In the Army Now
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Enlisting in the Russian Army to bust military myths – In the Army Now Ep.01
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Dressing in 45 seconds & army food test – In the Army Now Ep.02
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Are reindeer and huskies really part of Russian Army transport? – In the Army Now Ep.03
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Arctic Regiment as testing ground for cutting-edge military hardware – In the Army Now Ep.04
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Joining firefighters at Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome – In the Army Now Ep.5
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Rocket launch at Plesetsk Cosmodrome – In the Army Now Ep.6
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Becoming marines with the Caspian Fleet – In the Army Now Ep.7
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Demining the sea & why a woman on board is bad luck– In the Army Now Ep.8
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Navy slang, driving a Corvette, and marine initiation rituals – In the Army Now Ep.9
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Inside Russia’s once-secret space surveillance station in Tajikistan – In the Army Now Ep.10
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UFO hunting at Okno Surveillance Station – In the Army Now Ep.11
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Joining the 201st Motor Rifle Division & training with ‘Gods of War’ – In the Army Now Ep.12
Inside Russia’s once-secret space surveillance station in Tajikistan – In the Army Now Ep.10
Pavel and Anna’s search for the most unusual Russian army units takes them abroad. Tajikistan used to be a Soviet Republic and is still host to the Russian space surveillance station “Okno”. The facility, whose name translates as “window”, was once a top secret military project. Its powerful telescopes, sheltering inside massive domes, scan space for satellites and other objects for monitoring and analysis.
Related: Russia's Top Guns Showcase their Aviation Skills
On joining the soldiers who serve there, they discover many of them live in spacious apartments with their families. The pleasant accommodation, together with the hot climate and beautiful scenery, make Anna imagine she’s on vacation. But the illusion doesn’t last long as the new recruits are soon faced with a gruelling training and team work exercise in one of the domes.
Related: Exploring Russia’s mobile nuclear missile systems
First, however, Anna is tasked with a mission in an armoured vehicle. All is well until her squad is ambushed by gunmen, including Pavel toting a sniper rifle. Anna isn’t on the back foot for long, though – she has a grenade to pacify her pesky colleague.