RUSSIA'S PROPAGANDA MACHINE IS MOVING INTO HIGH
GEAR AS THE WAR IN UKRAINE NEARS ITS FIRST ANNIVERSARY.
VLADIMIR PUTIN'S SHAMELESS SUPPORTER --
SUPPORTERS IS MAKING A MOCKERY OF WEAPON.
NOT EVERYONE'S BUYING IT. CNN'S NICK ROBERTSON REPORTS.
[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH] TO THE LET'S CATS, BATTLES
ABRAMS, HE SAYS. THE RUSSIAN STATE MEDIA ANCHOR
POINTS TO A HUGE GRAPHIC, ALLEGING FLOORS IN THE NATO
THANKS. HIS PURPOSEFUL PROPAGANDA
PLAYING DOWN RISK THE RUSSIAN TROOPS IN UKRAINE.
DOES SEEM TO BE WORKING. [SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]
>> SENDING TANKS IS GONNA BE BAD FOR THE AMERICANS OF
GERMANS SHE SAID. >> WE'RE GOING TO WIN
REGARDLESS, SERGEI TELLS US. IT JUST ENLARGING THE CONFLICT.
IF WE PULL OUT, THE WEST WILL PUT MORE PRESSURE ON US.
>> BUT NOT EVERYONE BUYS THIS DAY TV HYPE.
PUTIN HAS KILLED OFF INDEPENDENT MEDIA BUT NOT
INDEPENDENCE OF MIND. THIS YOUNG --
STUDENT TELLS THE TEAM THAT THE FRONT WAS DRAFTED AND DEPLOYED
BUT IT HAS NOW DISAPPEARED. AND FOR PEACE, SHE SAYS, IT'S
VERY SAD. PEOPLE ARE DYING AMONG THE
VERGE OF TEARS. [SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S TRUE OR NOT OR WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS
WAR. THIS LADY TELLS US.
BUT I DO KNOW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED.
SOME OF THEM, OUR FRIENDS AND ALL IN MOTIONS THE KREMLIN
LIKES THE PREDAWN. --
>> AROUND THE CAPITAL, AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN
LOCKED IN AN AIR GOVERNMENT BUILDING THE LESS THAN SUBTLE.
-- [SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]
IN MORE PRIMETIME, PUTIN'S PROPAGANDA THE POP-UP SHOPS
UPON FOR THE AUDIENCE. TELLS THEM THE GERMAN LEOPARD 2
TANKS WILL BURN VERY NICELY. ANOTHER PUTIN ALKALI, HE'S THE
INSANELY POPULAR VOLODYMYR -- ASKED THE AUDIENCE, AFTER ALL
OF THIS, IS IN BERLIN A LAWFUL TARGET?
>> SUCH IS THE STITCH UP IN RUSSIAN MEDIA.
PUTIN IS ABLE TO SPEND ALMOST ANY MESSAGE HE WANTS.
HIS TV PUPPETS, SERVE FAST AND CLEARS IN EQUAL MEASURE.
BUT EVEN THAT IS NOT GOING DOWN SO WELL WITH SOME.
[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH] >> EVERYONE IS LISTENING TO --
OPINION, SHE SAID, BUT IT WOULD BE GOOD IF THE EXPERT STARTED
EXPRESSING THEIR REAL OPINIONS INSTEAD OF OBEYING ORDERS FROM
PUTIN. WHAT'S REAL IS ANYONE'S GUESS.
AND, FOR SOME, THAT MEANS TUNING OUT.
THIS LADY TELLS US, SHE DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT THE TANKS WHEN WE
ASK HER OPINION. [SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]
>> TRANSLATOR: I THINK THAT THIS IS A POLITICAL WAR.
I'M NOT A WAR FOR THE PEOPLE, THIS LADY TELLS THE TEAM.
WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO, SHE SAYS?
OUR OPINIONS MEAN DIDDLY-SQUAT. >> INCREASINGLY ISOLATED FROM
OUTSIDE VIEWS AND UNDER THREAT OF HARSH RETRIBUTION IF THEY
DISSENT, RUSSIANS ARE STUCK IN A RUT.
IN A WAR THAT THEY DON'T WANT WITH A LEADER THEY CAN'T
REMOVE. AND, THE THREAT OF POTENTIAL
RECRUITMENT AROUND THE CORNER. THEY ARE DOING WHAT RUSSIANS
HAVE HISTORICALLY DONE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY.
FOCUSING ON THEIR OWN SURVIVAL. NIC ROBERTSON, CNN, LONDON.
ABSOLUTELY, IT'S A RACE AGAINST TIMES AND.
NO TO GETTING THOSE TEAMS TO THE FRONTLINE.
THERE'S A FEW LOGISTICAL ISSUES.
THESE THINGS ARE SPREAD UP OVER A DOZEN COUNTRIES.
GERMANY HAS TO GIVE PRE-AUTHORIZATION.
THEY ARE THE MANUFACTURERS OF THE LEOPARD 2 TANKS.
THEY HAVE TO GIVE PROPER AS A SHUNT EVERY COUNTRY TO DEPLOY
THOSE TANKS. THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE TRAINING
THAT SUPPOSED TO START AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOR UKRAINIAN
SOLDIERS IN GERMANY. THEN THERE'S THE QUESTION OF
COMPENSATION. HOW WILL NATO, HOW WILL GERMANY
PAY FOR THESE TANKS ARE COMPENSATE THE COUNTRIES THAT
GAVE THESE TANKS TO UKRAINE. ALL OF THOSE LOGISTICS, AGAIN,
BEING DEALT WITH IN BERLIN. TAKE A LISTEN TO HOW UKRAINE'S
DEFENSE MINISTER RESPONDED WHEN ONE REPORTER ASKED, HOW QUICKLY
ARE WE GOING TO SEE THESE TANKS ON THE BATTLEFIELD?
>> CAN YOU GET THE TANKS TO UKRAINE IN TIME?
>> I PROBABLY WILL. >> HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET
THERE? >> THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER
OF THE YEAR. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO.
>> HOW MANY MONTHS? TO?
3? FOR?
>> I JUST SAID, AT THE END OF MARCH, I THINK.
>> NOW, THE REASON FOR THIS RUSH, THE REASON FOR THIS PUSH
IS THIS COUNTEROFFENSIVE AS THE WEATHER GETS WARMER.
THERE'S AN EXPECTATION THAT RUSSIAN FORCES WILL PICK UP THE
TEMPO OF THE WAR, TRY TO ATTACK UKRAINIAN FORCES.
UKRAINE, OF COURSE, FOR ITS PART, WANTS TO PUSH THROUGH ITS
EAST TANKS AS AN IRON FIST THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO --
OF CAUTION HERE, COME IN TOTAL, WE JUST HAVE OVER 100 TANKS
THAT HAVE BEEN PROMISED AMONG THEM ARE THOSE 30 ABRAMS, 31
ABRAMS TO BE EXACT, TANKS FROM THE UNITED STATES.
THOSE COULD TAKE OVER A YEAR BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY ARRIVE IN
UKRAINE. AS YOU HEARD, THE LEOPARD TANKS
ARRIVING SOONER. BUT, THIS IS A LOT LESS THAN
WHAT PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SAYS HE NEEDS.
HE WAS ASKING FOR OVER 300 TANKS.
AND AS I SAID, JUST OVER 100 GOING INTO UKRAINE.
BUT REALLY, WHAT IT'S ABOUT IS THE BIGGEST PICTURE HERE, KIM,
THIS IS ABOUT THE POLITICAL WILL.
SOMETHING THAT WAS UNIMAGINABLE A YEAR AGO.
SO, FOR KYIV, THEY'RE HOPING THAT THIS OPENS THE DOOR A
LITTLE BIT TO ASK FOR MORE OF THOSE WEAPONS ON THE WISH LIST.
KIM? >> THANKS A LOT SELMA ABDELAZIZ
IN LONDON.