BUSH WHITE HOUSE AND STATE
DEPARTMENTS, ELISE JORDAN.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL.
LET'S GET RIGHT INTO IT.
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT IS
DENYING CLAIMS BY U.S.
INTELLIGENCE THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN
IS BEING MISLED ABOUT THE
RUSSIAN MILITARY FAILURES IN
UKRAINE.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE KREMLIN SAID
AT A PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY,
QUOTE, NEITHER THE STATE
DEPARTMENT NOR THE PENTAGON HAVE
REAL INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN THE KREMLIN.
HE ALSO WARNED, QUOTE, SUCH A
COMPLETE MISUNDERSTANDING LEADS
TO ERRONEOUS AND RASH DECISIONS
THAT CAUSE VERY BAD
CONSEQUENCES.
MEANWHILE, ONE U.S. OFFICIAL
TELLING NBC NEWS THE UNITED
STATES GOVERNMENT HAS
INTELLIGENCE INDICATING SOME
SENIOR-RUSSIAN OFFICIALS LIKELY
DISAGREED WITH WITH PUTIN'S
DECISION TO INVADE UKRAINE.
WE KNOW THAT'S TRUE.
THE OFFICIAL SAID, QUOTE, THEIR
DISILLUSIONMENT IS PROBABLY
AMPLIFIED BY THE RUSSIAN
MILITARY'S UNDERPERFORMANCE,
WHICH INCLUDES MANY
FRIENDLY-FIRE CASUALTIES
INCLUDING SHOOTDOWNS OF RUSSIAN
AIRCRAFT BY RUSSIAN AIR DEFENSE,
WIDE-SCALE MISSILE LAUNCH
FAILURES, AND STIFFER THAN
EXPECTED RESISTANCE FROM THE
UKRAINIAN PEOPLE.
INSIDE UKRAINE, RUSSIAN FORCES
CONTINUE TO LAUNCH ATTACKS
AROUND THE CAPITAL CITY OF KYIV,
DESPITE SAYING IT PLANNED TO
PULL BACK FROM THE AREA.
THIS AS UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS SAY
RUSSIAN SOLDIERS HAVE WITHDRAWN
FROM THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR PLANT
AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO HIGH
DOSES OF RADIATION.
NBC NEWS CHIEF FOREIGN
CORRESPONDENT RICHARD ENGEL
BEGINS OUR COVERAGE THIS MORNING
FROM EASTERN UKRAINE.
>> Reporter: RUSSIA'S MILITARY
HAS SUFFERED SHOCKING SETBACKS
IN UKRAINE.
SOME, SELF-INFLICTED.
UKRAINE'S STATE NUCLEAR COMPANY
SAYS TWO COLUMNS OF RUSSIAN
TROOPS LEFT THE CHERNOBYL
NUCLEAR DISASTER SITE, STILL
CONTAMINATED FROM THE 1986
MELTDOWN.
THE COMPANY SAID THE RUSSIANS
ARE LEAVING AFTER DIGGING
TRENCHES IN THE CONTAMINATED
SOIL AND RECEIVING SIGNIFICANT
DOSES OF RADIATION.
THE RUSSIAN MILITARY HAS SAID
RADIATION LEVELS HAVE REMAINED
WITHIN A NORMAL RANGE IN THE
AREA.
BUT IS PUTIN EVEN BEING TOLD?
A DAY AFTER THE WHITE HOUSE SAID
RUSSIAN GENERALS WERE AFRAID TO
GIVE PUTIN THE TRUTH ABOUT THE
WAR, PRESIDENT BIDEN SAYING THIS --
THIS -- SAYING
THIS -- SAYING THIS -
>> THAT IS AN OPEN QUESTION.
HE SEEMS TO BE SELF-ISOLATING.
>> Reporter: THE U.S. OFFICIAL
TELLS NBC NEWS, THE UNITED
STATES HAS ASSESSED SOME RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT SENIOR OFFICIALS
LIKELY DISAGREED WITH PUTIN'S
DECISION TO INVADE UKRAINE.
DESPITE PROMISES TO REDUCE
ATTACKS AROUND KYIV, RUSSIA IS
ALREADY STRIKING AGAIN NEAR THE
CAPITAL, DESTROYING THIS
WAREHOUSE.
UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY,
WHO SPOKE WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN,
SAYS HE NEEDS MORE AMERICAN HELP
TO DEFEND HIS COUNTRY, INCLUDING
FIGHTER JETS AND TANKS.
U.S. AID IS ESSENTIAL FOR US, HE
SAID.
WHILE PRESIDENT PUTIN IS MAKING
NEW ECONOMIC THREATS.
SAYING UNFRIENDLY COUNTRIES,
WHICH INCLUDE EUROPE AND THE
UNITED STATES, MUST PAY FOR
RUSSIAN NATURAL GAS IN RUBLES IN
RUSSIAN BANKS OR RISK BEING CUT
OFF.
>> NBC'S RICHARD ENGEL REPORTING
FROM UKRAINE.
LET'S BRING IN COLUMNIST ASK
ASSOCIATE EDITOR FOR "THE
WASHINGTON POST," DAVID IGNATIUS
AND FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED
COMMANDER, RETIRED FOUR STAR
NAVY ADMIRAL JAMES STAVRIDIS.
HE IS CHIEF INTERNATIONAL
SECURITY AND DIPLOMACY ANALYST
FOR NBC NEWS AND MSNBC.
GENTLEMEN, GOOD MORNING TO YOU
BOTH.
ADMIRAL, WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE
ON THIS OUT OF "THE NEW YORK
TIMES."
THEY ARE REPORTING RUSSIA IS
RUNNING ITS MILITARY CAMPAIGN
OUT OF MOSCOW WITH NO CENTRAL
WAR COMMANDER ON THE GROUND IN
UKRAINE.
SENIOR-U.S. OFFICIALS AND
INDEPENDENT ANALYSTS TELL "THE
TIMES" THE LACK OF A UNIFYING
MILITARY LEADER IN UKRAINE HAS
MEANT RUSSIAN AIR, GROUND, AND
SEA UNITS ARE NOT IN SYNC.
THEY ARE THEIR DISJOINTED
BATTLEFIELD CAMPAIGNS HAVE BEEN
PLAGUED BY POOR LOGISTICS, LOW
MORALE, AND BETWEEN 7,000 AND
15,000 MILITARY DEATHS SO FAR.
AT LEAST SEVEN RUSSIAN GENERALS,
ALSO, HAVE DIED IN THE WAR.
NOW, THE KREMLIN REPORTEDLY IS
TURNING TO SYRIANS TO HELP TURN
THE TIDE OF THE WAR.
ACCORDING TO A WESTERN DIPLOMAT,
WHO SPOKE WITH "THE TIMES,"
HUNDREDS OF SYRIAN MERCENARIES
ARE ON THEIR WAY TO JOIN PUTIN'S
ARMY WITH WITH SOME HAVING
ALREADY ARRIVED IN RUSSIA FOR
TRAINING.
TWO SOURCES TELL "THE TIMES"
THIS IS EFFECTIVELY SEEN AS
SYRIA RETURNING THE FAVOR TO
MOSCOW FOR RUSSIA'S HELP IN
CRUSHING REBELS AMID SYRIA'S
ONGOING CIVIL WAR.
"THE TIMES" ALSO WRITES MANY
MORE SYRIANS COULD BE ON THEIR
WAY TO UKRAINE WITH RECRUITERS
REPORTEDLY DRAWING UP LISTS OF
THOUSANDS OF CANDIDATES
INTERESTED IN BECOMING
MERCENARIES.
AT THE PENTAGON YESTERDAY, PRESS
SECRETARY JOHN KIRBY CONFIRMED
ABOUT 1,000 MERCENARIES, MANY OF
THEM SYRIAN, ALREADY ARE IN
UKRAINE AFTER BEING HIRED BY
PRIVATE RUSSIAN CONTRACTORS.
SO, ADMIRAL, TAKE THOSE TWO
STORIES TOGETHER, IF YOU WOULD,
IF THERE IS NO RUSSIAN MILITARY
COMMANDER ON THE GROUND, THAT
EXPLAINS A LOT OF THE FAILURES
BUT ALSO THE DESPERATION HAVING
TO CALL ON SYRIAN MERCENARIES TO
BACK UP RUSSIAN TROOPS.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
>> IT IS A CAMPAIGN THAT IS
FLOUNDERING AND FLOUNDERING
BADLY.
AND LET'S START WITH THE
GENERALS.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SEVEN DEAD.
MAYBE AS MANY AS EIGHT OR NINE.
THAT'S UNHEARD OF IN 20 YEARS OF
WAR, THE U.S. DIDN'T LOSE A
SINGLE GENERAL IN ACTUAL COMBAT
OPERATIONS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE
SEVEN IN THE GROUND AS OPPOSED
TO ON THE GROUND, SO TO SPEAK.
SO, THAT IS PROBLEM NUMBER ONE.
AND YOU CANNOT RUN A BIG
CAMPAIGN LIKE THIS WITHOUT
DEDICATED, ON-THE-GROUND
GENERALS WHO KNOW THE FEEL OF
THEIR TROOPS.
THEY ARE CAPABLE OF BRINGING
THAT KIND OF JOINTNESS, AIR,
SEA, LAND, CYBER, INTELLIGENCE.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER.
SECOND POINT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU
GET THE FEELING THAT THE
KREMLIN'S TURNING A LITTLE BIT
INTO A GAME OF THRONES THERE
WITH FACTIONS GOING BACK AND
FORTH.
UM, AND I THINK THE
ADMINISTRATION IS DOING A VERY
GOOD JOB OF FOSTERING THAT BY
TRYING TO GET KIND OF BEHIND THE
MIND OF PUTIN, IF YOU WILL, AND
CERTAINLY IF YOU GO FOR THE
KING, YOU BETTER KILL HIM.
AND I THINK THOSE AROUND PUTIN
KNOW THAT.
BUT THAT'S PROBLEM NUMBER TWO.
AND THEN, THIRD AND FINALLY,
WILLIE, VERY CONCERNING, THE
SYRIANS COMING IN.
UM, THIS IS YET ANOTHER DIRTY
TRICK, IF YOU WILL, OUT OF
PUTIN.
BUT THESE ARE GOING TO BE FORCES
THAT ARE THE ULTIMATE
UNDISCIPLINED, LOOTING, RAPING,
IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY UGLY
PART OF THE CAMPAIGN.
AND ALL OF IT IS INCLINED TO