1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:01,880 Speaker 1: And welcome back to the Armstrong and get a show. 2 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:05,160 Speaker 1: Felix Light, our man in London with CBS Radio News 3 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,640 Speaker 1: in the Moscow at times. Felix, how are you? I'm 4 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:10,960 Speaker 1: very well. Thank you to be here as always. Yeah, 5 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: thank you. You're a great reporter and that's why we 6 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: like to have you on. So, speaking of reporting, does 7 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: that seem to be accurate? Are are are people that 8 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: desperate to flee ending up being some of the three 9 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: hundred thousand men that are going to be sent to war? Oh, absolutely, 10 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:28,319 Speaker 1: you know, I think you know, it's it's kind of 11 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: hard to understate the gravity and the sort of the 12 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: scale of what's going on. You know, I you know, 13 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:35,840 Speaker 1: speaking sort of from my own personal experience, I would 14 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: say that pretty much every young man of sort of 15 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 1: military age that I know in Moscow is making plans 16 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: or has already left. You know, it is making plans 17 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: to leave or has already left, and so, you know, 18 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 1: sometimes that's, you know, taking them from sort of some 19 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: really sort of you know securities and and and long 20 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: and sort of roundabout roots. You know. So as as 21 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: you said in the in the segment at the start, 22 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: all the you know, for four or five six days 23 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: are booked up. You know, it is literally impossible to 24 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 1: get a flight out of Moscow right now. So you know, 25 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: you see people sitting on trains to go over the 26 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: border into Kazakhstan or into Mongolia or anything, you know, 27 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: any sort of way to get out. Because you know this, 28 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: you gotta sort of realize what you know the Russian 29 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: army is. You know this is not the U S Army, 30 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: is not the British army. You know, a place where 31 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: you know you're obviously trained to kill and be killed, 32 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: but you know you're you're treated with a modicum of 33 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:28,839 Speaker 1: dignity and a modicum of respect. You know, the Russian 34 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: army and, more to the point, you know a conscript 35 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: in the Russian army, you're not going to be treated 36 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: well and you're going to be used as cannon fodder, 37 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: an award that lots of these people don't agree with, 38 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:39,279 Speaker 1: and so I think, you know, people are pretty desperate 39 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: to get out of that, whatever it may cost. Okay, 40 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: that's a really interesting angle you just brought up. So 41 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: I was one. I was wondering if this is an 42 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: indication how desperate these men are to get out of 43 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: the country that they know what's up. They're getting the 44 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: real story somehow. We we've talked a lot with you 45 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: and others about the state controlled media is still telling 46 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: the story that it's, you know, where we're liberating Ukrainians 47 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: from Nazis and all the difference sort of stuff. So 48 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: I was thinking, well, most of these young men must 49 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: know the real story. But part of it is, you're saying, 50 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: just the the idea of being in the Russian military 51 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: at all is so miserable you might want to leave 52 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: the country because the history of the Russian military, that 53 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: that's that's the deal. Well, yeah, you know, it's both. 54 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: I think. You know these people who are talking about 55 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:27,079 Speaker 1: who are leaving. You know, these are people, I think, 56 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 1: who are not, you know, on board with the idea 57 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: of the war in Ukraine. You know people who, you know, 58 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: not endorsing sort of Vladimir Putin's ideas. You know, Russia, 59 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:36,919 Speaker 1: you know, has a very sort of strict and vary 60 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: sort of, you know, authoritarian political system with, you know, 61 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: very little free media. But you know you know people 62 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: in the sort of advanced cities. You know young people, 63 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: educated people. You know they know the scholar, as you say. 64 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:48,799 Speaker 1: You know they know what's upset. You know, it's not 65 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: impossible to find sort of, you know, accurate news on 66 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,119 Speaker 1: the Internet and whatever, if you know sort of where 67 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 1: to look. So you know these people are not done. 68 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: You know they know what they're thinking about. But also, 69 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:00,959 Speaker 1: you know, yeah, you know they've invested a lot in 70 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: not going to the war, you know, and especially a 71 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: war they don't agree with. You know, Russia has the 72 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: draft for one year. You know, you get concerted for 73 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 1: one year when you leave school and you're not supposed 74 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: to be half to fight in wars as a concert 75 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: but you know there's a really sort of roaring black 76 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: market trade and sort of you know, doctors to get 77 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:20,679 Speaker 1: people out of that sort of you know, year of 78 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: service in the military. So there's a huge sort of war, 79 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: you know, sector of the economy around sort of getting 80 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:27,959 Speaker 1: people out of the military. So you know, when something 81 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: like this happens, then there's a much bigger call up 82 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: and when it's actually to a war, I think that 83 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: sort of stuff really goes into overdrive. You know, those 84 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: kind of instincts. You know, people are just you know, 85 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: I'm not going to die for Poutin I'm not going 86 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: to die in a war that I don't agree with. 87 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: You know, I get a head out of friendship. Yeah, well, 88 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: I've seen videos of guys being hugged, hugged by their 89 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: mothers is before they get on a bus that are going. 90 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: So how many people seem to actually be sticking around 91 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: and going as far as you can tell? Well, you know, 92 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: Russia is a you know, a very sort varied in 93 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 1: complex country. You know, in sort of the big cities, 94 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: the Moscows, you know, the Saint Petersburg, you know, a 95 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: lot of people are just going to be going with 96 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: their seating, getting out, you know, going to wherever they can. 97 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: But you know, if you're like a young kid in 98 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: a little village somewhere, you know you've got a very 99 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: different life experience. You know, it's more likely that sort 100 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: of you know, your your dad's already served in the army, 101 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: you know, or your grandfather has already served in the army. 102 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: So you know, it's it's sort of much more normal 103 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: and I think you know those people they don't really 104 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:25,840 Speaker 1: have the resources to sort of get out of the 105 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: country and get out of the way. So I think, 106 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:30,280 Speaker 1: you know, what we see is that, you know, if 107 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: you get away from the big cities to sort of 108 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: especially sort of ethnic minority areas, you know, parts of Siberia, 109 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 1: parts of the south of Russia, where, you know, a 110 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: lot of the people aren't actually sort of, you know, European, 111 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 1: sort of ethnic Russians. You know they're they're Muslims or 112 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: their sort of Asians or whatever. You know, these people 113 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 1: are really getting called up. You know there's a lot 114 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: of sort of, you know, military recruitment going on there 115 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: now and a lot of the burden of this mobilization 116 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 1: is really falling on these people, I think. Um, what 117 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 1: is your take on how long it's going to take 118 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: before these guys are actually in the field fighting Ukrainians, 119 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: trying to liberate them from the Nazis? Yeah, right, well, 120 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: you know it's not going to take long. You know 121 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:11,480 Speaker 1: these people are not going to get the sort of 122 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: the red carpet treatment in the merchant. You know you're 123 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: going to get sort of, you know, two weeks, two 124 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:17,600 Speaker 1: and a half weeks of training. You know, because you're 125 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:19,840 Speaker 1: already theoretically a member of the reserves. You know, you're 126 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: already theoretically a member of the Russian army. You've been 127 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:24,840 Speaker 1: trained before and now you're getting sent off to war. 128 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: So you know, these people are going to be putting 129 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: a pretty down fast combat may belts, you know, to Ukraine. 130 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 1: So these people are going to be showing up on 131 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:35,039 Speaker 1: the front of the end very quickly. Wow. One final 132 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: question for Felix Light, who is in London but he's 133 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: a a reporter on all things Russian, has been for 134 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: a while. Um, how seriously are Europeans taking the nuclear 135 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: threat that putting put out the other day? Well, you know, 136 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: I think the war obviously feels a bit closer to us, 137 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: but you know, when you're talking nuclear, you know it's 138 00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 1: it's almost so bad that you can't imagine it. You know, 139 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: and I think for the you know, for the moment, 140 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: people do worry a lot about the war. You know, 141 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:08,040 Speaker 1: they worry about gas prices, they worry about energy costs here, 142 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:10,680 Speaker 1: which are really going up in Europe. You know, America, 143 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:13,040 Speaker 1: obviously you can get it's it's gas and it's it's 144 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:15,240 Speaker 1: still from other sort of sources, from Europe is really, 145 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 1: really dependent on Russia, and so you know, that's a 146 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: big worry, I think here right now. You know, nuclear 147 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,720 Speaker 1: is obviously terrifying, but you know, it's it's almost bad 148 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: thing that you don't want to think about because it's 149 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: too bad to think about. So I wouldn't say people 150 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:30,480 Speaker 1: worry about day level. Right, okay, cool, always good. Felix 151 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:34,600 Speaker 1: light from London. Thank you, Felix. Always pleasure of cheers.