IN NORTH EASTERN UKRAINE, WHERE RUSSIAN FORCES ARE CONTINUING TO MAKE SOME OF THEIR MOST SIGNIFICANT BATTLEFIELD GAINS IN NEARLY TWO YEARS, MOSCOW'S ARMY IS NOW ADVANCING TOWARDS AN IMPORTANT DEFENSIVE LINE AFTER IT'S SURPRISE, CROSS-BORDER ASSAULT FOUR DAYS AGO MEANWHILE, US SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN, MET WITH PRESIDENT VOLODYMR ZELENSKYY IN KYIV EARLIER. ACCORDING TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT, THEY DISCUSSED FRONTLINE UPDATES AS WELL AS THE IMPORTANCE OF NEWLY ARRIVED US SECURITY ASSISTANCE. BEFORE THAT MEETING, THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT STRESSED HOW CRITICAL IT IS TO STOP RUSSIAN TROOPS FROM MAKING FURTHER GAINS NATIONAL. OUR TASK IS CRYSTAL CLEAR TO THWART TO RUSSIA'S ATTEMPT TO EXPAND THE WAR. THE FULFILLMENT OF THIS TASK DEPENDS LITERALLY ON EVERYONE WHO IS ON THE GROUND FROM CHURNER NIAVE TO VOVCHANSK FROM KHARKIV TO DONE YET THERE MUST BE NO SAFE PLACE FOR THE OCCUPIER ON THE UKRAINIAN LAND, AS WELL AS IN OUR SKY SEEN AS FREDERIK PLEITGEN JOINING ME NOW, LIVE IN BERLIN. >> FRED, TELL US MORE ABOUT THE SITUATION. OBVIOUSLY, A VERY CHALLENGING TIME FOR UKRAINE SECRETARY OF STATE BLINKEN AS VISITING YEAH, IT CERTAINLY IS THE UKRAINIANS DEFINITELY HAVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS, ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHEAST OF THE COUNTRY WHERE U DO HAVE THAT, BASICALLY THAT NEW FRONT, THE RUSSIANS OPENED UP WHERE THEY ARE DOING SOME OF THOSE CROSS-BORDER ATTACKS COMING FROM THE SOUTHWEST OF RUSSIA INTO THE NORTH EAST OF UKRAINE. >> THAT'S BASICALLY THAT AXIS WHICH HAS BELGOROD OF HIGHLY MILITARIZED CITY ON THE RUSSIAN SIDE OF THE BORDER ON THE ONE SIDE. AND THEN KHARKIV IN UKRAINE, THE SECOND-LARGEST CITY OF THAT COUNTRY. ON THE OTHER SIDE. AND THE RUSSIANS HAVE APPARENTLY TAKEN SOME VILLAGES THERE ON THE FRONT LINES. AND ARE CONTINUING TO PRESS THE BIG ISSUES THAT THE UKRAINIANS HAVE DOWN THERE IS THAT FIRST OF ALL, THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO REALLY HOLD PULLED TO THE FRONT LINES. THEY SAY THEY ARE DOING THEIR BEST. THEY'RE REDEPLOYING SOME UNITS. BUT THE OTHER THING THAT'S ALSO A BIG DEAL AND WHICH WAS ALSO ACTUALLY A BIG DEAL IN THAT MEETING BETWEEN SECRETARY STATE BLINKEN, END OF UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT, IS THE FACT THAT THE RUSSIANS ARE NOW ABLE TO USE THEIR AIR FORCE AND A MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE WAY THAN THEY HAVE IN THE PAST. THEY'VE ESSENTIALLY MANAGED TO OUTFIT COLD WAR ERA BOMBS WITH GUIDANCE AND WINGED KIDS, MAKING THEM. WE'RE ENABLING THEM TO FLY FURTHER AND MORE ACCURATELY. AND THAT'S WHY THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SAID TODAY, THEY NEED A LOT OF MILITARY AID. BUT ONE THING THAT HE'S SPECIFICALLY SINGLED OUT WAS HE SAID THAT THE UKRAINIANS NEEDED TWO ADDITIONAL PATRIOT SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE SYSTEMS. AND OF COURSE, THE MISSILES TO GO WITH THEM. THOSE ARE LONG-RANGE SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE SYSTEMS THAT CAN STILL COMBAT THOSE RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT FOR THE KHARKIV AREA. SO THAT'S DEFINITELY ON THE TOP OF THE WISHLIST FOR THE UKRAINIANS. AND I THINK FOR THE US, THE BIG THING RIGHT NOW IS SHOWING THAT THEY ARE BACK IN THE GAME AS FAR AS SUPPORTING UKRAINE SECRETARY OF STATE SAYING HE UNDERSTANDS THAT THERE'S BEEN A BOTTLENECK FOR THE UKRAINIAN US MILITARY AID WITH THAT BEING HELD UP FOR SO LONG. BUT HE ALSO SAID THAT SOME OF THE NEWLY APPROVED AID IS NOW ALREADY INSIDE UKRAINE. AND HE ALSO SAID A LOT MORE IS ON THE WAY AMARA SO IN TERMS OF THE NEW AID, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN TERMS OF TIMING AND BOLSTERING THE TROOPS THERE ON THE GROUND, ON THE UKRAINIAN SIDE YEAH. >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THE TIMING OBVIOUSLY IS KEY. >> THE UKRAINIANS ARE SAYING THIS IS SOMETHING THAT VOLODOMYR ZELENSKYY SAID AS WELL TODAY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, WAS SECRETARY OF STATE BLINKEN, AS HE SAID, HE HOPES THAT THE AID COMES AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. NOW, FIRST AND FOREMOST FOR THE UKRAINIANS THAT MEANS ARTILLERY AMMUNITION, 155 MILLIMETER ARTILLERY SHELLS THOSE ARE ONE OF THOSE AMMUNITIONS AND WEAPONS WITH WHICH THEY COULD DO A LOT TO HOLD UP THE RUSSIANS IN WHERE THEY SIMPLY HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH AMMUNITION TO GO AROUND. I'D BEEN ON THE FRONT LINES. WE'VE BEEN REPORTING ABOUT THIS FOR ABOUT HALF A YEAR WHERE THE UKRAINIANS ARE SEEING THE RUSSIANS ADVANCED, BUT THEY CAN'T ESSENTIALLY FIRE BACK ENOUGH TO HOLD THEM UP BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY DON'T HAVE THE AMMO TO DO THAT THAT IS NOW ARRIVING IN THE FRONTLINE AREAS, BUT THEN YOU ALSO HAVE ROCKET ARTILLERY, AMMUNITION, FOR INSTANCE, FOR THOSE HIGH MARS SURFACE TO SURFACE SYSTEMS, WHERE THE UKRAINIANS ALSO SAY THEY NEED A LOT OF THAT TO COME IN AS FAST AS POSSIBLE ON TOP OF THAT, ANY SORT OF WEAPONS THAT COULD HOLD THE RUSSIANS UP, THE UKRAINIANS ARE OBVIOUSLY SAYING SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE SYSTEMS RIGHT NOW FOR THE FRONTLINES, FOR THEM PRETTY MUCH AT THE TOP OF THE LIST AS THEY ARE FAIRLY SAYING THAT VERY DIFFICULT SITUATION RIGHT NOW IN THE NORTHEAST OF THE COUNTRY. BUT REALLY AT THIS POINT IN TIME, THE RUSSIANS ARE PRESSING ON ALMOST ALL FRONTS. AMARA. >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. THEY ARE FREDERIK PLEITGEN. I APPRECIATE YOUR REPORTING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. RETIRED US AIR FORCE COLONEL AND C AN A MILITARY ANALYSTS LATENT IS JOIN ME NOW FOR MORE ANALYSIS. HI THERE KERNEL. SO TELL US MORE ABOUT RUSSIA'S MILITARY GAINS, PARTICULARLY IN KHARKIV AND WHY THIS IS SIGNIFICANT YEAH GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY THERE. A LOT OF ASPECTS TO THIS THAT ARE VERY SIGNIFICANT. FIRST OF ALL, IT SAYS FRED WAS MENTIONING, THIS IS KIND OF THE FIRST BREAKOUT OF THE RUSSIANS IN OVER TWO YEARS. AND WHAT IT REALLY MEANS IS THAT THEY'RE MOVING TOWARD THE SECOND LARGEST CITY OF KHARKIV AS A POPULATION OF ABOUT 1.5 MILLION GET ENDIF CAR KEY FOR TO FALL. THAT WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT BLOW TO THE UKRAINIANS. SO UKRAINIANS ARE WORRIED THAT, THAT COULD HAPPEN. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY ARE WORRIED THAT KHARKIV WOULD BECOME UNINHABITABLE. AND THAT IT WOULD BE KIND OF LIKE ALEPPO IN SYRIA WHEN THE RUSSIANS SUPPORTED BASHAR AL-ASSAD AND HIS REGIME AND KEPT TO THE TERRORIST FORCES. THEY WERE FIGHTING IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA. SO IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT THING FOR THE UKRAINIANS TO DEAL WITH. BUT THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THAT THE USA HAS NOT ARRIVED IN TIME TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF ADVANCED BY THE RUSSIAN FORCES IT'S CLEAR THAT THE RUSSIANS ARE MOVING ON THAT AXIS OF ATTACK. PLUS THEY'RE ALSO PLANNING ATTACKS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, ALONG OTHER PARTS OF THE FRONT SO YOU ARE CONNECTING DIRECTLY THE DELAY IN AID TO RUSSIA AS GAINS ON THE BATTLEFIELD ABSOLUTELY THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT IT THE DELAY IN AID WAS A FRANKLY IN INEXCUSABLE CAUSE IN THE ABILITY OF THE UKRAINIANS TO FEND OFF RUSSIAN ADVANCES AND RIGHT NOW, WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT THE UKRAINIANS ARE ON THE BACK FOOT, THEY NEED TO VE THE ADVANCED SYSTEMS SUCH AS THE HIGH MORE SYSTEM AS FRED MENTIONED, THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO IN ESSENCE PENETRATE THE RUSSIAN AIR DEFENSES. FOR IT ALSO MENTIONED SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT THE RUSSIAN USE OF AIR POWER IN THESE ADVANCES. BOTH SIDES HAVE BEEN LIMITED IN THEIR USE OF AIR POWER UP UNTIL NOW. BUT THE FACT IS THAT THE RUSSIANS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXPLOIT THE YEAR DEFENSE WEAKNESSES IN UKRAINE. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THEY ARE ABLE TO ADVANCE BECAUSE THEY HAVE AIR COVER AND IT'S TESTAMENT TO THE NEED FOR ADVANCED WEAPONS SYSTEMS TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING. THAT BECOMES REALLY THE IMPERATIVE FOR THE UKRAINIANS, FOR THEM TO HOLD OF A TERRITORY THAT THEY NEED TO HOLD IN ORDER TO KEEP THEIR SOVEREIGNTY DO YOU. >> SEE THIS AS PART OF RUSSIA'S PLAN TO SPRING OFFENSIVE IN IF THAT IS UNDERWAY, HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THAT THE AID WILL GET THERE TO UKRAINE AND TIME TO THWART ANYMORE ADVANCES WELL, THE RUSSIANS ARE YOU HAVE CERTAIN ADVANTAGES AT THE MOMENT, BUT THEY'RE LOGISTICS SYSTEM IS NOT 100% EFFECTIVE. >> IT HAS CERTAINLY GOTTEN BETTER WHEN YOU COMPARE WHAT'S GOING ON NOW WITH WHAT HAPPENED IN MARCH OF 2022, RIGHT AFTER THE RUSSIAN ATTEMPT TO TAKE KHARKIV. AND IT TAKES ME TO TAKE KYIV THAT WAS SOMETHING WHERE THE RUSSIANS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT LOGISTICAL WEAKNESSES. THEY HAVE IMPROVED, BUT THEY ARE NOT BASICALLY TEN FOOT TALL. THE OTHER PART OF THIS IS EMMER THAT THEY ARE THE RUSSIANS ARE MOVING IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS. THEY ARE AFFECTING AREAS AROUND CHASIV YAR, AROUND POTENTIALLY AROUND SUMI THE UKRAINIAN INTELLIGENCE FORCES BELIEVE THAT ASSUMING MAY BE NEXT IN TERMS OF THE RUSSIANS AREA OF CONCENTRATION THIS IS I THINK CURRENTLY PART OF THE RUSSIAN SPRING OFFENSIVE. AND THE RUSSIANS ARE GOING TO EXPLOIT THIS PERIOD AND WHERE THE US WEAPONS THAT WERE PROMISED IN THE PAST AID PACKAGE, BEFORE THEY ARRIVE IN THEATER. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE I THINK THE MAJOR ISSUE RIGHT NOW. WE'RE SEEING MOVEMENTS ON THE GROUND WE'RE IS SOME OF THESE WEAPONS SYSTEMS ARE IN PLACE, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO THWART THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE. BUT ONCE THE WEAPON SYSTEMS ARE DELIVERED, THEN WE COULD PROBABLY SEE A CHANGE IN THE BATTLEFIELD DYNAMICS AND UKRAINE WILL BE ABLE TO HOLD ITS OWN AGAINST THE RUSSIANS KRONE I'D IMAGINE IT'S NOT COMMON PRACTICE, FOUR LEADERS TO DO THIS RESHUFFLING OF THEIR DEFENSE MINISTERS IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR. BUT WHAT YOU HAVE IS VLADIMIR PUTIN NOW REPLACING HIS DEFENSE MINISTER SERGEI SHOIGU WITH ANDRZEJ BELOUSOV WHY ARE WE SEEING THIS? WHAT DOES THIS PORTEND AND WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT BELOUSOV KNOW BELLA STUFF IS A VERY INTERESTING CHARACTER. >> HE'S MISSED BY TRAINING AND BY PORTFOLIO, HE OWES THE SECOND DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER UP UNTIL BEING APPOINTED MINISTER OF DEFENSE IN HIS MAIN FOCUS IS BASICALLY THE ECONOMIC ASPECT OF THE WAR. SO WHAT THIS TELLS US IS THAT RUSSIA IS COMPLETING ITS TRANSITION INTO A WARTIME ECONOMY AND IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT HISTORICAL ANALOGY OF THESE, IT'S KIND OF LIKE WHAT THE NAZI GERMANY DID IN THE RUNNING UP TO WORLD WAR II AND WHAT THE ITALIAN FASCISTS DID DURING THAT SAME PERIOD IN TIME, IN ESSENCE, YOU HAD PRIVATE ENTERPRISE WHICH WAS STATE CONTROLLED AND FOLLOWED BASICALLY STATE PRODUCTION DICTATES BELOUSOV IS KNOWN AS A PERSON WHO BELIEVES THAT THE STATE IS THE ENGINE OF INNOVATION. NOW MOST PEOPLE IN THE WEST US WOULD SAY THAT'S NOT QUITE COMIC ORTHODOXY AND NOT SOMETHING THAT IN OUR PRACTICE HAS ACTUALLY WORKED. WE LOOK AT THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS BEING THE INNOVATIVE FORCE BUT IN THE RUSSIAN SYSTEM UNDER BELOUSOV, THE BASIC IDEA IS GOING TO BE THAT INNOVATION WILL COME THROUGH THE DICTATES OF THE STATE WHERE THEY'RE NOT THAT WORKS, OF COURSE, REMAINS TO BE SEEN THEM CERTAINLY SKEPTICAL THAT IT WILL. AND IN THE LONG RUN, I THINK RUSSIA IS GOING TO BE TAXED IN A WAY THAT THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE KIND OF PACE THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW. BUT THE MOMENT THEY ARE CERTAINLY THEY'VE CERTAINLY UP THEIR INDUSTRIAL BASE. THEY'VE CERTAINLY GEARED UP THEIR
