UKRAINIAN CAPITAL, MANY THANKS.
JOINING ME NOW IS SENIOR FELLOW
AND MILITARY EXPERT FOR DEFENSE
PRIORITIES, RETIRED LIEUTENANT
COLONEL DANIEL DAVIS, COLONEL,
WELCOME.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
MIKE: THE CIRCLE SHOWS
SIGNIFICANT FIGHTING OVER THE
PAST 24 HOURS, BOOM, BOOM.
THE RED SHOWS AREAS SECURED BY
RUSSIAN FORCES OR WHERE RUSSIAN
FORCES ARE ADVANCING.
THESE PATTERN ONES.
AND THE BLUE AREAS ARE WHERE THE
UKRAINIANS ARE CLAIMING
COUNTEROFFENSES.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE BATTLE AT
THIS POINT?
>> WHEN YOU LOOK BACK OVER THE
LAST SIX MONTHS YOU SEE QUITE A
LOT OF AREAS THAT THE RUSSIANS
HAVE TAKEN.
IT’S GOING SLOW BUT IT’S
METHODICAL AND RELENTLESS AND N
HOW THEY ARE DOING IT.
EVERY TIME THEY ARE TAKING
GROUND THEY HAVE RELATIVELY
SPEAKING HAVE NOT GIVEN IT BACK
UP AND SOME OF THE AREAS AROUND
HERE WERE MOVEMENTS THAT WERE
SMALL AND THEY WERE A LONG TIME
AGO, ACTUALLY SEVERAL WEEKS AGO
BUT IN RECENT DAYS ESPECIALLY
THIS AREA HERE YOU SEE RUSSIA
HAS ACTUALLY STARTED TO EITHER
CONTINUE ITS OFFENSIVE OR
CONDUCT PROBING ATTACKS BUT WHAT
YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IN UKRAINE HAS
BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR MONTHS
THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE BIG OFFENSIVE THAT IT WAS GOING TO
OFFENSIVE THAT IT WAS GOING TO
SWEEP DOWN TO TAKE KIRSON, THEY
DON’T HAVE THE CAPACITY, THEY
WILL STRUGGLE TO HOLD ONTO THIS.
NOW THAT YOU SEE REALLY ALSO UP
IN RIGHT HERE THIS MORNING, UP
TO 200 ROCKET LAUNCHES IN THERE,
ALL THROUGH THE KHARKIV AREA.
YOU SEE RUSSIA REALLY INCREASING
THE AMOUNT OF FIRE POWER THAT
THEY ARE BRINGING ONTO THIS AND
PROBABLY THE MOST NOTEWORTHY
THING IN 12 TO 24 HOURS, REPORTS
OF RUSSIAN ARMORED COLUMN MOVING
INTO THIS AREA TO DONTSK AND
IT’S THEIR MOST MODERN STUFF AND
COULD BE THEY ARE GOING TO START
STRONGER OFFENSIVE IN THE
DONETSK.
MIKE: RUSSIANS SEEKING LAND
BRIDGE TO UKRAINE FROM THE PORT
CITIES, CORRECT?
>> BY IN LARGE ALREADY HAVE THAT
BUT WHAT’S THE REAL DANGER IF
THEY CONTINUE TO PUSH THROUGH
THIS CURRENT LINE THAT YOU SEE
RIGHT HERE, THERE’S A COUPLE OF
CITIES, SLAVIAN, MAJOR CITIES IN
NORTHERN PART OF DONBAS AND IF
RUSSIA CAN TAKE THAT, THEY CAN
COME AND HIT KHARKIV FROM 3
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS OR SWING
SOUTH TO TAKE MYKOLAIV, THERE’S
RISK FOR THE UKRAINIAN TROOPS
RIGHT NOW.
MIKE: NUCLEAR LOGO RIGHT HERE.
HOW ALARMED SHOULD WE BE?
>> THIS IS THE ONE THING I’M
WATCHING THE MOST, IT HAS THE
MOST POTENTIAL RISK TO EXPAND
THIS BEYOND THE BORDERS OF WHERE
IT’S AT BECAUSE IF ANYBODY HITS
THIS, IT DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER
IT’S THE RUSSIANS OR UKRAINES
AND THEY ARE BOTH FIRING IN THIS
AREA, IF THEY HIT THE COOLING
TOWER, THAT’S THE REAL ISSUE
BECAUSE THE ACTUAL CONCRETE
FACILITY THE MADE TO WITHSTAND
THIS BUT IF THEY HIT THE COOLING
TOWER AND IT CAN HEAT INSIDE AND
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THIS
DOESN’T GO ANYWHERE.
MIKE: I WANT TO GO TO TOPIC
NUMBER TWO.
WE ARE AT THE ONE-YEAR
ADVERSARY.
I’M STRUGGLING HERE WITH
FLIPPING THIS MAP.
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
BOOM.
TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
THERE’S AN AFGHAN MAP HERE AND
SO HERE WE ARE YEAR AFTER THE
WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN,
YOUR THOUGHTS LOOKING BACK AT
AMERICA’S LONGEST WAR AND WHERE
WE ARE A YEAR LATER.
>> ONE THING YOU CAN REALLY TELL
IS THAT AMERICA’S SECURITY HAS
NOT BEEN IMPERILED BY OUR
WITHDRAWAL LIKE MANY WERE AFRAID
IT WAS GOING TO.
WE JUST SAW THAT W. THE TAKEDOWN
OF THE AL-QAEDA LEADER.
WE TOOK IT DOWN, WE DON’T HAVE
TROOPS ON THE GROUND AND WE ALSO
TOOK OUT BAGHDADY IN SYRIA OR
BIN LADEN IN PAKISTAN.
WE CAN KEEP OURSELVES SAFE FROM
THAT -- FROM ANY KIND OF DIRECT
THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES.
WE HAVE DONE IT FOR MANY YEARS
AND OUR CAPABILITIES ARE MUCH
STRONGER WHEN WE WERE IN
AFGHANISTAN.
OUR TROOPS ARE NO LONGER AT RISK
THERE AND IT’S A GOOD THING IN
AMERICA EVEN THOUGH IT WAS MESSY