first off if you would recount what use offered you first said first up was Poland right when
we started in Poland and then
we moved to Slovakia and
Hungary and Romania and we were
on the road for about 3 and a
half we literally on the road
not flying.
>> No not flying so we drove
and when we turned around and
went back to Poland to go into
Ukraine those about a 16 hour
drive. So just showing you
how long these borders are this
is a massive part of the world
and really everywhere. We went
there were more refugees coming
across the point the now
millions of people more than
5 million people have fled
Ukraine and the numbers not
slowing down and we watch
report to watch interview a lot
of people what was your take
away.
>> You just tell me in the
break is that when people are
giving handouts to the
Ukrainians they did not feel
comfortable getting them right
now not mindset was wait a
second I have money I have
means yeah and put yourself in
their shoes for anyone who
might be listening.
>> You might never have
received something for free a
donation while you might want
to give a donation it would the
difficult emotionally
psychologically to accept a
free jacket when you could very
well pay for that on jacket at
home, but you’re leaving
carrying nothing with you
bringing just a backpack so
you’re this big question now
you know we kept for making our
intelligence public saying
listen the Russians have a
150,000 troops on the border.
>> The Russian we fully expect
him to go in and so that he
would make steam as well Wolf
you expected to go why don’t
you know what outcome let you
all weapons of you expect them
to come in. So was as if he was
being read into the
intelligence. When you with
when they when the invasion
happened February 24th. What
proportion of the people that
you met.
>> Even the weeks after people
still could not believe that it
was taking place but in the
moment, no one I
spoke with thought that this
invasion actually would happen
regardless of the intelligence
that we had they genuinely
thought that this was just an
escalation. But that nothing
would actually come to
fruition, especially because of
the relationships that so many
Ukrainians have that they have
friends across the border they
have loved ones the family
members and they themselves
feel this personal tie to the
culture that is in Russia, so
here’s what I think infusing
yeah they overthrew a
handpicked Russian stooge as
leader in back in the 90’s an.
>> And then they have a couple
of elections, tumultuous people
point out the unevenness of
their democracy. They’re
picking their own leaders,
yeah, no question
Rashid doesn’t. So did and they
and they looked every time you
talk to they looking towards
European Union they look West
not East. Why
were they either they serve
shahi so shocked, I think even
though Ukraine has been trying
to get into NATO and leaning on
the
E U there’s still such a
deep-seated cultural ties
between Russia and Ukraine the
language is very similar so
even though people speak
Ukrainian, the understand
Russian.
>> And there’s just a lot of
similarities in the way people
act in the kinds of food that
they eat and that says so much
about someone’s personal
identity. So they said in a lot
of conversations that came up
that they felt that they would
have been less surprise and
less beef then did if it had
been another country and
beating them but the fact that
it was Russia.
They felt like Russia was there
so quote UNQUOTE brother so to
speak so the said this 5.8
million people that have left
the country are just displaced
from their town so 5.8 million
people have left the country.
>> In the country itself 7.7
million people are homeless at
this point in 13 million people
are currently living in a city
that’s either been surrounded
or there’s not enough food and
resources so that’s
that’s almost 2 thirds of the
entire country’s population
disrupted are out of their
homes and now they leave is
relatively OK so bomb once a
week. Keve is starting to
rebuild they say already or
people heading back.
They are so when I was there we
left about a couple weeks ago
people were starting to head
back especially for people who
had been gone for a couple
months now supplies is no
supply so it’s this risk do I
continue to live somewhere else
where I don’t speak the
language I don’t have any way
of supporting myself because I
can’t get a job very easily
unless you’re lucky and you
happen to have the resources,
but they’re deciding ahead back
because it’s safer than it was.
And everything’s feels relative for them. So people have become used to living in a city where
they’re hearing sirens
multiple times a day which is
something that’s unfathomable
for most people here and when
we people saw you do and they
found out your American was at
a good thing or bad thing.
>> So we didn’t have a lot of
negativity if anything people
just wanted to tell their story
they just wanted people around
the world, especially here in
the U.S. they wanted people to
understand how much their lives
to change just in a matter of
10 weeks well.
>> You know what you hear to
what House is going to end is
the bigger question. Yeah and
you hear about the were
grinding on. And we watch
cities being leveled. But it
looks like the Russians also
don’t have a infinite amount of
arms weapons and people right.
So here’s what Lindsey Graham
said this is the moment that we
should double down cut 28, so
you’re saying that that’s how
this ends that putin
his removed.
>> Is there any way you know
off-ramp there is no offer.
No off-ramp so let me tell you
why there’s no offer him the
Ukrainians are not going to
give the east to putin. To stop
the war they’re going to fight
for every inch of their
territory. If we push the
Ukrainians to give up half
the country. The putin wins if
we back off prosecuting boot as
a war criminal all the laws on
the books become a joke.
If we don’t get this right
China will certainly invade
Taiwan. There is no off-ramp in
this war somebody is going to
win and somebody is going to
lose.
>> Now I know how it’s
interpreted here a lot of
people this country are not
happy with Graham’s comments
saying the second set a war and
it’s not our job to make sure
he’s diminished all those to
our advantage. How does of
state Mike that resonate in
Eastern Europe.
>> I think there’s there’s so
much skepticism when people in
Ukraine hear political leaders
and other parts of the world
talking about what’s taking
place on their territory in
their backyard in their homes.
They sometimes see them as
empty words they don’t actually
believe in any of it from the
conversations I’ve had with
people because there
living this they’re fleeing
their homes so as much as
they’d hoped to believe that
there could be the political
backing of world leaders.
For the most part the
conversations I’ve had people
they just genuinely don’t
believe that help is coming
until they see with their own
eyes. So interesting too
because understand Ukraine like
a son.
>> Very polarized light could
goes don’t really talk to
Zelensky he’s an Emmy and push
a co 2 Clinton has one ski beat
handily in election.
They’re in several parts of the
country they’re not appearing
together that going at each
other. But internally there’s
legitimate rivalries in Ukraine
there is but I will say there
is such a support around
Ukraine president volodymyr
Zelensky.
>> Pretty much everyone I
talked to here and it to me
that he he was a sense of pride
for them that if they Felts
confuse or they felt
fearful that he was he was an
image of courage for people,
especially in the fact that
he stayed his family stayed he
didn’t see his wife for about a
month because he wanted to make
sure that his family was safe
and that was a sign of courage
for people who are also
choosing to leave their family.
I mean we should be there
about 6 and a Alex Hogan was he
right when he was in that the
war in the war zone.
>> From fell almost 4 February
24th really got their beginning
of March, Jimmy much he left
about 2 weeks, yeah, it’s
incredibly India and you’ve
seen year over television you
seen a great work and so
composed under pressure
and you see these human anguish
and the would you did is just
fantastic. Thank and they got
to go back to London tomorrow
going back to London solecki is
did a brilliant move and I
think to look back and say
there’s only very few people
that can do because he’s got
that that showmanship I’m gonna
dress will the Parliament’s,
I’m gonna dress the I’m gonna
dress. The Ukrainian people
addressed the world I’m not
going anywhere. And I
contrasted with maybe he didn’t
with what we just saw with
ghani so there’s an invasion
there. The Taliban are on the
March don’t worry the aplenty
arms they’re going to fight for
a while this is going to last
ghani left on the first chopper
out and then they offer him was
a ride out in 48 hours.
And the reason why no it’s true
is because our intelligence is
on us.
They said 72 hours keve will
fall they want to make sure
this guy and I but it isn’t
going anywhere. Yeah, I’m
leaving wonder how the
situation might have been
different because yeah,
I’m leaving.
>> Yeah, I wonder if the exodus
might have been much more
people trying to flee as well
where there were a lot of
people who take a gap it’ll put
it put it that the government
in their yeah and people who
wanted to stay and even now
today is the victory day so to
speak in Russia and Ukraine
president volodymyr zelenskiy
spoke out today saying that he
is going to stand by and
continue to fight and I
think that continued resilience
in this continued comments
speaking every single night to
his country really has shifted
the morale within Ukraine would you would Dan Hofmann said as you know he’s a CIA station
chief in Moscow for years
you’ve been everywhere.
>> Iraq as well.
He’s our guy usually news
analysis of what he hears from
putin. 29.
>> Vladimir putin according to
director CIA Burns over the
weekend. He said putin it’s
going to double down this is
putin’s war he can’t afford to
lose it. And sadly that means
that we may be looking at just
even more. and Russian military raining down more long on Ukraine’s innocent
civilians until
they decide that it’s time to
stop and I would emphasize that
the military assistance United
States is providing our NATO
allies as well keeping Ukraine
in the fight that’s what we
need to do in order to stop
Russia’s war machine.
>> Yes, so you say he’s
doubling tripling down because
he can’t lose yeah.
I mean think about and I know
you I mean he had success in
Syria, Assad stays in power.
He had success to Crimea no
problem state in Georgia when
invaded hasn’t left yet.
He takes most of the donbass
region so I think it a role
people are afraid of us I got
this great military.
>> Yeah and now he can’t really
wrap his head around the fact
that he’s losing at the very
least his personal profile is
diminished. And the Russian
reputation is destroyed.
And there’s a lot of
fear and anxiety over what
could take place on May 9th.
>> And if this would be a an
escalation even more fresh
would double down and
thankfully. We haven’t seen any
of those military moves today,
there was the
attack on a school Ives school
facility over the weekend lujan
screech and about 60 people are
believed to be dead. But that
being said for weeks on end
leading up to
this May 9th data there had
been so much concern that
things would take a shift for
the worse. And we haven’t seen
that so far so that is a
positive sign right people in
Ukraine because they say one of
the one moves he has he could
just mobilize the entire
country and men go ahead is
going to be a draft.
>> And they said let’s break
that down there’s no these
people have no and their
commanders in the spring to
have to train the trainers to
train the people exactly how
how long is that going to take
and what are you going to do
with rookie.
>> Of with bet with people and
army with absolutely no
battlefield experience.
>> What’s going to happen the
interim there’s not enough
resources to train everyone one
thing that I thought was
interesting in Ukraine.
>> We’re seen this mass exodus
of women and children the men
are staying behind to fight and
it is a sense of pride to be
able to defend their country.
After this invasion, but so
many people tried
to enlist and go fight that
they had too many Ukrainian
volunteers who are trying to
fight so in places like Libya
on the western side of the
country you’ll walk around the
streets and you’ll see
so many men and I think people
might be surprised by that
thinking will should they
fighting, but they
have more than enough soldiers
at this point that there’s just
not enough.
The resources right to train
them because everyone who is
trained is fighting. Yeah, I
mean it’s got to be pride to
know that Ukrainian is
synonymous with strength
and determination.
>> That is a great reputation
have because they’re with their
winning on all fronts.
And because it was so easy when
they waltz into Crimea but a
lot has changed since 2014.
I want you to hear this one
sound bite and I know I play
this we did this morning.
This captain both downcourt of
age is somebody who’s right now
in the catacombs of the steal
my to marry you pull. They’ve
luckily since he cut this tape
for us. They have little the
civilians out but his unit the
A’s The A’s up Italian and a
100 Marines are still ready to
fight to try to hold on to
marry you pull, and they asked
me for question to submit to
many answers on video. And this
is the translation. This is him
talking about
the perceptions of with the
Russians white with the
Russians say to him after they
get captured in battle
cut 31, we have lots of
interceptions when commanders
would tell their seniors that
soldiers don’t want to fight.
>> Then seniors would give the
permission to kill those who
are unwilling in order to
motivate the others to be
cannon fodder to the question
of why they came to
Ukrainian land. Russians just
say of course that they didn’t
know where they’re going why
this was happening the power
that should change in Russia,
etcetera we still have several
war prisoners who we offered to
trade but the Russian
Federation isn’t interested in
trading for this year that’s
not the first time you heard
that the Russians didn’t know
what they were fighting for
yeah and just like we talked
about originally at the
beginning about how Ukrainians
have this existential
crisis of hating Russia’s
invasion but also having loved
ones are having their personal
identity be part Russian part
Ukrainian.
>> Same thing for these Russian
troops a lot of them have
family members in Ukraine so
this is the last thing that
they wanted to do for some of
them. But unfortunately,
leaving isn’t always an option
and we’ve seen videos of
Russian troops surrendering and
crying with Ukrainian people
and they had no desire to do
this. But unfortunately they
were either in it and there’s
no way for them to leave you
out when you go back.
That’s the question we have a
lot of stories coming up in
London, so maybe within the
next month we’ll be back over
that big Julie writing Julie,
the Queensland in Queens in the
the Julius 70 years on the
throne which is amazing amazing
to think that she’s been
sitting in the same job, not
just 7 years old, but she’s
been sitting on the throne for
70 years that was personal
growth a new Queen already so
you become King.
Alex thanks so much for coming