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
Enlisting in the Russian Army to bust military myths – In the Army Now Ep.01
Military service might be compulsory in Russia, but many Russian citizens only gain a very superficial idea of what being in the armed forces is really like. This may be the reason why army life seems to abound in myths and legends. In this series, Pavel (a journalist) and Anna (a comedian) take it upon themselves to find out whether there is any truth to any of them. Travelling throughout Russia, they join various regiments to discover what being a Russian army recruit is really like.
Related: Inside a Russian female military academy
To start, they join the newest addition to the Russian Army, its Arctic Regiment. Based in the Arctic Circle, the Regiment consists of over 1,500 soldiers. To serve here, they need to know how to survive in extreme conditions of the tundra, be able to cover 30 km skiing cross country, and operate the most advanced armoured vehicles.
Related: Exploring Russia’s mobile nuclear missile systems
Here, Pavel and Anna will see with their own eyes whether the hardships of military life have been exaggerated, whether soldiers have to dress in 45 seconds during a drill, and whether reindeer and husky dogs are really used as means of transport.
In the first episode, they try on Arctic military uniform, undergo gruelling outing skis, and learn what attracts women to serve in this remote regiment.