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In The Army Now (Episode 1) 26:484 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.

In The Army Now (Episode 2) 27:422 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.

In The Army Now (Episode 3) 25:54 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.

In The Army Now (Episode 4) 26:041 Anna and Pavel’s two weeks serving in the Russian Army’s Arctic Regiment are coming to an end, but they still have a couple more myths to check. They’re especially excited to find out the truth behind the rumour that, due to the severe conditions, the Arctic Regiment is seen as a perfect testing ground for the most cutting-edge military hardware.

In The Army Now (Episode 5) 24:481 Their Arctic adventures over, Anna and Pavel leave the reindeer behind to find something that really can fly. They travel to Plesetsk Cosmodrome, the famous Russian spaceport, where they help to prepare a rocket for launch and train with the fire brigade. They find out how quickly firemen must change into their uniforms and what's special about the rocket hangar floor.

In The Army Now (Episode 6) 26:03 It’s time for Pavel and Anna to witness the assembly, installation and launch of the rocket they have been working on. It turns out the process involves science, religion and superstition. Find out what female name is written on all Plesetsk rockets to ensure a smooth flight.

In The Army Now (Episode 7) 26:03 Pavel and Anna travel to the Caspian Sea for some warmth. It's here, in the sunny Republic of Dagestan, that the country's southernmost naval base can be found. The Caspian Flotilla has a long history, dating back to Peter the Great. But before Anna and Pavel can join the Marine Corps, they must endure some gruelling emergency training.

In The Army Now (Episode 8) 26:13 Anna and Pavel are on duty aboard the corvette Grad Sviyazhsk. While Pavel trains with live grenades, Anna demines the surrounding sea with a heavy machine gun. She also learns about the gory side of the mess room and finds out why a woman on a ship is considered bad luck.

In The Army Now (Episode 9) 25:13 On their final day aboard a corvette, Anna and Pavel are entrusted with navigation. They discover there is more than one way of steering the missile-bearing ship. After brushing up on their naval lingo, they undergo an initiation ritual to be fully accepted as crew members. Before they disembark, Anna and Pavel are graded on their training by the captain.

In The Army Now (Episode 10) 26:461 In this episode, Pavel and Anna travel to Tajikistan, a former Soviet Republic. There, they join Russian soldiers who have been posted to the once-secret space surveillance station “Okno”. Built for the detection and analysis of objects in outer space, the station consists of several so-called “astrotowers” – domes containing powerful telescopes.

In The Army Now (Episode 11) 26:27 Anna and Pavel continue their posting at the military space surveillance station “Okno” in Tajikistan. They combine work with pleasure: stargazing while monitoring the movements of foreign satellites with giant telescopes. It’s all good fun, until the hot climate and altitude start to take a toll on their health.

In The Army Now (Episode 12) 27:17 Having completed their posting at the space surveillance station “Okno”, Anna and Pavel join Russia’s 201st division in Tajikistan. Both are ready to test some more myths about army life. In doing so, Anna learns to fire a tank, while Pavel finds out who the army calls “gods of war”.

In The Army Now (Episode 13) 27:09 In this episode, Pavel discovers whether a bullet follows a different trajectory in the mountains than over flatland. The accuracy of Russian snipers at long range is also put to the test with the help of a small coin. First, however, there is much for him to learn, including the art of lying still. Anna, meanwhile, is fitted with a 20kg bulletproof vest in preparation for mountain training. It’s not long before she ends up in a hospital, however.

In The Army Now (Episode 14) 26:15 Anna and Pavel explore the BM-21 a.k.a. “Grad” – a truck-mounted multiple rocket launcher system. They are eager to find out about how “Grads” make use of drones, and whether it is possible to survive a “Grad” attack.

In The Army Now (Episode 15) 25:15 It’s Anna and Pavel’s chance to learn to drive and shoot from an armoured vehicle! They’re being transferred to the 191st Motor Rifle Regiment, based 100 km away from the capital of Tajikistan. First, they’ll undergo individual training and then apply their new skills in a joint operation.

In The Army Now (Episode 16) 27:01 The day Anna and Pavel have been training for is finally here! Everything they’ve learnt while serving in the 201st Motor Rifle Division was to prepare them for this moment. It’s time to pass the legendary and highly-demanding psychological assault course. Are they ready?

In The Army Now (Episode 17) 26:28 Having survived the dreaded “psychological assault course” in Tajikistan, Anna and Pavel now join a “survival school” in Nizhny Novgorod region. It’s a place where former conscripts are trained to become contract soldiers. There are a lot of women here, which is surprising as they are normally exempt from military service.

In The Army Now (Episode 18) 23:101 It’s time for Anna and Pavel to apply the military skills they’ve learnt in the “survival school” and test their endurance. The recruits are sent into the woods. For two long days, they’ll fight-off attacks, dig trenches, get gassed, drink marsh water and sleep in the forest. See if they survive.

In The Army Now (Episode 19) 25:23 Anna and Pavel are still in the woods, and it’s beginning to take its toll on them. After a sleepless night, they are jaded, cold and hungry. An attempt to eat some army food is interrupted by the enemy fire. They both are at a breaking point and agree it’s the worst time of their lives.

In The Army Now (Episode 20) 27:021 Anna and Pavel are in the city of Vladivostok, the home port of the Russian Pacific Fleet. They join a group of marines known as “The Ussuriysk Tigers” in a bid to earn the right to wear their distinctive black berets. They’ll also learn the trick to keeping a large armoured vehicle afloat, as well as how to make a bed to perfection.

In The Army Now (Episode 21) 25:13 Anna and Pavel start the day with a gruelling early-morning exercise session, and that’s just the beginning of a long day full of challenging training! Pavel must learn how to locate landmines without stepping on them, while Anna sacrifices her manicure in the name of preparing an armoured vehicle to go into water. Finally, they get to ride this amphibian Navy machine. Will they sink or swim?

In The Army Now (Episode 22) 26:59 Today is D-Day, when Anna and Pavel must demonstrate what they’ve learnt with the marines. Pavel leaves in a boat, tasked with clearing the area of mines. Anna follows him accompanied by an assault group in an armoured vehicle. Together they must neutralise a threat in the hills where a “terrorist stronghold” is based.

In The Army Now (Episode 23) 26:39 Anna and Pavel join Russian paratroopers in Novorossiysk – a Hero City on the shores of the Black Sea. They want to test several myths, such as whether every paratrooper gets a special tattoo, and whether it’s possible to parachute out of a plane inside an armoured assault vehicle.

In The Army Now (Episode 24) 26:30 Pavel and Anna are sent on a crash-course in alpinism. Scaling the climbing wall turns out to be much more difficult than it first appears, although one of them does succeed in reaching the top. Afterwards, they head to an obstacle course in a snow-covered forest. So much for a seaside holiday.

In The Army Now (Episode 25) 24:49 Russian paratroopers aren’t called the “winged infantry” for nothing – their forte is surprising the enemy from above. Anna and Pavel join the servicemen at an airborne training complex for pre-jump training and to learn parachuting safety skills.