>>> THIS MORNING, UKRAINIAN
OFFICIALS SAY THAT TWO PEOPLE
WERE INJURED IN A RUSSIAN ATTACK
AROUND PORT RENI DOWN HERE, AND
I CAN SHOW YOU A CLOSE UP OF THE
REGION, AND IT IS TELLING A
INTERESTING AN DANGERD DANGEROU.
THE PORT IS ON THE DANUBE RIVER,
AND THE DANUBE SEPARATES UKRAINE
UP HERE FROM ROMANIA HERE.
ROMANIA IS A NATO COUNTRY, AND
SO THE ATTACKS ON THE PORTS
INCLUDING THE PORT RIGHT HERE
AND HERE ARE WITHIN EYESIGHT,
AND A STONE'S THROW OF A
ROMANIAN NATION, AND THEY ARE
CALLING THE ATTACKS UNJUSTIFIED
AND BREAKING ALL OF THE HUMAN
TAIN RULES, AND SOME ARE SAYING
THAT THE RUSSIAN-HEAD DRONES
USED IN THE ATTACKS ACTUALLY
FELL WITHIN THE ROMANIAN
TERRITORY, AND WITH US NOW IS
THE MILITARY ANALYST AND RETIRED
GENERAL JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS,
AND YOU CAN SEE HOW CLOSE RUSSIA
IS COMING TO THE NATO TERRITORY
HERE, AND HOW MUCH DO THE
RUSSIANS CARE, OR IS THAT PART
OF THE STRATEGIC GOAL HERE?
>> WELL, THE RUSSIANS CARE,
JOHN, AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME ON.
THE RUSSIANS CERTAINLY CARE.
THEY UNDERSTAND THE RULES OF
ATTACKING ANOTHER NATO PARTNER
OR ATTACKING ANY NATO PARTNER
AND HOW THAT WOULD EVOKE ARTICLE
5, AND ALL OF NATO WOULD BE
INVOLVED, AND THIS A BIG HAND
AND LITTLE MAP IN THAT THEY ARE
NOT INTO THE PRECISE DETAILS OF
THESE STRIKES AND THEY ARE
LAUNCHING AT A PRECISE AREA, AND
IF THERE IS SPILLOVER, THEN WE
DIDN'T ATTEND THAT, AND NATO
WILL BE PROFESSIONALLY BREATHE
THROUGH ITS NOSE AND CAREFULLY
LOOK THROUGH THIS, AND DO THE
FORENSICS AND ACT ACCORDINGLY,
AND THIS IS PROVOCATIVE, BUT
UNDERSTANDABLE.
>> AND WE GOT WORD THIS WEEKEND
THAT THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY HAS FIRED
THE DEFENSE MINISTER RIGHT IN
THE MIDDLE OF THIS COUNTER
OFFENSIVE, AND WHAT MESSAGE DID
THAT SEND?
>> WELL, IT IS GOING TO TELL YOU
THAT WHEN PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY
WAS ELECTED, UKRAINE HAS A LONG
HISTORY OF CORRUPTION, AND HE
WAS ELECTED TO ARREST THAT, AND
GET HIS ARMS AROUND THAT, AND
SIMULTANEOUSLY RUSSIA INVADED
HIS COUNTRY AND HE HAS BEEN
FIGHTING TWO ENEMIES THE NOTION
OF DNA INSIDE OF THE GOVERNMENT
THAT HAS THE CORRUPTION BENT,
AND HE HAS TO GET THAT THING
UNDER CONTROL, AND HE HAS TO
FIGHT THIS WAR OF SOVEREIGNTY
AGAINST RUSSIA.
TO THE SOLDIERS AND THE LEARDS
ON GROUND, THIS IS ESSENTIALLY
MEANS NOTHING.
THEY WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS IN
ON THE MISSION.
IT IS A BIG DEAL FROM THE
STANDPOINT OF ZELENSKYY AND HOW
HE CAN GALVANIZE THE CABINET AND
SEND A POWERFUL MESSAGE FOR THEM
TO ABIDE TO FIGURES TO BE
RELEVANT TO KEEP DRIVING ON.
>> MOST OF THE COUNTER OFFENSIVE
HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN THE
SOUTHERN FRONT, AND THE
UKRAINIANS HAVE RETAKEN
ROBITAILLE HERE, AND GOING TO
THE SOUTH HERE TO MACK, AND TAL
TO US HOW THEY HAVE BEEN
CONSOLIDATING THE GAINS.
>> YEAH, WHAT YOU ARE SEEING
HERE IS THE MOVEMENT, AND THEY
HAVE MADE A DECISION HERE AT THE
OPERATIONAL LEVEL TO GRAB A HOLD
OF ROBITAILLE, AND THEY WANT TO
MOVE TO TOKMAK, AND THIS IS HOW
THE ROADWORK GOES, AND THEN IT
GOES TO THE SEA, AND WHAT THAT
DOES IF THEY CAN HOLD THAT
PENETRATION, THEY HAVE TO BE
ABLE TO HOLD SHOULDERS OF THE
PENETRATION, AND THEN WHAT IT IS
GOING TO DO IS TO DISLOCATE THE
MILITARY TERM FORGIVING RUSSIANS
VERY FEW OPTIONS IN TERMS OF THE
RESUPPLY.
IF THE UKRAINIANS CAN HOLD THE
PENETRATION, THEN THEY CAN HOLD
ONE SIDE OF IT WHICH IS THE
NORTHERN SHOULDER SO THEY CAN
BEGIN THE REPRODUCTION OF THE
SOUTH OF CRIMEA AND THAT PUTS
THE RUSSIANS IN A PREDICAMENT.
THESE ARE THE DEFENSIVE BELTS
THAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT
BEFORE, AND THE UKRAINIANS HAVE
TO BE DELIBERATE AND NOT GET
AHEAD OF THEMSELVES, AND WHERE
THEY CAN MAKE PENETRATION TO
HOLD, AND THAT IS GOING TO ALLOW
THEM TO MAKE SOME CHOICES.
YOU WANT TO HAVE THE OPTIONS IN
COMBAT AND ELIMINATE THE OPTIONS
TO THE RUSSIANS.
>> HOW HARD TO MAINTAIN THE
CONTROL OF THE CITY LIKE
ROBOTYNE, AND WHEN THEY REGAIN
CONTROL OF IT, HOW HARD TO
MAINTAIN?
>> SIZE OF THE POPULATION AND
THE NETWORK LOOK LIKE AND WHAT
YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE.
YOU CAN HOLD IT AND BYPASS IT
PROVIDED IT IS NOT AN ANNOUNCE
IT TO HAVE RUSSIANS SNIPING AT
YOU, AND FLANK YOU, AND YOU CAN
BYPASS ROBOTYNE AND MAINTAIN THE
SHOULDERS OF THE MOVEMENT SOUTH.
THAT IS WHAT IS KEY.
IT HAS TO BE DONE VERY
DELIBERATELY, AND IT HAS THE
BEEN DONE CAUTIOUSLY, BUT WITH
STRENGTH, BECAUSE THAT THEN PUTS
PRESSURE ON THE RUSSIANS WHO
GETS ISOLATED AND THEY HAVE
FEWER OPTIONS.
>> GENERAL JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS,
A PLEASURE AND ALWAYS GREAT TO
SEE YOU.
CNN'S MELISSA BELL IS JOINING
ME NOW LIVE FROM DNIPRO IN
UKRAINE, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT
THE GRAIN DEAL ITSELF A LITTLE
LATER THIS HOUR.
RUSSIA IS AGAIN TARGETING
INFRASTRUCTURE, EVEN AS PUTIN
AND ERDOGAN TALK ABOUT REVIVING
THE STEEL.
WOULDN'T WE SEE IT ON THE
GROUND?
>> WE'LL BE HEARING FROM --
BRIEFLY.
THOUGH COLLAPSE FOR THOSE STILL
COULD YET BE REVIVED SHOULD
MOSCOW'S POSITION BE MET.
AS YOU SAY, BECKY, QUITE
EXTRAORDINARY THAT ON THE EVE
OF THE SUMMIT, SO MUCH OF THE
WORLD WATCH WITH GREAT
ANTICIPATION TO SEE WHETHER
THIS CRUCIAL GRAIN DEAL CAN BE
REVIVED.
IT SHOULD BE AGRICULTURAL PORT,
INFRASTRUCTURE, IN FACT THE
MAIN EXPORT IN UKRAINE BY THE
BORDER WITH ROMANIANS THAT WAS
TARGETED OVERNIGHT.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING AGAIN TODAY
IS A SERIES OF DRONE STRIKES,
NOT JUST ON THE SOUTH AS I
MENTIONED IN THE ODESSA REGION,
BUT HERE IN THE EASTERN PART
AROUND DNIPRO AS WELL.
SOME OF THEM CAUSE DAMAGE.
MOST OF THEM WERE INTERCEPTED
BY UKRAINIAN AIR DEFENSES.
THIS COMES EVEN AS INTENSE
FIGHTING CONTINUES ON SEVERAL
POINTS.
ON THE FRONT LINE, THIS IS IN
SOUTHERN ZAPORIZHZHIA.
THIS IS OUR SPECIFICALLY THE
GAINS.
WE'VE BEEN MEETING WITH SOME OF
THE MEN WHO ACHIEVE THOSE GAINS,
THEY REALLY SPEAK ABOUT THE
SCENES FOR THE CELL.
THE SKY, BUCK WHICH LOANS, THE
MINEFIELDS, AND THEY SAY THAT
THEY BELIEVE PROGRESS HAS BEEN
MADE, THE RUSSIAN DEFENSES SAY
THAT MOMENTUM IS ON ITS SIDE,
--
IT'S A LOGISTICAL HUG.
MUCH IS COMING DOWN TO WHETHER
MOMENTUM CAN BE FOUND.
IT IS THESE GROUPS THAT ARE
GOING IN WITH THE HOPE, BECKY
THAT NOT JUST FURTHER SOUTH,
BUT SHRINE FRONTLINE ANDS ON
THE FRONT LINE, BECKY.
>> WITH THAT IN MIND, WHAT'S OF
THE TIME MEAN OF THE
REPLACEMENT OF THE DEFENSE
MINISTER?
THE UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER,
BY PRESIDENT OLIMPIYSKIY.
WHY, WHY NOW?
>> WELL IT COMES AT A CRITICAL
TIME.
WHAT WE UNDERSTAND IS THAT
WE'VE BEEN WIDELY PRAISED FOR
DOING A JOB AS EFFICIENTLY AS
HE HAS OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A
HALF.
HE WAS ASKED TO STAND DOWN.
HIS REPLACEMENT CERTAINLY HAS A
TOUGH CHALLENGE AHEAD.
THIS IS CERTAINLY, TIMING WISE,
ALLOWS FOR ZELENSKYY TO DRAW A
LINE ON WHAT HAD BEEN 18 MONTHS
OF A NUMBER OF SCANDALS THAT
HAVE BEDEVILED UKRAINIAN
DEFENSE MINISTRY, AND TO SHOW
THAT HE IS TAKING THE
SERIOUSLY.
THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF
SACKINGS, RESIGNATIONS, AND
TRIALS THAT HAVE BEGUN AS A
RESULT OF THIS.
THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE
PROCUREMENT IN THE EARLY DAYS
OF THE WAR.
THIS SHOULD BE SPECIFIED, BECKY,
TO UKRAINIAN TEXT PLAYERS MONEY
AND THE WEAPON DEFENSE
CONTRACTS.
STILL, IT'S ABOUT CONVINCING
NATO ALLIES THAT THEY CAN KEEP
ON GIVING THEIR WEAPONS AT THIS
CRUCIAL TIME IN THE
COUNTEROFFENSIVE.
THE OTHER JOB IS CONTINUING
UKRAINE'S EFFORTS TO BUILD HIS
OWN WEAPONS CAPABILITY.
IT'S BEEN A PAIN IT'S
PRODUCTION, NOT JUST OF DRONES,
BUT ALSO OF LONG RANGE ROCKET
SYSTEMS.
HEY, THIS IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN
SEEING CLEARLY THE LAST FEW
DAYS.
IT'S NOT JUST TO PRESS FURTHER
FORWARD, BUT ALSO INCREASINGLY,
TO BE IN A POSITION TO TAKE
THIS TO RUSSIANS WHILE ITSELF.
>> GOOD TO HAVE, YOU MELISSA.
MELISSA IS IN THE DNIPRO IN
UKRAINE.