>>> TO UKRAINE NOW, AND RUSSIAN MISSILES TARGETED ANOTHER
UKRAINIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT. THIS ONE IN SOUTHERN UKRAINE.
NOW, SECURITY CAMERAS CAPTURED THIS MOMENT WHEN THOSE MISSILES
HIT THE FACILITY JUST A FEW HUNDRED YARDS FROM THE REACTORS
THEMSELVES. OFFICIALS SAY THE PLANT'S POWER
UNITS ARE STILL OPERATIONAL. THANKFULLY.
MEANTIME, UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY INSISTS THERE'S NO
WALL ON THE FRONT LINE WITH RUSSIA, SAYING HIS TROOPS ARE
PREPARING TO TAKE BACK EVEN MORE TERRITORY AS PART OF ITS
SWEEPING COUNTEROFFENSIVE. LET'S BRING IN CNN MILITARY
ANALYST COLONEL CEDRIC LEIGHTON, RETIRES AIR FORCE COLONEL.
WE HAVE SEEN RUSSIANS GO AFTER ANOTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT,
COLONEL. HOW DO YOU MAKE SENSE OF THIS?
WHAT IS RUSSIA THINKING? >> YEAH, ANA, THIS IS REALLY THE
DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY THE RUSSIANS WAGE WAR VERSUS HOW WE
WAGE WAR. THE RUSSIANS ARE DELIBERATELY
TARGETING THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS THAT UKRAINE HAS.
ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT UKRAINE
CONTROLS. SO WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT THE
RUSSIANS ARE ALSO PROBABLY GOING TO USE OR AT LEAST MAKE THE
ATTEMPT AT USING THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS THAT ARE STILL IN
UKRAINIAN HANDS AS POSSIBLE WEAPONS AGAINST THE UKRAINIANS
THEMSELVES. TARGETING THEM BY FORCING THEM
OFF LINE. THAT WOULD HAVE A SIGNIFICANT
IMPACT ON THE UKRAINIAN ENERGY GRID AND ON THE POWER SUPPLY IN
UKRAINE ITSELF. SO THAT IS THE RUSSIAN GOAL.
IT'S REALLY A WAR AGAINST THE CIVILIAN POPULATION MORE THAN
ANYTHING ELSE. >> PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SAYS THIS
CURRENT PHASE RIGHT NOW IS NOT A LULL, THIS IS, QUOTE,
PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT SEQUENCE.
A PREPARATION FOR THE LIBERATION OF EVEN MORE CITIES.
ON ONE HAND, HE'S EXPRESSING CONFIDENCE.
I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S TRYING TO RALLY THE TROOPS, BUT DO YOU
THINK IT'S WISE FOR THIME PREVIEW THAT THAT'S THEIR PLAN?
>> IT KIND OF GOES BOTH WAYS. ON THE ONE HAND, I WOULD SAY
IT'S BEST NOT TO PREVIEW THE PLAN.
YOU KNOW THERE, IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR OPERATIONAL SECURITY
AND FOR KEEPING THESE THINGS UNDER WRAPS.
THE OTHER THING IS, THIS MAY BE A WAY OF MOTIVATING THE TROOPS
AND OF TELLING THEM AND ALSO THE CIVILIAN POPULATION, FRANKLY,
AND TELLING THEM THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S COMING NEXT.
YOU CAN EXPECT MORE ADVANCES, AND IT MAY IN THE THIRD ANALYSIS
BE A SIGNAL TO THE WEST, SAYING HEY, WE'RE NOT STOPPING.
WE'RE MOVING FORWARD, AND WE NEED YOUR HELP.
SO THERE'S CLEARLY A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH THAT
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY IS UNDERTUNDE
UNDERTAKING AND THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY CAN MAINTAIN
THEIR MOMENTUM AND THEY NEED THE POPULATION TO STAY ON THEIR SIDE
AND THEY ALSO NEED THE WEST TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THEM WITH
WEAPONS. >> AND OF COURSE, WINTER IS ON
ITS WAY TO THE RENALEN. HOW IS THAT GOING TO CHANGE
THINGS, DO YOU THINK? >> GENERAL WINTER, AS HE WAS
KNOWN DURING WORLD WAR II EUPHEMISTICALLY, IS A KEY
ELEMENT IN THE WEATHER IN UKRAINE AND REALLY IN THE WAY IN
WHICH ALL OF THE FORCES MOVE OR DON'T MOVE OVER THAT TERRAIN.
SO AS COLDER TEMPERATURES COME INTO PLAY, WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO
SEE IS IN SOME WAYS IT'S GOING TO BE EASIER FOR TANKS AND
ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIERS TO MOVE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UP TO A
POINT. BUT AFTER A CERTAIN TEMPERATURE,
THINGS CAN START TO FREEZE. IF THEY DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT
KIND OF ANTIFREEZE, THINGS COULD GET STUCK.
AND THAT COULD REALLY PUT A DAMPER ON THINGS, AND IT COULD
STALL OUT ANY ADVANCES THAT THE UKRAINIANS ARE PLANNING.
AND THE SAME GOES FOR THE RUSSIANS, OF COURSE.
SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS I THINK THE UKRAINIANS ARE MOVING
FORWARD AS MUCH AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN TO GAIN AS MUCH TERRITORY
BEFORE THE ONSET OF THE REALLY COLD TEMPERATURES.
>> LET'S SWITCH GEARS FOR A QUICK MOMENT HERE.
LISTEN TO WHAT PRESIDENT BIDEN JUST SAID ABOUT TAIWAN AND HOW
THE U.S. WOULD RESPOND IF CHINA WERE TO INVADE.
>> THERE'S A ONE CHINA POLICY, AND TAIWAN MAKES THEIR OWN
JUDGMENTS ABOUT THEIR INDEPENDENCE.
WE ARE NOT MOVING, NOT ENCOURAGING THEIR BEING
INDEPENDENT. THAT'S THEIR DECISION.
>> BUT WOULD U.S. FORCES DEFEND THE ISLAND?
>> YES, IF IN FACT THERE WAS AN UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK.
>> SO UNLIKE UKRAINE, TO BE CLEAR, SIR, U.S. FORCES, U.S.
MEN AND WOMEN, WOULD DEFEND TAIWAN IN THE EVENT OF A CHINESE
INVASION? >> YES.
>> SO THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID SOMETHING
LIKE THIS. BUT THAT'S A LOT LESS AMBIGUOUS,
AND THAT IS NOT OFFICIAL U.S. POLICY.
WHY GO THAT FAR? IS THAT RISKY?
>> IT IS CERTAINLY RISKY, ANA, AND I THINK IN PART WHAT THE
PRESIDENT WAS DOING IS HE WAS OUTLINING THE FACT THAT AND THE
CHINESE ARE WELL AWARE OF THIS, THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS AN
OPERATION PLAN TO DEFEND TAIWAN. WE HAVE HAD ONE FOR MANY YEARS.
AND THE CHINESE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THIS PLAN.
THEY ARE ALSO MANEUVERING THEIR FORCES TO SHOW THAT IT WOULD BE
VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO DEFEND TAIWAN.
THEY CAN DEFEND CERTAIN PARTS OF IT, BUT THE TAIWANESE ARE AT
RISK OF BEING SURROUNDED BY A CHINESE NAVAL BLOCKADE AS ONE
EXAMPLE, THE CHINESE NOW HAVE THAT CAPABILITY, WHICH THEY
REALLY DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE, AND THEY SHOWED THAT IN THEIR LATEST
EXERCISE. SO THE PRESIDENT IS GOING AHEAD
WITH SOME OF THESE STATEMENTS KIND OF SIGNALING TO BOTH TAIWAN
AND CHINA THAT YES, THE UNITED STATES WOULD DEFEND IT IF THERE
WERE AN UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK ON TAIWAN, BUT IF THE COUNTRY, IF
TAIWAN DECIDED TO PEACEFULLY REUNIFY WITH CHINA, THEN NONE OF
THIS, OF COURSE, WOULD BE ON THE TABLE.
SO THAT'S KIND OF A MESSAGE THAT HE'S SENDING.
HE'S SAYING THE ONE CHINA POLICY STILL STANDS, BUT THAT THE
CHINESE BETTER NOT GO AHEAD AND TRY TO INVADE THE ISLAND.
>> NOT TO DO ANYTHING FORCEFULLY.
THANK YOU, COLONEL CEDRIC LEIGHTON.
I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.