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History

Exclusion Zone: The Third Reich against the Serbs

28:05

On April 6, 1941, Germany and its allies invaded the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and seized control of the country within just 11 days. A puppet regime led by nationalist factions was installed, dubbed the ‘Independent State of Croatia’, which then built a network of concentration camps. Historians estimate that around 700,000 Serbs, Jews, and Roma were killed in the Jasenovac camp alone. Victims were gassed, starved, shot, and subjected to horrific medical experiments, which included pregnant women. There were even attempts to produce soap from the bodies of prisoners. A Catholic Franciscan named Petar Brzica reportedly murdered a record 1,360 people in a single night as part of a killing competition. This film tells the stories of people who survived this nightmare as children. Two of these victims, Dobrila Kukolj and Ester Bajer, describe how they carry the memory of the unimaginable suffering they endured to this day, not as a fading recollection, but as a wound that never healed.

Добавить в избранное Aleppo – Memories to Live By 25:10 Documentary filmmaker Antoine Makdis from the Syrian city of Aleppo shares the tragic stories of Armenians who were left refugees by the genocide of 1915. Antoine’s ancestors, who were ethnic Assyrians, also fled to Syria. A century ago, Aleppo welcomed the largest number of Armenians fleeing the brutality of the Ottoman Empire – 60,000 people. Overall, Syria accepted about 140,000 Armenians, along with thousands of Assyrians and others escaping the slaughter. Approximately one and a half million Armenians were killed as a result of the genocide, but the exact number of victims remains unknown, as many went missing. Today, both the Armenian and Assyrian peoples share a common history and a lingering fear: are they destined to become refugees again? “Perhaps this fear is the most significant thing we inherited from our parents,” says Antoine as he continues his search for pieces of this puzzle.

Добавить в избранное Belarus: A Land Unbroken 35:31 Belarus was under Nazi occupation for three years. The Nazis killed people of all nationalities through punitive operations, ghettos, and encircling concentration camps. During the Great Patriotic War, one in every three people in Belarus died. But the people of the Soviet Union endured all the horrors of war and never lost faith in victory. The resistance movement in Belarus was one of the largest. Even children and teenagers joined the partisans to fight for their homeland. The occupation ended in 1944, when the Red Army, together with the partisans, launched Operation Bagration — the largest military operation in history. Thanks to their combined efforts, Belarus was liberated.

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Добавить в избранное Bosnian rift: Republika Srpska’s View 52:13 2 How are those who lived through the Bosnian War faring today? How stable is the peace nearly 30 years on? Why does the West continue to foster division in the Balkans?

Добавить в избранное Russia vs Poland. 1000-Year Duel 50:55 Poland now holds a leading role in NATO's strategy against Russia, a position that reflects centuries of hostility. How has the confrontation between these nations evolved over the centuries? Why has Poland historically participated in numerous campaigns against Russia? How did the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth reach its peak, and why couldn't it sustain its dominant position in Europe? What role did Russia play in the partitioning of Poland? Find answers to these questions and more in our documentary.

Добавить в избранное Blind Injustice 53:16 How responsibility for NATO bombings and atrocities during the Balkan War was pinned on 100 Serbian leaders. Why did the court in The Hague fail to maintain impartiality during their trials?

Добавить в избранное The Big Breakthrough Theory 52:02 The father of television, the mastermind behind the world’s largest ocean liner, the trailblazers of Hollywood, and the pioneers of graphic design and glossy photography — discover how these Russian visionaries revolutionised the world.

Добавить в избранное Holocaust. The Questions I Never Asked 27:24 'I’m in Belarus to meet the last living survivors of the Holocaust. From a population of 900,000 Jews in 1939 just two years later, nine-out-of-ten would lie here in the ditches and unmarked killing trenches of Eastern Europe,' says reporter Paula Slier. She visited the Belarus city of Brest, hoping to trace back her family who’d been killed during the Holocaust. Along the way, she learns gruesome facts about the Minsk ghetto and the horrors the people had to endure.

Добавить в избранное Death Factories 50:37 The terrible crimes of Japan's secret Unit 731 make anyone's blood run cold. Thousands of people were used as test subjects for the development of biological weapons. The subjects were injected with cholera, typhoid, anthrax, bubonic plague, to be later dissected alive. The unit's ideologist Shiro Ishii and most of his associates were never punished. They became practising physicians or scientists. Watch our film to find out why.

Добавить в избранное Holocaust. The Questions I Never Asked 27:24 'I’m in Belarus to meet the last living survivors of the Holocaust. From a population of 900,000 Jews in 1939 just two years later, nine-out-of-ten would lie here in the ditches and unmarked killing trenches of Eastern Europe,' says reporter Paula Slier. She visited the Belarus city of Brest, hoping to trace back her family who’d been killed during the Holocaust. Along the way, she learns gruesome facts about the Minsk ghetto and the horrors the people had to endure.

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Добавить в избранное Finnish Face of Fascism 48:49 2 During World War II, the Finnish army established a military administration in Karelia, one of the republics of the Soviet Union. For four years Soviet territory was occupied. During this time Finns built 14 concentration camps, 34 labor camps and dozens of prisons. The exact number of people who perished in Karelia and Petrozavodsk concentration camps is still unknown. In 1990, the concentration camp survivors united to find those responsible for the crimes. However, more than 30 years on, they continue to struggle for justice mainly to little avail.

Добавить в избранное Looted India: Cost of an Empire 48:12 Millions of valuable artefacts and cultural treasures were stolen during the British conquest of India and have yet to be returned. Many of these priceless items are still held in British museums and private collections, and haven’t made it back home. Furthermore, there is a touching personal story behind every looted artefact. Tune in to find out why the issue is so important for the entire nation.

Добавить в избранное Namibia: Pain to Pay For 31:42 Swakopmund, a popular Namibian resort, holds a dark history. It was a German harbour during colonisation where the first concentration camps emerged. The 1904-1908 Namibian genocide saw mass killings, forced labor and property destruction. German troops killed three quarters of the Herero people and about one third of the Nama people, according to the UN. Will the descendants of these exterminated people eventually get compensated and reclaim the lands taken from them centuries ago?

Добавить в избранное Laura's two wars 13:25 At the age of 5, Laura Ganich survived the Leningrad Siege, one of the most tragic episodes of World War II. Now 87, Laura has been living in Donetsk under shelling for 9 years. Even taking a bus to the store becomes a routine risk. Where does she find the courage to carry on?

Добавить в избранное Nuclear Watchdogs 23:58 Globally, more than 300 nuclear weapons detection stations operate under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Their task is to capture echoes of nuclear tests conducted thousands of kilometres away. Visit one of such stations in Sakhalin, Russia, and fathom the inner workings of the International Monitoring System and the emergencies it has encountered.

Добавить в избранное Leningrad Unbreakable 54:10 The documentary commemorates 80 years since the liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade. It showcases the unwavering resilience of Leningraders, who, despite hunger and constant shelling, donated 144 tons of blood over the years, to aid injured soldiers on the front lines. Also, they never ceased the production of guns needed by the Soviet Army to fight against the Nazis.

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Добавить в избранное Gangut: The Tide Breaker 24:32 6 On 27 July 1714, the Russian fleet overpowered the Swedes at the Battle of Gangut, resulting in Russia’s first naval victory. 300 years later, history comes alive in the largest-scale re-enactment of those events. RT Doc joins the eye-catching spectacle

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Добавить в избранное Atomic Message 27:57 10 August 2015 marks 70 years since the US dropped nuclear bombs on Japan. But was this drastic decision dictated by military necessity? RTD’s Peter Scott visits Hiroshima and Nagasaki to investigate the real reasons behind the bombings.

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Добавить в избранное War & peace roads 26:07 4 For the past 30 years the War and Peace show in Kent, England, has served as an exhibition of military vehicles and a forum for the reenactment of armed conflicts witnessed in the 20th century. Join RTDoc as we team up with a Russian delegation on the road from Moscow, period vehicles in tow to meet other enthusiasts who share the same history and use it to turn former enemies into new allies.

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Добавить в избранное Dukhobors: community of faith 26:00 10 A modern young couple is on a mission to explore and understand the life of the breakaway group, the Dukhobors - a community with their own views on orthodox religion, who reject all church rituals and think there's no need for anything - priests, or temples - between a person and God. The boy and the girl arrive at the native Dukhobor village in Georgia, the only place where they live - and are lost for words when they try to describe the atmosphere there. Watch this documentary and see what they saw.

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Добавить в избранное Cossack invasion 26:06 4 Cossack troops return to France 200 years after the Napoleonic wars were over. They'll show traditional riding tricks, wield swords while on horseback and perform other spectacular stunts, but no bloodshed or wounded people this time, just fun and games.