New claims coming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Russians are claiming just minutes ago that there are Ukrainians
operating on the Russian side of the border inside Russia.
We'll have much more on that in just a moment.
In the meantime, Ukrainian officials are saying they still hold on
to some neighborhoods inside Bath Move, which is that city in the Far East.
The Russians claimed to have captured it.
It has been one of the most hotly contested
cities, the bloodiest battlefields of the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Zelensky mourned the devastation
there over the weekend.
Mr. President,
this is less news, but we're still in Ukraine's hands.
The Russians say they take about one
I think no,
but you have to understand that there is nothing.
They destroyed everything.
There are no buildings.
It's a bit it's tragedy.
But for today, a moment is only in our cars.
All right.
CNN's Sam Kiley is in southeastern Ukraine.
Sam, back to what we just reported a few moments ago.
This claim from the Russians that Belgorod, which is this city
over the border from Ukraine that we showed on the map
a number of times, just over the border from Ukraine.
They say there are Ukrainian saboteurs operating in and around that area.
What can you tell us
Well,
the Ukrainians say, yeah, you're right, except they're not Ukrainians.
They're Russians.
And they're saying indeed that and the unit themselves
have put out a video saying that they are involved in this cross-border operation
because they're members of the Freedom from Russia Legion,
which is a group of Russian volunteers who are in the Ukrainian armed forces.
They have in the past been fighting.
When I encountered them back in December, they were fighting very heavily
as south of parliament on the front line there.
It now appears that they have crossed into Russia
with an all Russian team, according to the Ukrainians,
and the Ukrainian government is saying somewhat coyly
that they are operating there entirely as Russian
citizens, as free agents, not as part of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Although, of course,
they're using Ukrainian uniforms, weapons, bullets and arguably vehicles.
Now, that spokesman or that the member of their political wing
here in Ukraine has told CNN that the combat is ongoing.
And certainly social media would indicate from a number of videos
that are being posted that they have deployed themselves
in a number of villages very close to the border.
This is the first time that we have confirmation from the Ukrainians that,
let's say a Ukrainian backed organization, military organization, has conducted
overt military action against Russia inside Russian territory.
We've seen in the past covert military operations
deep behind Russian lines here in Ukraine and indeed mysterious activities
inside Russia itself that have even been helicopter gunship attacks
close to the city of Belgorod
in the past that the Ukrainians have refused to acknowledge.
But this is a first. John.
Yes, and let me just point out on the map here
so people can see if we keep talking about it,
this is build a road right here, right over the border from Ukraine there.
And a first, as you note, a first of the Ukrainians confirming that
at least at a minimum, pro-Ukrainian forces are operating
inside Russian territory.
Sam, calling it significant development. We'll come back to you in a bit.
Thank you. Let's bring in retired U.S.
Army Major Mike Lyons. It's good to have you as always.
So let's begin there because Zelensky saying
not for sure, the buck has fallen to the Russians.
Russia, the volunteer group is saying it has.
Why is it significant?
Not strategically, but began to watch propaganda.
That's all it's going on here.
This is the twilight part of this battle.
At this point, there's
no nothing tactically more to be gained that the city has been flattened.
Fundamentally, it's more or less.
It shows Ukrainian resilience, but also Russian military failure.
They're trying to claim some kind of victory right now that just isn't there.
So also a shift in the Biden administration's
views on F-16s over the weekend.
Right.
At least greenlighting joint training of F-16 pilots
with our European allies.
Why is that significant?
Because as you know, The Wall Street
Journal editorial board very critical that it's taken this long.
They write about it.
The obvious question is why this decision took 15 months.
Yeah, well, a couple of things.
First of all, let's be clear right about this.
The F-16s are not going to be game changing to the situation on the ground.
It's not going to give air superiority to the Ukraine military.
There's going to be a very long time before
they're actually going to be impactful.
I think it took that long because from a strategic perspective, now
you're going to see Ukraine eventually.
And NATO's this is really kind of a fait accompli.
Now because of them getting this platform.
So because of fighter jets, not previous weapons like Mars, etc..
Now, this is a strategic weapon.
So like, for example, he Zelensky tells President Biden he's not going to attack
into Russia because the F-16 gives him that capability,
hard border right around between Ukraine and Russia here.
There's targets in Belgorod.
There's air base targets here, missile sites along along this border here.
There's multiple sites that the F-16 now has capability to attack
that cross that border and that that violates that's where that from.
These weapons were supposed to be defensive, now become offensive.
Looking at the countries where it's likely that the F-16s would come
from the United States, what?
So I think these four countries are the ones that likely give up the F-16s
they have in their inventory as they transition to F-35s.
Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium,
maybe
30 to 60 or so F-16s in the next few months.
It's still going to take a significant amount of time.
Three major issues here. We've got to train pilots.
We have to make sure the pilots are up to speed on what's going on.
That's going to be four to six months.
And it's it's a surmountable challenge right now.
But maintenance and sustainability of these is going to be a key.
There's some spare parts that they're not even made anymore.
Lastly, what are the munitions going to look like?
What are those airframes are going to be on them
because the F-16 is a platform, does a lot of different thing.
Note it, this pilot training is a reason why a number of members of Congress,
actually Republicans were calling on the Biden administration
to start the training Earlier, in case we got to this point.
Let's talk about what was signed overnight.
The president had to cancel his leg of this trip
so he didn't go for a first ever what would have been a historic visit
first American president to go to Papua New Guinea.
But Secretary Blinken went.
Yep. And overnight
they have come out with a joint defense agreement, a maritime agreement.
Can you speak to the significance of that, given
the rising influence of China in the region?
Yeah, a big win for the administration diplomatically.
Papua New Guinea is a location right north of Australia.
That provides tremendous place for the Navy to project power
from naval assets.
We saw the Chinese make deals with the Solomon Island countries
before there's going to be this pivot to the Pacific
that's finally now taking place.
I think it's very important that this administration
did that very big win for the administration.
Thank you, my clients.
Great to have you as always, Major. My client.