predicting them. Natalya, the group’s leader and mastermind, has created a website packed with statistics and forecasts invaluable for everyone who fancies spending a chilly night in the middle of nowhere staring at the sky.

It’s the battle of BBQs! Glen and Oscar have a cook off to see which style of barbecue is better – Russian or American. After scurrying around Moscow looking for the best meat, Glen throws a ribeye steak on the grill and Oscar works up a sweat making lamb shish kebabs and tandoori chicken. In the end, it’s clear they have very different ideas about how cooked is done.

Mountains of garbage have long been acknowledged as a monument to humanity's time on this Earth, now dubbed the Anthropocene era. It has had a disastrous effect on the environment, our health and society, but can anything be done to solve the global waste crisis? RTD travels across Europe to meet scientists and experts for an inside look at the issue of trash and strategies for reducing it.