GENERAL HURTLING, PUTIN NOW SAYS HE HAS NO DOUBT RUSSIA'S
GOALS WILL BE ACHIEVED AND SAYS IT AS ZELENSKY IS IN
WASHINGTON. SERGEI SHOIGU OF RUSSIA HAS ANNOUNCED A
MASSIVE INCREASE IN THE SIZE OF THE RUSSIAN MILITARY FROM 1 TO
1.5 MILLION PERSONNEL. OBVIOUSLY 100,000 OF THEM OR SO
WERE ALREADY DEAD IN UKRAINE, BUT THEY'RE ANNOUNCING A MASS
INCREASE. IS THIS REAL?
COULD THIS REALLY HAPPEN OR IS IT TOTAL BLUSTER?
WHAT DO YOU THINK, GENERAL? >> I THINK A LOT OF IT'S
BLUSTER. >> YOU KNOW, THE POINT IS MR.
PUTIN CONTINUES TO ANNOUNCE WHAT HE'S GOING TO DO IN TERMS OF
MOBILIZATION OF FORCES. IN LAS VEGAS, ERIN, THIS IS
CALLED THROWING GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD.
HE JUST CONTINUES TO ATTEMPT TO MOBILIZE FORCES.
HE'S SEEN A GREAT RANGE WITHIN RUSSIA ITSELF OF YOUNG 18 TO
24-YEAR-OLDS LEAVING THE COUNTRY TRYING TO DEPART TO AVOID THIS
KIND OF STUFF. HE HAS PROVEN DECIDEDLY THAT HE
DOES NOT HAVE THE EQUIPMENT. THERE'S NO DOCTRINE THAT THE
SOLDIERS ARE FOLLOWING THAT'S EFFECTIVE.
THEIR LEADERS ARE CORRUPT AND IMMORAL, AND THEY ARE NOT --
THEY'RE ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE FAILURE AS OPPOSED TO
PREVENTING IT. THERE'S A LACK OF ABILITY TO
ADAPT TO THE BATTLEFIELD CONDITIONS, AND THE FINAL
THOUGHT IS ANY MODERN ARMY THAT PERFORMS WELL ON THE BATTLEFIELD
HAS TRUST IN THEIR LEADERS, THEIR EQUIPMENT, THEIR DOCTRINE,
AND THE SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE. THE RUSSIAN SOLDIERS DO NOT HAVE
THAT, SO IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MANY HE'S MOBILIZING.
IT JUST MEANS THAT MORE OF THEM ARE GOING TO DIE ON THE
BATTLEFIELD. >> SO ANDRE, YOU KNOW, THE
GENERAL TALKS ABOUT TRUST. WE REALIZE IT DOES NOT EXIST IN
MANY CASES BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN SOLDIERS THEMSELVES, BETWEEN
ONES WHO ARE ALREADY THERE AND NEW CONSCRIPTS AND MANY OF THEM
AND THEIR COMMANDERS. THAT LATEST INTERCEPTED PHONE
CALL -- AND I KNOW YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT SO MANY OF
THESE. BUT THE ONE WE JUST HEARD ABOUT
PEOPLE PULLING A 500 AND F-BOMB AND I'M NOT FIGHTING ANYMORE,
I'M JUST WALKING OFF, THIS IS IN LINE WITH SO MANY CALLS AND
VIDEOS THAT WE HAVE HEARD AND SEEN THAT SHOW A DIRE SITUATION
AMONG THE RUSSIAN TROOPS. MAJOR EQUIPMENT ISSUES PUTIN
KNOWS ABOUT ALL THIS. DOES HE ANDRE, OR IS HE IN THE
DARK? WHAT'S THE REALITY?
>> TODAY WHEN HE DECIDED TO HIS MILITARY COMMANDERS HE LOOKED TO
BE DELUSIONAL. IT LOOKS LIKE HE STILL BELIEVES
HE'S IN TOTAL CONTROL OF THE WHOLE SITUATION.
HE CONSTANTLY WAS TALKING ABOUT THE NEW OBJECTIVES FOR THE WAR,
THAT WE HAVE THIS CONFLICT FOR CENTURIES, WE'RE GOING TO WIN,
WE'RE GOING TO INCREASE OUR ARMY.
AND BECAUSE OF THE UNREST -- AND THE PROBLEM IS SOME KIND OF
DISSENT HE HAD IN PUBLIC OPINION, IN RUSSIAN SOCIAL MEDIA
ARE SUPPRESSED BY THE KREMLIN AND RUSSIAN SECURITY SERVICES.
SO THE ONLY PICTURE WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE IS COMPLETE
OBEDIENCE, AND THAT IS WHY HE STILL BELIEVES THAT HE IS IN
CONTROL. >> GENERAL, TODAY PUTIN SAID,
QUOTE, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND IMPROVE THE
READINESS OF RUSSIA'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK PUTIN'S NEXT MOVE WILL BE HERE.
HE'S BEEN SO CLEAR THERE WILL BE ONE IN RESPONSE TO THE PATRIOT,
SO WHAT DOES HE DO? >> WELL, HE -- HE'S NOT GOING TO
HAVE MUCH OF AN EFFECT ON THE PATRIOTS TO BE HONEST WITH YOU,
ERIN. AS YOU TALKED TO SOME OF YOUR
LAST GUESTS ABOUT THE SIZE OF THAT FORCE, THAT'S A RELATIVELY
SMALL BATTERY THAT'S GOING TO HAVE PROBABLY SIX LAUNCHERS
AROUND UKRAINE -- I'M SORRY, AROUND KYIV.
THEY'RE GOING TO BE HEAVILY GUARDED, AND HE DOESN'T HAVE THE
CAPABILITY TO ATTACK THEM. WHAT WE'VE SEEN MR. PUTIN AND
HIS MILITARY DO IS ATTACK MORE OF THE CIVILIAN POPULATION THAN
HE HAS UKRAINE'S MILITARY. SO, YOU KNOW, THE COMMENT ABOUT
CONTINUING TO POLISH HIS NUCLEAR CAPABILITY IS SOMETHING THAT
HE'S BEEN SAYING AND THREATENING SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS WAR.
AND HE HAS MADE A LOT OF BAD MISTAKES BOTH OPERATIONALLY,
TACTICALLY AND STRATEGICALLY. THIS WOULD BE A HUGE MISSTEP ON
HIS PART. AND I THINK HE KNOWS THE
REPERCUSSIONS FOR THE USE OF ANY KIND OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS WOULD BE
CATASTROPHIC BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT PRESIDENT BIDEN AND OTHERS
WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION HAS TOLD HIM AND HIS ADMINISTRATION.
SO THIS IS JUST MORE THREATS, MORE BLUSTER BY MR. PUTIN.
AND I SURE HOME HIS NUCLEAR FORCE IS A LOT BETTER THAN HIS
CONVENTIONAL FORCE BECAUSE HIS CONVENTIONAL FORCE HAS NOT SHOWN
ANY CAPABILITY WHATSOEVER. >> THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU THIS
EVENING.