MISSILES ARE FALLING ALL AROUND
KYIV.
NBC'S RICHARD ENGEL LIVE IN
UKRAINE'S CAPITAL FOR US.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
MIKA.
>>> FOR THE FIRST TIME RUSSIA'S
DEFENSE MINISTRY ACKNOWLEDGED
EXTENSIVE LOSSES, SAYING THAT
498 RUSSIA TROOPS HAVE BEEN
KILLED AND NEARLY 1,600 INJURED
SO FAR.
OFFICIALS SAY FIERCE UKRAINIAN
RESISTANCE AND RESUPPLY
CHALLENGES HAVE SLOWED DOWN
RUSSIAN TROOPS.
A SENIOR U.S. DEFENSE OFFICIAL
YESTERDAY SAID MOSCOW HAS MOVED
82% OF THE FORCE THAT HAD
AMASSED ALONG THE BORDER INTO
UKRAINE.
THE U.S. HAS COUNTED MORE THAN
450 RUSSIAN MISSILE LAUNCHES
SINCE THE CONFLICT BEGAN.
JOINING US NOW FROM MOSCOW IS
NBC NEWS SENIOR INTERNATIONAL
CORRESPONDENT KEIR SIMMONS.
KEIR, WE HEARD MORE FROM THE
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SERGEY
LAVROV.
WHAT DID HE SAY?
>> Reporter: THAT'S RIGHT, MIKA.
JUST TO SEGUE FOR A MOMENT, WE ACTUALLY ALSO HEARD THIS MORNING
ACTUALLY ALSO HEARD THIS MORNING
FROM THE KREMLIN SPOKESMAN,
DEMETREE PESKOV AND HE WAS
FORCED EFFECTIVELY THEY'RE ABOUT
TO IMPOSE MARTIAL LAW HERE IN
RUSSIA.
I THINK THE FACT THAT HE WAS
ASKED THAT AND THAT HE FELT THAT
HE SHOULD ANSWER AND SAY IT IS
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, ACCORDING
TO HIM ANYWAY, I THINK THAT
GIVES YOU A SENSE OF THE LEVEL
OF THE FEBRILE ATMOSPHERE HERE
HONESTLY, NOT JUST HERE BUT
INSIDE THE KREMLIN.
YOU ARE RIGHT, I HAD AN
OPPORTUNITY IN THE PAST FEW
HOURS TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS OF
SERGEY LAVROV, THE RUSSIAN
FOREIGN MINISTER. I ASKED HIM PARTICULARLY ABOUT
I ASKED HIM PARTICULARLY ABOUT
THESE PLANESCLAIMS IN THE WEST T
PRESIDENT PUTIN IS ERRATIC, THAT
HE IS ISOLATED, AND THEN WENT ON
TO ASK HIM ABOUT THE NUCLEAR
THREATS.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> Reporter: FOR DECADES RUSSIA
AND AMERICA HAVE MAINTAINED
STABILITY DESPITE FEARSOME
NUCLEAR CAPABILITY.
CAN YOU REASSURE THE WORLD THAT
RUSSIA WOULD NOT FIRE A NUCLEAR
WEAPON IN ANGER, WOULD NOT FIRE
A FIRST STRIKE?
>> WE'VE GOT A MILITARY DOCTRINE
WHICH DESCRIBES THE PARAMETERS
AND CONDITIONS FOR APPLICATION
OR DEPLOYMENT OF NUCLEAR
WEAPONS.
WE DO NOT HAVE -- WE DO NOT HAVE
ANY ESCALATION IN ORDER TO
DEESCALATE AS WESTERN POWERS
TRIED TO PRESENT IT.
I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THE
STATEMENT OF YOUR PRESIDENT,
BIDEN, WHEN REPLYING TO A
QUESTION WHETHER THERE WAS AN
ALTERNATIVE TO THESE SANCTIONS
FROM HELL.
HE SAID THAT THE ONLY
ALTERNATIVE IS WORLD WAR III,
AND EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT IT
CAN ONLY BE NUCLEAR WAR.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT
THAT THESE ARE STATEMENTS OF THE
WESTERN POLITICIANS.
THEY ARE REPEATING NUCLEAR WAR.
THIS HAS NOT BEEN THE HEADS OF
THE RUSSIANS.
>> Reporter: AND WE ACTUALLY,
MIKA, WENT BACK OVER THE
TRANSLATION.
WHAT HE ACTUALLY SAID IN THE
BEGINNING OF THE ANSWER TO ME
WAS, WE DON'T HAVE INSANE
PEOPLE, WE HAVE A NUCLEAR
DOCTRINE.
QUITE EXTRAORDINARY REALLY THAT
A RUSSIAN MINISTER WOULD HAVE TO
SAY, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE
INSANE PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF HIS -- PART OF
HIS ANSWER I THINK ALSO WILL GET
PEOPLE -- WILL GET PEOPLE'S
ATTENTION BECAUSE HE APPEARS
THAT RUSSIA DOES NOT HAVE AN
ESCALATE TO DEESCALATE POLICY.
WHAT THAT DOCTRINE IS SAID TO BE
IS THE USE OF NUCLEAR THREATS IN
ORDER TO GAIN THE ADVANTAGE ON
THE BATTLEFIELD.
IN OTHER WORDS IN A CONVENTIONAL
WAR, YOU THREATEN NUCLEAR POWER
AND THAT GAINS YOU AN ADVANTAGE.
HE APPEARS TO BE SAYING IN THAT
ANSWER THAT RUSSIA DOES NOT HAVE
THAT POLICY.
SO I SUPPOSE YOU COULD SAY
INDICATIONS OF AN ATTEMPT TO
REASSURE PEOPLE, EVEN WHILE
ACCUSING THE WEST OF BEING
THERE.
>> IT IS INTERESTING, KEIR.
ANOTHER WAY TO READ INTO THAT IS
WE'RE NOT BLUFFING.
WE'RE NOT THREATENING THE USE OF
NUCLEAR WEAPONS TO GET A BETTER
OUTCOME IN UKRAINE.
SO THAT OBVIOUSLY VERY
CONCERNING.
YOU LOOK AT LAVROV, AND I KNOW
YOU HAVE INTERVIEWED HIM AND
SEEN HIM AND WE HAVE ALL SEEN
HIM A GOOD BIT BEFORE.
YOU HAVE SEEN HIM OBVIOUSLY MUCH
MORE THAN MOST OF US.
HE DID NOT LOOK ANY MORE
COMFORTABLE IN THAT SETTING
ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS THAN
THE RUSSIAN SOLDIERS BEING
CONFRONTED BY UKRAINIAN -- BY
UKRAINIAN CITIZENS.
YOU RILEYEALLY DO GET A SENSE,
WHETHER IT IS THE OLIGARCHS THAT
ARE FLEEING ON THEIR YACHTS OR
HAVING TO SELL ASSETS ACROSS THE
WEST OR THE MILITARY GENERALS
WHO ARE HAVING TO SEND THESE
YOUNG KIDS INTO WAR, YOU REALLY
DO GET A DEEP SENSE OF UNEASE,
NOT ONLY FROM MOSCOW'S LEADERS
BUT ALSO FROM THE MIDDLE CLASS
WHO ARE RUSHING TO ATM MACHINES
AND WAITING IN LINE FOR SEVERAL
DAYS.
WHAT IS YOUR READ ON THE GROUND
THERE?
>> Reporter: YOU DO GET A SENSE
OF THAT, JOE.
WE GET A SENSE OF IT, BECAUSE
YOU CAN IMAGINE THE TEAM HERE
TALK TO PEOPLE QUIETLY, NOT IN
PUBLIC NECESSARILY, PEOPLE WILL
SHARE THEIR SENSE OF UNEASE.
THEN THERE ARE THESE
INDICATIONS.
YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THE
YACHTS, REUTERS REPORTING THAT A
SHIPPING TRACKING SITE CAN SEE
SUPER YACHTS, OLIGARCH SUPER
YACHTS IN THE MALDEEFSIVES AND T
MALDIVES DO NOT HAVE AN
EXTRADITION TREATY WITH THE U.S.
SO SMALL INDICATIONS THERE IS A
WORRY.
THERE IS A REPORT THAT WAS
BURIED A LITTLE BIT A FEW DAYS
AGO THAT PRESIDENT PUTIN'S
YACHT -- QUITE EXTRAORDINARY
THAT PRESIDENT PUTIN ALLEGEDLY
HAS A YACHT, BUT HIS SUPER YACHT
GOT MOVED FROM GERMANY BEFORE
THIS CONFLICT STARTED.
SO CERTAINLY WESTERN OFFICIALS
TELL ME THAT THEY HAVE BEEN
SEEING SIGNS OF THE RUSSIAN
SUPER RICH TRYING TO SHIFT THEIR
ASSETS, ANOTHER EXAMPLE I THINK
YOU CAN READ INTO THE FACT THAT
THE VERY WEALTHY, THE MOST
WEALTHY IN THIS COUNTRY, SOME OF
THEM HAVE BEGUN TO COME OUT AND
SAY -- CALL FOR PEACE, SAYING
THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE PART IN
PEACE NEGOTIATIONS.
THERE'S A CALIBRATED MESSAGE
FROM THEM, POSSIBLY TRYING TO
IMPROVE THEIR REPUTATIONS IN THE
WEST BUT ALSO MAYBE TRYING TO
SEND A MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT
PUTIN.
AGAIN THOUGH, YOU JUST -- WE
HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT SO MANY
TIMES.
YOU SEE PRESIDENT PUTIN SITTING
THAT DISTANCE FROM EVERYONE,
FROM HIS MINISTERS, FROM THE
OLIGARCHS AND YOU WONDER REALLY
HOW THEY WOULD GET A MESSAGE
THROUGH TO HIM.
MAYBE SOME OF THEM ARE THINKING
THAT JUST SAYING SOMETHING IN
PUBLIC IS THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN
REALLY GET A MESSAGE TO HIM,
BUT, AGAIN, THERE IS THIS VERY
SMALL CIRCLE AROUND PRESIDENT
PUTIN.
I ACTUALLY ASKED IN THAT
INTERVIEW, IN THOSE QUESTIONS TO
SERGEI LAVROV, I ASKED HIM
WHETHER -- HOW HE RESPONDS TO
THE CLAIMS IN THE WEST TAKE
PRESIDENT PUTIN IS ISOLATED AND
ERRATIC.
I ACTUALLY SAID TO HIM, IS HE
TAKING YOUR ADVICE AND WHEN IS
THE LAST TIME YOU WERE ABLE TO
GIVE PRESIDENT PUTIN ADVICE AND
HE DIDN'T ANSWER THAT PART OF