CLINT WATTS, I WANT TO TURN TO
YOU.
YOU'RE AT THE BOARD IN NEW YORK.
HELP US TO UNDERSTAND THIS
RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE.
IT IS PICKING UP.
WALK US THROUGH THE CURRENT
STATE OF THE CONFLICT AND THESE
HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS THAT WE
KEEP FOCUSING ON AND TALKING
ABOUT.
THAT'S WHERE THE HOPE LIES FOR
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO
FLEE.
>> WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THE
RUSSIANS ARE STILL ADVANCING ON
SEVERAL AXES.
THARP
THEY'RE NOT HAVING THE SUCCESS
THEY PROBABLY THOUGHT THEY WERE
GOING TO HAVE.
THIS IS THE CONVOY WE TALKED
ABOUT LAST WEEK.
IT'S BEEN BOGGED DOWN AND IS
STILL BOGGED DOWN.
IN KYIV THE UKRAINIAN MILITARY
HAS BEEN PARTICULARLY GOOD AT
BOGGING DOWN THAT CONVOY BECAUSE
RUSSIAN ARMOR IS NOT SUPPORTING
WITH GROUND TROOPS AROUND THEIR
ARMORED CONVOYS.
YOU'RE SEEING AN ADVANCE COMING
IN FROM SUMY.
THIS WILL HAVE TO FORCE THE
UKRAINIAN MILITARY TO DEAL WITH ANOTHER ACCESS OF ADVANCE.
ANOTHER ACCESS OF ADVANCE.
IN PLACES LIKE SUMY AND KHARKIV
AND MARIUPOL, THEY'RE USING
INDIRECT MISSILES.
AND WITH THE REFUGEES, THIS IS
THE REFUGEES AS THEY STREAM
ACROSS OUT TOWARDS THE EAST AND
SOUTH.
BUT INSIDE UKRAINE, PART OF THE
PROBLEM IS THESE AREAS CLOSER TO
THE EAST, WHICH ARE CLOSER TO
RUSSIA, HAVE SINCE BEEN OVERRUN.
NOW, RUSSIA DOESN'T CONTROL
THESE AND THEY HAVE HUMAN
POPULATION CENTERS IN THEIR REAR
AREAS, WHICH LEADS TO
ESSENTIALLY HAVING DISMOUNTED
SOURCES OR INSURGENTS OVER TIME.
THESE ARE THE PROPOSED
HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS THAT
RUSSIA HAS OFFERED.
YOU CAN SEE HOW RIDICULOUS THESE
ARE.
THEY'RE SAYING PEOPLE IN
MARIUPOL, AFTER WE HAVE BOMBED
YOU FOR ALL OF THIS TIME, WE
WANT YOU TO POTENTIALLY HEAD TO
THIS REGION IN RUSSIA.
THAT MEANS EVERYBODY LEFT BEHIND
WOULD BE SEEN AS A COMBATANT.
AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS ALL OF
THEM ARE SAYING YOU CAN RETRIEVE
OUT OF COMBAT ZONES INTO BELARUS
OR RUSSIA.
RIDICULOUS.
THAT'S WHY NONE OF THE PROPOSALS
ARE MET WITH SERIOUSNESS.
YESTERDAY WE WATCHED HORRIFIES
VIDEO IN MARIUPOL OF A CITIZENS
TRYING TO GET OUT OF TOWN.
IT'S A DANGEROUS SITUATION, THEY
HAVE NOWHERE TO GO.
PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
HOW DO WE GET AID TO THESE
PEOPLE, THEY'RE IN A MUCH MORE
PERILOUS SITUATION.
RUSSIA TENDS TO USE REFUGEES,
RUSSIAN ETHNIC REFUGEE AS A
DISINFORMATION AND PROPAGANDA
TOOL INSIDE RUSSIA.
IT'S A VERY PRECARIOUS SITUATION
IN THE EAST.
>> LET ME FOLLOW UP WITH YOU
BEFORE WE HAVE TO GO.
MARIUPOL, LET'S GO BACK TO THAT
REGION.
YOU TALKED ABOUT JUST HOW
PRECARIOUS IT IS AND HOW
DIFFICULT IT IS TO TRY TO GET
CIVILIANS OUT.
IS THAT IN PART BECAUSE RUSSIANS
HAVE MADE GAINS IN THE SOUTH
THAT'S REALLY COMPLICATING THOSE
EFFORTS?
>> YEAH.
SO WE TALKED THE FIRST WEEK
ABOUT RUSSIAN STRUGGLES IN THE
NORTH.
IN THE SOUTH IT'S A VERY
DIFFERENT STORY.
THEY'VE NOT BEEN AMAZING BUT
THEY'VE HAD SUCCESSES BY
BUILDING THIS HERE.
FORCES FROM THE DONBAS REGION,
PUTIN HAD USED IT, THIS TOWN HAS BEEN COMPLETELY SURROUNDED.
BEEN COMPLETELY SURROUNDED.
AND THE SEA OF AZOV IS
COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY RUSSIA.
AND THEY'VE ADVANCED INTO KHERSON AND THEN AND HAVE THE
KHERSON AND THEN AND HAVE THE
ABILITY TO GO ALL THE WAY TO
MOLDOVA.
THIS IS WHAT IS CALLED
ESSENTIALLY VLADIMIR PUTIN WANTS
TO LINK UP ALL THE RUSSIAN
PEOPLE, GO BACK TO THE LATE
1700s, THERE WAS A RUSSIAN
EMPIRE THERE TEMPORARILY.
HE WANTS TO RECREATE THAT.
THAT'S PART OF THE HISTORY
THERE.
THIS AREA PARTICULARLY IN
SOUTHERN UKRAINE IS KNOWN FOR
WHEAT PRODUCTION.