CNN: Russian journalist explains what Russians are thinking about Putin’s war

Journalist Ekaterina Kotrikadze, who works for a Russian news outlet that was shut down by the Russian government, discusses threats of nuclear war that have been broadcast on Russian state TV during the war in Ukraine. #CNN #News

Transcript

Half a million more Russian fighters. That’s what Ukraine is bracing for tonight. 500,000 more Russians and a major onslaught. Here’s Ukraine’s defense minister with the chilling warning if you’d seen those. Officially, they announced 300,000. I know since I saw me. But when we see the troops at the borders,

The two are so massive. According to our estimates, it is much more declared war so minimal, we think that they have already mobilized 500,000 500,000. It sounds huge. An absolute basis. And if it pans out, it is huge. Just to give you the context, 500,000 is nearly two and a half times

More than the number of Russian fighters used to invade Ukraine nearly one year ago. And the predicted new offensive could be just weeks away. In the past, we think that given that they love symbolism, they will try something around February 24th February 24th, of course, marks one year since the beginning of Putin’s

Invasion of Ukraine. And as Ukraine braces for what could be this massive onslaught, the nuclear drumbeat again growing louder in Russia. Just listen to what’s being said tonight on Russian TV. If the media this ends with our victory or the sense in a nuclear world war three,

The defense minister of Ukraine is saying that Russia’s already mobilized 500,000 soldiers, that they’re seeing them amass on these borders again. Do you think that we’re about to see a big change in this war? Well, I really don’t. I think we may see a big change

In this war in a couple of months. But as the soldiers said, this is very much like World War Two. No. In fact, this is like World War One, the trench warfare in France That went on for years and years. Unfortunately, I think in the near term,

We’re going to see much the same for the next couple of months until one side of the other prepares for a counteroffensive. That’s why we got the tanks. That’s why we’re bringing in the tanks. So the Ukrainians have a chance. And the Russians may have plans on the road but I certainly hope

We’re interdicting their lines to make sure the majority troops never show up. Ekaterina, you pointed out to us that sound bite we played of sort of the the most prominent Russian state media, television anchor. Right. Threatening that if the Russians don’t win, it’s nuclear World War three. And you’re

Pointing out that a lot of the Putin TV commentators on state media are backing more action. They really are upping the rhetoric right now. Let me play how another prominent TV host put it not enough talk about this without a third. Why would our state build up a stockpile of strategic

And tactical nuclear missiles? You hear why some just to be afraid of using them Kerry. What do you read into that? And what does the Russian public really think at this point? This was Vladimir Solovyov, one of the biggest stars of Russian propaganda. Aaron, actually, the situation right now

Is dangerous for Vladimir Putin. As we can see, they don’t have any other any other tools to use for the Russian public and for the Western world, except for the threats they are threatening the world with this World War three, with the nuclear weapon, because this is the last hope

That they can catch right now. And over the world, the attitude of people in Russia is is fear actually that society is terribly depressed. People understand that this is the war, actually, that this is not a special military operation, how they called it before. Vladimir Putin is already calling this a war

And Sergei Lavrov, the minister for foreign affairs and others, they are not hiding anymore that this is a very serious situation and people are understanding it right now. So this is the new stage for Russian society and they can hear this words about the nuclear weapon.

I know that people are scared to death. They don’t want this nuclear war, of course, because they don’t want to die. They want to, you know, raise their children and so on. And so forth. So they are looking for some kind of, you know, maybe a kind and soft moment.

There are looking forward to maybe freezing this this war, because this is the only way to survive for Russian citizens. They don’t know how to see the future with outside of Putin because he has built a terrible, repressive state where no one has the right to think freely

Or to talk freely, as you know. So, General Kimmitt, you know, a well-known and highly respected Russian analyst, said this about the current state of the Russian military in the context of what Ekaterina just said. Here it is. Yes. And I believe that by the start of the mobilization, our airborne forces lost

40 to 50% of the staff. Look, it’s an incredible admission, right, happening on one of those very same programs. General. So I do want to emphasize that. But to say something like that, that nearly half of Russia’s airborne forces are gone, I mean, it’s stunning but then I think about what

The Ukrainian defense minister said today, that Russia has 500,000 more soldiers coming. General, what is the real picture here? Well, I think the real picture is quantity has a quality all its own. If they are going to be pouring 500,000 troops and that’s going to make a significant difference

No matter how many tanks we give, no matter how much artillery they have. But I wouldn’t put too much stock in what the defense minister said. There’s an old saying military that first report is usually wrong. And that seems like an awfully large number to anybody that’s been following this for some time.

It certainly does. I mean, you heard it today and said, wait a minute, it wasn’t the math that we’d heard of the mobilization or anything. But but it is a stunning number. Catarina, you have extensively covered Putin. Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny. He is in the news today. His lawyer

Saying that he is being transferred to even harsher solitary confinement. He, of course, is the opposition leader in Russia. And was poisoned by Putin’s men and then put into a penal colony. Sometimes he’s able to pass messages to his team and then they post them on Twitter today. That happened

And this was posted quote, When something like this happens to you, you realize how important it is to fight this unscrupulous regime, how important it is to do just about anything in order to throw the yoke of these scoundrels off Russia and dispel the illusion that they have planted

In the heads of millions. Let us try to remain strong and do all we can every day. And yet he physically seems weaker every time we get an image of him. Ekaterina and I said today, going to even harsher solitary confinement. What happens if he doesn’t survive?

It’s going to be a huge problem for him because he has already tried to kill him, and we know that. But it was a different time right now when the level of fear and depression in Russian society is so high, when everyone is at the edge, when mobilization is

Something that people are scared very much and you know, we know that because we can see how much how many people watch us. And millions of Russians are asking questions about mobilization in particular. So Navalny knee his death if it happens, I mean, it’s terrible, but if it happens,

Can be a huge trigger for Russian people to go out on the streets and to protest and to change something. I don’t want this to happen, of course, and no one wants this to happen and Putin doesn’t want it to happen. So that’s why they’re not killing him in jail.

This is the only good news for Alexei Navalny and for the for the civil society of Russian Federation, which survives out of Russia. Unfortunately, right now. So, yes, he’s in a terrible circumstances. They’re trying to break his personality, his stamina, but he’s proving every single day. Erin, if you look at him

And if you look what he says, what he writes, what he tweets with the help of his lawyers, you can see how strong this person is. And I’m sure that he survives, actually. Catarina, thank you very much. General Kimmitt, thanks to you.

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