RTDocumentary

‘Ukrainians had mortars and they tried to push us out of the position. The machine guns were located at the terminal, on the tower. If they had taken up this position, they would have had a direct path to the village’. With the call sign ‘Shisha’, volunteer Victor defended the Donetsk region from the Ukrainian army in 2014. The fighting occurred near the Holy Iberian Monastery, opposite Donetsk airport. For all the time of hostilities, Victor was never wounded. According to him, ‘God saved me, for certain. I spent a lot of time there and have not been wounded. Lucky me! An angel was guarding me. That was very pleasant!’ Learn his story in our post. Viktor is one of the subjects of the documentary Portaitissa of Donetsk. This tape is about how the monastic community became the epicentre of hostilities. #video#Ukraine#Donetsk Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

“How much we cried for someone to stand up for us, but no did. No one... Who responded? Russia". This is a hard video to watch, but it has a happy ending. Refugees from Donbass describe how they escaped shelling. They are dirty and hungry. Some have been hiding in cellars for weeks. But most importantly, they survived! Now they are in Russian refugee centers, where psychologists and volunteers help them. Learn about their first minutes in safety in our post. Watch the film Ukraine: Heading East, which explains why Ukraine began shelling its own citizens eight years ago, and how their dream of a peaceful life is only coming true now. #video#Ukraine#Donbass Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

This woman from India named S Petchiammal pretended to be a man for 36 years in order to raise her daughter. She became pregnant at the age of 20 and lived with her husband for only 15 days - he died of a heart attack. After giving birth, she had to work several jobs: construction sites, hotels and cafes. There she faced daily harassment. So she started pretending to be a man. ‘Only my relatives knew that I was a woman. So I saved every penny to ensure my daughter has a safe and secure life’, she said. The lady revealed the truth only after her daughter grew up and married. She received the support of millions of people, but decided to remain a man until the end of her days. A similar situation happened to the subject of our documentary, The Untamed Shrew. An Egyptian woman pretended to be a man for 43 years to find a job and provide for her family. #video#India Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

Congolese people are highly superstitious. They habitually exorcise the Devil from children. However, if a priest says he can't cast the evil out of the child, the kid will be kicked out of home. Abandoned by their families, these unfortunates are forced to beg and steal on the streets. In our film, children recount how they were thrown out. To learn why parents have their kids exorcised, and how these poor and abandoned children get by, watch our film, The Shegué, the Sorcerer and Che Guevara. #video#Congo Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

‘People are very afraid that Ukraine will return here’. Anna, a resident of Volnovakha, said back in 2015, the Ukrainian military promised to destroy the city if they ever had to surrender it. During the special operation, Volnovakha became the first major city of Donbass to come under the control of the Russian army. Near it, they built mighty fortifications, so intense battles for the settlement could not be avoided. The Ukrainian military told residents that if they left, they’d torch the city ‘because savages live here’. The stories of the townspeople have become part of our film VolunTeers. #video#Donbass Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

The nuclear power plant in Zaporozhye has repeatedly been in the spotlight in Western, and US media since Russia’s special operation in Ukraine started. The headlines frightened readers that ‘Russian attack on Ukrainian nuclear plant veered near disaster’ The situation was compared to Chernobyl and Fukushima. John Dougan, a former American policeman, did not believe the Western media. He went to Zaporozhye to find out what had happened. John said: ‘None of the reactors were hit. None of them were even close to being hit.’ Russian troops took over the nuclear power plant in Zaporozhye without damage. The station operates as before and fulfils its primary function - it provides power to the people. See for yourself - watch our video. #video#Zaporozhye#Ukraine Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

‘It’s the first time the chess world’s been split. It’s never happened before. Even during the Cold War, chess continued’. These are the words of grandmaster Sergey Karjakin. When the special operation began in Ukraine, Sergey supported Russia. Because of this, the International Chess Federation suspended him for six months from all competitions under its auspices. The grandmaster filed an appeal, but it was rejected. ‘Foreign chess players are silent in the media. And they sent me personal messages with words of support’, the grandmaster told an RT Documentary film crew. In April, Sergey played matches with children from Donbass. He said the meeting was significant for him since he had lived in the Donetsk region for three years. At the start of a special military operation in Ukraine, Russian athletes were removed from international competitions, and cooperation with artists in the West has stopped. Watch the film Killing Russian Culture. #video#Donbass Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

Afghanistan is considered to have the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. There is virtually no economy, while the local currency is rapidly losing its value. This is why many parents in Afghanistan are forced to consider selling their daughters to survive. The average price ranges from $1,500 to $2,000, but this is a lot for people deep in debt earning an occasional dollar a day. They say that they will starve and freeze to death if they don't do it. Boys are not up for sale because they can be valuable in the parental home, but girls are given away and married off very often still underaged. Watch the film Don't sell me, mama. #video#Afghanistan Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

Le Figaro readers have found a similarity between Zelensky and Hitler. On May 20, 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky became Ukrainian president. However, it seems deep down he is still an actor dreaming of an Oscar. By the way, he realised a big dream by recording a recent video message to the participants of the Grammy award. While some were calling the Zelensky the most influential politician, the French newspaper Le Figaro published an article in which the author laughs at him and compares him to a clown. Le Figaro reader supported the author and noted Zelensky’s oratory was similar to Hitler's: 'Hitler could have been Zelensky’s colleague! He was also a good actor, and a superb rhetorician. Both of these actors involved their peoples in conflicts with disastrous consequences.' Another commented: '... the same comedy, which one failed artist chose for himself in the 1930s and 1940s!' PS: The photo shows Zelensky as part of an ad campaign for Ukraine’s TV channel. Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

'$5 gas. No baby formula. Record crime. Record inflation. Border crisis. And what’s Congress doing today? Holding a hearing on UFOs!’ this tweet was written by an American politician Jim Jordan. Due to sanctions against Russia fuel prices are increasing in the U.S. The United States Oil and Gas Association called the rising petrol prices ‘the greatest energy crisis in the last 50 years’. The price of baby food has also risen. Many supermarkets don't have any. Experts estimate there’s a 40% production shortfall. While the government is trying to solve the problem, American women are selling breast milk. How have the sanctions affected Russia? In some areas of business, the restrictions can be beneficial. See the RT Documentary feed Sanctions: Opportunity in Disguise. #photo#USA Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

‘It’s quiet here! In Mariupol, there’s heavy shelling’. Seven-year-old Dima talks about what he went through. The boy's parents died, hiding him from Ukrainian shelling. Finally, Russian soldiers found him and brought him to the Children's Social Centre in Khartsyzsk. ‘The kid’s very scared. He blinks a lot and squeezes his eyes’, - the centre’s teachers haven’t told Dima about his parents. He thinks he lost them. Ten days after filming, Dima was taken by his uncle. There are 17 children in the Children's Social Centre. Most of them were taken out of the war zone by volunteers. Those who risk their lives to save others are featured in our video premiere of VolunTears. #premiere#Mariupol#Ukraine Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

'There are never kisses at weddings. We will start talking to each other in a month or so'. These are the words of the Kalderash Gypsy Andrei, who was married at 12. When he turned ten, his parents started looking for a young bride. Child marriage is common in Roma villages. Whether the kids want it or not, no one asks. Watch Andrei's story in our video. What goes on inside this unusual culture? Check out the film Romany Romance. #video#marriage Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary