SC #

VISION

AUDIO

INTRO TO WAR AND MOLDOVA

1.01

FILE FOOTAGE:

A MISSILE hits an APARTMENT TOWER triggering a montage showing the violence and horror of the assault on UKRAINE.

UPSOT: Air raid siren. Then… Missile strike

VO: February 24  - Vladimir Putin shattered peace in Europe by launching a full scale invasion of Ukraine.

UPSOT: WOMAN: This is downtown. As you can see it is completely destroyed.

UPSOT: ZELENSKY: We are defending our independence’

1.02

FILE FOOTAGE:

PUTIN signs documents in the KREMLIN then holds a PATRIOTIC RALLY.

VO: Despite the carnage, Putin remains determined to re-build the Soviet empire…

UPSOT: Crowd cheers.

VO: And may already be looking beyond Ukraine.

UPSOT: PUTIN: So it was then, as is now and will be forever” (Cheering)

1.03

FILE FOOTAGE:

MORE horror from UKRAINE.

VO: As fighting intensifies and casualties rise, the whole world is wondering just how far Putin will go?

TITLE: Moldova, Putin’s Next Target?

2.01

EXT. RURAL – MOLDOVA GVS

We’ve arrived in MOLDOVA. Cold… Grey… Poor. The sort of country no amount of Photoshop could make pretty.

SOT: Rural sounds a *beat* before the

VO: Bordering Ukraine is the Republic of Moldova, Europe’s poorest country.

VO: In earshot of the bombs falling, this tiny nation finds itself in a dangerous position.

2.02

GFX: MAP OF   

VO: The former Soviet state is frighteningly close to the port city of Odesa which is bracing for invasion.

2.03

EXT. RURAL – MOLDOVA GVS

We see a selection of citizens looking as unhappy as the landscape.

VO: Many of Moldova’s 2.5 million citizens, FEAR that if Ukraine falls, Russia will come for them next.

THE BORDER

3.01

EXT. BORDER – DAY

A small CHECK POINT on a dirt road.

Hundreds of WOMEN, CHILDREN and the ELDERLY cue on either side of it.

EVAN enters FRAME

SOT: Crowd sounds… shuffling… As people come across the border.

PTC: EVAN – [TK 1 01:45:45:15 - We’ve come to Palanca which is one of Moldova’s southernmost bordering crossing’ with Ukraine. There is a constant stream of people here.
[TK 3 - 01.46.45.03] Mainly young children, women and older people.
[TK 1 - 01:45:55:18] They’re all fleeing from towns and cities which are under constant bombardment and attack not much more than a couple of hours drive from this point here

3.02

EXT. BORDER – MOMENTS LATER

EVAN speaks with THREE groups of REFUGEES.

(1) STRAP: Valentina Mikoaliv, Ukraine

(2) STRAP: Tatiana Mikoaliv, Ukraine.

1. VOX POP: VALENTINA Russian/Ukrainian - They were bombing at night. We are hanging in there. There are no people left in the city. Our boys are protecting us and we, old people, are coming here

2. Russian/Ukrainian I’ve stayed until the last moment. But after the city was shelled several times, I’ve decided to leave.

3.03

EXT. BORDER – MOMENTS LATER

We see the faces of the desperate. Sense the scale of situation.

EVAN speaks with another woman.

STRAP: Olga, Odessa, Ukraine

VO: To date, more than three hundred and fifty thousand Ukrainians have fled into Moldova.

VO: The country has taken in more refugees per capita than any other nation – and has promised to keep its border open.

VOX POP – EVAN - How does it feel that you’ve got yourself and your family to Moldova?

VOX POP – WOMAN 2 - Russian/Ukrainian Beautiful. Very grateful. We’ve got a very warm welcome. We’ve been fed, and they took care of us. We’ve got a shelter, a very friendly welcome. We are very grateful. Thank you.

3.04

EXT. BORDER – MOMENTS LATER

More desolation. Family’s without father’s, husbands, and sons. Loaded onto buses headed for a place they’ve never been. A MAN carries a CHIHUAHUA in his coat.

VO: For those fleeing the war, Europe’s poorest nation is also proving to be one of its most charitable.

THE VINEYARD

4.01

INT/EXT. VINEYARD – DAY

We fly over the picturesque vineyard.

VO: Up the road from the checkpoint, Pucari Estate would normally be making Moldova’s primary export… wine.

VO: But not today.

4.02

EXT. REST STOP – DAY

IGOR arrives and unloads supplies to VOLARIU.

VO: Workers from the vineyard are running a rest stop – where Ukrainian refugees can get a helping hand.

4.03

EXT. REST STOP – LATER

A carload of REFUGEES arrives. VOLARIU speaks to a MOTHER.

UPSOT: MOTHER - Russian/Ukrainian We crossed the border at 7.30am 

UPSOT: VOLARIU - Russian/Ukrainian Then have a coffee. Come this way. Have a bite to eat. Step inside and take a look what’s there. Maybe you could at least grab something for the children?

VOX POP: VOLARIU - Romanian We have the most basic needs for elementary hygiene, like toothpaste, wet tissues, for hygiene, for women; also tea, coffee, sandwiches.

UPSOT: MOTHER - Russian/Ukrainian I’m embarrassed…
UPSOT: VOLARIU - Oh please! Tell me, what you need and I’ll get it ready for you.

UPSOT: MOTHER - WOMAN – A few sandwiches each, perhaps…

4.04

EXT. REST STOP – LATER

VOLARIU – helps more people.

VOX POP: VOLARIU - Romanian We here in Moldova we must be men and not to show out our emotions. But honestly, it gets us very deep.

4.05

EXT. REST STOP

VOLARIU gathers some food, and takes it to a MOTHER and CHILDREN waiting under a pagoda nearby.  

VO: A waiter from the vineyard, Volariu felt compelled to help those fleeing to his country.

UPSOT: VOLARIU Russian/Ukrainian - Please, some biscuits.
UPSOT: MOTHER 2 - WOMAN – Thanks.
UPSOT: VOLARIU - You’re welcome.

4.06

EXT. REST STOP

BACK with VOLARIU, he helps get sandwiches to a young girl.  

VOX POP: VOLARIU: Romanian (00:56:31). I am not often proud towards our country, but now I am really proud.

00:51:00 VOLUNTEER – Romanian Nobody made us do this. The same with me here; I mean I can’t just sit aside and not help, when something like this is happening so close to us.  

THE SHELTER

5.01

EXT. CHISINAU – DAY.

We’ve come north to Moldova’s capital...

VO: Many of the refugees will eventually find their way to Chisinau, the Moldovan capital.

5.02

INT/EXT. STADIUM SHELTER – DAY.

A sea of people lying on the floor on makeshift BEDS.

We find ILINA helping arrange blankets with another VOLUNTEER

VO: The Manej sports stadium in the city centre is now a makeshift shelter.

UPSOT: ILINA - ROMANIAN - We need to get all those blankets and take them over there.

UPSOT: ILINA - ROMANIAN - ILINA // If tonight there’s more coming we can host them here.

VO: It’s staffed by ordinary Moldovan’s … like volunteer Ilina.

IV: ILINA – ENGLISH -  When this started, I was afraid, I have anxiety. And when I started to help these people, I am feeling better. //  I'm not Putin to decide to stop this war, but I can make them to feel better in a little way.

5.03

INT. SHELTER – DAY – CONT'D.

A REFUGEE speaks with ILINA.

Ilina organise to pay for a woman’s taxi so she can reunite with her family

UPSOT: REFUGEE – RUSSIAN - I am looking for my children. They were sent to some church
UPSOT: ILINA – RUSSIAN - - I know, I know the address. I will give it to you.

VO: For volunteers, looking after the refugees means giving up more than just their free time.

UPSOT: ILINA – RUSSIAN - I can find a taxi there.
UPSOT: REFUGEE – RUSSIAN - I do not have money, nothing.
UPSOT: ILINA - RUSSIAN -  It’s fine, I will pay for it.

5.04

INT. SHELTER – DAY – CONT'D.

ILINA does various chores around the shelter.

VO: Ilina tells us that everyone she knows is trying to help.

VO: Opening their homes to families… Organizing transport… even bringing hot food to the shelter.

ILINA [THOUGHT TRACK] I think that the Moldavian people answered in a normal way because we have to help our neighbors. Here in Moldova you can find hospitality and we've proven that. It’s difficult for us but we have to manage it we do it good, I think. 

5.05

EXT. SHELTER – DAY – CONT'D.

EVAN chats with a REFUGEE.

STRAP: Olga, Mikoaliv, Ukraine.

VO: But despite finding food, shelter and safety in Moldova most Ukrainians aren’t keen to stay.

OLGA – RUSSIAN - I do not want to go to Moldova

TRANSLATOR - Then where?

OLGA - I do not know yet, but I want to go further, further so no one can get me, bomb me and kill me there.

VO: MORE THAN 200,000 refugees have already left Moldova. Most are headed to NATO countries like Romania, Poland and Germany.

5.06

RESUME – SHELTER

We see more from around the shelter. Kids playing.

Volunteers serving meals at a soup kitchen etc.

IV: ILINA – ENGLISH - 09:51 -. I think that now, uh, our, a lot of people are feeling unsafe. They left the country. // because they don't think very, uh, they don't feel very safe here. //  Just in that moment when like a regime, like Putin will come here.

VO: Given Moldova’s history with Russia, they’re right to be scared.

MOLDOVA EXPLAINER

6.01

FILE FOOTAGE:

VO: Moldova is a young country – just 30 years old.

UPSOT – NEWSREADER - “In Moldova the moment a people declared their independence.

VO: After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the nation proclaimed its independence in AUGUST 1991 – THE SAME MONTH THAT Ukraine did.

6.02

FILE FOOTAGE:

VO: Like UKRAINE -  Moldova IS NOT A MEMBER of the European Union

UPSOT – SOLDIER - “fire”

VO: or NATO… leaving it vulnerable to Russian aggression.

VO: With Putin trying to re-establish Russia’s borders with blood, former Soviet states like Moldova are on high alert

VO: But would Putin really venture beyond Ukraine?

DEPUTY SPEAKER OF MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT

7.01

INT. MOLDOVAN – PARLIAMENT – DAY.

EVAN speaks with politician MIHAIL POPSOI – in the house chamber of the Moldovan parliament.

IV: MIHAIL - 06:13:19Well, sadly, it's anybody's guess, but if history is any indication, his public regret about the dissolution of this Soviet Union might be an indication about his current actions.

7.02

INT. MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT  - CONT’D

EVAN & MIHAIL continue to chat. We see CUTAWAYS giving us a sense of the very familiar structure of their parliament. This is a WESETERN democracy.

VO: Mihail Popsoi is the Deputy speaker of the Moldovan Parliament – and a leader of the ruling party.

VO: His government has officially taken a neutral stance regarding the war – but Mihail is still worried about Putin.

IV: MIHAIL POPȘOI – ENGLISH - Nobody appears safe, not only the immediate neighborhood, but given the saber rattling and even mentioning of the nuclear weapons is giving pause to quite a lot of people, even far beyond our immediate region.

* EVAN – NODS *

IV: MIHAIL POPȘOI – ENGLISH - Well, we try to think less of this immediate threat and concentrate on the challenge at hand, at helping the Ukrainian refugees.

7.03

INT. MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT  - CONT’D

EVAN & MIHAIL continue to chat about the COST OF REFUGEES.

IV: MIHAIL POPȘOI – ENGLISH - We are also facing a huge energy crisis, given that we are so dependent on Russian energy resources, and the price went through the roof.

IV: MIHAIL POPȘOI – ENGLISH - We are doing our best to maintain the stability. We are really counting on our good friends and partners in the European union and elsewhere to help us maintain the stability that is crucial for the political stability in Moldova and in the region.

7.04

EXT. MOLDOVA – DAY

BREAKOUT GV - sequence to cover VO. Want to get a sense of regular Moldovan’s going about their business.

VO: Moldova has been seeking stability for years.

VO: Mihail says it’s taken nearly three decades to purge Soviet era nepotism and corruption from Moldova’s political and justice systems.

VO: Now with war on its doorstep Moldova applied for fast-track EU membership

7.05

RESUME: INT. MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT  - CONT’D

EVAN & MIHAIL chat about JOINING THE E.U

IV: MIHAIL POPȘOI – ENGLISH - When it comes to values, to identity, we are all Europeans, and we want to return to the European family of nations. (06:3 8:33): Moldovans have tasted freedom, have tasted democracy, and they don't want to give it back.

IV: MIHAIL POPȘOI – ENGLISH - And that is why also that we want to to break away with our past, if you will, with the past where we didn't have freedom, we didn't have democracy, we didn't have freedom of the press, freedom of assembly We want a much better future for ourselves and for our children.

7.06

INT. MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT  - CONT’D

EVAN & MIHAIL chat about NOT JOINING NATO.

VO: But attempts from ex-soviet countries to build closer ties with the west, have already enraged Putin.

EVAN: Being part of the EU doesn't give you any security protection that I'm aware of. NATO does. Are you interested in joining NATO in getting that protection?

IV: MIHAIL POPȘOI – ENGLISH - Being a neutral country that is off the books, that is not possible, much like there are other European Union member countries that are neutral: Austria, Sweden, Finland. // Historically, the support for NATO membership in Moldova has oscillated between 20 and 30% as opposed to joining the European Union went as high as 70.

7.07

EXT. MOLDOVA – DAY

Another break out to show WHAT’S at STAKE if Russia invades..

VO: The trouble is, with its neighbor at war and no official protection from the E.U or Nato, Moldova is a sitting duck.

EVAN: What would be the Moldovan response if Russia did invade?

IV: MIHAIL POPȘOI  -Well, I don't really want to speculate. It's something that is a nightmare scenario, and I wouldn't want to go there.

7.08

EXT. MOLDOVA – DAY.

Children play on the streets – their innocence and their very lives at threat.

VO: But the frightening reality is that Putin’s Russia is already here.

TRANSNISTRIA

8.01

EXT. TRANSNISTRIA – DAY

A bleak image from across the DNISTER RIVER:

VO: Just one hour from the capital lies a Russian backed rebel enclave.

8.02

GFX: MAP

VO: Wedged between Ukraine and the Dnister River – is the breakaway republic of Transnistria - the EU calls it a Russian occupied territory.

8.03

FILE FOOTAGE:

Details the fight between MOLDOVA and TRANSNISTRIA.

VO: In 1991, just two days before Moldova officially left the Soviet Union – separatists in Transnistria declared independence.

VO: A bloody conflict followed.

VO: With Moldova fighting to reclaim its territory and Moscow arming militia groups to keep the territory under pro-Russian control.

VO: After hundreds of deaths on both sides a ceasefire was signed in 1992.

8.04

FILE FOOTAGE:

Conflict and fighting in Donbas.

VO: 30 years later, the TERRITORY is home to 400,000 citizens and more than a thousand Russian troops.

VO: Transnistria is often compared with Donbass in Ukraine, where Putin used the eight-year fight between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian army as an excuse to invade the country.

VO: Many believe the very existence of Transnistria is a time bomb for Moldova.

8.05

EXT. DMZ – WAR MEMORIAL – DAY.

Snow falls on EVAN as he meets TIM & SIMONE – some Transnistrian locals.

VO: But not these guys…

EVAN: Hi, are you Tim?

Tim: Tim!

EVAN: Oh, great. Evan.

TIM: Evan. Nice to meet you.

EVAN: Thanks for coming out. And you are?

SIMEONE: Simon.

EVAN: Simon. Nice to meet you. You're from?

SIMEONE: Transnistria, Tiraspol.

EVAN: Transnistria. Excellent. Okay. So where are we here?

TIM: We are officially in the DMZ. This is right between Moldova and Transnistria and Russian peacekeepers are stationed here and, welcome.

8.06

EXT. DMZ – WAR MEMORIAL – DAY.

The guys chat DONBASS comparisons.

VO: 15 years ago, Tim married a local and settled in Transnistria also called Trans – dnister because of where it sits on the Dniester river.

VO: Simon was born and raised there.

VO: Are they living in the next Donbass?

TIM: It looks to the west similar, but it's actually vastly different for one thing. Donbas is right on the border of Russia. They are 100% Russian. Here, it's much more diversified.

SIMON: We had a war – we know about war and peple don’t want to back into this period. Everyone you ask will say that war is bad.

8.07

EXT/INT. CAR- DAY.

SIMONE takes EVAN for a drive around the DMZ. TIM talks from the back of the car.

TIM: [THOUGHT TRACK] There are sections that are Moldovan and sections that are Transnistrian. Everything just all blends together

8.08

EXT/INT. CAR- DAY.

The guys chat peace in the DMZ

VO: On a tour of the NEUTRAL, DEMILITARIZED ZONE between Moldova and Transnistria, Tim and Simon continue to stress that unlike Donbas, both sides here co-exist peacefully.

TIM: Nobody wants any provocations. Everybody has family and friends in Moldova. Family and friends in Ukraine.

Nobody supports war. Nobody supports an invasion.

8.09

EXT/INT. CAR- DAY.

VARIOUS shots of checkpoints.

VO: Despite the sentiment, the truce feels uneasy.

TIM: And there's actually a tank, a Russian tank here

VO: Checkpoints, manned by Moldovan police and Russian soldiers stand at all main intersections.

Tim: That is another Russian peacekeeper checkpoint because the bridge that they're protecting actually crosses into Transnistria proper, which is out of the DMZ.

8.10

EXT/INT. CAR- DAY

Tension builds as SIMONE drives toward a checkpoint and RUSSIAN SOLDIERS, jump out and block his path.

There’s a confusion as her backs up and drives the other way.

TIM: Oh, we can't cross They have blockade the road.

8.11

EXT/INT. CAR- DAY)

VO: With war in Ukraine, IT’S RISKY FOR foreign journalists TO ENTER Transnistria.

VO: To get a look inside... we have to rely on locals. 

INSIDE TRANSNISTRIA

9.01

UGC: TIM’S PHONE

Tim shows us around Transnistria.

VO: Tim has sent us this footage captured on his phone …

VO: The place is like a Soviet Era time capsule…

Tim Nothing in Transnistria changed after the war. For example, in Moldova and in Ukraine, they tore down all the Soviet memorials and statues, but in Transnistria they kept them. All the old Soviet union memorials, the statues of Lenin. And even some of the infrastructure is still there intact as it was in the Soviet union.

9.02

UGC: TIM’S PHONE

Tour of Transnistria.

SOT: Guy drives past on hot rod tractor

VO: The region presents like a mini-Russia - with poorer, rural areas surrounding urban centers like the capital Tiraspol.

9.03

UGC: TIM’S PHONE

Tour of Transnistria.

VO: Transnistria has its own currency, police force, even its own flag - bearing a hammer and sickle.  

VO: Tim’s footage makes it unmistakably clear, where the population’s allegiances lie. 

9.04

UGC: TIM’S PHONE

Tim takes us to a SOVIET MAN CAVE.

TIM: Welcome to the old Soviet man caves in Tiraspol. As you can see behind me, those quite nice doors they've turned all the garages into man caves, And this is part of the Transnistria tradition right here in Tiraspol. Last of the USSR.

9.05

UGC: TIM’S PHONE

TIM introduces us to the owner of a MAN CAVE then takes a shot.

TIM: I'm with my brother Alexander, who is the owner of this Soviet gun garage, where he collects Soviet weapons from every war in history of the Soviet Union.

9.06

UGC: TIM’S PHONE

TIM gets shown how to fire and old Bazooka.

TIM: Soviet ‘Mukha’. This is RPG-17 from the Soviet Union. He is going to show you how it works.
ALEXANDR: The button.

ALEXANDR: KaBoom.
TIM:  Fire!

9.07

RESUME: Man cave… Tim and Alexander do a shot.

TIM: We gotta take a drink in the Soviet gun garage. So, this samogonka homemade vodka that they make themselves. So, Na Zdorovie! Here’s to you, here’s to you, brother.

TIM: Ah, that's about 80 proof. So, uh, yeah, it burns going down. Take a little snack with it.

9.08

UGC: TIM’S PHONE

We see more curious in the man caves then watch TIM chat with ALEXANDER.

VO: But despite Alexander’s interest in soviet weapons, he does not want to see Putin’s war push any further west.

ALEXANDER: Transnistria is a peaceful country where everybody gets along, Correct? Absolutely. I’ve got lots of friends in Moldova. I travel to Kishinev Chisinau without any trouble. People from Moldova visit here. God willing, everything turns out well…

9.09

UGC: TIM Transnistria.

We see more of Transnistria, focusing on the people.

VO: But there’s still the matter of AN ESTIMATED 1500 Russian soldiers illegally stationed here.

TIM: People in Transnistria that don't fear Russia, they don't fear Russian troops. We have Russian troops here. Our Russian troops are actually our local boys with Russian passports and they're guys like Simon. Believe me, I'm not as scared of them at all. They're good guys. So would we fear Russian troops coming here? No, absolutely not. But do we want any problems with the west or with Moldova? No. We want harmony.

VO: But it’s not up to the citizens of Transnistria.

VO: Putin has made clear that he intends to re-form the Soviet Union.

VO: And having an army waiting in Transnistria is not helping calm Moldovan nerves. 

MOLDOVAN’S ON THE EDGE

10.01

EXT. DRONE – CRIULENI

We fly across the river to the bordering town of CRIULENI.  

10.02

EXT. CRIULENI STREET – DAY

EVAN speaks with a WOMAN in A RED SCARF.

STRAP: Dina, Criuleni Resident

WOMAN/RED SCARF: We are worried, all the time... because  they have their army there, in Transnistria, and if they want the Ukrainian territories, they might also want the territories that are occupied by them, Transnistria.

WOMAN/RED SCARF I don’t want to use a rude word about Putin - from Putin, you can expect anything... Because they’re... they’re... an attacker country.

10.03

EXT. CRIULENI – GVs

A sequence shows us the sites of the simple town – ending with EVAN standing by a river with the Mayor.

STRAP: Mikhael, Criuleni Mayor

VO:  The MOLDOVAN town of Criuleni lies directly on the border of Transnistria....AND IT’S JUST 20KM FROM UKRAINE

EVAN: So the war is close?
MIKHAEL – Yes. When they’re bombing, you can hear it – you can hear it very loudly. Especially on the first day, when this escalation happened... you could hear it very loudly.

10.04

EXT. CRIULENI – GVs

We continue to get a view around town.

VO: The residents of Criuleni have their own war stories.

VO: For five months in the 90’s, their town was the frontline of the Transnistrian conflict.

VO: After living beside the enemy for 30 years, what will they do if Russia tries again?

10.05

RESUME - EXT. CRIULENI – EVAN & MAYOR.

EVAN chats with MAYOR

MIKHAEL: Instead of staying home, we have to think about running away to other countries, to Romania, Poland, Germany and other countries .

10.06

RESUME - EXT. CRIULENI STREET – DAY

EVAN speaks with a WOMAN in A RED SCARF.

WOMAN/RED SCARF – We’d run! Same as the Ukrainians who came here, seeking refuge, we’d run to Romania... Or further, like the Ukkrainians do.

10.07

EXT. CIRULENI STREETS – DAY

EVAN chats with TWO YOUNG MEN – frightened about what may happen to their town.

STRAP: Dionisie, Criuleni Resident

YOUNG MAN - People live in fear. People have their documents ready, to leave the country. I’ve got my passports ready, in my drawer, so that if they come, I leave. Because Mr Putin’s idea of rebuilding the Soviet Union affects our borders too. The citizens of the Moldovan Republic don’t want this. because Russia means poverty, it means corruption, and I don’t want to live under such a regime, I want freedom, and I want in the EU.

AD BREAK

A RUSSIAN MOLDOVA

11.01

FILE FOOTAGE:

PUTIN’S MOSCOW RALLY.

A sea of the faithful scream for RUSSIA’S PRESIDENT.

PUTIN channels TRUMP as he pledges his commitment to defeating Ukraine.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING: To liberate the people from this genocide, of these sufferings... this is the main reason, motive and goal of the military operation which we have launched in the Donbass and Ukraine.

VO: With Putin unrelenting in his assault on Ukraine, it’s difficult to know what comes next for neighbouring Moldova.

11.02

EXT. MOLDOVA VILLAGES – DAY

GV sequences showing Moldova’s poor. Perhaps look at kids buying lollies in a shop from DAY 6.

VO: If trade routes to the east remain severed, the cost of living in Europe’s poorest country will rise impossibly high.

11.03

INT. REFUGEE STADIUM – DAY.

We see ELENA helping the refugees.

VO: And if more Ukrainian cities are attacked, the refugees will keep coming.

UPSOT: ILINA - ROMANINA: It would be better for you to go to Romania and from there you can go to Prague.

11.04

GFX: We resume our opening maps and highlight Odessa again and it’s proximity to TRANSNISTRIA and MOLDOVA.

VO: For Moldovans, all eyes are on the Ukrainian port city of Odessa near its southern border. Its capture or even a serious attack would spell disaster.

11.05

INT. PARLIAMENT – DAY

MIHAIL shares his fears for Odessa. 

IV: MIHAIL POPȘOI:

The extent of the humanitarian crisis that this would create in Southern Ukraine, in Odessa region, according to UNHCR estimates that could lead to about a million refugees coming to Moldova in matter of days. Then the humanitarian catastrophe is going to be of unmeasurable proportions.

11.06

GFX – Resuming the ODESSA MAP (10.04) we zoom out and show the territory Putin would occupy stretching from Russian to Moldova.

VO: Just as worryingly, Odesa’s capture could give Putin a land corridor, stretching from Russia right up to Transnistria - linking up with Russian troops already there in moldovan territory

11.07

EXT. MARKET – DAY

EVAN walks around a market with ILINA (the volunteer we met earlier).

They chat about the fear of Russian invasion.

ILINA – Hello! How much is the cabbage? 
STALL OWNER – Thirty. 

ILINA – Thirty? For one kilogram? Or? 

STALL OWNER – Per kilogram 

ILINA – Kilogram. Okay. And the pickles? 

STALL OWNER – The same 

VO: If Putin doesn’t stop, average Moldovans like Ilina are afraid it will mean the end of life as they know it.

EVAN: What would be lost in Moldova if there was a Russian Putin regime government here more pro Russian government // What's at stake?

ILINA: Our identity, our future, European future, liberty, freedom all of this things we need to develop to go further its now I'm such a reality but I don't imagine to live like people are living now in Russia

EVAN: And would you stay or would you leave?

ILINA: I was thinking about it, first of all I was afraid and afterward I decide I that I will fight for my country and if we will have Putin regime here I don't want to live in such a country so I will leave but I hope that this will not happen.

EVAN: When you say you would fight for your country, what does fight mean?

ILINA: Its like Ukrainian woman take the gun and fight?

EVAN: Really?

ILINA: Yes because in a war this is how things are going no?

EVAN: So you would take up a gun and try and fight Russian soldiers?

ILINA: Yes I think that its normal that we local people to decide what we want for our country this is normal and when someone tries to is trying to change this you want to fight for your county for your future and this is what is happening now in Ukraine all the people are fighting even the woman.

VO: They are courageous sentiments…

OTHER WAYS TO FIGHT

12.01

FILE FOOTAGE:

Moldovan Army induction ceremony.

VO: But as a tiny nation with half the population of Sydney, most agree Moldova wouldn’t stand much of a chance against a Russian invasion.

12.02

INT. PASHA’S STUDIO – DAY.

EVAN chat with PASHA – a good looking Muso type.

PASHA: Our military power is very, how to say, we have a joke that Ukrainian farmers have more tanks than Moldova right now, more tanks than Moldovan army.

12.03

INT. PASHA’S STUDIO – DAY.

EVAN chat with PASHA – a good looking Muso type.

VO: Pascha Perfani is a Moldovan celebrity. Over the last few years, he’s had a drastic transformation...

12.04

FILE FOOTAGE:

Pasha singing at Eurovision

VO: This clip shows Pasha at the height of his fame - representing Moldova at Eurovision 2012  - as Moldova’s most loved pop idol.

VO: Now he’s one of the country’s most visible social activists

12.05

INT. PASHA’S STUDIO – DAY

PASHA treats us to an acoustic version of an ANTI-WAR DITTY he’s been working on.

VO: He’s using song - to send a message to Russian soldiers.

PASHA SINGING - Come home 

I am waiting home for you 

Come back alive, don’t shoot 

PASHA IV: Yeah. And we have strong call to action for Russian soldiers in the song, in the chorus.

PASHA SINGING - I am waiting home for you. Come back alive, don’t shoot. 

PASHA IV: We remind them that there is someone who's waiting for them in their home, and it's the best way to stay alive is to just to go home. And it's about that our truth is uncrushable somehow.

EVAN: The truth is uncrushable?

PASHA IV: Our truth is uncrushable. Our cities are uncrushable.

PASHA SINGING – At home they are waiting for you to come back alive. Don’t shoot, go home. 

WRAP UP

13.01

MONTAGE:

PASHA’S singing continues ‘til the end of the program.

We see CLOSE UPS of FACES from throughout the film.

Settling on MIHAIL – DAY 5

VO: Whatever the outcome of the war IN UKRAINE, Moldova will remain vulnerable.

VO: MIHAIL POPȘOI: Moldova sadly has learned to live with this constant anxiety, with its security being threatened, There is some resilience that is built in the Moldovan society, And hopefully we can come to the end of this barbaric conflict as soon as possible and try to rebuild and try to come back to normal, if that is ever possible.

13.02

RESUME: INT. PASHA’S STUDIO – DAY

PASCHA SINGS.

PASHA – SINGING: I won’t surrender my home to young. GO away you don’t belong. At home they are waiting for you to come back alive.

CREDITS

14.01

VO: NEXT WEEK ON DATELINE, We catch up with Delhi’s tenacious street kid reporters - reading and writing their way to a better future

VO: And up next....The Feed

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