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[00:00:48] Welcome to Global Eye, a program from BBC World Service. Every
[00:00:52] week, we bring you the best investigative reports from BBC World Service and important
[00:00:56] and interesting reports from BBC correspondents around the world.
[00:01:00] I'm Stephanie Hecarty, and this week we are with you
[00:01:03] from Hungary. Following a major political transformation, I have come
[00:01:07] here to understand how Viktor Orbán, with the longest term as Prime
[00:01:11] Minister in the European Union, lost power, and whether
[00:01:15] his fall could be a wake-up call for populist leaders around
[00:01:18] the world. Also, in this program, we will reveal how
[00:01:22] extremist vigilante groups in Russia, by creating fear and
[00:01:25] intimidation, target citizens whom they claim are enemies of Russia.
[00:01:28] Who financially supports these groups,
[00:01:32] and do they operate with the approval of the Kremlin?
[00:01:36] The surrogacy industry in Ukraine has generated billions of dollars for the country.
[00:01:39] But now politicians are considering
[00:01:42] banning foreign couples from paying
[00:01:45] Ukrainian women for this purpose. We will
[00:01:49] delve into the details of this
[00:01:50] issue.
[00:01:53] This is Kossuth Square in Budapest, right in front of
[00:01:57] the Hungarian Parliament, where on the day
[00:02:43] we will ensure that the concentration
[00:02:46] of power on the scale we have seen in the past
[00:02:49] never happens in this country.
[00:02:51] How did Péter Magyar manage to
[00:02:54] achieve such a stunning victory
[00:02:58] and defeat?
[00:04:00] They only allowed people who had voted for the party to access government
[00:04:03] employment programs. Orbán's populism was well received
[00:04:07] by ordinary Hungarians. It should not be forgotten that
[00:04:11] Orbán's government was truly popular in its early days. For example,
[00:04:14] they significantly increased employment and spoke to people in a way that
[00:04:18] was truly appealing to them and connected
[00:04:21] with them. With a nationalist rhetoric. He became
[00:04:25] a role model for leaders interested in conservative populism
[00:04:28] around the world. We
[00:04:32] love Viktor. I call him Viktor. You know,
[00:04:36] I kind of mispronounce his name. You're amazing. I
[00:04:39] know many people don't agree with me, but the only person whose opinion matters
[00:04:43] is me. You are amazing, Viktor. He is a great
[00:04:46] leader. Many flocked to Budapest
[00:04:49] to learn from the man who had pushed the democratic system to the brink
[00:04:53] of collapse and still maintained power. But
[00:04:56] discontent was growing, and a new political
[00:05:00] alliance was formed. This is the headquarters of Partizán, one of
[00:05:03] the most influential political YouTube channels in Hungary. A media
[00:05:07] outlet that was once among the few platforms not under Orbán's
[00:05:10] control. In 2024, Partizán published an interview
[00:05:14] that became highly controversial online. This interview was with an influential
[00:05:18] figure in the political structure who had left Orbán's party due to his concerns
[00:05:22] about corruption. That politician was Péter Magyar.
[00:05:25] A system can collapse
[00:05:28] very quickly. In a few weeks, or even in a few
[00:05:32] moments. Magyar became a prominent figure overnight and
[00:05:35] within two years managed to remove Viktor Orbán from
[00:05:38] power. I asked the political editor of Partizán how Péter Magyar and
[00:05:42] his party, Tisza, managed to achieve this
[00:05:45] success. An interesting lesson to be learned from this election is that the reason for their victory
[00:05:49] was not the mobilization of this or that particular social group,
[00:05:53] but rather that they were able to form a much broader coalition
[00:05:56] than everyone had imagined. I think during the election
[00:06:00] campaign, Péter Magyar visited hundreds of cities, including
[00:06:03] small towns whose people were not used to politicians paying
[00:06:07] attention to them. My second point is that
[00:06:10] his messages revolved around topics that were not
[00:06:13] very controversial culturally. He focused
[00:06:16] on issues where his own position
[00:06:20] aligned with the position of the vast majority of Hungarian people,
[00:06:23] who are a conservative society. But after the initial
[00:06:27] excitement, it's time to face reality, and the main challenge begins:
[00:06:31] dismantling a system built to maintain power.
[00:06:34] Regarding the former elite
[00:06:37] class, we are seeing signs of a fundamental
[00:06:40] change in the system.
[00:07:05] where a new spontaneous movement has emerged across the country, accelerating
[00:07:09] the trend towards nationalism and control.
[00:07:12] They call themselves "Russkaya Obshchina" and are accused of targeting those they consider
[00:07:16] enemies of Russia by creating fear and intimidation. Members of this
[00:07:20] group say they defend public order and support
[00:07:24] the war. But critics warn that they have arbitrarily taken on
[00:07:27] the role of law enforcement, and some of their members are connected
[00:07:31] to extremist groups. The BBC has been following the rise
[00:07:35] of this group.
[00:08:12] The essence of the party is its unique clothing and atmosphere.
[00:08:16] I made a poster that said "Themed Party."
[00:08:20] I only posted it in a private
[00:08:23] group.
[00:08:24] Just
[00:08:30] when I was about to blow out the candles, some
[00:08:34] uninvited guests forced their
[00:08:37] way into my private party. At
[00:08:41] first, I thought it was a joke. Then I realized
[00:08:44] something terrible was happening. From every
[00:08:46] direction, I heard sounds of fighting and
[00:08:50] struggle. They hit my friend with the butt of a
[00:08:53] rifle. They punched a girl and threw her
[00:08:57] to the ground. She was crying loudly.
[00:09:01] It was a very bad situation. Alongside
[00:09:04] police forces, masked men with the Russkaya Obshchina insignia
[00:09:08] forcibly entered the premises. They forced guests
[00:09:11] to show their passports and took their photos.
[00:09:15] I realized right then that these were not police
[00:09:18] officers. They didn't have proper uniforms or
[00:09:21] anything. They were just ordinary people.
[00:09:24] My
[00:09:27] friend was filming. One of the members of
[00:09:30] Russkaya Obshchina went up to him and threatened him,
[00:09:34] saying, "Do you want to end up like this too? What? Do you want
[00:09:38] to lose your phone? Why are you asking this? It's obvious.
[00:09:40] Do you want your phone or not?"
[00:09:45] I felt like everything had been coordinated beforehand, and
[00:09:49] specifically, they had targeted me and everything
[00:09:52] I represented.
[00:09:54] When I was leaving
[00:09:58] the party, they interrogated
[00:10:01] me. An officer took me
[00:10:04] aside to talk to me.
[00:10:07] He said, "I don't conform to traditional
[00:10:10] values." I am a problematic person,
[00:10:14] and people like me should
[00:10:18] leave the
[00:10:18] country.
[00:10:28] Coinciding with Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which he claimed
[00:10:32] was aimed at de-Nazifying the country, the developments
[00:10:35] that had already begun in Russia accelerated.
[00:10:39] We must resist ideas that are imposed on our
[00:10:43] citizens, especially young people, and threaten our
[00:10:46] values. Patriotic education,
[00:10:50] a wartime economy, and the suppression of dissent became part of
[00:10:53] life.
[00:11:06] Putin increasingly promoted an image of Russia rooted
[00:11:10] in the past and called
[00:11:13] for a return to traditional values. Across
[00:11:17] the country, nationalist movements also emerged, following
[00:11:21] him. Activists
[00:11:32] of these groups say they help maintain public order,
[00:11:35] support war efforts, and
[00:11:39] seek to revive Russian identity.
[00:11:42] Their critics say some of these groups are a cover
[00:11:46] for extremist activities and intimidation.
[00:11:48] Obshchina or the Russian
[00:11:52] community is by far the largest
[00:11:56] of these groups, now with nearly 150 branches across
[00:12:00] Russia and occupied territories.
[00:12:02] Russkaya Obshchina is an informal
[00:12:06] group of Russians who have gathered to support each other. Our focus
[00:12:09] is on helping the community and keeping our traditions and cultural
[00:12:13] identity
[00:12:14] alive.
[00:12:18] We are everywhere. Just look around you. If you see a Russian,
[00:12:21] it might be one of us. This group uses a wide
[00:12:24] network of channels on social media
[00:12:28] to recruit members. These channels promote Russian
[00:12:31] identity, war, and intimidating actions
[00:12:34] against those they believe undermine their
[00:12:38] values.
[00:12:50] Dmitry joined Russkaya Obshchina more than 3 years
[00:12:54] ago. He spoke to us on condition of anonymity, using the pseudonym
[00:12:58] Dmitry. We are
[00:13:00] doing a lot of things for society now.
[00:13:04] We are trying to build a better world. This
[00:13:07] group mainly targets immigrants. But abortion
[00:13:10] clinics are also among their targets. "Why are you killing Russian
[00:13:14] babies?" And cultural events?
[00:13:18] We
[00:13:22] try to be a part of this mess.
[00:13:32] We make sure people watch what they say and don't
[00:13:35] talk nonsense. After I was wounded at the front line,
[00:13:39] I joined Russkaya
[00:13:41] Obshchina.
[00:13:43] If I were to describe Russkaya Obshchina in one word, I would
[00:13:47] say brotherhood.
[00:13:50] People are tired of all this chaos. People
[00:13:54] see that the police can't handle the situation. They want to help
[00:13:58] society and the government to keep the streets
[00:14:01] safe. This means resisting
[00:14:04] foreign
[00:14:05] influence.
[00:14:11] Russkaya Obshchina mobilizes thousands of its followers on Telegram
[00:14:15] and asks them to take action in their neighborhoods.
[00:14:18] These actions often begin with followers reporting
[00:14:22] suspicious activities in group chats. Then, members
[00:14:26] of Russkaya Obshchina, either with law enforcement
[00:14:29] or alone, arrive at the scene
[00:14:32] and confront the people they have targeted.
[00:14:36] Some actions are also pre-planned, including raids on
[00:14:39] construction sites, dormitories, shops, and night
[00:14:43] clubs. Members publish videos of these actions
[00:14:46] to encourage others to take similar
[00:14:50] actions. Some of these posts have been viewed
[00:14:54] hundreds of thousands of times. To understand
[00:14:57] the scope of this group's activities, the BBC has analyzed over 21,000
[00:15:01] posts published on their main public channels on Telegram
[00:15:04] and confirms that the group's activists have carried out over
[00:15:08] 900 raids. Of these, over 300 were carried out
[00:15:11] with law enforcement agencies.
[00:15:15] The actual figures are likely higher than
[00:15:18] this.
[00:15:22] One month after the raid on Katya's party,
[00:15:25] she was prosecuted for blasphemy, a criminal offense that can carry
[00:15:29] up to 3 years in prison.
[00:15:31] The
[00:15:35] basis of the accusation was that members of Rus.
[00:15:51] The court documents related to this case have been
[00:15:54] reviewed. Witnesses claimed that she had insulted the feelings
[00:15:57] of Orthodox believers.
[00:15:59] I
[00:16:02] think the people of Russkaya Obshchina themselves
[00:16:05] created a situation so they could then claim
[00:16:09] they were insulted. You know,
[00:16:12] if they hadn't attacked my party,
[00:16:15] they wouldn't have seen anything to be
[00:16:18] insulted by, and they wouldn't have
[00:16:22] had an excuse to punish
[00:16:24] me.
[00:16:31] In court, I looked into the eyes of the witnesses
[00:16:34] and hoped that a spark of humanity
[00:16:37] would awaken in them and they would understand what they were
[00:16:41] doing. One of Katya's friends recorded
[00:16:45] her last words in court. I
[00:16:48] do not accept the accusation. The witnesses who lied
[00:16:52] must be held
[00:16:53] accountable.
[00:17:01] Something like this doesn't happen overnight, especially across
[00:17:05] the country.
[00:17:08] It is highly likely that the Kremlin is aware of Russkaya Obshchina's
[00:17:12] activities and is currently allowing it to continue its work. If
[00:17:16] it were otherwise, they would have shut it down by now. This is how it
[00:17:19] works. They ban anything they don't
[00:17:22] want. It's that simple.
[00:17:26] At the group's annual ceremony to commemorate Russian
[00:17:29] traditions, powerful and influential figures, as well as controversial
[00:17:33] individuals, are present in the front row, including the Archbishop. Following
[00:17:46] his public support for the group, the Orthodox Church
[00:17:49] instructed all its bishops in Russia to cooperate with the group's local branches, a move that brought Russkaya Obshchina closer
[00:17:53] to official institutions. Obshchina
[00:17:56] presents itself as a popular movement born from the heart of society.
[00:18:00] No oligarch is behind us. Let them
[00:18:04] say whatever they want. No one funds us.
[00:18:08] However, financial documents seen by the BBC show
[00:18:12] that this group receives money from anonymous
[00:18:15] charitable foundations. One of these foundations belongs to Sergey
[00:18:19] Mikheev, who has become famous for his controversial statements
[00:18:23] on television. He is reported to have close ties to the Kremlin
[00:18:27] and also carries out missions for Russian intelligence agencies
[00:18:31] abroad. Another regular financier of this
[00:18:34] group is a foundation under the control of Igor Kholmov,
[00:18:38] an reclusive billionaire and one of Russia's largest landowners.
[00:18:53] So I was sentenced to 20 hours
[00:18:57] of community service.
[00:19:00] I felt defeated. I experienced a very bad
[00:19:04] feeling. The BBC has spoken
[00:19:11] with a number of Russkaya Obshchina supporters who explained
[00:19:15] how the groups of this movement are mobilized alongside
[00:19:19] government agencies. In contrast, critics say that the group's online
[00:19:22] content exaggerates the true extent of their
[00:19:26] activities. We also spoke to many victims who, out of fear,
[00:19:30] were unwilling to speak on camera and spoke of the hostility
[00:19:33] and intimidation that has cast a shadow over their
[00:19:37] lives. How long this movement will last depends
[00:19:41] on the ruling system. However, its ideas and views
[00:19:44] are still spreading.
[00:19:46] Ukraine has long been one of
[00:19:50] the main centers for surrogacy in the world, and the
[00:19:53] low cost and relatively easy laws in this field
[00:19:57] have attracted applicants from various countries to Ukraine.
[00:20:00] Even after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, this
[00:20:04] industry continued, and fertility clinics adapted to wartime
[00:20:07] conditions. However, Ukraine's role in this industry has not been without
[00:20:11] controversy. Now, the Ukrainian parliament is considering
[00:20:14] a new law that could prohibit foreigners from using surrogate motherhood
[00:20:18] in the country, a move that could have global
[00:20:22] consequences. Sofia Bettiza, BBC Global Health correspondent,
[00:20:26] reports.
[00:20:26] Today
[00:20:32] is a beautiful day. The sky
[00:20:35] is blue, the sun is shining, and we
[00:20:38] are very excited to see our baby.
[00:20:42] Elena and Igor have entered Ukraine, a country
[00:20:46] severely affected by 4 years of war. They have traveled nearly
[00:20:50] 2,000 kilometers from Macedonia to Ukraine.
[00:20:53] I'm very scared to come here because of all the things I see in the
[00:20:57] news, you know, it's war here after all. We want to have
[00:21:01] children. We are willing to do anything to have children.
[00:21:05] If necessary, we'll move
[00:21:07] mountains. This was not an easy decision. They
[00:21:11] tried for 9 years with several rounds of IVF and surgeries
[00:21:15] to have children. Surrogacy was their last
[00:21:18] resort. Ukraine offers something that few countries
[00:21:21] have: a proven and respected legal system
[00:21:25] for surrogacy. Now, after 9
[00:21:28] months, they are meeting their son for the first
[00:21:32] time. For
[00:21:35] a moment, I tell myself, "Is this really happening? Is this really
[00:21:39] our child?" You've dreamed of something like this for years,
[00:21:42] and now your dream has finally come true. This
[00:21:45] is so
[00:21:48] good. This was the best thing
[00:21:52] that ever happened
[00:21:53] in our lives.
[00:21:57] Elena and Igor are not alone. Every year, thousands
[00:22:01] travel to Ukraine for surrogacy. Even with the start of Russia's
[00:22:04] invasion of Ukraine, the war disrupted the industry's
[00:22:08] operations, but it could not stop it. I am Karolina.
[00:22:12] I am 22 years old, and I am pregnant with the child of a Chinese
[00:22:16] couple. When
[00:22:20] Karolina was 17, her home in Bakhmut was destroyed
[00:22:24] by a Russian attack, and she became homeless.
[00:22:27] We had reached a point where we were counting change to buy
[00:22:31] formula and diapers for our baby. That's when
[00:22:35] I thought to myself, "I have to do something."
[00:22:38] Now, in exchange for this pregnancy, she receives about
[00:22:41] $17,000. I know it's not my baby, but I still
[00:22:45] love her. I talk to her. When
[00:22:48] she kicks, I talk to her.
[00:22:51] Critics say cases like Karolina raise
[00:22:55] difficult questions. Surrogacy clinics openly
[00:22:58] stated that they target poor women. Now that the war
[00:23:01] continues, the number of poor women is increasing.
[00:23:05] Women who are desperate and penniless, who have lost their
[00:23:08] jobs and sources of income, want to survive
[00:23:12] and support their families, and surrogacy clinics offer
[00:23:15] them this opportunity because Western couples
[00:23:19] want to have children at a low cost. I am egg
[00:23:23] donor number 413. Surrogacy
[00:23:26] clinics do not share this view. They say
[00:23:30] they provide an opportunity for women to earn income legally
[00:23:33] while helping others have children. This has become
[00:23:37] a multi-billion dollar global industry.
[00:23:41] Clinics compete on their websites and social networks to attract
[00:23:44] clients, and their advertising methods are sometimes very
[00:23:47] explicit. Our
[00:24:04] investigations show that in many cases, applicants travel
[00:24:07] to Ukraine with delays to pick up their babies. Some
[00:24:11] clinics even have special rooms for these
[00:24:14] infants.
[00:24:21] We just heard the air raid siren.
[00:24:25] This means all the babies are being taken
[00:24:28] to the basement to be safe.
[00:24:32] It is in such a tense and dangerous environment that
[00:24:36] applicants sometimes leave their babies in Ukraine for a period.
[00:24:39] But this situation may soon change.
[00:24:43] The Ukrainian parliament is considering a new law that could prohibit
[00:24:46] foreign parents from using surrogacy,
[00:24:50] effectively ending the activity of one of the world's largest
[00:24:53] surrogacy markets. The goal of the bill
[00:24:57] is to have clear regulations for this
[00:25:00] area, because currently, there is practically nothing.
[00:25:02] For many couples around
[00:25:06] the world, this is an opportunity to turn their long-held
[00:25:09] dream of parenthood into
[00:25:11] reality. You know, I
[00:25:15] think it's completely wrong. It's
[00:25:18] inhumane. We help them, and they help
[00:25:22] us. If this opportunity didn't exist, our baby
[00:25:26] Alexander wouldn't be with us. Many
[00:25:29] countries have already banned or restricted surrogacy.
[00:25:32] How long will this opportunity continue
[00:25:35] to exist in
[00:25:37] Ukraine?
[00:25:46] Thank you for being with me in Hungary. We would like your
[00:25:50] opinion about Global Eye, so please share your thoughts with us on social
[00:25:54] media using the hashtag BBC Global Eye. Until next
[00:25:57] week,
[00:25:58] goodbye.
[00:26:45] We ourselves had sheep when the lake had water. We
[00:26:48] had 200 sheep. Now we have 200
[00:26:52] sheep. When our lake had water,
[00:26:55] it was abundant. You can
[00:26:58] see, a drop of rain comes for these
[00:27:01] walls. Now there's
[00:27:03] no water in our lake, and the condition of its people.
[00:27:06] The Lake of Hamoun this week on Aparat.
[00:27:24] All these warnings and concerns about the future of competition over artificial intelligence, where
[00:27:27] does it come from? This gentleman, Jacob Cokson, a researcher at Anthropic, on the dangers
[00:27:31] of artificial intelligence.
[00:27:39] Be aware that the competition for improving AI has become so
[00:27:42] fast that practically no one is paying attention to security concerns. He said that
[00:27:46] he believes there is more than a 10% chance that within the next three to four
[00:27:50] years, AI will have sacrificed all of us humans for its own
[00:27:53] progress. To put it more bluntly, he means there's a one in ten
[00:27:57] chance that AI will have killed all of us by then. He said that because
[00:28:01] of this situation, he is quitting his job. He also told his former colleagues to consider
[00:28:04] their options and resign. The issue has become politicized because some
[00:28:08] say this is to drive up stock prices before its IPO.
[00:28:12] Some say this is to make us fall behind
[00:28:15] China. Others say it's just big companies trying to collude to slow down the pace for
[00:28:19] smaller companies. In short, there's a lot of debate
[00:28:22] about whether these dangers are real or if the whole thing is just a show. But how
[00:28:26] can the very tool that many of us are already using in diverse
[00:28:30] and fun ways be a factor in human
[00:28:32] extinction? From my perspective, there are three categories of danger.
[00:28:36] The first category is the danger of losing control, where AI
[00:28:40] takes control of the internet, takes control of weapons,
[00:28:43] and directly harms people. If we take safety
[00:28:47] seriously now, it's that AI gets out of control and
[00:28:51] kills all of us. It's possible, but in my opinion, the biggest danger
[00:28:54] right now is not this danger. From my perspective,
[00:28:57] the other two dangers, the misuse of AI and bad products, are
[00:29:01] very dangerous. The biggest scams using fake
[00:29:04] voices, cyber attacks, and widespread surveillance
[00:29:08] are having very bad effects and harms on society. And the third issue
[00:29:12] is products like AI girlfriend companions
[00:29:16] that can give this feeling of companionship but always affirm people
[00:29:20] and harm the mental health of young people, especially teenagers,
[00:29:23] and so far, a lot of self-harm
[00:29:27] and bad things have happened to teenagers, and it has had very
[00:29:30] bad effects on their mental health. These are all the things that concern
[00:29:34] me much more. Now, what can we do, who are not involved
[00:29:38] in these AI tools and are just living our simple lives?
[00:29:41] The main thing we can do is
[00:29:45] before believing anything, to think about it several times before
[00:29:49] sharing a video of a talking cat, to think whether it's real
[00:29:53] or AI. Don't share our banking information with anyone. Be careful
[00:29:56] about scams and online dangers. Know that bad
[00:30:00] actors exist and can easily misuse AI.
[00:30:04] And this is much worse than AI getting out of control, and it's much
[00:30:07] closer. Fear of the future should not hide the harms of today
[00:30:11] and what is happening now from our eyes. Are you concerned about the future
[00:30:15] of AI and
[00:30:16] us humans? Write
[00:30:23] to me. And now on BBC Persian television, current
[00:30:27] issues.
[00:30:44] The continuation of the "no war, no peace" situation between Tehran
[00:30:48] and Washington, alongside reports of US
[00:30:51] and Israeli readiness for a potential attack
[00:30:54] on Iran, Reuters reports that Qatar has proposed a new
[00:30:57] deal.