DMITRY MEDVEDEV, THE DEPUTY
CHAIRMAN OF RUSSIA'S SECURITY
COUNCIL SAYS RUSSIA MAY HAVE TO
USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS IF UKRAINE'S
COUNTEROFFENSIVE IS SUCCESSFUL
AND ENDS WITH, QUOTE, OF OUR
LAND BEING TAKEN AWAY.
THIS COMES AS THE
COUNTEROFFENSIVE SEEMS TO BE
ENTERING A NEW, MORE AGGRESSIVE
FACE.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, UKRAINIAN
FORCES HAVE REACHED ONE OF
RUSSIA'S DRAGON TEETH.
THE ANTI-TANK FORTIFICATIONS ARE
ONE EXAMPLES OF THE DEEPLY
LAYERED DEFENSES THAT RUSSIA HAS
DEVELOPED TO SLOW ANY ATTEMPT TO
TAKE BACK TERRITORY IN SOUTHERN
UKRAINE.
WITH US NOW, IS FORMER MEMBER OF
THE JOINT STAFF, I SHOULD SAY,
THE PENTAGON AND FORMER DEPUTY
DIRECTOR FOR TRAINING AT THE
NSA, RETIRED COLONEL, CEDRIC
LAYTON.
BEFORE WE GET TO WHAT WE JUST
SHOWED PEOPLE, WHAT'S YOUR
REACTION HEARING WHAT DMITRY
MEDVEDEV SAID?
>> I THINK IT'S VERY CONCERNING,
POPPY.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE
RUSSIANS ARE LOOKING AT IS THE
FACT THAT THEY ANNEXED,
OFFICIALLY ANNEXED ALL OF THIS
TERRITORY RIGHT HERE THAT THE
RUSSIANS HAVE OCCUPIED.
SO, WHAT THAT COULD MEAN IS THAT
WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL OF THE
DIFFERENT POSSIBLE PATHS, IF THE
UKRAINIANS COME IN THIS WAY AND
TAKE THIS TERRITORY, THE THREAT
FROM MEDVEDEV IS THAT THEY WOULD
POTENTIALLY USE TACTICAL NUCLEAR
WEAPONS.
THAT, OF COURSE, WOULD BE A GAME
CHANGER IN A CASE LIKE THIS.
>> COLONEL LAYTON, CAN YOU WALK
PEOPLE THROUGH DRAGON'S TEETH,
IT SOUNDS LIKE A BUZZY TYPE OF
TITLE, BUT WHEN YOU GO INTO WHAT
THAT ACTUALLY MEANS, IT
UNDERSCORES WHY THIS IS SUCH A
SLOG, WHY THIS IS SUCH A COMPLEX
MOMENT IN THE COUNTEROFFENSIVE.
WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY MEAN?
>> PHIL, WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS
IS, WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL OF THE
DIFFERENT PLACES THAT THE
UKRAINIANS ARE MOVING IN, SO IF
THEY COME IN HERE, YOU SEE THE
VERY LITTLE TERRITORIAL GAINS
MADE BY THE UKRAINIANS IN ALL OF
THESE AREAS RIGHT HERE.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS, LIKE
YOU MENTIONED, THE DRAGON'S
TEETH.
THESE ARE CONCRETE BARRIERS
FILLED WITH NOT ONLY CONCRETE,
BUT REBAR.
AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY
ACTUALLY ARE BARRIERS.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, YOU
KNOW, YOU LOOK -- YOU SEE RIGHT
IN FRONT OF US, YOU SEE THE
DRAGON'S TEETH.
AS THE VEHICLE, THE INFANTRY
FIGHTING VEHICLE IS MOVING
FORWARD, IT IS ACTUALLY TRYING
TO GET INTO A TRENCH.
AND IT'S MOVING THROUGH THAT
TRENCH.
IT'S AT AN EXTREMELY VULNERABLE
POINT RIGHT HERE.
BUT THINK OF THIS, HUNDREDS OF
MILES OF THIS KIND OF STUFF.
WE'VE GOT A 600-MILE-LONG FRONT
RIGHT HERE, AND ALL OF THIS IS
AN AREA THAT IS DEFENDED IN ONE
WAY OR ANOTHER.
SOME OF IT MORE HEAVILY THAN
OTHER AREAS, BUT THE BASIC IDEA
IS THAT AT EVERY STEP OF THE
WAY, THERE IS SOME KIND OF
DEFENSIVE AREA.
AND IT'S ESPECIALLY TRUE IN
PLACES LIKE CRIMEA AND IT'S ALSO
TRUE IN PARTS OF THE EASTERN
FRONT AROUND BAKHMUT.
THIS IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT AREA
FOR THE RUSSIANS TO TRY TO HOLD,
AND OF COURSE, FOR THE
UKRAINIANS TO TRY TO REGAIN.
>> THE DRONE ATTACKS, WE SHOWED
ONE IN THE LAST HOUR, INSIDE
RUSSIA.
THERE WAS THAT ONE MORE RECENTLY
IN MOSCOW.
WHAT DO THEY TELL YOU?
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THEM?
>> THESE VERY IMPORTANT, POPPY.
YOU LOOK AT TWO DIFFERENT AREAS.
YOU'RE REALLY CLOSE TO THE
UKRAINIAN BORDER, YOU HAVE A
TOWN WHICH WAS ATTACKED BY A
DRONE, NOT A BIG SURPRISE.
IT'S VERY CLOSE TO THE UKRAINIAN
BORDER, BUT MOSCOW.
THAT IS ABOUT 800 KILOMETERS
AWAY FROM THE UKRAINIAN BORDER.
SO A BIT OVER ALMOST 500 MILES.
THE UKRAINIAN DRONES THAT ARE
PROBABLY BEING USED ARE
SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
THIS IS A MODEL ATTACK DRONE,
BUILT BY THE UKRAINIANS.
THEY ARE ABLE TO USE THIS, IT
HAS THE RANGE TO GO FROM UKRAINE
TO MOSCOW, AND IT HAS POTENTIAL
PAYLOADS OF WEAPONS THAT COULD
POTENTIALLY CAUSE THE DAMAGE
THAT WE SAW AT THAT HIGH RAISE
IN MOSCOW, SO THESE ARE VERY,
VERY IMPORTANT WEAPONS FOR THE
UKRAINIANS TO USE.
IT'S PART OF THE UKRAINIAN'S
ASYMMETRIC WAR EFFORT, AND THAT
MAKES A REALLY BIG DIFFERENCE,
BECAUSE ON THE ONE SIDE, YOU
HAVE THE DRONES.
ON THE OTHER SIDE, YOU HAVE WHAT
THE RUSSIANS COULD DO AGAINST
THOSE DRONES, AND THAT INCLUDES
THE AREA OF ELECTRONIC WARFARE.
THEY CAN JAM THE DATA LINKS FOR
THE DRONE.
IT CAN SERVE AS A DECEPTION
MOVE, AND ALSO POTENTIALLY USE
DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS AGAIN
DRONES LIKE THIS ONE.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT WHEN IT
COMES TO THIS KIND OF WARFARE.
BUT IT'S CHANGING FACE OF
WARFARE IN THE AIR AND ACTUALLY
ON THE SCEA AS WELL.
>> THERE WAS A HEADLINE THAT
CAUGHT MY ATTENTION, THAT 100
WAGNER MERCENARIES WERE HEADED
TOWARDS THE POLISH BORDER.
>> IT'S VERY CONCERNING.
ONE OF THE KEY THINGS TO KEEP IN
MIND, THIS AREA RIGHT BETWEEN
BELARUS AND THIS RUSSIAN ENCLAVE
OF KALININGRAD.
THAT ENCLAVE IS A VESTIGE OF
WORLD WAR II, AND WHAT THE
WAGNER FORCES ARE DOING IS
THEY'RE POTENTIALLY COMING INTO
THIS AREA RIGHT HERE, WHICH IS
THE PRIMARY COMMUNICATIONS AND
LOGISTICS LINK FOR THE RUSSIAN
FORCES, BECAUSE THIS YEAR IS THE
BASE FOR THE RUSSIAN BALTIC SEA
FLEET, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE
KEY AREAS, THAT'S ONE OF THE
REASONS THAT THE RUSSIANS WANT
TO KEEP THIS AREA.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THE
WAGNER GROUP COULD POTENTIALLY
TRY TO USE THIS AREA TO CUT OFF
EVERYTHING FROM NATO RIGHT HERE.
THESE ARE ALL NATO COUNTRIES,
ESTONIA, LATVIA, AND LITHUANIA,
AS WELL AS, OF COURSE, POLAND.
>> COLONEL LAYTON WI, THANK YOUS
ALWAYS.