0:00:07 > 0:00:10'We're going on an incredible journey...
0:00:12 > 0:00:16'driving through the biggest and one of the most bewildering
0:00:16 > 0:00:18'countries on Earth. '
0:00:19 > 0:00:23This is so dangerous! We're in the middle of a motorway!
0:00:24 > 0:00:27'Taking two very different cars...'
0:00:27 > 0:00:28It's a tank!
0:00:28 > 0:00:32CCCP. Built by Communists.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35'..on two very different road trips.'
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Which way? Does it matter?
0:00:37 > 0:00:39'Three weeks...
0:00:40 > 0:00:45'and thousands of miles on the roads of Russia.'
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Look! Now we're talking.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58Last time we set of from Sochi, home to the 2014 Winter Olympics -
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Russia's showcase to the world.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04No! Seriously no, I'm going to fall! Oh, my God.
0:01:04 > 0:01:11Since then, I've driven 1,200 miles to Moscow,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14seeing a Russia that's very much on the move.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18It's about £100,000.
0:01:18 > 0:01:2225 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25a whole new Russia is emerging.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28The car's right at the heart of it.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35So far on my journey, though,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37I've been discovering a much older Russia...
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Lada, Lada. Lada.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47..driving deep into a land of proud traditions and constant
0:01:47 > 0:01:50reminders of its Communist past.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56So can this former military super-power ever become a new
0:01:56 > 0:01:58economic power?
0:01:58 > 0:02:03And if it could, what would that mean for Russia and the rest
0:02:03 > 0:02:05of the world?
0:02:21 > 0:02:25It's day ten and I'm halfway through my epic journey,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29exploring new Russia in my oligarch tank.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36My plan is to head northwest from Moscow to St Petersburg,
0:02:36 > 0:02:41before a long drive beyond the Arctic Circle towards a
0:02:41 > 0:02:45brand-new economic frontier, Murmansk - my ultimate destination.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53First, thought, I've somehow got to get out of Moscow,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57relying on my co-driver Sergei for directions.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Which way? Does it matter?
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Oh, any way.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06I'm about to try a brand new service.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12A car train that's recently opened to save drivers
0:03:12 > 0:03:14the 400-mile grind to St Petersburg.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21The car is getting a good scrubbing before it goes to St Petersburg.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Apparently, it can't get on the train unless it's had a wash.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Today, there are more than 4 million vehicles in Moscow alone,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31a number that's growing every year.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35A real sign of the new middle-class Russia on the move.
0:03:36 > 0:03:44This is how to drive a four-tonne tank into a very small hole.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48You do it step by step
0:03:48 > 0:03:52and have a couple of Russian men guiding you in.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Excellent! Job well done! Well done!
0:04:01 > 0:04:07Meanwhile, after nearly 1,800 miles on the road, I'm rattling
0:04:07 > 0:04:09ever-deeper into the Russian heartland.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16I'm leaving the city of Perm and heading into the wilderness,
0:04:16 > 0:04:22the ancient forests of the Ural mountains and Asia, seeking out an
0:04:22 > 0:04:28old, traditional Russia that seems to stretch forever to the east.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33My journey will take me into the fringes of Siberia and on to
0:04:33 > 0:04:35the city of Chelyabinsk.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42But having already experienced several breakdowns in my
0:04:42 > 0:04:4837-year-old Communist UAZ, I want to be sure it's up to the trials ahead.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Aw, here we go. We're going to UAZ hospital.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Now where's the place?
0:04:57 > 0:04:59There's some fellow UAZs here.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Hey! They look like they've seen some action!
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- Oh! Hey, how are you doing? - How are you?
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Good to meet you. My UAZ needs treatment.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14We've got problems with the power steering.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17There have been problems with the generator. It needs help!
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Can you help her?
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Excellent!
0:05:21 > 0:05:24So you have got some beautiful cars here.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Garage owner Aleksei has been an obsessive collector and
0:05:27 > 0:05:31restorer ever since he got his first UAZ as a teenager.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36And while mine was being fixed, I was keen to get a go in one
0:05:36 > 0:05:38of his favourites.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40So can I try out one of your UAZs?
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Yeah?
0:05:42 > 0:05:43Have you got somewhere for me to drive?
0:05:49 > 0:05:52You've got an off-road track of your own?
0:05:57 > 0:06:01The old Soviet UAZ remains a potent symbol
0:06:01 > 0:06:03of rugged Communist engineering.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10Joe Stalin first ordered production in World War II, when it looked
0:06:10 > 0:06:16like the advancing German army would capture the bulk of Soviet industry.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19I'm a bit nervous cos Aleksei said, "It will hurt."
0:06:19 > 0:06:22I'm going to have to get some speed up, I think.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32With help from the UAZ, the Red Army pushed the Germans back and
0:06:32 > 0:06:36the Jeep lookalike's place in Soviet history was secured.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Whether I can match the UAZ's fighting pedigree, though,
0:06:40 > 0:06:42is unclear.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45I can't do it! I'm stuck in the bloody mud!
0:06:47 > 0:06:48Just even.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57Ah!
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Right, good. Stop. Stop! Stop!
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Ah!
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Jesus Christ! Ah! Ah!
0:07:03 > 0:07:05HE LAUGHS
0:07:05 > 0:07:06Oh!
0:07:11 > 0:07:13What happened?!
0:07:13 > 0:07:15THEY LAUGH
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Yes, I did it! Ah.
0:07:23 > 0:07:24HE EXPELS AIR
0:07:24 > 0:07:26That was really hard, though.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35Still in Moscow, my shiny new Kombat is safely on board the
0:07:35 > 0:07:37car train for St Petersburg.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41But with a few hours spare before my sleeper train leaves,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45there's a petrolhead craze I want to check out.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46I can't quite believe this.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49We're under an overpass somewhere on the outskirts of Moscow.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52It's a massive dual carriageway.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55There's just hundreds and hundreds of cars, boy racers,
0:07:55 > 0:07:56turning up to race.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04In many ways, new Russia is still a very strictly controlled society.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07But it seems that young car owners aren't frightened
0:08:07 > 0:08:09of kicking back against authority.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Get out the way. Get out the way.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Every week, men, and a few women,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18meet here with their cars for illegal drag races.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23It's something that would have been unthinkable during the
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Communist years, but today many young Muscovites have money.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32And they're using four wheels to push their newly-gained freedom
0:08:32 > 0:08:36and their cars to the limits.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38TYRES SCREECH
0:08:46 > 0:08:48It smells of burning rubber.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Apparently, the police are happy to turn a blind eye.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55I'm told they arrived just before I got here
0:08:55 > 0:08:57and went away happy with the organisation.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00All very Russian.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05This should be rather tasty, a GTR and a Carrera S.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08ENGINES ROAR
0:09:14 > 0:09:16The GTR took it.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Yeah.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19'Having watched some races,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22'I couldn't resist getting involved myself.'
0:09:22 > 0:09:25All right. All right. All right, I've got it!
0:09:25 > 0:09:26Here we go. Here we go!
0:09:26 > 0:09:28CHEERS AND APPLAUSE
0:09:35 > 0:09:37SHE LAUGHS EXCITEDLY
0:09:37 > 0:09:38Woo-hoo!
0:09:43 > 0:09:46But there was no more time to hang around.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53My train was about to leave, ready to take me out of Moscow
0:09:53 > 0:09:56on the next leg of my journey.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01Ooh, yeah. I love a train journey. Look, we've got proper berths.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04The slow train to St Petersburg.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Hopefully, my Kombat will be on its way already.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13This is me, top bunk! Ah! I'm looking forward to this!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I don't think you're coming in, though.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27So excited, because tomorrow I wake up in St Petersburg,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30a city I've wanted to visit my whole life.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36I think of it as a romantic city, full of history -
0:10:36 > 0:10:40the city of the Tsars, the city where the Bolsheviks stormed
0:10:40 > 0:10:42the Winter Palace and Communism began.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01After a restful night, I've been reunited with my armoured
0:11:01 > 0:11:05four-by-four in one of the world's most beautiful cities.
0:11:06 > 0:11:13If ever there was an argument for Russia looking west, this is it.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17St Petersburg was designed to look like a European city.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20The buildings are incredible!
0:11:22 > 0:11:27Just a few miles from the Baltic Sea, this is Russia's gateway to
0:11:27 > 0:11:32the west, carrying huge amounts of trade in and out of western Russia.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38St Petersburg was designed to be Russia's grand European capital.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42At its heart, the beautiful Winter Palace - the home of the Tsars
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and the birthplace of the Russian Revolution.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50But away from the grand buildings and the tourist spots,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53there's a hidden side to today's modern city.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59St Petersburg attracts workers from all over Russia,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02but also economic migrants from some of the poorest
0:12:02 > 0:12:05independent states of the former Soviet Union.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- Hello. - Farrukh. Pleased to meet you.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09- Thank you for seeing me. - Thank you very much.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11- So which way are we going? - Let's go this way.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- Through the, through the chains? - Yeah. Yes.- OK.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18We're literally just off the main road in St Petersburg
0:12:18 > 0:12:22and we've entered a completely different world.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Many of the people living and working here are from Tajikistan -
0:12:29 > 0:12:33a poor, landlocked country wedged between China and Afghanistan.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38More than 2,000 miles from home, they come here desperate
0:12:38 > 0:12:42for work to support their distant families.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43Why are you here? Why live here?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48THEY SPEAK THEIR OWN LANGUAGE
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Ah. For living, because there are better conditions.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55He needs to feed his family, that why he's here.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57And where is your family?
0:12:59 > 0:13:00In Tajikistan.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03And who's in your family? How many children do you have?
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Ah. There are four children.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Like economic migrants in many parts of the world,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17living conditions for workers can be grim.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21- Be careful.- Yes, very careful.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25It's really, well, you can see what it looks like,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27it's quite long and dark, very basic.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29It's got a really strong smell in here as well.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Yes. Oh, they're sleeping.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Oh, wow, here we go, there's lots of men sleeping in here.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39'I counted ten men in this room and there are more than 20 rooms
0:13:39 > 0:13:41'in this one hostel alone.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47'Many migrants work in St Petersburg illegally
0:13:47 > 0:13:51'and many also face racial resentment.'
0:13:51 > 0:13:54There must be a lot of migrants living under the radar?
0:13:54 > 0:13:58- Yeah.- Obviously, not everybody here, Farrukh, has papers?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01- There are many people who are illegal here.- Mmm.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03This is the problem.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08And as the number of migrants rises, so has the number of attacks
0:14:08 > 0:14:11by far-right Russian nationalist groups.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Hundreds of immigrants have been murdered in Russia in the
0:14:14 > 0:14:18past decade and half of these have come from the Central Asian Republics
0:14:18 > 0:14:21previously part of the Soviet Union.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26They don't like people with another skin, another eye or another hair.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29They think that people who come from Central Asia,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32they took their working place.
0:14:35 > 0:14:4025 years since the fall of Communism and it's clear modern Russia
0:14:40 > 0:14:42is still grappling with its Soviet past.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49Economic migration and the social tensions it causes are reminders
0:14:49 > 0:14:53of how this is a country that's still very much in transition.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58MUSIC: "Roadrunner" by Bo Diddley
0:15:07 > 0:15:09HE SIGHS
0:15:09 > 0:15:14My UAZ has been fixed and together we're entering a wilderness
0:15:14 > 0:15:18that seems to stretch ahead for miles and miles.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23I'm heading ever-further east and it feels like I'm going back in time
0:15:23 > 0:15:26into an ancient landscape.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32Out here, it's hard to imagine that Sochi and all of its Olympic glitz
0:15:32 > 0:15:33was only 12 days ago.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44We're up in the...in the Urals, the Urals now.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47A great spine of mountains that runs through the centre of Russia.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56For me, this is a very special moment on my journey
0:15:56 > 0:15:58into old mother Russia.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Yeah, it's bloody steep!
0:16:03 > 0:16:07The Urals, the Urals, are a crucial dividing line.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Look at this, this says Europe and, watch this...
0:16:11 > 0:16:17One small step for man and here we are, this one says Asia,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20because over here is the Wild East -
0:16:20 > 0:16:25thousands and thousands of kilometres of Asian Russia.
0:16:29 > 0:16:35This feels a world away from the new Russia of Moscow or St Petersburg.
0:16:35 > 0:16:41If countryside contains the identity of a nation, then this is Russia -
0:16:41 > 0:16:44vast, tough and untamed.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Oh, my God, it's a river.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53This Russia is a country for strong men.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02President Vladimir Putin makes no secret of his love of the outdoors.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08He's keen to be seen as Putin the hunter, the horseman, the fisherman.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Oh, hold on, I think I see a hunting lodge. Wow.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17'It's an image designed to appeal to an ideal of rugged masculinity
0:17:17 > 0:17:20'that resonates with many Russians,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24'like hunters Georgiy Goldyrev and Yuri Zvekov.'
0:17:26 > 0:17:28So Yuri's getting the soup.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Hey, what's this, Yuri?
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Ah, it smells delicious! Ah, look at that!
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Would you normally have vodka with your lunch?
0:17:42 > 0:17:44THEY TOAST
0:17:44 > 0:17:47THEY LAUGH
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Bit early in the day for that.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16- So, guys, what do you reckon? - All right.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Am I ready to hunt in Russia?
0:18:18 > 0:18:20- Hey!- Look at you.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22THEY SPEAK RUSSIAN
0:18:25 > 0:18:27OK.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Out here, to hunt is to be a man.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36To take on nature in the raw.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40We need to walk from here just through the woods very quietly
0:18:40 > 0:18:41and if you see one...
0:18:48 > 0:18:51And that's where, that's where its paw would be.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57He says this is the footprints of a volk! Of a wolf.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Big animals! 50 kilos!
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Whoa, I'm quite glad you've got the gun, Yuri.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07But this also happens to be bear hunting season
0:19:07 > 0:19:12and sightings here are apparently quite common.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16I'm pretty uncomfortable about this whole idea of bear hunting.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18You know, I don't believe that the bears are a real threat to
0:19:18 > 0:19:22people and, you know, it doesn't seem right to hunt them.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26But...I mean, the fact is, that's what people do, so...
0:19:27 > 0:19:32Yuri and Georgiy soon spot the tracks not of a bear, but of an elk.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Because there's so many of us, we're making too much noise,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43he thinks it's unlikely we'll get one.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45But they're suggesting that maybe I'd like to experience what
0:19:45 > 0:19:49it's like to fire one of their guns. So this is yours, Yuri, yeah?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52What is this, what is this weapon?
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Looks like a Kalash...
0:20:00 > 0:20:02And there it goes. So now there is a...
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- So now the safety catch is off... - Yeah.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09And there's a bullet in the barrel, so now this gun is live. OK.
0:20:09 > 0:20:10So like this?
0:20:15 > 0:20:17GUNSHOT
0:20:20 > 0:20:21- HE LAUGHS - God, that is noisy.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24There was a bit of recoil but it was the noise that really...wow,
0:20:24 > 0:20:26my ears are really ringing.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33GUNSHOT
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Jesus Christ.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37That is really loud!
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Despite not bagging anything,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44I felt I was really getting a feel for old Russia.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51And, after a hard day in the snow, I had one last treat in store...
0:20:53 > 0:20:57A traditional Russian sauna called a banya.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03THEY SPEAK RUSSIAN
0:21:05 > 0:21:09The hunting lifestyle is all about masculinity, so I wanted to
0:21:09 > 0:21:15know what these guys make of a new Russian law banning gay propaganda.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18I mean, the big debate in Britain
0:21:18 > 0:21:21and in the West has been about this law, this gay law,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24that they've introduced, you know the gay propaganda law.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25What do you think of that?
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Really? Nothing wrong with it?
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Can you understand why people in the West, they kind of, you know, get
0:21:39 > 0:21:42angry and upset, feel that people are being oppressed, you know?
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Russia's such a macho culture.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06But then you think of the kind of saunas, the birch whipping,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10the, I don't know, the backslapping and the hugging.
0:22:10 > 0:22:16And it's really kind of intimate and I wonder whether that's not the
0:22:16 > 0:22:21kind of root of this really profound homophobia that seems to be here.
0:22:21 > 0:22:27That, you know, if you're...if you celebrate manliness that much
0:22:27 > 0:22:34then homosexuality becomes, I suppose, you know, a real threat.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36DISCO MUSIC
0:22:36 > 0:22:39CHEERING
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Old Russia might have trouble with issues like gay rights, but
0:22:42 > 0:22:46new Russia, in places like St Petersburg,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48there are signs of change.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54Here, gay Russians are fighting back against old values
0:22:54 > 0:22:56that many see as repressive.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59So the new law states that
0:22:59 > 0:23:02if you're found to be pushing gay propaganda towards minors
0:23:02 > 0:23:06that could affect their mental, physical or spiritual development,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10you could be fined 500,000 roubles, which is about £10,000.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Tonight, there happens to be a festival in St Petersburg
0:23:13 > 0:23:16called Queerfest, which is a public event, it's not happening
0:23:16 > 0:23:19underground, so I'm intrigued to see what's going on!
0:23:22 > 0:23:24RUSSIAN MUSIC PLAYS
0:23:25 > 0:23:29It's not illegal to be gay in Russia, but this is still a
0:23:29 > 0:23:31very homophobic society.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36This is quite normal for London, Manchester, anywhere in Britain.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40The difference is that here, the majority of people
0:23:40 > 0:23:42don't want it to go on.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46With the Winter Olympics, though, domestic politics is suddenly
0:23:46 > 0:23:48being thrust onto a world stage.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52What about people in the West who are saying that the Winter Olympics
0:23:52 > 0:23:55should be boycotted, people shouldn't come and perform here?
0:23:55 > 0:23:57What do you think about the stance that people are taking?
0:23:57 > 0:23:59That's a great question.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02I think Olympics is going to be a great,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05wonderful platform for speaking out for human rights,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08for LGBT rights, for diversity and so forth.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10The world will be watching.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13And Olympics is Putin's pet project, he wants it to go well.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18So I would call on people to come here, sponsors,
0:24:18 > 0:24:24games participants, athletes, and speak out.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27That way the Russian public will hear about the violations
0:24:27 > 0:24:29of LGBT rights that are happening.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Just like the economic migrants from Tajikistan, gay rights activists
0:24:39 > 0:24:45reminded me that new Russia is still only just emerging from its past.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Some things, though, never change.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51In St Petersburg, there's an evening ritual that's been going on
0:24:51 > 0:24:53for decades.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57At night, ships and the River Neva take control of the city.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02Every bridge has to be lifted, cutting off the roads.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04- One minute. One minute. - One minute. One minute to countdown.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07- Is this the button?- No. No.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10- No. Which is the button, Maksim? - Green.- What's this one?
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Yes. OK.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22'Tonight, for one night only, I'm in charge.'
0:25:22 > 0:25:27So all the chaps that work here have left to stop the traffic
0:25:27 > 0:25:33and I've been put in control of a panel of buttons.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36And I've been told not to press anything.
0:25:36 > 0:25:4060 million tonnes of trade moves through the port
0:25:40 > 0:25:41of St Petersburg every year.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46At night, cars take second place and anyone caught on the
0:25:46 > 0:25:49wrong side of the river can be in for a long wait.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Look, the traffic's gone.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Not yet. Not yet. No, no, no, no, no, no.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Not yet. I'm poised and ready. Now?
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- No. No.- No. No. One...- No.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09- Get off the bridge!- Go.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Go! One, two, three.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19And here it goes, the bridge is going up!
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Oh, dear, look at all the people trapped at the other end.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Look at this lot. They've timed it very badly
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and now they're trapped on this side of the river.
0:26:31 > 0:26:32HORNS BEEP Look at the traffic!
0:26:32 > 0:26:36This is like peak time London chaos in St Petersburg.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39And that's because when the river's in full flow,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41everything else comes to a standstill.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49One of the cargo ships waiting to set sail is the Sandal.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51- Hello, Valery.- Hello.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53- Captain of the ship!- Yeah.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54Lead the way.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57'Just an hour before leaving, I was offered a brisk tour.'
0:26:59 > 0:27:01This is our hold, yeah.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03You can smell the woodchip, actually. It smells lovely.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- Woodchip's here. This is the cargo. - And this is it?- Yes, this is it.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09- This is what comes from...- Woodchips. - ..from the centre of Russia
0:27:09 > 0:27:12and is taken to Finland to be used for biofuel.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14- Yeah, yeah, yeah, for biofuel, yes. - Yeah.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18In a few days, this hold will be full with 1,500 tonnes of woodchips
0:27:18 > 0:27:22and logs destined for Finland to be used to generate electricity.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27I'd better get off cos I don't want to be a stowaway.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29- OK, yeah. - I've still got a long way to go
0:27:29 > 0:27:31and I don't want to end up wherever it is you're going.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Want to make a guest here, not a stowaway, yeah. Yes.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36- Thank you very much, sir. - Thank you.- Bon voyage.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Good night, fellas!
0:27:41 > 0:27:44If this city is Russia's gateway to the west,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48the River Neva is its economic artery.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Thousands of tonnes of cargo silently sail down the river to be
0:27:52 > 0:27:55transported across Europe and beyond.
0:27:55 > 0:28:00Another reminder of capitalist Russia taking to the world stage.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06MUSIC: "On The Road Again"
0:28:09 > 0:28:13# Well, I'm so tired of crying
0:28:13 > 0:28:15# But I'm out on the road again
0:28:16 > 0:28:18# Well, I'm so tired of... #
0:28:18 > 0:28:22As Anita and I continued our journeys, we were both
0:28:22 > 0:28:27discovering just how incredibly vast Russia really is.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30We've been on the road for just so long.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34I've had to take a break from the driving
0:28:34 > 0:28:37because it is gruelling, let me tell you.
0:28:40 > 0:28:45Ten time-zones wide, Russia is the world's biggest country.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Just building the roads that knit this continental-scale nation
0:28:49 > 0:28:52together is a monumental achievement.
0:28:53 > 0:28:59# Out on the road again. #
0:29:03 > 0:29:07RUSSIAN FOLK MUSIC
0:29:09 > 0:29:14Just over two weeks into my journey and I'm in a rush, because
0:29:14 > 0:29:18anyone who's anyone in the military business is heading to the small
0:29:18 > 0:29:25industrial town of Nizhniy Tagil, famous for its tank-making prowess.
0:29:26 > 0:29:32Military might epitomised old Russia and today, in a post-Communist
0:29:32 > 0:29:35world, its arms business is still doing pretty well.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39Russia may have lost its super-power status,
0:29:39 > 0:29:43but it's still the second biggest weapons exporter on the planet.
0:29:44 > 0:29:49If you're looking to buy big, this is the place to be -
0:29:49 > 0:29:53Russia's annual arms expo, where it seems every machine capable
0:29:53 > 0:29:58of causing death and destruction is available at a price.
0:29:59 > 0:30:04Unbelievably, we've been given an access-all-areas pass.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10GUNFIRE
0:30:11 > 0:30:13They've got all the toys out today.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17LOUD GUNFIRE
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Swimming tanks.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26'In 2012, the Russian arms industry was worth more than
0:30:26 > 0:30:32'£8 billion in exports alone, second only to the United States.'
0:30:34 > 0:30:37It's really easy to get caught up in the spectacle
0:30:37 > 0:30:41and forget that ultimately, these weapons are designed
0:30:41 > 0:30:44- to wreak carnage and horror. - LOUD EXPLOSION
0:30:47 > 0:30:52We in the West are rather uneasy about some of Russia's customers.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56They include Algeria and Assad's Syria.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00Maybe a little drone. Always handy.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07'I was keen to find out who was here and what they were buying.'
0:31:07 > 0:31:08Where are you from, sir?
0:31:08 > 0:31:11'The visitors, though, were a bit cagey.'
0:31:11 > 0:31:13- Where?- Oh, no, no, no.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15I am not authorised to give you an interview, please.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17- Thank you. - Oh, OK. No, no, no, fair enough.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Excuse me, where are you from?
0:31:20 > 0:31:21France.
0:31:21 > 0:31:26What are you...what are you looking to buy, huh?
0:31:26 > 0:31:28- I don't want to talk. - You don't want to talk?- No.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31- Yeah.- Ah, OK.- Excuse me, sir.
0:31:31 > 0:31:32THEY SPEAK RUSSIAN
0:31:32 > 0:31:33Where are you from?
0:31:33 > 0:31:35Excuse us.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39No, he...just one short interview, a little chat!
0:31:39 > 0:31:41Looks like he's spending the serious money.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43They're taking him very seriously.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49To underline the importance of this business, the
0:31:49 > 0:31:53second most powerful man in Russia was rumoured to be making a visit.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58It's all a little bit on edge because the Russian prime minister
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Dmitry Medvedev is supposed to be coming here.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08'For a brief moment, I found myself brushing shoulders with the
0:32:08 > 0:32:10'Russian prime minister.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13'But it seemed he only had eyes for
0:32:13 > 0:32:16'the MQ-9 unmanned aerial combat vehicle.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20'Such is life.'
0:32:20 > 0:32:22MUSIC: "Oh My God" by Lily Allen
0:32:22 > 0:32:24# Oh, my God, I don't believe it
0:32:24 > 0:32:26# I've never been this far away from home
0:32:26 > 0:32:28# Oh, my God, I don't believe it
0:32:28 > 0:32:31# I've never been this far away from home... #
0:32:31 > 0:32:35While Justin was playing soldiers, I was continuing my journey
0:32:35 > 0:32:37north into new Russia.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42Leaving St Petersburg, I was heading towards the town of Petrozavodsk...
0:32:43 > 0:32:48Before continuing to my ultimate destination of Murmansk - the largest
0:32:48 > 0:32:53city within the Arctic Circle and Russia's new economic frontier.
0:32:53 > 0:32:58The landscape was changing and getting much, much colder.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Now things are getting really wild now.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06We're just surrounded by forests, high trees.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09Who lives in the woods? There's wolves.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13Wolves and some animals, wild animals.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15Wild animals. Bears?
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Bears? SHE ROARS
0:33:18 > 0:33:21- I don't know each names of animals. - Oh, OK. OK.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23I know just wolf.
0:33:26 > 0:33:31- Bear? You must know bear? - Ah, yes, yes. B, E, E, R.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34- B, E, A, R. - Ah, yes, it's an A.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38- B, E, E, R is beer. - Beer. Yes, yes. A, R.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40THEY LAUGH
0:33:40 > 0:33:44I might be heading to a new economic frontier, but since I was
0:33:44 > 0:33:47going north, I couldn't resist stopping off to experience
0:33:47 > 0:33:49one very old tradition.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53- Maksim, pleased to meet you. Anita. - And you. Maksim.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55- How are you? How are you? - OK. We are pretty good.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59Look at these beautiful creatures! So what's this one's name?
0:33:59 > 0:34:02- Wookie.- Wookie?- Wookie. - Wookie! Wookie.
0:34:02 > 0:34:03DOGS BARK
0:34:03 > 0:34:05How many years have Russians used huskies?
0:34:22 > 0:34:24This is OK?
0:34:24 > 0:34:26I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30Do you know what, the one thing I know about dogs is they sniff fear.
0:34:30 > 0:34:31DOG WHINES
0:34:31 > 0:34:34Yes. Trisha! Trisha! This way! Oh!
0:34:34 > 0:34:36Come on, put your, put your face in there.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38In a few weeks' time, these dogs will be pulling sleds through
0:34:38 > 0:34:43the snow, but Maksim needs to keep them fit and trained all year round.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN
0:34:45 > 0:34:46Yep, safety first.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50Get the helmet on, cos this...
0:34:52 > 0:34:53No problem, Maksim, I want to be safe.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55DOGS WHINE
0:34:55 > 0:34:57Right, what do I do?
0:34:57 > 0:34:59This can't be that difficult, can it? Surely not.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02- Your foot.- Yes, press that. Ready?
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Here we go.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06Whoop, whoop, whoop!
0:35:06 > 0:35:08Oh! Yeah, steady on! We're very close here.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11- Are you ready? I'm...- Ready. - I'm ready! Let's do it!
0:35:11 > 0:35:12All right!
0:35:12 > 0:35:17All right, allez, allez, allez! Woo, woo-hoo!
0:35:17 > 0:35:20Here we go! Come on, doggies, mush, mush!
0:35:20 > 0:35:21Woo.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25Here we come. Woo.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28Whoa! This is the fastest I've gone yet!
0:35:28 > 0:35:30Go for it!
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Woo-hoo!
0:35:33 > 0:35:35Go on, allez, allez, allez!
0:35:35 > 0:35:37All right!
0:35:38 > 0:35:43# Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
0:35:43 > 0:35:49# My friends all drive Porches, I must make amends
0:35:49 > 0:35:51# Worked hard all my lifetime
0:35:51 > 0:35:54# No help from my friends
0:35:54 > 0:35:59# Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz? #
0:36:00 > 0:36:05Arms fair over and I'm heading ever further into old Russia.
0:36:05 > 0:36:10From Nizhniy Tagil, my trusty Jeep and I have made the short hop
0:36:10 > 0:36:14to Yekaterinburg, the biggest city in the Urals.
0:36:15 > 0:36:21# Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz... #
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Yekaterinburg is a tough city.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34In 1918, the Russian royal family was executed here by the
0:36:34 > 0:36:38Red Army as they fought to consolidate the revolution.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44But these graves are monuments to a more recent bloodshed, when powerful
0:36:44 > 0:36:49gangs emerged 70 years later after the Communists had fallen.
0:36:55 > 0:37:00I've never seen monuments like that to known criminals.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04These three guys were some of the leaders of a violent gang
0:37:04 > 0:37:06based here in Yekaterinburg -
0:37:06 > 0:37:12a gang that waged a murderous war that made this city the most violent
0:37:12 > 0:37:16city in Russia at a time when Russia was consumed by violence.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18The gang leaders of the 1990s
0:37:18 > 0:37:23still seem to enjoy protection, even in death.
0:37:23 > 0:37:28The boss of the powerful Uralmash gang, Alexander Khabarov, is
0:37:28 > 0:37:32buried here, and no sooner had we started filming than two
0:37:32 > 0:37:34burly men appeared from the shadows.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37I think we've got some company on...
0:37:37 > 0:37:39HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN
0:37:39 > 0:37:43Huh? Sorry, I speak only... I speak English.
0:37:45 > 0:37:46Huh?
0:37:48 > 0:37:49I'm sorry, I don't understand.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56Are we not allowed to film these graves?
0:37:58 > 0:38:01Can we just stop and get some pictures?
0:38:01 > 0:38:02We just get some shots?
0:38:04 > 0:38:06Huh?
0:38:09 > 0:38:11He's saying no, don't film.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13He's saying we can't film the monuments.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16Clearly there's a bit of sensitivity associated with filming them.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19Obviously I don't speak Russian but it's fairly clear that he's
0:38:19 > 0:38:21telling us we have to leave the cemetery.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24That there was a issue with filming them.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35Today, Yekaterinburg is a calmer place, but it still exerts a
0:38:35 > 0:38:38strongly independent spirit.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42This place is the Yekaterinburg Town Hall.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48And with any luck, I've got an interview with the mayor!
0:38:50 > 0:38:55So the cameraman's allowed in but I apparently have to stay out here.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57DISTANT SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN
0:39:00 > 0:39:05Last year, an independent candidate, local man Yevgeny Roizman,
0:39:05 > 0:39:10won a surprise victory over Vladimir Putin's United Russia.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15Yevgeny, Justin from the BBC. Thank you very much for seeing me.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18'Over the past years he's continually being asked
0:39:18 > 0:39:21'if he had links with the criminal gangs of the '90s,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24'something he has always vigorously denied.'
0:39:37 > 0:39:40'Roizman is something of a local hero.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44'Few other cities have dared to vote against Moscow's wishes.'
0:39:44 > 0:39:49To what extent do you think your victory kind of suggests that there
0:39:49 > 0:39:52is a possibility of a more kind of democratic form of government?
0:40:08 > 0:40:12'Roizman has been hailed as an independent voice
0:40:12 > 0:40:14'in a new democratic Russia.
0:40:14 > 0:40:20'But whether this really is the beginning of a more democratic era
0:40:20 > 0:40:24'for the rest of Russia very much remains to be seen.'
0:40:29 > 0:40:33Back in my luxury oligarch tank, I'm still heading north,
0:40:33 > 0:40:35a long way north.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40- Where is the Arctic Circle? Have a look on...- I don't know.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44- You don't know?- I don't know. - Well, how are we gonna find it?
0:40:44 > 0:40:46We can see from the road.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49We just have to keep an eye out for a sign?
0:40:52 > 0:40:57450 miles from Petrozavodsk, I was aiming to reach Polyarnye Zori
0:40:57 > 0:41:01and some very northern entrepreneurs.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04But first we had to cross the Arctic Circle.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08I'm excited, Sergei.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11This is gonna be the furthest north I've ever been in my life.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15- So far... I'm excited. Me. - Excited.
0:41:15 > 0:41:16- Excited...- Oh, yeah.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20- ..because we're going to the Arctic Circle.- Excited.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24Excited. I am excited. Look, excited, happy, because...
0:41:24 > 0:41:29- Ah.- ..I'm going to the Arctic Circle, crossing the Arctic Circle.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33- OK, I get.- I'm going further north than I've ever been in my life.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36The north, northernmost point I've ever been, yes?
0:41:36 > 0:41:38- Yes, yes, me too.- You too?
0:41:38 > 0:41:42- Yes.- I think you're Russian excited, laid back.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52There it is, Sergei, the Arctic Circle!
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Ah, yes. Yeah.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58That's a Russian reaction.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20At last, deep within the icy countryside
0:42:20 > 0:42:22I arrive at my destination -
0:42:22 > 0:42:26a very modern take on a very traditional business.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31Here was a steaming lake packed with fish that are normally only
0:42:31 > 0:42:34found in waters thousands of miles to the south.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38- Hello, sir!- Hello.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42- Anita.- Sergei. - Pleased to meet you, Sergei.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49Oh, my Lord, that is one big fish.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54I can see it steaming, Sergei. It's very mysterious.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56How warm is this water?
0:42:56 > 0:43:01- Nine, ten.- Ten degrees Centigrade? - Yeah.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04Pretty warm cos we've got snow on the mountains up there
0:43:04 > 0:43:06and you can see the fog.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10It turns out that there's a local nuclear power station nearby,
0:43:10 > 0:43:13strictly off limits for our cameras.
0:43:14 > 0:43:18The water here is so warm because it's used to cool the reactors.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20How cold would this water be
0:43:20 > 0:43:22if the power station wasn't here warming it up?
0:43:22 > 0:43:27- Nil.- Zero to minus?- Mmm.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32It's another sign of Russia's new entrepreneurial spirit -
0:43:32 > 0:43:36taking advantage of any opportunity anywhere.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38This fish farm breeds sturgeon,
0:43:38 > 0:43:42the source of a valuable Russian delicacy - caviar.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46Is it safe to eat the caviar from these fish?
0:43:56 > 0:43:58Where does the caviar come from?
0:43:58 > 0:44:00- Look. - Oh, there's that little hole, look.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04There we go. And they milk it.
0:44:04 > 0:44:08So you massage the sturgeon and out comes the caviar.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13With demand for luxury goods like caviar increasing, the owners
0:44:13 > 0:44:16of the farm are doing well and are planning to expand.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20Nuclear caviar. SHE LAUGHS
0:44:21 > 0:44:25Mmm, it smells great. It smells good. Shall we?
0:44:25 > 0:44:27How do you go for it? Shall we just taste a bit?
0:44:30 > 0:44:32It's delicious.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34Mmm!
0:44:34 > 0:44:40They're like tiny, little grapes of saltiness just bursting in my mouth.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42And that's how they package it.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44Natalya, how much would this cost? How much?
0:44:44 > 0:44:47- 50.- 50. About £30 for that.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51And you know what, it's worth it because that is yummy.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55Mmm! Mmm! Mmm-hmm-hmm! Oh, yes, lovely!
0:45:04 > 0:45:06At last here we are, Karabash.
0:45:06 > 0:45:08Ah, I feel like I've been driving forever!
0:45:11 > 0:45:16As Anita powers her way towards Russia's new economic frontier,
0:45:16 > 0:45:20my trusty Communist Jeep is still trundling on through
0:45:20 > 0:45:24the vastness of old Russia - the resource-rich heartland that
0:45:24 > 0:45:28has always fuelled so much of Russia's economy.
0:45:29 > 0:45:34140 miles has taken me from Yekaterinburg to Karabash -
0:45:34 > 0:45:38one of Russia's many grim industrial towns.
0:45:39 > 0:45:45Whoa! These are enormous!
0:45:45 > 0:45:47Must be the slag heaps.
0:45:52 > 0:45:58Russia has long mined and processed its abundant natural resources.
0:45:58 > 0:46:03This area of the country is blessed with oil, coal and iron,
0:46:03 > 0:46:06as well as diamonds and gold.
0:46:06 > 0:46:12But the riches have come at a price to Russia's environment.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14This is like Mad Max.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19It's, like, post-apocalyptic.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21At one time,
0:46:21 > 0:46:25this was reckoned to be the most polluted place on the entire planet.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29It still looks pretty polluted to me.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35The copper plant here at Karabash is a typical legacy
0:46:35 > 0:46:37of old Soviet industry.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42It is polluting and inefficient.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45Back then, strategic industrial plants like this were hidden
0:46:45 > 0:46:47from the world.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53And astonishingly, they've agreed to let us in!
0:46:55 > 0:46:56BBC?
0:47:03 > 0:47:05Put the mask on. Ah.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08- Smelter.- Uh-huh.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10- Copper smelter.- This is the smelter.
0:47:12 > 0:47:13It really stinks!
0:47:16 > 0:47:20Plants like this are still crucial to Russia's resource-based economy.
0:47:22 > 0:47:23Whoa!
0:47:23 > 0:47:26And today, in order to sell into world markets, operations
0:47:26 > 0:47:31like the Karabash smelter need to modernise and quite literally
0:47:31 > 0:47:33clean up their act.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39But it's a slow process, as the plant's managing director
0:47:39 > 0:47:41Aleksandr Golov explained.
0:47:41 > 0:47:47I mean, looking at the plant, it still looks pretty...
0:47:47 > 0:47:48kind of pretty rough and ready.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02Aleksandr, are you serious there's a natural process of regeneration,
0:48:02 > 0:48:04because it looks like a desert?
0:48:14 > 0:48:18Undoubtedly this factory is less polluting than it was in
0:48:18 > 0:48:23Soviet times, but the legacy of decades of dirty production
0:48:23 > 0:48:25is going to take a long time to overcome.
0:48:31 > 0:48:36As for me seeking out Russia's new economic frontier, I'm nearly there.
0:48:39 > 0:48:43We've nearly made it! The final few kilometres.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47Give me a high-five, Sergei. Murmansk!
0:48:50 > 0:48:54After three weeks and nearly 3,000 miles from Sochi,
0:48:54 > 0:48:58I'm finally in sight of my ultimate destination -
0:48:58 > 0:49:00the Arctic city of Murmansk.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06This port previously held strategic importance as home to the
0:49:06 > 0:49:10Russian Northern Fleet, but today it's becoming Russia's base
0:49:10 > 0:49:14to explore and exploit yet more natural resources.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21And this is what it's about.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25The location of this city, Murmansk, is crucial, because in a few
0:49:25 > 0:49:30months' time 6,000 tonnes of metal will be taken from here out
0:49:30 > 0:49:36to sea to begin the search for gas and oil - Russian's next frontier.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42In this warehouse, the Russians are planning their controversial
0:49:42 > 0:49:44assault on the Arctic.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47With Norwegian help, these men are building drilling platforms
0:49:47 > 0:49:49for the oil and gas industry.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53Oh, it's so atmospheric in here, Jan! It's hot, isn't it?
0:49:53 > 0:49:55- Yes, it's very metallic.- Yeah.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57The oil and the gas that's out there, somewhere,
0:49:57 > 0:50:01what do those resources mean for Norway, for Russia?
0:50:01 > 0:50:04For Russia it means a lot, because it's big resources
0:50:04 > 0:50:09and it's going to last for many, many years, 30 or 40 years.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13Of course, people are very concerned about the impact all this
0:50:13 > 0:50:15drilling will have on the environment here.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Should we not be looking elsewhere for our energy?
0:50:17 > 0:50:23In my opinion we need this oil and gas for many, many years
0:50:23 > 0:50:28because we don't have enough of this alternative energy, so that...
0:50:28 > 0:50:30Yeah.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33As long as people need oil, I guess people will keep drilling for it?
0:50:33 > 0:50:35- That's how it is, yes.- Yeah. Yeah.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44In the coming years, the Arctic could provide yet another
0:50:44 > 0:50:48boost to Russia's economy and Murmansk itself could be on
0:50:48 > 0:50:51the brink of a new 21st century oil rush.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56Over the past three weeks, I've met local entrepreneurs starting
0:50:56 > 0:51:00businesses and a whole new generation of Russians who
0:51:00 > 0:51:04have never known Communism. I've seen the promise of new,
0:51:04 > 0:51:10untapped wealth and I've seen a country bursting with potential.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13For me, though, it's the end of my epic road trip.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18That's it, I've gone as far as my road will take me and I've
0:51:18 > 0:51:22stopped here in what feels like a completely different world.
0:51:22 > 0:51:27I've completed my leg of the journey, which was a very long journey,
0:51:27 > 0:51:31but in the grand scheme of this vast country, it was tiny.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35Out in that direction is the Arctic and its wealth of gas and oil
0:51:35 > 0:51:38and potentially the future of Russia's economy.
0:51:43 > 0:51:47Arctic oil might represent Russia's future, but I'm travelling to
0:51:47 > 0:51:51a place that's a powerful reminder that Russia's past is still
0:51:51 > 0:51:54very much alive.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58I'm a bit nervous because we're headed towards a place that until
0:51:58 > 0:52:04recently, fairly recently, wasn't even...wasn't even on the maps.
0:52:04 > 0:52:05It's one of the...
0:52:07 > 0:52:10A network of closed cities that used to...
0:52:12 > 0:52:18Used to be across Russia and this one was so secret
0:52:18 > 0:52:23and so sensitive that it remains closed to this day.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28I'm heading to the town of Ozyorsk.
0:52:28 > 0:52:33Until a few years ago it was known only by its codename,
0:52:33 > 0:52:35Chelyabinsk-65.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40Only residents with the correct papers can get in.
0:52:40 > 0:52:45Foreigners like me are banned because this town was the
0:52:45 > 0:52:48heart of the Soviet atomic weapons programme.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53And here is the checkpoint.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55I might just get out and have a little look.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00I've got to be careful what I do because what I've been told is that
0:53:00 > 0:53:04if I...if I approach the guards
0:53:04 > 0:53:07there's a 50/50 chance that they'll take me into custody.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10Then it could be days before they let me out.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13Probably not wise to hang around too long.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19- Ooh. - HE LAUGHS
0:53:19 > 0:53:20I think I got away with that.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27The reason for such security is only visible from across the lake.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31The Mayak nuclear plant, built in total secrecy,
0:53:31 > 0:53:34is still in operation today.
0:53:34 > 0:53:39While I can't go in, I've arranged to meet a local resident,
0:53:39 > 0:53:43Nadezhda Kutepova, who's lived in Chelyabinsk-65 all her life.
0:53:44 > 0:53:49So what is the reason why they wanted the city to be closed,
0:53:49 > 0:53:51and what happens at the plant?
0:53:51 > 0:53:56It was built in 1948 for creation of first Soviet atomic bomb.
0:53:56 > 0:54:01So the plutonium for Russia's first nuclear bomb was created here?
0:54:01 > 0:54:02Yeah.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06'Even family members were sworn to secrecy.'
0:54:06 > 0:54:09So what did your father tell you that his job was?
0:54:09 > 0:54:14When I asked my father, he answered, "I make paper for candies."
0:54:14 > 0:54:18- Sweet wrappings?- Yeah. Mmm. - That's what he told you?- Yeah.
0:54:18 > 0:54:24In fact, he was making plutonium for Russia's first atomic bomb.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26And there were problems.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30The plant has a grim history of radioactive accidents.
0:54:31 > 0:54:36In 1957, the underground tank with the high-level radioactive waste
0:54:36 > 0:54:38was exploded.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41Usually, scientists compare this with the Chernobyl accident.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43So when the accident happened,
0:54:43 > 0:54:46did the authorities tell people what had happened?
0:54:46 > 0:54:49No. No. Many people signed papers about state secrets.
0:54:49 > 0:54:54People were afraid, and the people still are afraid.
0:54:56 > 0:54:58Coming to a place like this feels
0:54:58 > 0:55:01like I've entered a Russian time warp.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05It's as if nothing has changed since the Cold War days.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08Who knows if it ever will?
0:55:16 > 0:55:19Nearly 4,000 miles from the town of Sochi,
0:55:19 > 0:55:24I still wanted to explore deeper into old Russia.
0:55:24 > 0:55:29But my time was running out and so was the road.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31ENGINE REVS
0:55:31 > 0:55:36After three weeks, even my Soviet UAZ was calling it a day.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39Ahh!
0:55:42 > 0:55:44Ah!
0:55:44 > 0:55:45After all these miles...
0:55:47 > 0:55:51Russia's famous mud has seen to the end of my journey.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54I wanted to get up to that hilltop and look out across Siberia.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57After everything I've been through on this journey,
0:55:57 > 0:56:01my overwhelming impression of this country is how
0:56:01 > 0:56:07difficult it is to travel and how vast it is. Such a big country.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11And...maybe this is a fitting end,
0:56:11 > 0:56:14cos I tell you what,
0:56:14 > 0:56:16I really, really want to go home now.
0:56:25 > 0:56:30It has been a very long three weeks since we left Sochi and the
0:56:30 > 0:56:34splendours of the most expensive Olympics in history -
0:56:34 > 0:56:37Russia's showcase to the world.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40£30 billion. 50 billion they've spent.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46Since then, we've seen two very different sides to an
0:56:46 > 0:56:48incredible country.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52Like the Olympic Park itself, there's a new Russia out there
0:56:52 > 0:56:55exploding with inventiveness and confidence.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58This is the privilege of an elite few.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00This is modern Russia.
0:57:00 > 0:57:04But Russia is vast beyond comprehension
0:57:04 > 0:57:07with an ageing infrastructure and attitudes that hark back to
0:57:07 > 0:57:10its old autocratic past.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12It is clear it still has a long way to go.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17As for us, it was time to fly home.
0:57:39 > 0:57:41THEY LAUGH
0:57:41 > 0:57:43It's cos you blended in, I couldn't recognise you.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45You've gone native!
0:57:45 > 0:57:47I'm absolutely filthy.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50- Look at you!- I'm absolutely filthy and I am so knackered.
0:57:50 > 0:57:51Oh, look at you!
0:57:51 > 0:57:54You look a real state. In the nicest way!
0:58:01 > 0:58:04I've got something for you. Give you a taste of my trip.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06That is the finest, some of the finest Russian caviar.
0:58:06 > 0:58:08That is genuinely a fantastic present.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11- Nuclear caviar. I bought it with my own money as well.- Really?
0:58:11 > 0:58:13- Yeah.- I'll tell you what I've got you.- Go on.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15- Absolutely nothing. - It's been hard, hasn't it?
0:58:15 > 0:58:17Yeah, there was nothing there to buy!
0:58:17 > 0:58:20- Shall we go home?- Let's go home now. - Please let's go home.