[ VO ] Big city, bright lights, huge opportunities and… many dangers.
Like any capital city, Moscow’s standard of living, comfort and growth rates
attract people from all over the country, and beyond and they all come with different intentions
It’s also a city where up to 300 thousand crimes are committed every year
[ police officer ] Move out!
[ police officers ] Police! [ police officers ] Hands behind your back
[ Boris Shatnov ] We have to win
We have no choice
[ news announcer ] There's a bomb They're threatening to set it off
[ Vladimir Egorov ] Every call is like… stepping into a minefield
[ VO ] It’s thought that there is at least one police officer for every 200 of the 12 million residents in Russia’s capital.
[ Victor Kurbatov ] Who to stop?
It's about experience and sometimes, just your gut. This one, not that one
[ VO ] Without these people in uniform, Moscow just couldn’t develop as fast as it does
and wouldn’t be Moscow as we know it
[ Pavel Khozyashev ] It's a public holiday, but for us, it's hard work
[ Elena Agarkova ] So, who if not us?
MOSCOW POLICE: WHO IF NOT US?
[ police officer ] Get out! [ police officer ] Get out now!
[ VO ] Hand to hand drug dealing is old school
Illegal web-sites selling narcotics in Russia make annual profits of at least 1.5 billion roubles
and the vast majority of those are conducted in Moscow
[ Evgeny Borodikhin ] The volume is huge
We have about 2,000 stores on online platforms throughout Moscow as well
[ police officer ] Found it!
[ Evgeny Borodikhin ] I think that all organised crime has switched to drugs
Terrorism for example. How's it funded? Guns and drugs.
All the money is from there
[ police officer ] Freeze!
[ Evgeny Borodikhin ] For them, it's money. For us, it's the country
[ VO ] This is “Grom”, a special Police Squad that provides law-enforcement support
for the Russian interior ministry’s Drug Control directorate
[ police officer ] Police! Hit the floor
[ VO ] Many “Grom” officers have long histories of various operations against criminals and terrorists.
Today, their main targets are drug traffickers.
[ Evgeny Borodikhin ] It's a very complex field, it's tough. We definitely need Special Forces in our job.
Every drug lord must know that masked men are on them
[ Boris Shatnov, 'Grom' Special Police Unit Commander ] In law enforcement, our role is to provide physical support
to the Drug Control Directorate
So, our job is to neutralise bad guys
[ police officer ] Move out!
SPECIAL POLICE UNIT TRAINING EXERCISE
[ Boris Shatnov ] We try to deprive criminals of the chance to use firearms or knives
SPECIAL POLICE UNIT TRAINING EXERCISE
[ police officer ] Hands behind you!
[ Boris Shatnov ] This is by far the Interior Ministry's most elite unit
It takes hard work and dedication
Guys who come to work for us are thoroughly tested,
both physically and psychologically, before we take them
A master of sport may not have been in the army so won't know what 'discipline' is.
He may be a good man, a good sportsman, but not a warrior.
[ Lt. Evgeny ] When a man applies to 'Grom', superiors don't decide if he stays, but the team.
[ Lt. Evgeny, Officer, 'Grom' Special Police Unit ] They see how he copes in situations,
his physical prowess and mentality, how he acts in a group
We test their endurance with a 3 km run
If they fail that stage, then they're out
Then we go on to strength training
[ Lt. Evgeny ] When the physical exercises are done, they get 2 minutes to prepare for
7 one-minute rounds with each operative in the ring
Every man starts fresh
[ Lt. Evgeny ] They all go down, but not everyone gets back up.
You run out of gas as far back as the running stage
Then it's all about character and willpower
[ Boris Shatnov ] Of course, we don't try to destroy or kill a man
Our goal is different: he needs to prove his strength and focus on winning
[ Lt. Evgeny ] I stood 2 or 3 rounds, it was hard after the third
But every time I went down, I got back up.
Now I'm here
[ Boris Shatnov ] If he doesn't give up and fights to the end, that…
It says a lot, he's our candidate
[ VO ] Any job for a “Grom” officer starts with training.
SPECIAL POLICE UNIT TRAINING EXERCISE
[ Boris Shatnov ] The aim is to train our men so they all feel that their comrade has their back,
so they can rely on their comrades 100%
[ man ] Go
[ Lt. Evgeny ] It might seem quite easy to nab a drug dealer…
a little guy, just 20 years old, only weighing 60 kg
But they can be very dangerous
It's a big money business, and big money means big danger.
Our goal is to take criminals by surprise,
so they have no time to react and draw their weapons, or even move
[ Boris Shatnov ] Imagine storming an upper floor apartment with a metal door:
if someone has drugs in there, they'd never open the door, they'd try to destroy the stash.
So some operatives come down from the roof, others take the doors and windows
to stop them from destroying the substances
The operative doesn't only break through a wall,
he has to think and plan the operation
[ Boris Shatnov ] Criminals think too, and don't want to lose
In that position, we have to win
We have no choice
[ police officer ] Target!
Eyes on
[ Lt. Evgeny ] You have to train every day, you might learn to shoot very well
but without practice
your head will remember, but not your hands
SPECIAL POLICE UNIT TRAINING EXERCISE
Storm in, shooting starts, you can't get confused
You should automatically know what to do
Grenade!
[ Lt. Aleksey ] An officer should always set his mind to the task at hand
Even during training exercises, officers should prepare themselves
and get into the state-of-mind you need to work effectively,
always running on adrenaline
[ VO ] One of the biggest recent operations for “Grom” agents was against illegal trading
in controlled substances in Moscow pharmacies
[ Evgeny Borodikhin ] In pharmacies, there are legal sales but there's also an underground economy.
We ran a serious operation, it was against 38 drugstores
unlawfully selling controlled substances
Some pharmacies rely wholly on that trade
[ Lt. Aleksey ] In that operation, we seized more than 18,000 pills and more than 2,000 medicines.
It was a quick and coordinated operation
Officers heard the order and raided simultaneously
Why like that?
We aim to ensure that no information is lost,
and that suspects have no time to destroy evidence
[ Lt. Col. Aleksey, Chief Branch Officer, 'Grom' Special Police Unit ] I reckon that, on that job, we might have saved a lot of lives
[ VO ] More than 20 thousand criminal cases in Russia are solved each year with the help of police dogs
And that’s an official fact from ministry statistics. 00:08:12:459 00:08:17110 [ Vladimir Egorov ] A dog's work starts the moment you appear and put their collar on 00:08:17463 00:08:21:574 [ Vladimir Egorov, Chief Warrant Officer, Dog Handler ] That's when they know they're going out into the field.
Then, they get nervous, just like you.
[ Vladimir Egorov ] The Police Dog Service can be tough
Every day, every crime is happening.
Mugging, robbery…
burglary, grievous bodily harm and rape
[ news announcer 1 ] There's a bomb!
[ news announcer 2 ] A man’s reported a bomb…
It’s confirmed…
[ news announcer 3 ] He’s threatening to set it off in central Moscow
[ Vladimir Egorov ] To work with a dog, you need a connection with it
If it's a bad connection, your work with the dog won't go well.
There, there…
It's OK
There's a good boy
[ Vladimir Egorov ] Every time you arrive, walk closer and closer
Maybe a bag, briefcase or box…
Your head pulses…
You look at your dog, the dog looks at you, and you feel that connection, you, see?
You're scared, I tell you, every call…
is like stepping into a minefield.
Clear!
[ VO ] To get the job, every dog has to pass an exam and it doesn’t just test the dog’s skills,
but also the level of understanding between hound and handler
[ Vladimir Egorov ] A dog has to follow a trail,
detect an item, identify a person, apprehend a criminal
The dog follows tracks, as a handler, you follow him
You watch every move: he looks to the side. Did a suspect drop something on the run?
You run and run…
You turn round and realise no one's backing you up.
There's only you and your partner
And you trust him
You don't know what the suspect has…
a knife or pistol
If you get scared, so does the dog
If you're scared, police work isn't for you, I can tell you
[ news announcer 1 ] Called a taxi and robbed the driver... [ news announcer 2 ] Didn't pay…
…brutal murder of a taxi driver…
[ Vladimir Egorov ] I was following a trail in 2014
There had been a spate of armed robberies
They robbed taxi drivers, one hit a driver in the face
In that moment, he dropped his pistol magazine,
and he ran off but left traces there
Police officers tried to track him, but it didn't work out
We arrived and the dog tracked him to an apartment building entrance
The officers said, 'No, that can't be right!'
They pointed to the 2nd floor: 'Go up! Look! Blood!'
But…
Rule one is: trust your dog!
[ Vladimir Egorov ] At first, I was puzzled, then I pulled myself together
Nick and I checked again
He didn't go up, but down, and sat by the door again
'It's here!'.
I lifted the honeycomb rubber doormat and there was blood smeared underneath it
[ Vladimir Egorov ] That's trust!
Between man and dog
And you know. Yes! It's mine
If anything goes wrong…
You blame yourself over and over, tear yourself apart, but don't touch the dog
You put too much on them…
their ears drop, they retreat. You're not fit for this
Well done, good boy
A dog is…
You really have to live it
[ VO ] Every dog has a specialism and by the time they’re six months old,
it becomes clear what each pup can do best.
These little guys excel at finding drugs.
[ Vladimir Egorov ] He has to find the source of a scent 00:12:21.657 00:12:25.216 Once there, he'll almost take off!
Work with explosives is way different, another level of dog.
They're calm and steady, sniffing slowly, so as not to trip anything
If a booby trap goes off…
No you, no dog, or the guys who were behind you
It's a living being, just like us
Every person makes mistakes, and so do dogs
[ Vladimir Egorov ] Every time we train, it may look easy, even a little like a movie. Right?
In real life, as I said, it's…
Our hearts beat as one, right?
My buddy
Go find me some explosives!
Clever boy, good dog
Good! Show me!
[ Vladimir Egorov ] This is a simulated explosive device
It's TNT
Just a split second, and that's a life
Not just mine, but yours too
[ VO ] The Moscow Police First operational regiment is the largest mounted unit in Europe
Almost 1,000 officers and 250 horses maintain public order and patrol the parks and gardens
[ Elena Agarkova ] My job is to patrol, to maintain order, and ensure safety
We don't work alone
Divided, we're not as strong as we are together
[ Elena Agarkova ] That's why we always work in pairs
4 eyes are better!
[ Sgt. Elena Agarkova, 1St Cavalry Battalion ] Actually, we benefit from a few more than 4 eyes
[ VO ] Horses need daily care, that’s each officer’s responsibility.
Not because of direct orders, but out of love.
[ Pavel Khozyashev ] I come in at 10, change, take my horse out, wash it, that takes at least an hour and a half.
We need to groom it thoroughly, after that…
[ Pavel Khozyashev, Warrant Officer, 1St Cavalry Battalion ] We just saddle up, and…
Ready to patrol
This is Zarok. He's 21 years old,
a revered veteran in our regiment
He's amazing
Does everything, knows it all I got him when he was quite old
Breaking a mature horse, teaching it… forcing it to do anything is useless
It's all through understanding
and persistence
You show it once, twice, three times, and the fourth time, it knows that
if it does what I want, it gets a treat
[ Elena Agarkova ] People don't always take kindly to me, so to speak
And that's OK, because
I'm an officer of the law, and a girl… that can cause some discord
You have laws, you abide by them, you can tell people, then it's up to them
I will respond to whatever you do
[ VO ] Emergencies can pop up at just about any moment in a park.
[ Pavel Khozyashev ] We were told that a man seemed to be drowning
I saw a backpack in the water, and feet, so I knew it wasn't just a backpack
I had to jump in. He was unconscious and had swallowed a lot
I swam over, got him out, performed CPR
Later, I got a medal
[ Pavel Khozyashev ] It's a hard job, not so much physically, but mentally
You often burn out in a week, especially over the New Year break
It's a public holiday, but for us, it's hard work
Bow…
[ Elena Agarkova ] A horse in a riding hall and on duty are different things
Here, you're able to focus on one thing
but, on patrol in the city, there are always large crowds
There are flags, plastic bags, things that make noise
[ Pavel Khozyashev ] We sit high above the crowd and can see what's going on
Six mounted officers can split a crowd
Can you imagine six men on foot doing that?
The crowd would simply crush them
People are wary of horses, and step aside
[ Elena Agarkova ] A horse can't be trained to perfection
Such horses don't exist. Some are afraid of fire, people waving hands, or they fear flags
We work football games, events where flags are common
A scared horse can't work. If it fears fire, you have to go near it.
I'm trying to relax the horse by going round the fire.
Good boy…
When I see that the horse is calmer, I can go closer.
The horse reacts to the fire more calmly, and we can go even closer
Working with a young horse is a dangerous thing
Even if it makes you fall, you have to show that it's not ok
I'll keep jumping…
until we get it right
Well done!
[ VO ] Elena’s partner is called Dictator but in fact this horse is very timid,
and needs a lot of tenderness and care
[ Elena Agarkova ] He really doesn't like it when people go by and don't stroke him
He puts his ears back, 'stroke me, pay attention to me'
I chose the horse for jigitovka
Jigitovka is a form of trick riding on horseback
I didn't need a large, bulky horse, but this neat, little friend
He's very kind-hearted, loves children, and is very friendly, but he's very small
The smallest horse in the regiment
[ Elena Agarkova ] I call him my little Gnome
He's our smallest
He loves being scratched
He curls his lips…
He really likes that
[ Elena Agarkova ] I like horses that like people
Not all, 'you may stroke me, I don't care' but once that come to you
So, that may be why we get along so well
[ VO ] That mindset has helped Yelena both at work and in her private life.
[ Elena Agarkova ] He's with a remounting team, they break-in the young horses
They take them from the very start and work with them until they're ready
We started to practise together, then spent more time together
Eventually, it became a bit more than friendship
FOOTAGE BY RITA LOZHKINA
[ Elena Agarkova ] I wanted, I don't know, something unusual, not just a party at a café
To us, a picture on a horse is just boring
We had a wedding dress and a suit,
and we performed riding tricks while standing on horseback
[ Elena Agarkova ] Often, I just let him run around the hall
without me having to do anything, so he gets some sense of freedom
That's important
If I'm not in the middle, he'll come and nudge me with his nose
Play with me!
You go out, he runs, and you chase him, he runs around
It's important
Sometimes shifts are exhausting, when you work for 15 hours
Yes, that happens, you get tired, but you work with horses
They're animals, they need your care and your love and…
coming to work in a bad mood? No!
No, thank you.
[ VO ] When serving together, they get so used to their partners that even a brief separation can be painful.
And if their mount is nearing retirement, it’s just like worrying about a family member
[ Pavel Khozyashev ] Undoubtedly, he has a soul, a huge one
We've become one, let's say
When he got a little sick, I got nervous, shaking!
'What's that, they'll take my horse?'
Panic!
I want him, he's mine!
Before the year ends, he'll retire…
and I'll buy him out
[ Pavel Khozyashev ] You're coming home, right?
[ Pavel Khozyashev ] I want him to have a better life
To finally get a decent rest
[ VO ] The Officers with this special road unit work all over Moscow
Their job is to get to any part of the city quickly, even when traffic is gridlocked
[ Victor Kurbatov ] Morning! Second Road Unit, Capt Kurbatov. Your papers, please?
[ Victor Kurbatov ] How do we decide who to stop? We get that a lot from drivers: 'Why me?'
Well, firstly, it's about experience and sometimes, your gut. This one, not that one
[ Victor Kurbatov ] All in order!
[ man ] Thank you! [ Victor Kurbatov ] Safe travels!
[ Victor Kurbatov ] It's the most careful driver who's done something wrong
They fasten their seat belt, obey the speed limit, stay in the lane
You wouldn't know they had any problems
Drunks don't always swerve, they often drive very carefully
People with contraband or, God forbid, a weapon, don't necessarily break traffic laws
You stop people guided by experience
Sometimes it means results
I did desk duty for six months, that's really not for me
I can't just sit pushing papers, any job going and it's, 'me… me!'
Because I can't sit still, I always need some action
I volunteered for the road unit
[ Victor Kurbatov ] In 20 years of service, I've seen all kinds of things
There were mad, drunk drivers
There were arrests
Even times when I say: 'Hold on' to a passerby and they run
Anything can happen, you need to be ready and know how to handle it.
[ Victor Kurbatov ] On duty, a car was approaching us from a distance
The road was empty, no one around, it breezed past and went right
We followed it
I saw the driver, everything suggested he was drunk
I said, 'So, let's write up a report.'
The engine was running, he said, 'I'll just turn it off'
I was standing by the passenger door
He got in and, even before sitting down, put it in gear and hit the gas
I jumped on the door and hit the brakes with my left leg
There were trees and fences there
If he'd grazed a tree with the door, I'd have been crushed like in a guillotine
You don't think about that: you go to the end, you get him, you have to stop him
[ Victor Kurbatov ] For me, a bike is a great means of transport, and a chance to do what I love. Motorsport.
It's called stunt riding
It's about performing stunts while riding
October 20, 2015, is what I see as the day our group was founded
We got together for the first time,
several motorcyclists and car drivers
We thought for ages about a name, about 500 options
There's a French word 'cascadeur', we shortened it to 'Cascade'.
[ Victor Kurbatov ] At first, we had a small bike, like a kid's bike
We used it for practice
We trained in the evenings and at weekends
It was quite tiring, but we enjoyed it
Even though it proved to be a work-related sport, we did it in our free time.
[ Victor Kurbatov ] I've never seen anything like it,
not in Russia or the CIS, nowhere in the world
A group of police officers performing stunts with cars and motorbikes
I mean, it's a pretty show
with active police officers, and it attracts quite big crowds
They usually ask if we're actually real policemen!
Every team member is an officer who patrols Moscow roads
It's best when our audiences have a lot of children, and they clap and smile
They're thrilled when they see an unexpected stunt
I think that's our best reward, it makes us want to keep going
[ VO ] Everyone who works with the police has their own answer to why they do the job!
[ Vladimir Egorov ] Why do I love my work?
For the friendship with my partner
In life, different things happen
He'd never betray me
[ Victor Kurbatov ] I want to be of use to my country, I like to think that…
I have an impact on people who break the law,
prevent bad things, and, while doing so, maybe, save a life
[ Elena Agarkova ] When needed, we muster our strength, and we do our jobs, not easy jobs!
[ Aleksey ] There's always good and evil, always that confrontation. We'll keep fighting.
[ Evgeny Borodikhin ] Yes, they get more money, more resources,
but we have our honour and dignity,
willingness to help
That's why I serve Russia, and I'll do it as long as I can