Schedule

Five years into the devastating Syrian war, the country’s capital, Damascus is a shelter for the civilians who refuse to flee their motherland. Yet, even here no one is really safe as shells hit the streets and buildings regularly. Sameer is a local cameraman who continues his work despite its dangers. Through his lens, he shows us the everyday life of ordinary Syrians. 

The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 left countless widows and orphans in its wake. On seeing how many ragged children were living in the streets of Baghdad, one man decided to do something about it. Hicham Zahabi founded the Iraqi Safe House for Creativity – an orphanage and school for boys with no viable families. Now these kids learn to read and write and take field trips to theatres rather than join criminal gangs or terrorist groups.

On April 3, 2017, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded St. Petersburg subway train. This was only one of the 200 terrorist attacks in Russia that have killed thousands and injured many more in the past 25 years. Now, the maimed survivors share the details of the horror they’ve lived through. They have had to adjust to living with serious impairments, but refuse to allow their lives to be derailed.

Known as hikikomori, the phenomenon of social withdrawal has become increasingly commonplace in Japan. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese shut themselves away, spending months and years in isolation. But as time goes by, the hikikomori are forced to face the harsh realities of life. Luckily, people are helping to draw them out. RTD meets the hikikomori and a doctor getting the recluses back on their feet.

Recently, the German city of Cologne made the news for a string of attacks against women that many blamed on migrants. The deepening refugee crisis is polarising German society. Still, no social tensions can stop the sweet celebration of Cologne’s famous Carnival, even if this year’s also came with a bitter pill. 

After decades of political antagonism with the West, the Soviet Union made its first Olympic appearance in the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki.The USSR’s team shocked the world, leaving European countries and Australia in the dust, coming in second only to the USA. It was hard to believe that some of the gold medal winners had been wounded in World War II or nearly starved during the siege of Leningrad. A number had even survived multiple Nazi concentration camps. Team’s members describe how they overcame hardships to achieve remarkable victories for their country.

Ekaterina is a young mum with a toddler. She recently discovered that her heart could fail her at any moment. Her only hope is an organ transplant. The surgery is dangerous and carries many risks, but her family is optimistic. They have faith in the skills and expertise of Sklif’s doctors.

Tatyana has a brain tumour and does not yet know whether it is benign or malignant. What is certain, however, is that she needs surgery. Her family is worried about the outcome and prognosis, but are reassured that she’ll be operated on in Sklifosovsky Institute – Russia’s best-known hospital. 

Klim suffers from epilepsy. A seizure may happen at any moment and lead to a serious injury or even death. In many cases epilepsy can be managed with medication, however Klim’s condition requires brain surgery. After weighing up the options in their native Kazakhstan and abroad, his family settled on Russia’s Sklifosovsky Institute to carry out the operation.

Journalists Pavel and Anna are in the army now – the Russian Army. Normally, it’s out of bounds to civilians, but they’ve found a way in. Their goal is to try and test every myth there is about military service in Russia and find out whether they have any basis in truth or are merely invented.

Pavel and Anna find themselves on opposite sides of the barricades. Anna spies on him while he tries to keep up during a drill, before waiting to ambush him and his squad in the woods. Having warmed to the task of shooting at her co-presenter, Anna goes further, and learns how to operate a Kalashnikov and a rocket launcher.

Pavel and Anna check whether it’s true that the Russian Army uses reindeer and husky dogs as means of transport in the Arctic. The two also undergo training in battlefield first aid, close combat and target shooting. And they discover what dishes can be found in the army field kitchen.

These ladies put on bright bouffant skirts and arrange their long hair in neat plaits. Then they go into the ring and beat the hell out of each other! Meet the Bolivian fighting cholitas, the female wrestlers of lucha libre, a free fight that marries a choreographed show with a full-on punching match.

Child prostitution in Kenya has reached a shocking level. Extreme poverty and sex tourism lead to the sexual exploitation of children on a massive scale. RT Doc investigates what is being done about the problem and who profits from it.

RTD visits Republika Srpska, Bosnia’s Serb “entity” and hears the Bosnian Serb side of the story about the War and its aftermath. RTD meets recent President Milorad Dodik and butcher-or-hero, General Ratko Mladic’s son, Darko, while legendary film director, Emir Kusturica shares his plans to bring hope to the region through culture.

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.

They can hold their breath for several minutes and slow their heart rate to almost nothing. Free divers plunge to incredible depths with no scuba gear. They push themselves to the limit to break new records but despite the serious risks involved, they can’t resist the call of the deep.

Known as hikikomori, the phenomenon of social withdrawal has become increasingly commonplace in Japan. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese shut themselves away, spending months and years in isolation. But as time goes by, the hikikomori are forced to face the harsh realities of life. Luckily, people are helping to draw them out. RTD meets the hikikomori and a doctor getting the recluses back on their feet.

RT Doc’s Marina Kosareva returns to Greece two years after she was there as a reporter, covering the daily anti-austerity protests that accompanied the country's worsening economic problems. While the Greek crisis hasn’t been in the news much lately, it’s far from over. Ordinary Greeks explain how they're trying to adapt to their country’s new reality.

Since war broke out in Syria almost 6 years ago, a whole generation of kids has never known peace. They’ve witnessed family members being killed and their houses destroyed. Many were wounded and war has robbed them all of their childhoods. With no end in sight to the bloody conflict, their futures are uncertain.

The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 left countless widows and orphans in its wake. On seeing how many ragged children were living in the streets of Baghdad, one man decided to do something about it. Hicham Zahabi founded the Iraqi Safe House for Creativity – an orphanage and school for boys with no viable families. Now these kids learn to read and write and take field trips to theatres rather than join criminal gangs or terrorist groups.

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.

On April 3, 2017, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded St. Petersburg subway train. This was only one of the 200 terrorist attacks in Russia that have killed thousands and injured many more in the past 25 years. Now, the maimed survivors share the details of the horror they’ve lived through. They have had to adjust to living with serious impairments, but refuse to allow their lives to be derailed.

Over 20 million Americans are prescribed psychotropic drugs  for a variety of mental disorders. Even young children are being given pills to treat ‘behavioural problems’. The drugs are intended to help, but many patients say they just don’t work, are dangerously habit forming and have debilitating side effects. 

After decades of political antagonism with the West, the Soviet Union made its first Olympic appearance in the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki.The USSR’s team shocked the world, leaving European countries and Australia in the dust, coming in second only to the USA. It was hard to believe that some of the gold medal winners had been wounded in World War II or nearly starved during the siege of Leningrad. A number had even survived multiple Nazi concentration camps. Team’s members describe how they overcame hardships to achieve remarkable victories for their country.

RTD visits Republika Srpska, Bosnia’s Serb “entity” and hears the Bosnian Serb side of the story about the War and its aftermath. RTD meets recent President Milorad Dodik and butcher-or-hero, General Ratko Mladic’s son, Darko, while legendary film director, Emir Kusturica shares his plans to bring hope to the region through culture.

Like most students in rural Nepal, Durge Kami is a diligent pupil who tries to listen to his teachers.  He differs from his school mates in just one respect, he is 69! At such a ripe old age, he was determined to realise his life’s ambition to complete his education. Not everyone supported him at first but by doing what he loves he’s become an inspiration for kids and adults alike.

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.

In Israel, where serving in the army is compulsory, there is a special military unit whose sole task is to inform relatives when a soldier is killed in action. RT Doc meets some of the officers who knock on doors to deliver the most devastating news any parent can hear. They have come to be known as, Angels of Death.

Child prostitution in Kenya has reached a shocking level. Extreme poverty and sex tourism lead to the sexual exploitation of children on a massive scale. RT Doc investigates what is being done about the problem and who profits from it.

These ladies put on bright bouffant skirts and arrange their long hair in neat plaits. Then they go into the ring and beat the hell out of each other! Meet the Bolivian fighting cholitas, the female wrestlers of lucha libre, a free fight that marries a choreographed show with a full-on punching match.

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.

Since war broke out in Syria almost 6 years ago, a whole generation of kids has never known peace. They’ve witnessed family members being killed and their houses destroyed. Many were wounded and war has robbed them all of their childhoods. With no end in sight to the bloody conflict, their futures are uncertain.

Over 20 million Americans are prescribed psychotropic drugs  for a variety of mental disorders. Even young children are being given pills to treat ‘behavioural problems’. The drugs are intended to help, but many patients say they just don’t work, are dangerously habit forming and have debilitating side effects. 

RT Doc’s Marina Kosareva returns to Greece two years after she was there as a reporter, covering the daily anti-austerity protests that accompanied the country's worsening economic problems. While the Greek crisis hasn’t been in the news much lately, it’s far from over. Ordinary Greeks explain how they're trying to adapt to their country’s new reality.

Father Frost is coming to the town of Kachkanar, with residents getting ready for the New Year holiday. Despite loads of work, the people at the quarry are in a festive mood.

They have 14-day work shifts, they’re always on the move and they have to be ready to deal with any situation. Meet the conductors of the Trans-Siberian train, Russia’s oldest and longest train route. For many, a journey on the Trans-Siberian train is a dream adventure. But, for the train’s team of conductors, it's just another job.

They have 14-day work shifts, they’re always on the move and they have to be ready to deal with any situation. Meet the conductors of the Trans-Siberian train, Russia’s oldest and longest train route.

They have 14-day work shifts, they’re always on the move and they have to be ready to deal with any situation. Meet the conductors of the Trans-Siberian train, Russia’s oldest and longest train route.

They have 14-day work shifts, they’re always on the move and they have to be ready to deal with any situation. Meet the conductors of the Trans-Siberian train, Russia’s oldest and longest train route.

They have 14-day work shifts, they’re always on the move and they have to be ready to deal with any situation. Meet the conductors of the Trans-Siberian train, Russia’s oldest and longest train route.