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GV ZOOM IN FROM Cathedral of Twelve Apostles TO onion domes on Archangel Cathedral in Kremlin
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SV Belfry of Ivan the Great
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SV Cathedral of the Assumption (2 shots)
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PULL BACK Restoration work on exterior of cathedral
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SV INTERIOR Archangel cathedral (2 shots)
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SV Scientists using device to test temperature in domes (2 shots)
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SV PULL BACK TO GV Chandelier
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SVs Scientists continue with tests (3 shots)
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CU & SVs Scientists use laser beams to examine water damage to ancient frescos (7 shots)
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11.
SV EXTERIOR Cathedral through trees
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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: A major operation is underway in Moscow to fully restore the splendours of the Kremlin, he ancient fortress that dominates the Soviet capital and is an age-old symbol of the nation's past and present glory.

SYNOPSIS: The Kremlin is more than a mere government building. It is a national treasure and storehouse for some of the greatest art produced in Russia over the centuries. It was originally built in 1156 by Prince Yuri Dolgurky, but over the centuries much has been added.

It has suffered too -- from invaders like the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte who tried to burn it down in 1812, and from neglect. Now, with money no object, work is underway to restore it to full glory.

The restoration scheme is the most ambitious ever. Scientists, like these testing temperature levels in the domes of one of the Kremlin's five remaining cathedrals, are working alongside an army of the world's finest craftsmen. Chief architect for the project Vladimir Fyodorov says securing state funds for the task provided no difficulty. The problem was finding the artists and craftsmen.

The project has been in full swing for three years, through excavations started in the 1960s, and will cost tens of millions of roubles (dollars NO t rouble has been spared. Sophisticated scientific methods, like these laser beams, are used to determine what work is needed. The craftsmen employed have been given special training in the relevant traditional techniques for their part of the operation. In a few years, the whole citadel will look as it did in its Czarist heyday.