POLITICAL ANALYST AND THE FORMER
COMMANDER OF NATO, MSNBC'S CHIEF
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AND
DIPLOMACY.
RICHARD, WHAT MORE CAN YOU TELL
US ABOUT THIS ALLEGE ATTACK OF
FUEL DEPOT IN RUSSIA?
>> Reporter: THAT SEEMS TO BE
THE BIG HEADLINE TODAY.
UKRAINIANS LEAVING OPEN THE
POSSIBILITY THAT IT CARRIED OUT
THIS ATTACK AND IF IT DID CARRY
OUT THE ATTACK, IT WOULD HAVE
BEEN A BOLD MOVE BECAUSE
BELGOROD IS ABOUT 45 MILES
INSIDE RUSSIAN TERRITORY, NORTH
OF UKRAINIAN BORDER.
THE ATTACK TOOK PLACE AT NIGHT
ACCORDING TO A VIDEO AND
ACCORDING TO THE LOCAL GOVERNOR
THAT A FUEL DEPOT INSIDE RUSSIA
WAS DESTROYED.
UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS WON'T
CONFIRM OR DENY IF THEY HAD TWO
HELICOPTERS FLYING THROUGH THE
NIGHT 25 MILES INTO RUSSIAN
TERRITORY STRIKING TARGET.
THEY WOULD CERTAINLY IF IT WAS
TAKEN PLACE.
THEY DO SEEM TO BE AT THE VERY
LEAST LEAVING OPEN THE
POSSIBILITY THAT THEY MAY HAVE
CARRIED THIS OUT AND EAT COMES
AFTER TWO RUSSIAN STRIKES ON
UKRAINIAN FUEL DEPOT OVER THE
LAST SEVERAL DAYS.
ONE OUTSIDE OF KYIV AND OTHER IS
OUTSIDE OF LVIV.
THAT AREA BELGOROD HAS BEEN A
STAGING GROUND FOR RUSSIAN
TROOPS TO REFUEL AMONG OTHER
THINGS
THINGS, TO CARRY OUT THIS WAR IN
UKRAINE SO UKRAINIANS WOULD
CONSIDER A FUEL DEPOT A
LEGITIMATE TARGET WHEN THE
CITIES AND TOWNS IN THIS COUNTRY
ARE UNDER ATTACKED ON A DAILY
BASIS.
>> RICHARD, YOU ARE IN KHARKIV,
AND SPEAKING TO YOU OVER THESE
LAST FOUR WEEKS PLUS, DO YOU
SENSE THAT A CHANGE IN THE
CONFLICT NOW AS WE ENTER THE
FIFTH WEEK?
>> Reporter: YES, I THINK THERE
IS BEEN SO MANY DIFFERENT
CHANGES BUT I THINK RIGHT NOW
THE UKRAINIAN CERTAINLY FEELS
THEY HAVE THE MOMENTUM IF THEY
IN FACT CARRY OUT THE STRIKE AND
NOT CONFIRM OR DENY SORT OF
LEAVES OPEN THE POSSIBILITY THAT
THEY MAY HAVE DONE IT.
IT SUGGESTS THEY ARE TAKING NEW
KINDS OF INITIATIVES AND ALSO
RUSSIAN FORCES FROM CHERNOBYL,
THE UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
SAYS THAT THE RUSSIANS DID NOT
JUST PULL OUT OF CHERNOBYL.
THEY PULL OUT AFTER AN
ENVIRONMENT OF CATASTROPHE THAT
BACKFIRED.
UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS INCLUDING
THE POWER COMPANY AND THE
MINISTRY SAYS RUSSIAN FORCES ON
THE CHERNOBYL SITE A RADIO
ACTIVE DISASTER ZONE HAS BEEN
SINCE 1956.
ING DIGGING TRENCHES INTO THE
SOILS, DRIVING THEIR VEHICLES
THROUGH WHAT'S CALLED THE RED
FOREST, THE HIGHLY CONTAMINATED
AREA, KICKING UP RADIO ACTIVE
DEBRIS AND CONTAMINATEING
THEMSELVES SO THE RUSSIAN
SOLDIERS HAD TO LEAVE BECAUSE
THEY HAD SICKEN THEMSELVES WITH
RADIATION POISONING, THEY'RE
GOING TO GO IN AND TRY REINVERT
SOME CONTROLS.
WHEN YOU HAVE MORE RUSSIAN
MISSTEPS, IT WAS POSSIBLE
MISSTEPS, THE UKRAINIANS
APPEARING TO TAKE NEW GROUND AND
THEY HAVE BEEN TAKING NEW GROUND
HERE IN AROUND KHARKIV AND
APPARENTLY TAKING BOLD
INITIATIVES OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY.
IT SHOWS A LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE
FROM THE UKRAINIANS,
PARTICULARLY RIGHT NOW THAT
THERE ARE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
ONGOING OR NEGOTIATIONS TO REACH
SOME SORT OF CEASE-FIRE
SETTLEMENT AT THE VERY LEAST.
THE MORE THE UKRAINIANS SHOW
THEY ARE CAPABLE ON THE