All language subtitles for Global.Eye.S2026E04.1080p.WEB-DL.H.264-7VFr33104D_track3_[eng]

Hello, and welcome to Global Eye
from the BBC World Service.

Over the next half hour,
we'll be bringing you our very best

in investigative journalism
and reportage.

I'm Katya Adler,
the BBC's Europe editor,

and I'm in Greenland to take a look
at why Donald Trump is so keen

to take control over
this remote Arctic island.

The US President's threat to take
Greenland by force has subsided

for now, though the details of
a deal still need to be negotiated.

Is the row another sign that
the transatlantic alliance

that's defined geopolitics
for over a century is under threat

like never before?

Later in the programme,

we'll bring you an investigation
into wide-scale abuse

by Russia and other countries
of Interpol,

the body that helps police forces
around the world share intelligence

and chase international fugitives.

We've been given exclusive access
to leaked documents

which suggest Russia
is using Interpol

to repress government
critics abroad.

We also take a look
at Bosnia-Herzegovina,

a country scarred by horrific war,

but where peace has held now
for 30 years.

We'll look at what lessons
Europe can learn

and examine the impact
of past conflict

on a young generation
ready to move past old divides.

Greenland is a land of extremes -

extreme cold, extreme distance
from global economic centres,

and now extreme
geopolitical significance.

It is an island of ice,
the biggest island in the world,

though the population is pretty
small here, at under 60,000.

The island was first inhabited
by Norsemen in the Middle Ages,

and when they died out,

Inuit communities came here
from North America.

The Danes colonised this island
in the 18th century,

but since 1979, it became
a semi-autonomous territory,

with Copenhagen maintaining control
over Greenland's security,

defence, and foreign policy.

In World War II,
Greenland became a strategic outpost

for US military bases,
and it increased in importance

during the Cold War,
when America and Russia faced off

against each other
here in the Arctic.

After the collapse
of the Soviet Union, though,

Greenland faded in significance.

Its vast natural resources
lay untapped

and trapped under
the ice sheet here.

But now Donald Trump.

He's put Greenland back in
the crosshairs of global politics.

We need Greenland
for national security very badly.

If we don't have it, we have
a big hole in national security.

But why? What's so special
about the Arctic island?

Well, as the polar ice melts,

potential new shipping routes
have opened up

which have raised the prospect
of new economic opportunities

in the Arctic...

..and new military vulnerabilities.

The US, Russia, and increasingly
China have been exploring

their options in the Arctic
in an attempt

to exploit these new opportunities

and try to prevent others
from doing so.

So Greenland, with its untapped
mineral wealth now potentially

more accessible, and with
its historic, economic,

and military ties to the US,

has become a tempting prize
for Donald Trump.

They have a huge resource
in rare earths.

They tend to have relatively higher
proportion of heavy rare earths,

which are the most interesting
and valuable ones.

The challenge with these
rare earth deposits, however,

is the mineralogy. I mean,
it doesn't mean it's impossible,

but clearly there needs
to be done some research.

Donald Trump insists there's
no economic motive

for his need for Greenland, though.

There's so much rare earth.
And this, to get to this rare earth,

you've got to go through
hundreds of feet of ice.

That's not the reason we need it.

We need it for strategic national
security and international security.

This is consistent with
a new doctrine in foreign policy

that's come to define Donald Trump's
second term in office.

The US President believes
that America should be able

to influence what's going on
in its own back yard,

its sphere of influence,
if you like.

And that's what led to the Trump
administration's military operation

in Venezuela
and threatening of Cuba,

of Mexico, and of Greenland,

which politically is part of Europe
as part of Denmark,

but geographically
is in North America.

This new doctrine
is a total rejection

of the cooperative global order
that came into being

after World War II and that's
symbolised by the United Nations,

for example, or NATO.

And it has really worried
America's traditional allies.

It seems that every day

we're reminded that we live in
an era of great power rivalry,

that the rules-based order
is fading,

that the strong can do
what they can,

and the weak must suffer
what they must.

So is the Atlantic alliance
in trouble?

It's certainly being tested
like never before.

Donald Trump's attitude to
international relations differs

from that of his predecessors
going back over a century.

But although there is a powerful
strain of American isolationism

within the Republican Party,

there are many powerful figures
in Trump's circle

who wish to maintain a strong
alliance with Europe.

After the symbolic deployment
of a handful of European troops

to Greenland recently,
and threats and counter threats

of steep tariffs on
transatlantic trade,

a deal is now being worked on
to agree an increased US presence

on the island.

It's a great deal for everybody.

Is it possible that Donald Trump's
sabre rattling

was all just a bit
of Trumpian deal making?

But the row following on from
previous transatlantic disagreements

over Ukraine, tariffs, NATO,
and Russian expansionism,

has delivered yet another blow
to the alliance.

Donald Trump won't be
President forever.

Europe's leaders are hoping
the post-World War II order

isn't gone for good, though,
in this evolving world

of big power politics,
with the US, China, Russia,

India, and more jostling with one
another on the global stage,

it's hard to see how
Europe-US relations go back

to what they were before.

Now to an exclusive investigation.
For around 100 years,

Interpol has helped countries
track criminals around the world.

Its strengths lie
in sharing information

and triggering alerts that can lead
to arrests across borders.

But BBC Eye has received leaks of
files from within the organisation

suggesting large-scale abuse
of its systems by autocratic regimes

like Russia.

With the war raging in Ukraine,

allegations are being made
that Interpol's information

is being used to carry out
repression beyond Russia's borders.

SINGING

Eugene Lavrenchuk
is a renowned Ukrainian director

who ran a theatre company
in Moscow until 2014.

A few years after leaving Russia,

he found himself on
Interpol's wanted list.

At the end of 2021, during what
seemed like a routine business trip,

Eugene was taken into custody.

Eugene was arrested

under what's known as
an Interpol wanted diffusion.

It's a request from one country
to another to detain an individual.

Russia accused him
of multiple counts of fraud

and said that he was on the run.

Russia alleged that Eugene
had encouraged students

to take out loans to help pay
for repairs to his theatre.

It said these loans
had not been repaid.

Eugene believes the charges were
a ruse, cover for his persecution.

Within three weeks of his arrest,

Interpol cancelled the diffusion
notice against Eugene,

but Russia then submitted a formal
extradition request to Italy,

keeping him behind bars.

Three months later,
after Russia's invasion of Ukraine,

Italy's Court of Appeals
ordered Eugene's release.

It's hard to tell
which cases are genuine

and which target innocent people.

Like Italy,
Interpol didn't take a view

on the criminal case against Eugene,

but cancelled Russia's request
because of doubts raised

over whether it was
politically motivated.

Why did Interpol feel
that it couldn't trust Russia?

Interpol aren't the global police.

Instead, they act as a go-between
for police forces,

like a giant messaging system.

A country has different ways
to target someone through Interpol.

It can issue a red diffusion,
like the one for Eugene.

This is sent directly between
individual countries

and asks them to locate
and provisionally arrest a person.

It can also ask Interpol to publish
what is known as a red notice,

alerting all member states
to do the same.

Interpol has multiple safeguards
to prevent abuse of its system.

One of these is the Commission
for the Control of Interpol's Files,

known as the CCF.

It's an independent body
within Interpol

which reviews complaints
from those already subject

to notices or diffusions,
to decide if they're legitimate.

But critics warn
that even with these measures,

cases still slip through,

and some countries use Interpol
to target journalists, activists

and people caught
in business disputes.

For years, Interpol has been accused
of being opaque,

only releasing the most basic data

about its red notices
and diffusions.

But now, for the first time,
someone from inside the organisation

has decided to provide evidence
of how Interpol works

and which countries
are misusing its systems.

We disguised their voice
and identity.

I've been working for Interpol
for quite a while now.

I won't say where.

They claim to be transparent,
but that's just not true.

Everything is on
a need-to-know basis,

which sometimes is a bit ridiculous,
because it creates problems.

For over a year,
the BBC has been working

with journalists at
the French outlet Disclose.

There you go.

The source approached us
with the documents

after seeing how little
transparency there was

inside the organisation.

There are statistics
that are provided internally,

and they have an idea.

That's why they put countries
under restrictions -

to prevent misuse.

Interpol can impose
corrective measures on countries,

adding extra checks
to their red notices and diffusions.

This isn't usually made public,
but in March 2022,

Interpol confirmed Russia
was under such restrictions

because of the war in Ukraine.

I think they want to stay neutral.
They say, "We don't do politics,

"we don't put countries
in the spotlight."

I think in the case of Russia,
they also didn't want to say,

but they felt they just had to.

The source gave us
a list of complaints

from those on Interpol's wanted list
that had been reviewed by the CCF.

Where the issuing country is known,

Russia has the highest number
of complaints

about its red notices
and diffusions.

This has been the case
for the last 11 years.

And Russia also tops the list

for red notices
and diffusions overturned.

Over half are subsequently cancelled
for breaking Interpol rules.

The BBC tracked down some
of the individuals on the list.

People who have been targeted

by Russian red notices
and diffusions

which were later found
to have breached Interpol's rules.

Individuals like Igor Pestrikov,

a Russian businessman now living
in exile in the south of France.

Igor was once a major shareholder

in Russia's rare earth
metal industry.

In the months leading up
to the invasion of Ukraine,

Igor says he was asked
to stop selling abroad

and supply only the Russian market.

He knew this meant
his products could end up

in military hardware.

Igor says his refusal and the fact
that he had a Ukrainian wife

led to his companies
being nationalised,

and to him being investigated
for financial crimes.

He fled Russia in 2022
and applied for asylum in France.

Despite being in France,

Igor worried he could still
be a target.

He contacted Interpol and was told

that Moscow had issued
a red diffusion against him.

This was despite
the organisation announcing

there would be tougher checks
on Russia

following the invasion of Ukraine.

He decided to challenge
the diffusion through the CCF,

arguing it was
politically motivated.

In spring 2024,

after spending almost two years
on the wanted list,

the CCF ruled Igor's case
was predominantly political.

They said that the information
provided by Russia

was generic and formulaic,

and there had been an inadequate
explanation of the alleged crime.

Although the diffusion
had been lifted,

Igor says being on the wanted list
had turned his life upside down.

So, does Interpol realise
it has a problem?

Publicly, it says that
the checks and balances

introduced over the years
have solved many issues.

But the BBC has obtained
another batch of documents

which includes confidential memos
and emails

between executive bodies
within Interpol.

These include reports
showing statistics

for how many Russian notices
and diffusions

passed initial checks in 2024.

Despite stricter checks on Russia,

Interpol initially approved
approximately 90% of its requests.

And yet the reports show that when
the CCF were reviewing complaints

about Russia's requests,

they were still overturning roughly
half for breaking the rules.

One also notes that Interpol has
expressed to Russia serious concerns

about the wilful misuse
of Interpol systems,

stating that there were instances
of flagrant violations of its rules.

So what is Interpol's response,
after years of abuse by Russia

and the failure
of its safeguards to stop it?

In a surprising move,
our source told us there's evidence

that Interpol has weakened some of
its restrictions against Russia.

I was surprised when I learned

that it had been casually announced
in a team meeting.

I later found out
that it likely happened months ago.

Again, it's just a total lack
of transparency.

In response to our investigation,
Interpol said...

This week on the World Service,

BBC Persian has continued to track
and report on the protests

that broke out in Iran last month.

It's incredibly difficult
to report on the country

and to verify the scarce videos

that are able to be seen
by the world.

Here's Ghoncheh Habibiazad,
a reporter from BBC Persian,

to tell us more about how
she and her team have been

bringing Iranian stories
to a global audience.

BBC Persian journalists like me
face serious threats

from Iranian Authorities
that can go beyond Iran's borders.

Our families in Iran
have been subjected

to ongoing intimidation
and pressure.

We are not permitted to report
from inside Iran,

so we rely on materials sent
to us directly by Iranians,

as well as monitoring social media.

The continuing internet blackout
in Iran

means less new material
is being shared.

The 8th and 9th of January
saw exceptionally large crowds

flood the streets
across the country.

This followed a call for
nationwide protests by Reza Pahlavi,

the exiled son of the late Shah.

Iran's streets were set alight
during clashes with security forces,

with protesters chanting slogans
against the Supreme Leader

and the Islamic Republic.

For verification, we need to check
videos to see when they were filmed.

To verify these videos, I carried
out reverse image searches

to make sure that they are new,

as sometimes old footage
is reposted

claiming to show
something happening now.

I also look for things like banners

and the names of the shops
written in Persian,

so that I can check resources like
Google Maps

to make sure that they were filmed
in the location claimed.

We are trying to gather tributes
to the dead being posted

on social media, as well as videos
of funerals being held

for those killed
during the protests.

But this has also
become very difficult.

I have also worked with BBC Verify
during these protests.

Recently, we analysed
a leak of 392 photos

and were able
to identify 326 victims.

Now to Bosnia-Herzegovina,

a country once torn apart
by war and ethnic strife.

But remarkably, peace has endured
there now for three decades.

Grigor Atanesian,
from the BBC Russian Service,

has been to Bosnia to hear from
a new generation

determined to look beyond
the divisions of the past.

This is the road to Banja Luka,

the administrative and political
centre of Republika Srpska,

an autonomous ethnic Serb entity
in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Every year,
people here come together

to celebrate Serb culture
and history...

..and to remember their heroes.

Among them is a familiar
and notorious face.

Ratko Mladic is
an ethnic Serb general

now serving a life sentence
for crimes against humanity

during the Bosnian War
in the early 1990s.

It was a brutal conflict
that tore this region apart.

Ethnic Serbs fought against
Bosniaks and Croats.

More than 100,000 people
were killed

and another two million, about half
the population, were displaced.

The war ended in a 1995 peace deal
negotiated by the United States.

The presidents of Bosnia,
Croatia and Serbia

have reached a peace agreement
to end the war in Bosnia,

to end the worst conflict
in Europe since World War II.

This created modern-day
Bosnia-Herzegovina,

a country
with two autonomous entities -

the Federation of Bosnia
and Herzegovina,

where mostly Bosniaks
and Croats live,

and the ethnic Serb
Republika Srpska.

The peace deal still holds
to this day,

but it's deeply resented
by many ethnic Serbs

and their political leaders,

who talk about breaking away
from Bosnia.

Milorad Dodik is the most powerful
politician in Republika Srpska

and leader of the ruling party.

But not everyone feels the same.

In Sarajevo, the capital
of Bosnia-Herzegovina,

Bosniak Muslims,
Serbs and Croats live side by side.

Mr Dodik is not a popular figure
here in the Federation.

Ramo Isak is
the Minister of the Interior

of the Federation
of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

He opposes Dodik's plan to divide
the country.

Across the country, though,
many young people live outside

the ethnic divide
that dominates Bosnian politics.

I love that I'm Serbian.
I'm proud of it.

I love our history.

That doesn't make me someone who
will hate any other kind of nation.

Nina Regoje teaches
Serbian folk dance

in the town of Turnovo,
not far from Sarajevo.

Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats
all live together here, too.

Nina is a Serb and her friend
Eldin is a Bosniak Muslim.

During the war, their fathers
fought on opposite sides.

I have lost two of my uncles
in the war.

And that is some kind
of personal reminder to me,

what is the price of
the conflict.

So many people and so many families
were in such pain, in such anguish.

Someone was neighbour,

and now I have to kill him
or he will kill me.

And for what? For nothing.

30 years after the war ended,
Bosnia remains at peace.

And while politicians cannot agree
on the country's future,

many young people are clear

that it shouldn't be defined
by divisions of the past.

Republika Srpska is my homeland.

Republic of Srpska is in Bosnia,
so that makes Bosnia my homeland.

And that's it.

Thanks for joining me
in Greenland.

Global Eye will be back next week.
Goodbye.