1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: So it's been over years since Russia invaded Ukraine. Where 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:08,320 Speaker 1: do things actually stand, what's really going on in Ukraine? Unfortunately, 3 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: we live in this environment where almost all parties involved 4 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:13,399 Speaker 1: have an interest to lie to us. You know, if 5 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: you're Pudin, obviously you're going to be pushing propaganda and lies. 6 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: If you're a Zelenski, you're going to be pushing propaganda 7 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: lies because you want more of the world to engage, 8 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: you want more money, you want more weapons. So we 9 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: can't trust him, and unfortunately we can't trust our own 10 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: government as well. I mean, they lied to us in 11 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,480 Speaker 1: regard to Afghanistan. Remember when they told us they took 12 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: out a Taliban terrorist, It was an AID worker on 13 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: his family. They weren't honest with us about the Chinese 14 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:41,239 Speaker 1: spy balloon. They were going to withhold that from us 15 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: until a local reporter spotted it. And look, we know 16 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: that Pune is a bad guy. Everyone knows that. We 17 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: understand that. But should we trust Zelenski. Our media has 18 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:52,199 Speaker 1: propped him up, our politicians had propped him up to 19 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: be this godlike figure, this warrior for freedom and democracy. 20 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: But is he I mean, you look at some of 21 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: the actions he's taken, like consolidating TV stations into one 22 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 1: using invoking his emergency powers in our martial law to 23 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: do things like suppress opposition parties. I mean, that's not 24 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: exactly what freedom loving people do, what democracies do, what 25 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: free countries do. We're sending Ukraine. We've either committed or 26 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,759 Speaker 1: sent one hundred ninety six billion dollars to Ukraine. Where's 27 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: that money going and how much more is it going 28 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: to take? And what's Putin's end goal and all of this. 29 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: I don't have all the answers. My heart goes out 30 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: to the people of Ukraine. I can understand why they 31 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,040 Speaker 1: want to defend their homeland. We know that innocent people 32 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: are being killed. But is it an or interest as 33 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: a country to continue spending and sending countless money that's 34 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: being unaccounted for to a country that does have a 35 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: history of corruption? And why can't you raise these questions 36 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: without being attacked by the media. I mean they'll say, oh, 37 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: you love Putin this, that and the other. No, you 38 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: can look at both sides and just try to get 39 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: to the honest point of view, to try to get 40 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: to some sort of objective nature and looking at all 41 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: this we should be approaching it that way because we're 42 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 1: potentially entering into a world war. There's a clear escalation 43 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: going on. We should have a very sober viewpoint on 44 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: all of this. We should be taking a pause, taking 45 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: a step back, trying to look at the totality of 46 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: all of this. So what I'm going to try to 47 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 1: do in this two part series is speak to a 48 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: woman who has been somewhat of a contrarian on TV 49 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: and out there, but she also has a background to 50 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: back up what she's saying. Her name's Rebecca Coffler. She's 51 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: out with a new book called Putin's Playbook, but beyond that, 52 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: she's a strategic military intelligence analyst who served as a 53 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: Russian doctrine and strategy specialist in the Defense Intelligence Agency. 54 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: She has previously worked with the DA and the CIA's 55 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 1: National Clandestine Service, and she has led red teams during 56 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 1: war games and advising or Pentagon officials, as well as 57 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 1: given classified briefings to US military commanders, NATO ministers, the 58 00:02:55,960 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: Director of CIA, DA, White House, National Security Council, senior 59 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: Congressional staff. She also comes about this from a unique 60 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: point of view as well, because she was raised in 61 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union. She came to America as a young woman, 62 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: and it was after nine eleven that she decided to 63 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: join the Defense Intelligence Agency, to voting her career to 64 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: protecting America and to also studying Russia. So I wanted 65 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: to have her on to just get a different perspective. 66 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: I mean, we hear most of the media is pushing 67 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: one side of this. Zelenski is the best, Putina is terrible. 68 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:28,080 Speaker 1: Shut up, let's go to war. So I want to 69 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: talk to someone who is wanting us to pump the brakes, 70 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 1: who has a background in all of this, who's been 71 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: studying Putin, studying Russia. So I hope you enjoy this 72 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: two part series. It was very substantive, so I felt 73 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: like it was best to break it down into two 74 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: episodes with Rebecca Koffler. Here she is, Rebecca. I'm still 75 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: looking forward to this conversation because it's really hard to 76 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 1: know what is true with what's going on in Ukraine, 77 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: with Russia's invasion. You know, it seems like obviously has 78 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: an interest in not telling us the truth. So does 79 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: Lenski in our own government. So hopefully we can get 80 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:07,839 Speaker 1: to the bottom of it. So I appreciate you've coming 81 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: on the show, of course. Well, interesting point is, Lisa, 82 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: you just made it's not just about the Russia Ukraine 83 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: that we can't trust the government on. It seems like 84 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: it's a pattern we've got common. We have the proverbial collusion, 85 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 1: all sorts of stuff. You know, Americans are really struggling 86 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:31,680 Speaker 1: to understand what's truth and what's fiction. This is an 87 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: administration who told us they took out a Taliban terrorist 88 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:37,280 Speaker 1: and end up being an AID worker. So I think 89 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: it's fair for you know, the American people that have 90 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 1: some distrust and what we're told, particularly when you look 91 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: at the fact that, you know, the Biden family has 92 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: profited off of Ukraine and we're sending all this money 93 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:50,600 Speaker 1: seemingly unaccounted for. So it just raises a lot of questions. 94 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: Media is actually helping them, you know, and concealing information 95 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: because with regard to the Russia Ukraine War, there appears 96 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:07,280 Speaker 1: to be a yeah, and I'm boggle on talking truthfully 97 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:12,679 Speaker 1: about Ukraine anything that could be perceived as negative even 98 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:16,839 Speaker 1: though it is factul such as the fact that Ukraine 99 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 1: is highly corrupt, it's the most corrupt country in Europe, 100 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 1: and things like that. You know, so no wonder Americans 101 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: that are just really confused as far as what this 102 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,359 Speaker 1: issue is all about. We talk about Ukrainians corruption either 103 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,599 Speaker 1: you know, money sent or promised one hundred and ninety 104 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: six billion dollars. Where do you think that money is 105 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 1: actually going? Well, I mean I don't have like a 106 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: percentage by percentage split in terms of where this money 107 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: is going, but a lot sort of a lot of 108 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: it is going into the military industrial complex, right. It's 109 00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: the it's the Raytheons and the Lockheed Martins of the 110 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:06,040 Speaker 1: world that actually producing the weaponry that is going to Ukraine. Uh, 111 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: some of that money is going to consultants. I mean, 112 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:13,760 Speaker 1: look at look at zue landscape. Do you think it's 113 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: it's just a coincidence that he is wearing this his 114 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: signature uniform, you know, the T shirt or the sweatshirt, 115 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: all of green military style. You know, you think it's 116 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 1: a coincidence that she shows this, you know, hort tagging videos. 117 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: You know, when he speaks to Congress or she speaks 118 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:39,279 Speaker 1: to British Parliament. It's all consultants, right, isn't it. He's 119 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 1: an actor and he's fine tuning his delivery to to 120 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:49,159 Speaker 1: really push the hot buttons, you know, of Americans and Europeans. 121 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: He's using specific language, you know, democracy, freedom, even though 122 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: you know, as we talked earlier, there's nothing um freedom 123 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:02,040 Speaker 1: related in Ukraine. So some of that money is going 124 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:06,479 Speaker 1: to pensions you know, of Ukrainian government workers, you know, 125 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:12,680 Speaker 1: and some of the money actually is is embezzled. I mean, 126 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 1: there was a Ukrainian woman who was caught with thousands 127 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:23,800 Speaker 1: of dollars of a wife of Ukrainian politicians. You know, 128 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: she was caught in the customs with some of that 129 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: money that was tracked back to us AID. So it's 130 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: all over the place. To that point, I mean, we 131 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: really have put Zelenski up almost this godlike figure that 132 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: he is this fighter for freedom. But you look at 133 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: things like he consolidated TV stations into one. He also 134 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 1: suppressed opposition parties. I mean, some of these actions don't 135 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 1: seem like the actions of a free country exactly. He 136 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: has outlawed all opposition. It's a one party system. In 137 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 1: that fact, Zelensky is really no different than Putin. True 138 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: Zelenski has not authorized assassinations, not that we know of, 139 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 1: but honestly, I mean, this guy has deployed his security Services, 140 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: the Ukrainian version of the KGB interchurches Lisa to interrogate 141 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:33,079 Speaker 1: the priest to uncover whether they cooperate with the Kremlin. 142 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 1: I mean, these are certainly not the actions the typical 143 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:40,959 Speaker 1: at least the typical actions of a democratic leader. Although 144 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: you know, we have our own issues here like January 145 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: six and those kinds of things. You know, the notion 146 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: of democracy is really being eroded, not only in that 147 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: part of the world, but you know over here domestically. 148 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: So this is why shows like yours I extremely employ 149 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,360 Speaker 1: to just set the record straight. So it's been over 150 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 1: years since Russia invaded Ukraine. Obviously you've spent your career 151 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: studying Russia, studying Putin. You wrote the book about it, 152 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 1: Putin's playbook. Why did he start this war? Why did 153 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:17,600 Speaker 1: he invade Ukraine? Okay, So this is another issue that 154 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 1: we're not gonna hear on mainstream networks. So number one reason, 155 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: number one, Putin has been preparing for this his entire career. 156 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: What motivated Putin and his regime is fear of NATO, 157 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: with the collapse of the Soviet Union and with the 158 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: admission of the Baltics. Latville, Lithuania and Estonia. The distance 159 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 1: between Moscow and NATO, Moscow and Saint Petersburg actually, which 160 00:09:55,559 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: is the capital of Russia and the largest thing. That 161 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:07,439 Speaker 1: distance has reduced from a thousand miles to one hundred miles. 162 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:12,199 Speaker 1: This is a shorter distance than between Washington and New York. 163 00:10:12,559 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: And no saying military commander, including any US commanded commander, 164 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:22,680 Speaker 1: and I briefed you know, scores and scores of them 165 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: on the Russia threats. No one would allow this type 166 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: of proximity, right, So that is the driving factor overall. Now, 167 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 1: the reason number two is that the Russians have been 168 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:48,679 Speaker 1: tracking our behavior globally, specifically our wall fighting, doctor and tactics. 169 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:54,199 Speaker 1: What have we done with respect to Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syrias. 170 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:58,200 Speaker 1: And it actually began with coast of all and they 171 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 1: have concluded that eventually, with Putin being so widely hated 172 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:10,400 Speaker 1: in the West, that America is going to watch to 173 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 1: get closer to Russia and bring its armed forces closer. 174 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 1: And yes, there's an element of paranoia in that type 175 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:25,719 Speaker 1: of thinking because Russia has always been prone for a 176 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:29,320 Speaker 1: worst case scenario, but the way that they do their 177 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:33,959 Speaker 1: intelligence forecast it it's actually fifty years out, and they 178 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 1: do it using the methodology that we use that for example, 179 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 1: our insurance companies like Life Insurance or Consurance used it's 180 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:49,679 Speaker 1: the probability of risk. Right, Why is a twenty year 181 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 1: old male owning a red Corvette would have a higher 182 00:11:55,280 --> 00:12:01,840 Speaker 1: insurance premium than a Gramma driving a Buick? Okay? And 183 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:08,079 Speaker 1: so they've looked at our intelligence programs, at our weapons development, 184 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 1: but more importantly, at all of our military campaigns, and 185 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:19,520 Speaker 1: they have concluded that sooner or later a US Russia 186 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:23,959 Speaker 1: war is inevitable. That is an official intelligence assessment, and 187 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,839 Speaker 1: so they started preparing for it in Ukraine, being part 188 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:34,800 Speaker 1: of Russia's strategic security paramat, they decided that that is 189 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:39,319 Speaker 1: a red line. They cannot allow native forces this close 190 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 1: to the heart of the Russian government. And that is 191 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:46,839 Speaker 1: precisely why Putin invaded Ukraine. Why he invaded it at 192 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:50,360 Speaker 1: this particular time is a different point. But those are 193 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: they overarching factors that drove Putin's decision calculus. So, if 194 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:59,680 Speaker 1: Putin believes that war with the United States is inevitable, 195 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 1: is this his way of provoking that now? No, no, 196 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:07,600 Speaker 1: absolutely not prudent fears the United States, he does not 197 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:12,479 Speaker 1: want to provoke the war. He's trying to stay away 198 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: from that war because Russia is conventionally inferior. In fact, 199 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: it marvels at the tactical competence and superiority of US 200 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:32,280 Speaker 1: military and they fear us. But at the same time, 201 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 1: the fear of Natal forces, proximity close to Russia, and 202 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:43,040 Speaker 1: the high probability of war that they determined that eventually, 203 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:49,359 Speaker 1: and you know, we uncovered things later throughout this conflict, 204 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:58,559 Speaker 1: right that US intelligence has been training Ukrainian forces for years, 205 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:04,360 Speaker 1: since nineteen I'm sorry, since twenty fourteen, Russia's illegal annexation 206 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 1: of Chromea, and we've been providing advice to them, We've 207 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 1: been providing real time intelligence in this consult right. So 208 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 1: that's what's driving their mindset, their conclusions. So they're trying 209 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 1: to avoid the war, but they believe that the best 210 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: way to avoid the swar is to to secure control 211 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: of Ukraine geopolitical not like real control, meaning they don't 212 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 1: want Ukraine to be part of Russia. Right, Ukraine economically 213 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 1: is a basket case. It doesn't make any any economic 214 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 1: sense to do that. But what they want is for 215 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 1: Ukraine to be neutral, to be not part of needle 216 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 1: and ideally to be ruled by a regime that is 217 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:00,960 Speaker 1: not hostile to Russia, which is the less regim is 218 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 1: And so that is the rationale. It's counterintuitive to Western 219 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: you know logic, right, but the Russians view their actions 220 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: as defensive rather than offensive. Take a quick commercial break 221 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:23,640 Speaker 1: more with the Wreca Coffler. On the other side, is 222 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 1: put insane? Uh, he is saying he is, Um, he's rational, 223 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:36,520 Speaker 1: but he's thinking is not Americans thinking? In fact? I mean? 224 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: And that is kind of like the crux of the 225 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:46,160 Speaker 1: matter that even within the US National security upright, USUM, 226 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 1: the so called experts think that everybody thinks the same, right, 227 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:55,240 Speaker 1: everybody thinks like Americans, But no they don't. The Russians 228 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:59,160 Speaker 1: don't think like Americans. The Chinese don't think like Americans. 229 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 1: But in turns of his sanity, there's actually a an 230 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: entity within the Central Intelligence Agency that UM, where we 231 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 1: analyze the mindsets of foreign leaders and whether they are 232 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:21,480 Speaker 1: cognitively you know, competent and in order for US to 233 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:27,920 Speaker 1: really assess their behavior. And so there's no intelligence assessment 234 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: that says that Putin is irrational. In fact, you know, 235 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: there's a there's an almost uniform assessment that he is 236 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 1: absolutely rational, right, and his rationale, as I said, is 237 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: driven by decades of analysis that is done by the 238 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: General Staff, which is the basically the top um of 239 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 1: Russia's national security strategic planning. And and yeah, and in 240 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:08,440 Speaker 1: my own as an independent consultant right now, national security consultant, 241 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:12,480 Speaker 1: I have analyzed you know, Putin myself. I've spoken to 242 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:18,359 Speaker 1: um medical doctors in fact, you know who do work 243 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: with our intelligence agencies, including the CIA, and our assessment 244 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 1: is that there's no evidence that Putin is either mentally 245 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:36,880 Speaker 1: or physically impaired. Where do things stand now in this 246 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:40,240 Speaker 1: or obviously Ukraine has been able to scale back, you know, 247 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:43,080 Speaker 1: some of the territory that Russia I guess you know 248 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:46,359 Speaker 1: occupied for a time being when they first invaded. You know, 249 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 1: where do things stand on the ground right now? So 250 00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:53,639 Speaker 1: the war has entered its second year, as you know, 251 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:59,440 Speaker 1: and Ukraine has done tremendous job. We have to give 252 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:04,280 Speaker 1: them credit that fighting the Russians off. And so while 253 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:11,359 Speaker 1: the Russians have secured between eighteen and twenty percent of 254 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:16,879 Speaker 1: Ukraine's territory, and in fact they annexed you know, Donetsklohan's, 255 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 1: Carson and Zabarisia. And previously they have secured control of Crania. 256 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:30,360 Speaker 1: The Ukrainians have been able to hold their own. However, 257 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:36,640 Speaker 1: they've been able to do that with our help. Without 258 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:41,760 Speaker 1: our help, it would have been absolutely impossible just of 259 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: the because of the disproportional balance of forces between Russia 260 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:51,000 Speaker 1: and Ukraine. And so we have provided one hundred and 261 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:58,560 Speaker 1: ninety six billion worth of both weaponry and assistant security 262 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:01,600 Speaker 1: assistance to include trade meaning and even pensions for the 263 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:08,640 Speaker 1: Ukrainian government. And that is what's sustaining that war. Putin 264 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:14,439 Speaker 1: is counting on the fatigue, you know, setting in the Ukraine, 265 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:20,680 Speaker 1: fatigue setting in with US and Western public, and he 266 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: has switched his strategy to you know, something that is 267 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:31,560 Speaker 1: a true and tried, you know, proven strategy of out 268 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:37,359 Speaker 1: suffering and outlasting the adversary. This is the approach that 269 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:41,359 Speaker 1: Russia is used for century. And so the war is 270 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 1: right now essentially unwinnable. It is not just my assessment 271 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:50,600 Speaker 1: but our own, you know. The chief of the head 272 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:52,919 Speaker 1: of the Joint Chiefs, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, 273 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:57,960 Speaker 1: General Mark Milly. He stated that openly and publicly and 274 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:01,119 Speaker 1: so that's where we are at. This war is going 275 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:06,000 Speaker 1: to go on forever. As long as we provide support 276 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:12,760 Speaker 1: to Ukraine, Russia cannot achieve victory, a clear military victory, okay, 277 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:19,200 Speaker 1: And as long as putin continuous you know, his war machine, 278 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:22,800 Speaker 1: and his war machine is still charging long because despite 279 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:26,000 Speaker 1: of all these sanctions, you know, it's it's quite viable 280 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:28,639 Speaker 1: he's going to keep going. And so this is going 281 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:31,399 Speaker 1: to go on forever. Look, you know, my heart breaks 282 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 1: for what the Ukrainians are going through. It's just you 283 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:37,160 Speaker 1: I can understand why they want to defend their homeland. 284 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 1: You know, the question is about what does the United 285 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:41,879 Speaker 1: States do? And also what is feasible at all of this? 286 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:45,000 Speaker 1: Where are the likely outcomes? And you know what's interesting is, 287 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:49,280 Speaker 1: you know, Russia of course annexed Crimea in twenty fourteen. 288 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 1: You also had pro Russian separatists are going to war 289 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,959 Speaker 1: with Ukrainian forces and the don Bass region of eastern 290 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 1: Ukraine since twenty fourteen. Where do those areas stand? Do 291 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:01,639 Speaker 1: they want to be up occupied by you know, Russia. 292 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:03,760 Speaker 1: I know there's a history there with the Soviet Union. 293 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:06,720 Speaker 1: Talk a little bit about you know, the Crimea and 294 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:08,760 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about the don Bass region and 295 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: the significance of that. Sure sou Eastern Ukraine is linguistically 296 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 1: and culturally closer to Russia than to Ukraine, to western Ukraine. Right, 297 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:31,560 Speaker 1: Crimeia has been Russian for centuries, and only for just 298 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:35,640 Speaker 1: a few years it was part of Ukraine. And so 299 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:43,880 Speaker 1: Putin is really amplifying those realities. He's using a sort 300 00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:48,439 Speaker 1: of a false narrative to galvanize his people, you know, 301 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:53,960 Speaker 1: he's saying that basically the objective of this so called 302 00:21:55,720 --> 00:22:00,879 Speaker 1: military operation, you know, special military operation is to denatify 303 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 1: and to demilitarize Ukraine, you know. And so the fact 304 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:10,040 Speaker 1: of the matter is is that it's a very very 305 00:22:10,119 --> 00:22:16,400 Speaker 1: complicated issue that dates back sanctuaries, and the United States 306 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:21,120 Speaker 1: is simply not you know, kind of like not up 307 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:25,160 Speaker 1: to speed and out of depth, especially the Biden administration, 308 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:31,240 Speaker 1: of what those realities are. And it's a tough one, right, 309 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:33,400 Speaker 1: I think there are a lot of people that want 310 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:36,679 Speaker 1: to be part of Russia. In fact, you know, Crimia 311 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 1: voted disproportionately in favor to be part of Russia. And 312 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:49,240 Speaker 1: even though let's just say, you know, we always take 313 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 1: with a grain of salt, you know, the polls that 314 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,320 Speaker 1: coming out of Russia, but even the agencies that are 315 00:22:55,359 --> 00:23:02,640 Speaker 1: considered to be reputable and authoritative that within the Eurasia, 316 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:05,560 Speaker 1: you know, with the Russia that assessed that, you know, 317 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:09,960 Speaker 1: we trust those you know, we trust those polls, even 318 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: though they could be somewhat inflated. And so again it's 319 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:19,160 Speaker 1: a tough one. What you know, what what what needs 320 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,880 Speaker 1: to happen, But there appears to be no way out 321 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 1: except diplomatic, you know, solution and negotiation because right now 322 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:32,600 Speaker 1: these two parties that used to be Slavic brothers and sisters, 323 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 1: right you know, as you said, my heart is also 324 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 1: you know, going out for those Ukrainians. They are now 325 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:43,879 Speaker 1: slaughtering each other. Ukrainians are being slaughtered and eliminated. Um 326 00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 1: And with the population of Russia of one hundred and 327 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:54,199 Speaker 1: forty three million um out you know, outmatching population of 328 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:58,520 Speaker 1: Ukraine um of forty three million, there's a lot of 329 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 1: flesh that put can throw into its me grinder, which 330 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:08,080 Speaker 1: is the current strategy. And that that's just from my standpoint, 331 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:13,480 Speaker 1: it's um, it's really immoral to to continue this. Is 332 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 1: it true that Eastern Ukrainians fled for Russia when the 333 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:19,879 Speaker 1: invasion began, and if so, do we have a number 334 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,080 Speaker 1: about you know what that looks like. I don't have 335 00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:27,040 Speaker 1: their number, uh, Lisa, it yes, some there were some 336 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 1: you know Ukrainian groups that fled, but I don't have 337 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 1: the number. It's it's very understandable because look, there are 338 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:42,040 Speaker 1: a lot of you know, families that are into married. 339 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:44,679 Speaker 1: I mean when I was growing I grew up in 340 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:49,360 Speaker 1: the former Soviet Union, right, I remember there was Ukrainians, Russians, 341 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:53,480 Speaker 1: we were all. We we never really drew any differences, 342 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:56,920 Speaker 1: any any distinctions, you know, y'all part of the one 343 00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:02,480 Speaker 1: big family um Russians, mayor Ukrainians and vice Russia. And 344 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:07,000 Speaker 1: some people just chose because they as families were there 345 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:09,399 Speaker 1: and they knew that this thing is not going to 346 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:12,440 Speaker 1: go anytime, is not going to go away anytime soon, 347 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:16,679 Speaker 1: they chose to be in Russia. Of course, the Russian 348 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 1: media always amplifies such things, that always wants to portray, 349 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:24,760 Speaker 1: you know, themselves to be you know, on the moral 350 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:29,680 Speaker 1: side of the of the issue, and and so yeah, 351 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,399 Speaker 1: again it's one of those things that's very difficult to 352 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: steperate truth from fiction. Well, and I certainly don't believe 353 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:41,200 Speaker 1: they're on the moral side of this, but by any means. 354 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:43,840 Speaker 1: But I guess it's just trying to figure out are 355 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:49,360 Speaker 1: we sacrificing blood, sacrificing money, sacrificing over parts of Ukraine 356 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:51,880 Speaker 1: that it's questionable if they even want to be part 357 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:53,560 Speaker 1: of Ukraine. I guess that's what I'm kind of trying 358 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:56,359 Speaker 1: to get to this. And why does Russia want the 359 00:25:56,440 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 1: dawn Bass region? My understanding is it's mostly factories, it's industrial, 360 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,879 Speaker 1: world's cold, it's very poor. What is their interest in 361 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:06,520 Speaker 1: that area? Right? Well, you just nailed that. It's it's 362 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:14,199 Speaker 1: the industrial heartland of Ukraine and the school, there's minerals. 363 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:19,840 Speaker 1: It's basically the Russia wants and for themselves. But but 364 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:24,960 Speaker 1: bottom line, the overaching sort of strategic driveways here is 365 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,399 Speaker 1: what I said in the beginning, is that they want 366 00:26:29,119 --> 00:26:36,919 Speaker 1: um to increase the distance between the heartland of Russia, 367 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:42,359 Speaker 1: especially the seat of the Russian government Moscow, and NATO forces. 368 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:47,119 Speaker 1: If Ukraine were to become NATO, then the Russians would 369 00:26:47,119 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 1: want to be as far away as possible from from 370 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,800 Speaker 1: that area. And that's why putin illegally annexed, you know, 371 00:26:54,840 --> 00:27:00,679 Speaker 1: the Donbass region, and even today Putin's propagandis mid Ribiskov, 372 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:07,040 Speaker 1: who's Putin spokesperson, stated that Russia is open to negotiations 373 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:14,560 Speaker 1: with Ukraine. However, the annexed regions are non negotiable. So 374 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:19,359 Speaker 1: basically Russia has this you know, centuries old strategy of 375 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:26,600 Speaker 1: trading territory for enemies blood. What what does it mean. 376 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:31,119 Speaker 1: Russia has experienced just you know, hundreds of wars in 377 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:35,639 Speaker 1: its uh history, and most of these wars, with the 378 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:40,840 Speaker 1: exception of one the Mongol Tata yoke Um that lasted 379 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:46,399 Speaker 1: two hundred years, they came from the West, and so 380 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:50,400 Speaker 1: that's why they're paranoid that it's and they think that 381 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:54,320 Speaker 1: it's just a matter of time before you know, the 382 00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:58,920 Speaker 1: West is gonna try to shop off, you know, part 383 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:03,440 Speaker 1: of Russia f Russia, and they need to increase that distance. 384 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:08,000 Speaker 1: And truthfully, the rhetoric that's coming out of the Biden 385 00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 1: administration is feeding into that paranoia. I mean President Biden 386 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 1: when he visited Ukraine, he stated clearly that the goal 387 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:25,240 Speaker 1: of the United States is to squeeze economic lifeline out 388 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:30,199 Speaker 1: of Russia, and that echoed previous statements coming out of 389 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:35,840 Speaker 1: the Pentagon that the United States wants to weaken Russia 390 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: militarily and degraded economically, and so what is Putting supposed 391 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:45,280 Speaker 1: to to think? Of course, they think that we are 392 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 1: out to get them, and that's why he is acting 393 00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:57,040 Speaker 1: based on that, those statements and their intelligence assessment that 394 00:28:57,200 --> 00:28:59,760 Speaker 1: tells them that, you know, it's just a matter of 395 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 1: time before the West is going to go after Russia, 396 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:09,360 Speaker 1: um specifically after putting regime change, you know, just like 397 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 1: what we've done and in previous places, they see the 398 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 1: pattern and they come to the worst case scenario conclusion 399 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:21,520 Speaker 1: of what we're up to. And Biden has said, you know, 400 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:25,320 Speaker 1: for God's sake, this man cannot remain in power. You know, 401 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 1: I've obviously been you know, critical a putin, which you 402 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:32,080 Speaker 1: know find rightfully fully so. But what would regime change 403 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:35,160 Speaker 1: in Russia even look like if you follow that thrill 404 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 1: what I think Biden means. And it's not just him, 405 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:42,720 Speaker 1: it's also Lindsey Graham, Senter Graham, for whom I used 406 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:46,120 Speaker 1: to have high respect but no more because he just 407 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:50,040 Speaker 1: you know, his loose lips, you know, saying things, you know, 408 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:52,680 Speaker 1: putting as a walk criminal. Well that may be so, 409 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:56,120 Speaker 1: but you don't need to ratchet up all the rhetoric 410 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:59,200 Speaker 1: and just make him, you know, even even more paranoid. 411 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 1: So I think what the administration means by regime change 412 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:06,520 Speaker 1: is exactly what we did in let's say, I Rock, 413 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:12,040 Speaker 1: you know, or Um in Libya in fact, but what 414 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: would look like? But what would that look like in Russia? 415 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 1: I mean, you know a lot of times when you know, 416 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:19,800 Speaker 1: we do regime changes, you're pointing out it doesn't always 417 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:22,320 Speaker 1: you know, sometimes a worse person ends up taking over, 418 00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:25,400 Speaker 1: or you leave a vacuum for worse causes. So you know, 419 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:29,560 Speaker 1: what could that potentially look like in Russia exactly? Well, 420 00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 1: first of all, there's no um, there's no regime collapse 421 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:39,800 Speaker 1: that is coming to Russia anytime soon. I know, there's 422 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:43,520 Speaker 1: a lot of you know, kind of like disinformation in 423 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:48,959 Speaker 1: Western media, how um Putin's in a circle, is fragmented 424 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:52,920 Speaker 1: and he's about to be driven from power. This is 425 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:58,120 Speaker 1: all just you know, nonsense. Putin's regime is that is 426 00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:02,840 Speaker 1: stable at this point, Putin's approval rating and seventy nine percent. 427 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:07,000 Speaker 1: And so but if Puttin were to you know, kick 428 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:11,640 Speaker 1: the bucket, or let's just say for arguments sake, you know, 429 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:15,959 Speaker 1: he were driven out of power, which in mind, how 430 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: just professional intelligence assessment is unlikely. Right now, even Warren's 431 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:26,440 Speaker 1: person would step in, at least temporarily, and that is 432 00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:31,040 Speaker 1: Nikolai Patrushev, who is the head of Russian Security Council, 433 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 1: and he's even more brutal than Puttin, if you could 434 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:38,640 Speaker 1: only imagine such a thing. In fact, those two go 435 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:43,760 Speaker 1: way back to their days of the KGB service, and 436 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:51,360 Speaker 1: Patruschev was intimately involved in the planning of the Chechnya 437 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:58,360 Speaker 1: War and the basically the elimination of Gross, the destruction 438 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:05,239 Speaker 1: of Gross name the capital of Chechina, and also um 439 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:10,080 Speaker 1: in the planning of Chechinah being the driving factor of 440 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:13,640 Speaker 1: Putin's rise to power. There was a time when there 441 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 1: were bombings of Russian apartment buildings that were stage. Our 442 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:22,520 Speaker 1: assessment is that they were staged by Putin's you know, 443 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:26,360 Speaker 1: efforts B and terrorists were blamed and that gave a 444 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 1: pretext to Putin basically destroying uh gros name so so 445 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:35,560 Speaker 1: so yeah, it's just like in other countries, and much 446 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:40,360 Speaker 1: much worse. H a person would come in, which is 447 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:44,280 Speaker 1: very typical for the Russian culture because remember, you know, 448 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 1: historically uh Ivan Grozny, you know, Ivan the terrible right 449 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:51,520 Speaker 1: who killed the zone. So and this is the same 450 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:55,240 Speaker 1: culture that produced all those you know, Putin right Stalin. 451 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 1: In fact, the popularity of Stalin among Russian people is 452 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:03,000 Speaker 1: now right sing. So again, Russians don't think like Americans. 453 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:07,479 Speaker 1: They think like Russians. Quick break more on Russian Ukraine. 454 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:12,920 Speaker 1: You know you had mentioned previously I agree with you 455 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:16,120 Speaker 1: on you know, Lindsay Graham twenty years in Afghanistan wasn't 456 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:19,360 Speaker 1: enough for him, which is you know, obviously a concern 457 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:20,920 Speaker 1: here with how long this is going to go on. 458 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:24,320 Speaker 1: But you had mentioned that it's dangerous to to, you know, 459 00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:26,920 Speaker 1: to heighten the rhetoric, which I would agree with, but 460 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:30,000 Speaker 1: it might not be if we were feared. You know, 461 00:33:30,080 --> 00:33:32,440 Speaker 1: if you look at President Trump, I mean he you know, 462 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:35,160 Speaker 1: he would ratchet up the rhetoric and with you know, 463 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:38,520 Speaker 1: Kim Jo Noon and North Korea and other dictators as well, 464 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:41,320 Speaker 1: but he was feared and so he could. And I 465 00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:44,680 Speaker 1: think the challenge here is that we have a weak president, 466 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 1: which is obviously why Putin decided to invade Ukraine when 467 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:51,160 Speaker 1: he did. He didn't do it under Trump, but he 468 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:53,360 Speaker 1: did under Biden. I think that's the challenge where we 469 00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:56,680 Speaker 1: find ourselves now, is we just have such a weak president. 470 00:33:56,840 --> 00:34:00,120 Speaker 1: Oh exactly, I agree with you on that one. And 471 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:08,040 Speaker 1: there's there's a disconnect definitely between Biden's rhetoric and actually 472 00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:13,719 Speaker 1: our ability to enforce what Biden is saying and President 473 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:21,919 Speaker 1: uh Trump actually his actions spoke even louder than words. Lisa. Yes, 474 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:25,920 Speaker 1: he was, you know, he was very strong and forceful. 475 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:29,560 Speaker 1: Um was like, you know, the North Korean guy, he 476 00:34:29,680 --> 00:34:34,399 Speaker 1: called them the rocket man Putin President Biden. President Trump rather, 477 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:39,880 Speaker 1: that never offended, and that was on purpose because President 478 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:43,520 Speaker 1: Trump knew that Putin is not afraid of words. Putin 479 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:46,520 Speaker 1: is afraid of actions. And I'd like to name the 480 00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:53,320 Speaker 1: several things, top five things real quickly, what that President 481 00:34:53,840 --> 00:35:00,160 Speaker 1: Trump did that deterred Putin from attacking Ukraine or in 482 00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:07,640 Speaker 1: his presidency, those actions countered and struck directly into the 483 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 1: heart of Putin's strategy anti Western strategy. Number one, President 484 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:20,440 Speaker 1: Trump stood up space forces US space forces. The Russians 485 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:24,719 Speaker 1: stood theirs up in two thousand and one, so it 486 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:29,239 Speaker 1: actually took eighteen years for US to do that. The 487 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:32,560 Speaker 1: reason why Trump did that is because he understood that 488 00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:37,160 Speaker 1: our edsor is like Russia in China. They have concluded 489 00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:40,839 Speaker 1: that our reliance on satellites for every aspect of our 490 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:46,600 Speaker 1: warfighting capability and actually for our daily life, it's viewed 491 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:50,799 Speaker 1: as a vulnerability. And Putin developed a space warfare strategy, 492 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:55,439 Speaker 1: and so President Trump wanted to counter that. Number two, 493 00:35:55,560 --> 00:36:01,520 Speaker 1: President Trump authorized offensive cyber operations against war and cyber 494 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:08,480 Speaker 1: offenders like Russia. Number three, President Trump actually authorized the 495 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:13,960 Speaker 1: development of a low yield steam launched nuclear capable cruise 496 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 1: muscle for our own forces, and that countered Pudent's escalate 497 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:22,520 Speaker 1: to de escalate strategy. You know, the reason why President 498 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:28,600 Speaker 1: Biden fears deployment obvious forces into the theater, and he 499 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:32,360 Speaker 1: stated as stated that in the beginning of the conflict 500 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:37,839 Speaker 1: is because Russia has nukes and Pudent's not afraid to 501 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:43,560 Speaker 1: use them, and a highly sophisticated strategy of escalated de 502 00:36:43,719 --> 00:36:47,919 Speaker 1: escalate was developed. Well, Trump understood that, but Biden, when 503 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:53,040 Speaker 1: he came to power, he actually killed that program and 504 00:36:53,239 --> 00:36:59,400 Speaker 1: that unleashed Pudent's hands. It eliminated that deterrent and a 505 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:02,719 Speaker 1: couple of other you know things. Puttin also, I mean 506 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:09,799 Speaker 1: President Trump kicked out Taspersky anti virus and tvarus being 507 00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:13,960 Speaker 1: in quotes software out of government networks. That was actually 508 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:18,759 Speaker 1: an intelligence collection program that the US government, in its 509 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:24,840 Speaker 1: infinite wisdom, had deployed on our networks. Kaspersky is KGB 510 00:37:26,040 --> 00:37:29,239 Speaker 1: is owned by the former KGB officer and does work 511 00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:33,880 Speaker 1: for the Russian government. And then finally, President Trump also 512 00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:40,000 Speaker 1: authorized a missile strike on the Russian mercenaries they killed 513 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:44,440 Speaker 1: in Syria, that killed three hundred of them. And so 514 00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:48,399 Speaker 1: Puttin understood that Trump was not to be messed around with. 515 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:53,680 Speaker 1: Puttin feared Trump and he respected him, and that's why 516 00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:58,280 Speaker 1: he never attempted to do anything like that in Ukraine, 517 00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:01,640 Speaker 1: and he never pulled any you know, any nonsense. And 518 00:38:01,719 --> 00:38:07,960 Speaker 1: unfortunately Biden's actions only emboldened the Russian dictator. Why was 519 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:10,640 Speaker 1: there such an effort then laying all that out to 520 00:38:10,680 --> 00:38:13,800 Speaker 1: try to tie Trump to Putin as if somehow they're 521 00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:16,960 Speaker 1: in you know, cahuds together, that they were colluding. Oh, 522 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:22,120 Speaker 1: it's because the upper echelons of the intelligence community are corrupt. 523 00:38:22,239 --> 00:38:27,240 Speaker 1: It's because, you know, John Brannan, James Clapper, and James 524 00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:34,920 Speaker 1: Coley effectively colluded to to come up with a disinformation 525 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:40,760 Speaker 1: strategy and a COVID influence operation in order to unseat 526 00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:45,560 Speaker 1: a democratically elected president, you know, Donald Trump. That's what 527 00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:48,400 Speaker 1: they wanted to do. And I exposed it actually in 528 00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:52,920 Speaker 1: my book Putin's Playbook, before anyone else you know, stared it. 529 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:59,480 Speaker 1: And so they effectively used Soviet tactics. They used Putin's playbook, 530 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:05,520 Speaker 1: you know, to eliminate Trump, to force them out right, 531 00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:11,759 Speaker 1: and so effectively what happened, the American people were targets 532 00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:16,640 Speaker 1: of two you know, types of Putin's playbook. One was 533 00:39:16,719 --> 00:39:22,120 Speaker 1: that the Russians did try to intervene in the elections, right, 534 00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:26,400 Speaker 1: but not to not to elect Tromp. But they target 535 00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:30,640 Speaker 1: on both sides. They wanted to sew um discord for 536 00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:34,840 Speaker 1: men disorder, you know, all the way to social unrest. 537 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:39,160 Speaker 1: But then the American people were hit second time with 538 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:44,800 Speaker 1: another but US driven US spy agency's type of Putin's 539 00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:50,680 Speaker 1: playbook when they used this Steel docier, which is a 540 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:57,400 Speaker 1: complete you know, bogus um information. It's not even intelligence. 541 00:39:57,400 --> 00:40:00,920 Speaker 1: It wasn't even intelligence because it wasn't put In in 542 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:06,600 Speaker 1: our intelligence stream, but they used it as the pretense 543 00:40:06,920 --> 00:40:11,320 Speaker 1: and to to um start this whole COVID influence operation, 544 00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:15,160 Speaker 1: you know, just start surveying US citizen UM cut a 545 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:18,320 Speaker 1: page in order to get close to Trump, so that 546 00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:21,160 Speaker 1: that's that's what happened, That's why they did it. It's 547 00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:24,120 Speaker 1: corruption for the same thing they're hide they're hiding COVID 548 00:40:24,280 --> 00:40:28,759 Speaker 1: from the intelligence agencies. Did not, you know, UM did 549 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:34,200 Speaker 1: not reveal that COVID was actually you know, part of 550 00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:38,319 Speaker 1: China's long term bioweapons program, and it's gonna come out. 551 00:40:38,360 --> 00:40:46,759 Speaker 1: It's gonna come out soon. So that was Rebecca Kaffler 552 00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:49,880 Speaker 1: with obviously a different point of view than you know, 553 00:40:49,920 --> 00:40:52,360 Speaker 1: you might be hearing in some parts of the media. 554 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:55,480 Speaker 1: So this is again one the first series of a 555 00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:58,320 Speaker 1: two part series. In the next episode, I'm going to 556 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:01,200 Speaker 1: ask her about Nordstream too. You know, there's these reports 557 00:41:01,239 --> 00:41:04,000 Speaker 1: which you've heard me talk about on this podcast, that 558 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:07,279 Speaker 1: we took out the nord string pipelines. Does Rebecca think 559 00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:10,000 Speaker 1: that's true. We'll also talk about something she reveals about 560 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:11,680 Speaker 1: China that you're not going to want to miss. It 561 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:14,480 Speaker 1: blew my mind. And also how close are we to 562 00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:16,480 Speaker 1: a world war? All of that and more in the 563 00:41:16,520 --> 00:41:18,520 Speaker 1: next episode with Rebecca Koffler