amna: The airstrikes on Ukraine
today hit as nato and the U.S.
Said this week they had sent
Ukraine 98 percent of the
vehicles promised to Kyiv.
They are designed to be ready
for Ukraine's highly anticipated
upcoming counteroffensive, as
Nick schifrin discusses with the
head of Ukraine's military
intelligence.
♪♪
Nick: They're the tools of
Ukrainian liberation -- newly
arrived western armored
vehicles, seen in Ukrainian
defense ministry videos.
Ukraine has received nearly
2,000 of them, and some 40,000
troops have been trained, for
what's expected to be one of the
war's most pivotal moments.
Gen. Budanov: Of course, the
counter offensive has a very
important meaning for Ukraine
and for the future of Ukraine,
because its main goal is to
liberate the occupied
territories.
Nick: General kyrylo budanov is
the head of Ukraine's military
intelligence.
He spoke to us from Kyiv earlier
this week.
Gen. Budanov: The liberation of
our temporarily occupied
territory is the top priority
for our country.
Nick: The 37-year-old is former
special forces, one of the
country's youngest ever
generals, but considered one its
most influential.
He's survived multiple
assassination attempts, and
lives in his office.
He's in the middle of
negotiations to release
prisoners from Russia, attends
soldiers' funerals, and knows
much more than he reveals,
especially about the upcoming
counteroffensive.
When I talk to U.S. Officials
here, they just describe that
even if you can't re-seize all
of the territory occupied by
Russia, they hope that at least
you can create some local
advantages along the front lines
to a point where you can be in a
position where you can threaten
Russian supply lines in crimea
and deep in the donbas.
Does that kind of goal make
sense?
Gen. Budanov:I share that
opinion absolutely.
Nick: Could you say when you
believe ground conditions favor
the offense?
Gen. Budanov: In the near
future, everybody will see the
expected results.
Nick: Budanov's expertise is
foreign intelligence, as in
Russia.
Russia blames budanov personally
for explosions in occupied
crimea, and inside Russia.
But Ukraine doesn't claim
official responsibility for
these attacks, and is restricted
by the U.S. From using American
weapons beyond its borders.
Do you believe you're hindered
by the U.S. Insistence that U.S.
Weapons not be used to attack
inside Russia?
Gen. Budanov: Absolutely not.
And we do not need weapons from
the Americans or anyone else to
get to the Russians.
We have enough Ukrainian means
and weapons to do this.
Any perpetrator that committed
any war crimes or crimes against
humanity in Ukraine or even very
egregious crimes like the group
rape, or killing of civilians
and children, will be found and
eliminated in any part of the
world.
Nick: The U.S. Says Ukraine has
killed or wounded more than
200,000 Russian service members,
and military contractors.
And now western officials say
Russia is trying to find 400,000
recruits, including with a new
ad.
You're a real man, it says.
Be one by becoming a soldier.
Have you seen any evidence that
Russia can actually field the
troops that it wants?
Gen. Budanov: In theory, they
can recruit 400,000 people.
They're still mobilizing 20,000
to 22,000 recruits monthly.
So as of now, they have
mobilized roughly 120,000
additional troops.
Moreover, they are actively
recruiting paramilitary units,
as well as the new private
military companies such as redut
or gazprom, the gas company.
There are a lot of them.
And right now they want to have
all of them united by creating
an umbrella organization Russian
volunteer corps that will gather
all of the paramilitary and
private military groups, and
place them under single command
of the Russian general staff.
Nick: So far, there's been no
evidence, at least from where
we're sitting here, that the
Russians have managed a unified
command.
Is that how you see it?
Gen. Budanov: That's exactly
what I'm telling you, they want
to create this umbrella
organization that will be
directing and commanding all of
these paramilitary units.
Because obviously right now
there is no unity.
Nick: For months, the war's
epicenter has been bakhmut.
Ukraine has sacrificed dearly to
hold the city, as I saw in
February.
Have you lost men?
Have you lost friends?
>> We've all lost someone in
this war.
And keep losing.
That's how it goes.
This is war.
You can't do anything about it.
But these are all losses that
cannot be prevented.
They just happen, because people
kill people.
That's it.
Nick: Multiple U.S. Officials in
the intelligence community and
in the military told me that
they raised the possibility that
bakhmut was not worth defending,
raising the possibility that the
Ukrainian military should go
back up to the high ground
towards sloviansk and
kramatorsk.
Why do you think you ignored
that advice?
Why is bakhmut so important?
Gen. Budanov: I personally do
not accept these recommendations
because we're talking about our
people and our cities, and
losing even an inch of our land
is a big tragedy.
Nick: Bakhmut has become a
symbol of determination for both
sides, far above its military
importance.
But Ukraine sees the seeds of
Russia's downfall being sown in
the city's bloodied Earth.
You've said that Russia
understands it can't drag out
this war.
You've even predicted that
Russia will collapse.
Many of the people I speak to
here believe that's frankly
overly optimistic and that the
war is more likely to last for
years.
Are they wrong?
Gen. Budanov: I can just say one
thing: That time will show.
I stand by my position.
Nick: General budanov, thank you
very much.
♪♪