1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Good morning everybody. Welcome to the Daily OS. It is Friday, 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: the twenty fifth of February. Sam and Zara here to 3 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 1: take you through what has been a huge twenty four 4 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,480 Speaker 1: hours of news. I'm going to be joined later in 5 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: the podcast by Tom Crowley, our journalist, to talk through 6 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: exactly what has happened in Ukraine. It's on the top 7 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: of everybody's minds and we're going to try and work 8 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:22,920 Speaker 1: through it. Tzara, when did this all. 9 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 2: Picking Yes, it was about five am local time, I believe, 10 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 2: and suddenly there was this press conference being beamed out 11 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 2: across the world with Russian President Vladimir Pudin announcing a 12 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 2: special military operation in Ukraine, therefore basically announcing that the 13 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 2: invasion was imminent. He said, our actions are self defense. 14 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 2: However hard this is, I ask you to understand it. 15 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:50,160 Speaker 2: Following the announcement, there were several explosions within pretty quick 16 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 2: succession that were heard across Ukraine in different cities and 17 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:54,959 Speaker 2: different parts of the country. 18 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 1: We then heard from several leaders of nations around the world, 19 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 20 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: who strongly condemned Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Biden said, 21 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: following Putin's announcement, quote President Pusin has chosen a premeditated 22 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and 23 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: human suffering. 24 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 2: Moving to other world news now and Texas Governor Greg 25 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 2: Abbott has directed state agencies to investigate gender transitioning prosceigures 26 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 2: and treatments for transgender youth. Abbot said doctors, nurses, teachers, 27 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:31,759 Speaker 2: and members of the public have an obligation to report 28 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 2: such instances and refer to prostgures as child abuse. 29 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: And today's good news much needed for your Friday. Ramesh 30 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: Babu Praganathana, sixteen year old from India, has become the 31 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 1: youngest chess player to beat current world champion Magnus Carlson 32 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: since Carlson became the world number one back in twenty thirteen. 33 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: Indian Prime Minister and the Rendra Moodi tweeted on the win. 34 00:01:54,040 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: We are all rejoicing on the success of the young genius. 35 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: Tom Crowley joining me this morning to talk about the 36 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: news out of Eastern Europe yesterday. Tom an unbelievable situation. 37 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: Many of us thought that living through a global pandemic 38 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: would be our big claim to what it's like to 39 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: be a young person in twenty twenty two and what 40 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: it's like to be a human now. It seems like 41 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: Russia and Ukraine are on the brink of war. Tom, 42 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: I want you to take us to when we all 43 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:28,919 Speaker 1: found out in the newsroom that an invasion was afoot. 44 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: What exactly happened to kick off this chain of events? 45 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 3: Thanks Sam, So as you say there, it's been a 46 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 3: very significant twenty four hours, and yesterday was really the 47 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 3: day when the thing that we'd been expecting to happen 48 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 3: actually happened. And so it began in the afternoon in 49 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 3: Australian time, but in the very early hours in the 50 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 3: morning in Ukraine and Russia. It began with a televised 51 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 3: address from Vladimir Putin announcing that Russia was sending its 52 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:58,359 Speaker 3: troops into Ukraine. We believe that this televised address was 53 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 3: actually recorded a few days ago. Oputin was wearing the 54 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 3: same clothes and standing in the same room as some 55 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 3: previous video footage that we've seen, So that's an indication 56 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 3: that this was premeditated and it was released, as I say, 57 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 3: in the very early hours of the morning, shortly after that, 58 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 3: explosions began to be heard all over Ukraine, including in 59 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 3: the capital Kiev. So there was a CNN correspondent as 60 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 3: it happened, who was doing a live cross to CNN, 61 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 3: and you could hear some of the explosions in Kiev, 62 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,919 Speaker 3: the capital at that point, just after five am in 63 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 3: the morning, Ukraine time. And so that was sort of, 64 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,080 Speaker 3: I guess, kicking off what is now being described as 65 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 3: Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It's a very significant and a 66 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 3: very sad day. As you mentioned at the front there, 67 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 3: it's sort of hard to imagine. We were expecting COVID 68 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 3: to be the defining experience of twenty twenty two, but 69 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 3: for the first time, really in several decades, we have 70 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 3: war on the continent in Europe. 71 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: At the same time as that was all happening, there 72 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: was a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York. 73 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: Here's a little bit of what the Secretary General of 74 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: the United Nations had to say me imediately after the 75 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: invasion began. 76 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 4: Present puttin in the name of humanity, bring your troops 77 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 4: back to Russia. In the name of humanity, do not 78 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 4: allow to start in Europe. What could be the worst 79 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 4: war since the beginning of the century. 80 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: And so tom what was the russianale that Russian President 81 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: Vladimir Putin offered in his televised address to justify his actions. 82 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 3: I mean to be blunt to start with. It's important 83 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 3: to kind of be clear about the fact that a 84 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 3: lot of the things that Vladimir Putin said yesterday and 85 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 3: has said over the last few days don't make a 86 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 3: lot of sense, and it's not entirely clear what they mean. 87 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 3: So one of the most kind of eyebrow raising comments 88 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 3: that Putin made yesterday was that he seeks the demilitarization 89 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:51,479 Speaker 3: and denazification of Ukraine. He also accused the Ukrainian government 90 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 3: of genocide. Now there's no factual basis for any of 91 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 3: these claims. The claim in particular, I guess the mention 92 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 3: of Nazis is a particularly puzzling one. Worth noting in 93 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,160 Speaker 3: that sense that the president of Ukraine is Jewish, his 94 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 3: father fought against his grandfather rather fought against the Nazis 95 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 3: in World War II. So some of the claims from 96 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 3: Putin have been kind of very strange. Indeed, over the 97 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 3: last week or so, he's been saying things like Russia 98 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 3: created Ukraine, that Ukraine has no legitimate history of statehooding 99 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 3: things of that nature. I guess the most specific rationale 100 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 3: that we know of and the most specific reason that 101 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 3: Putin has for doing this, and something that Putin has 102 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:30,480 Speaker 3: been talking about for many years, is his concern about 103 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 3: the rise of NATO and the expansion of the Western 104 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:36,719 Speaker 3: Military Alliance NATO, and in particular the idea that Ukraine 105 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 3: might join that Western military alliance. 106 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: That's a really interesting and important point. It's come up 107 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 1: a lot. We've talked about it on this podcast. Tell 108 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: us more about the history of NATO and what's behind 109 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: Putin's concerns here. So NATO stands for the North Atlantic 110 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: Treaty Organization. NATO is a military alliance of Western nations basically, 111 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: so its members include the U S, Canada, and a 112 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: bunch of European countries. So NATO's been around for decades, 113 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: but it's expanded a lot in the last twenty years 114 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: or so. So if we cast back to nineteen ninety one, 115 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:14,480 Speaker 1: and nineteen ninety one is a key year. It's the 116 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: year that the Soviet Union dissolved. So the Soviet Union 117 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 1: is the old communist Russian Union that dissolved in nineteen 118 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: ninety one. A lot of the territories that belonged to 119 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:27,479 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union became independent countries. Back then there were 120 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: sixteen members of NATO. There are now thirty, and a 121 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,559 Speaker 1: lot of those countries that fell out of the Soviet Union, 122 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: those countries in Eastern Europe have joined NATO's so countries 123 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 1: including Poland and Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, a number of 124 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: other countries have joined NATO over the last few years. 125 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 1: And if you like, NATO's easternmost border has been getting 126 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 1: closer and closer to Russia. That's something Putin has been 127 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: concerned about for a long time. I think it was 128 00:06:57,160 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: in two thousand and five that he described the end 129 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 1: of the Soviet Union as a tragedy. And he says 130 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 1: that the West has cheated Russia because it promised in 131 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: the nineties that it wouldn't expand NATO towards Russia, but 132 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 1: it's done that. Western isis claimed that Putin's been very 133 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 1: angry about the expansion of NATO for a long time. 134 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: And Ukraine, if you like, because Ukraine is a really 135 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 1: big country and it's right on the Russian border. That's 136 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: been the final straw for Putin. So Ukraine was promised 137 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: entry into NATO in two thousand and eight. It hasn't 138 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:27,400 Speaker 1: actually happened yet, but it's been in the works for 139 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 1: all of that time, and Putin has consistently opposed it. 140 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,880 Speaker 1: So in twenty fourteen, Putin entered Ukraine, he invaded an 141 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: annexed Crimea, and a big part of his reason for 142 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:41,240 Speaker 1: doing that at the time was this concern about Ukraine 143 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:45,119 Speaker 1: joining NATO. And it's that same concern that is really 144 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: the biggest thing that's motivating his movement into Ukraine in 145 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: the last few days. And did we hear anything as 146 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 1: the invasion began from Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, We did so. 147 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 3: Vladimir Zelenski has made it a number of public statements 148 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 3: over the last few days. He's been urging peace but 149 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 3: also saying that Ukraine would be willing to fight fritz 150 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 3: Land if it was required to. But in quite a 151 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 3: striking speech yesterday, he spoke directly not to Ukrainians and 152 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 3: not to the international community, but directly to the people 153 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 3: of Russia, and I suppose made an appeal to them 154 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 3: to reject the rhetoric and the narrative that Vladimir Putin 155 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:21,760 Speaker 3: has been putting out in the last few days, and 156 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 3: pointing out that their neighbors, that they have shared cultural ties, 157 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 3: that they should be friends, that Ukraine bears no animosity 158 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 3: towards the Russian people, and I suppose imploring Russians not 159 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 3: to buy into the rhetoric that they're hearing from their president. 160 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 3: So it was an appeal directly to them. He pointed 161 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 3: out that of course it was unlikely that it would 162 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 3: be broadcast on Russian TV, but that he wanted Russians 163 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 3: to hear his message, and he spoke in Russian when 164 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 3: he delivered this speech. 165 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 1: A very fast moving situation that the Daily Ods will 166 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:52,559 Speaker 1: stay on top of all throughout the weekend. The way 167 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 1: to find out the latest news updates from Ukraine is 168 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:58,920 Speaker 1: on the Daily Os on Instagram until then, will be 169 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: back in your ears on on Monday morning. If you 170 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: enjoy this podcast with lovely lever review. Until then, have 171 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 1: a safe and fantastic weekend.