ESPRESO — broadcast
20260920 130000 UTC
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[00:00:01] Ukrainian Focus evening daily on weekdays on Espresso.
[00:00:24] Hello, this is News on Espresso, my name is Oksana Vysochenska and I will now tell you
[00:00:27] about the situation in the country and in the world. Russian troops launched
[00:00:31] an airstrike on an evacuation point in Kramatorsk,
[00:00:35] Donetsk region, said the head of the Proliska humanitarian mission, Yevhen
[00:00:39] Kaplin. According to him, it was a direct hit. At
[00:00:42] the time of the attack, evacuated people and
[00:00:46] employees helping with the evacuation were at the location. Information
[00:00:49] about possible dead and injured is still
[00:00:51] being clarified.
[00:00:54] Due to the consequences of Russian attacks, Ukrzaliznytsia trains are running with
[00:00:57] significant delays. Some flights are delayed for almost 14
[00:01:01] hours. The longest delay is currently 13 hours and 40
[00:01:05] minutes. This delay affects Dnipro-Uzhhorod and
[00:01:08] Zaporizhzhia-Przemysl trains. Most delays have been recorded on
[00:01:12] routes through the southern regions, particularly to Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia
[00:01:16] and from these cities in the opposite direction. Also, some
[00:01:19] trains to Kharkiv, Odesa, Kyiv and
[00:01:22] deviations from the schedule. Ukrzaliznytsia
[00:01:26] warns that in case of increased danger, traffic may be temporarily
[00:01:30] suspended. Passengers are advised
[00:01:32] to follow instructions, go to
[00:01:35] shelters or move at least 200 m from railway
[00:01:39] infrastructure.
[00:01:42] The Third Army Corps liberated Shandryholove and Derylove and
[00:01:46] established full control over Drobycheve in Donetsk region,
[00:01:50] reported corps commander Andriy Biletskyi. He noted that
[00:01:54] the operation in Vivaldi continues and is gaining momentum. According to him,
[00:01:57] during the first and second stages of the counteroffensive, Ukrainian
[00:02:01] units regained control of 125
[00:02:04] km of territory, of which 50 km
[00:02:08] were de-occupied. Biletskyi also stated that during this
[00:02:12] period, the losses of the Russian army amounted to about 3,000
[00:02:15] servicemen.
[00:02:19] Servicemen from the 100th Separate Mechanized Brigade have asked
[00:02:23] us for help. They need transport, equipment and
[00:02:27] machinery, without which it is difficult to perform combat missions. Our goal is very
[00:02:31] ambitious - 3.5 million hryvnias. This amount is large, but
[00:02:34] the needs at the front, as we know, do not decrease. So, if
[00:02:38] you have the opportunity, please contribute with hryvnias. Everything that
[00:02:41] can be purchased thanks to this collection will work for
[00:02:45] our
[00:02:46] victory.
[00:02:51] The Moscow region of Russia was subjected to a massive drone attack
[00:02:55] during the night, after which fires broke out in several
[00:02:58] districts. In particular, a large-scale fire occurred on the territory of
[00:03:01] the Sofyino warehouse complex. Explosions were also reported near
[00:03:05] TPP-22 in Lyubertsy, where Russian air defense tried
[00:03:09] to shoot down drones, according to monitoring Telegram channels.
[00:03:13] Drones also attacked the area of the Moscow oil refinery
[00:03:17] in Kapotnya, where a fire could have occurred near one of
[00:03:20] the installations. Videos of the consequences of the attack and
[00:03:24] the work of Russian air defense are circulating online, and the mayor of Moscow,
[00:03:27] Sergey Sobyanin, announced a massive
[00:03:31] drone attack on the Russian capital. According to him,
[00:03:34] since September 19, Russian air defense allegedly
[00:03:37] intercepted more than 1600
[00:03:40] drones at different lines, of which
[00:03:43] 450 were approaching Moscow. At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
[00:03:47] stated that tonight in the Moscow region,
[00:03:50] Ukrainian long-range weapons
[00:03:53] were very effective, hitting one of the key
[00:03:56] enterprises of the Russian oil industry and a logistics facility
[00:04:00] of Russian troops. According to him, during the operation,
[00:04:03] FP-1,
[00:04:05] RZ-100, Mich 2000, Palyanytsia,
[00:04:08] Vendetta, Lyuty Bars, Flamingo, Sichen and
[00:04:11] Pelikan were used, and the SBU, forces of unmanned
[00:04:15] systems of the SSO, GUR and the Foreign Intelligence Service
[00:04:17] were involved in the strikes.
[00:04:21] The partisan movement also announced damage to a railway switch
[00:04:25] in Russian Taganrog, Rostov region. According to
[00:04:29] the partisans, their agents disabled an important
[00:04:33] element of the railway infrastructure, on which the movement of trains in this
[00:04:36] section depends. Vatesh claims that the damage
[00:04:40] may complicate the movement of military echelons towards
[00:04:44] the occupied territories of Ukraine. Taganrog is
[00:04:47] an important railway hub for the movement of goods to
[00:04:50] Azov Sea region, and military equipment,
[00:04:53] fuel and this area. Partisans
[00:04:57] state that the sabotage may cause train delays and
[00:05:01] disrupt the schedule of railway
[00:05:03] trains.
[00:05:06] Poland will install more than 1000 automated sirens along
[00:05:09] its eastern border, including near Ukraine. This was stated by
[00:05:13] the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration of Poland, Marcin
[00:05:16] Kierwiński. According to him, Russia has changed its tactics, and
[00:05:19] missiles and jet drones are increasingly
[00:05:23] attacking targets near the Ukrainian-Polish
[00:05:25] border. At the beginning of 2024, about
[00:05:29] 30 remotely controlled
[00:05:32] region, and today there are almost 350. And
[00:05:34] after the network expansion, there will be
[00:05:38] more than a thousand. Poland is also preparing for the possible
[00:05:41] detection of tunnels under the border, cooperates
[00:05:45] with Frontex, tests ground-penetrating radars and
[00:05:48] purchases equipment to search for underground cavities.
[00:05:51] The decision to strengthen the notification system was made against the backdrop of Russian
[00:05:55] strikes near the border, including the attack on Volyn on September
[00:05:58] 13.
[00:06:02] NATO is ready to respond to possible escalation and provocations by
[00:06:06] Russia on Europe's eastern flank - stated the head of the Alliance's Military Committee,
[00:06:10] Admiral Giuseppe Cavo. Drago, according to him,
[00:06:13] NATO troops, armaments and military
[00:06:17] structure are in a state of readiness, and
[00:06:20] the alliance continues to build up its capabilities.
[00:06:23] Drago emphasized that NATO has developed defense plans
[00:06:27] for various scenarios, from local crisis to
[00:06:31] large-scale armed conflict, and he emphasized that in the event
[00:06:34] of an attack, allies know the course of action to protect
[00:06:38] the alliance's territory. The statement comes against the backdrop of
[00:06:41] warnings from countries about possible Russian provocations and
[00:06:45] hybrid
[00:06:45] attacks.
[00:06:50] Denmark is urgently transferring to Ukraine the 31st package
[00:06:53] of military aid worth about 275 million
[00:06:57] dollars. The main part of the funds will be directed to strengthening Ukrainian
[00:07:00] air defense in anticipation of the autumn-winter period, the
[00:07:04] Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported. The package was
[00:07:08] the result of agreements between the defense ministers of Ukraine and
[00:07:11] Denmark, which were reached during a telephone conversation this
[00:07:15] week. The Ministry of Defense thanked Copenhagen for
[00:07:18] its support and emphasized that the country remains one of
[00:07:21] Ukraine's key partners in the military
[00:07:24] sphere.
[00:07:27] Support for Ukraine is a national interest of Poland - this was
[00:07:31] stated by the country's Defense Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. According to
[00:07:35] him, Ukrainian air defense allows intercepting Russian
[00:07:38] missiles and drones before they reach the border of the European
[00:07:42] Union. He emphasized that without a sufficient number of air defense
[00:07:46] systems and ammunition, a significant part of Russian air targets could
[00:07:50] reach Poland. The statement came after the fall
[00:07:53] of a Russian strike drone in Volyn region, approximately 4
[00:07:56] km from the Polish border. Kosiniak-Kamysz
[00:08:00] also reported that Poland is increasing the activity of its
[00:08:03] air forces against the backdrop of Russian
[00:08:05] provocations.
[00:08:08] Meanwhile, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated
[00:08:12] that some Western politicians allegedly seek
[00:08:15] to provoke a direct conflict between NATO and
[00:08:18] Russia. According to him, Europe has approached
[00:08:21] a large-scale war like never before. Fico
[00:08:24] claims that this situation arose after the failure of the West's
[00:08:28] strategy aimed at defeating the Russian Federation in the war against
[00:08:31] Ukraine. He called this a deadly danger and stated
[00:08:35] that some politicians in the alliance are trying to turn the war in
[00:08:38] Ukraine into a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia. The Slovak
[00:08:42] prime minister also once again emphasized that the conflict is not a war of
[00:08:45] Slovakia or NATO. At the same time, his statement came against the backdrop of
[00:08:49] warnings from European leaders about the activation of
[00:08:52] Russian hybrid
[00:08:53] attacks.
[00:08:57] China sharply criticized a new United States law
[00:09:00] that tightens sanctions against Russia and provides
[00:09:03] for restrictions on countries that buy its oil. Beijing
[00:09:07] stated that it opposes unilateral and so-called
[00:09:11] secondary sanctions if they do not have a UN mandate or grounds in
[00:09:14] international law. China threatened to take necessary
[00:09:18] measures to protect its companies and economic interests. New
[00:09:22] American restrictions could affect China and
[00:09:25] India, the largest buyers of Russian energy carriers.
[00:09:28] At the same time, Beijing called on Washington to resolve trade
[00:09:32] disputes through dialogue. Chinese criticism
[00:09:35] came ahead of the planned meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
[00:09:39] And that's all the information for now,
[00:09:42] next my colleagues, Kateryna Nekrecha and
[00:09:46] Serhiy Hruchenko will work in the analytical studio, the next
[00:09:49] news release in less than an hour, wait,
[00:10:09] war, missiles for patriots in...
[00:10:14] Strikes on
[00:10:14] Russia,
[00:10:18] dialogue between government and
[00:10:19] society,
[00:10:27] Support for Ukraine. Behind every loud
[00:10:30] event lies the main question: what's next? On
[00:10:34] weekdays at 20:15 on
[00:10:36] Espresso. The world has changed, a real war
[00:10:40] intertwined with a hybrid war. Fakes change
[00:10:44] reality. This is just senseless propaganda, like in Soviet times.
[00:10:47] Vitaliy Portnikov and Espresso hosts in the Saturday political club
[00:10:51] examine the main events of the week through the prism of critical thinking.
[00:10:55] Here, only those who are ready to defend themselves will survive. Don't let
[00:10:58] yourself be manipulated, follow the events of today to understand
[00:11:01] the future. Together with the project Saturday political club,
[00:11:05] every Saturday on Espresso.
[00:11:27] Welcome Espresso viewers, now the main thing, with you Kateryna Nekrecha,
[00:11:31] Serhiy Rudenko, we are working live, today is Sunday, September
[00:11:34] 20, and we will analyze the events of
[00:11:38] this day and
[00:11:59] how good drones and missiles
[00:12:03] for Ukraine today visited Moscow and the Moscow
[00:12:06] region during the night, and
[00:12:10] about what is happening in Russia today, today there are so-called
[00:12:14] elections to the so-called State Duma of the Russian Federation,
[00:12:18] Russian occupiers are holding these sham elections, also in
[00:12:21] the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
[00:12:25] We talk with our experts, guests about
[00:12:28] the specifics of the current sham elections, well, and
[00:12:31] of course, we will recall the difficult
[00:12:34] situation that is developing in Europe in connection with
[00:12:37] the hybrid attacks of the Russian Federation,
[00:12:41] Poles, as well as representatives of the European Union
[00:12:45] say that it is necessary to do
[00:12:48] everything possible to support Ukraine,
[00:12:51] because Ukraine is part of European security.
[00:12:55] The situation on the continent, and we already have
[00:12:59] our first guest, Myroslav Hai, officer of the Armed Forces
[00:13:03] of Ukraine, volunteer,
[00:13:13] Mr. Myroslav, let's start, probably, with one of the important
[00:13:16] news of this day, here drones massively
[00:13:19] attacked Moscow and the region and
[00:13:23] a fire broke out in warehouses and an oil refinery, how
[00:13:27] can the result of such an operation of the defense
[00:13:30] forces be characterized?
[00:13:33] Well, it seems to me that this is no longer news, but old news, because
[00:13:37] first, such attacks occur
[00:13:39] periodically, and usually,
[00:13:43] well, the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine, they do not aim to
[00:13:47] strike
[00:13:49] civilian population, as Russia does,
[00:13:52] but it happens that... during the operation of Russian
[00:13:56] air defense or when they turn on
[00:14:00] electronic warfare means, various incidents can happen, but
[00:14:03] the main task of
[00:14:06] the SOF, as we see, is to strike
[00:14:08] strategic infrastructure of the Russian
[00:14:11] Federation, which directly affects the war,
[00:14:14] and one of
[00:14:18] the targets of the strikes is precisely
[00:14:21] oil refineries, and this time again...
[00:14:25] an oil refinery in Moscow was attacked first,
[00:14:27] it has been there since the Soviet Union, it is one of
[00:14:31] the largest
[00:14:32] plants
[00:14:35] in this region, so it is critically important for
[00:14:38] Moscow, so because of its absence, they have
[00:14:42] to transport fuel from
[00:14:46] the Urals, from other regions of the Russian
[00:14:49] Federation, why did they hit it now, well, they
[00:14:53] have hit it three times already.
[00:14:56] After each successful strike, the Russians, after some time,
[00:14:59] restore it, we watch, wait until
[00:15:03] they do these works, launch it and
[00:15:06] then strike again, well and thus,
[00:15:09] first, they are forced to spend gigantic sums
[00:15:13] on its restoration,
[00:15:15] second, they have worse and
[00:15:19] worse logistics of expensive
[00:15:22] equipment, which is very difficult... to buy even with
[00:15:26] money, well, first, not all countries in the world produce it,
[00:15:30] even China does not produce it somewhere yet, and
[00:15:31] second,
[00:15:34] time is needed to produce those or other parts, well... Time has
[00:15:38] passed, we have not heard about strikes on
[00:15:41] this oil refinery for a long time,
[00:15:45] it was repaired, launched, and we destroyed it again, so
[00:15:49] again there will be a fuel shortage in Moscow,
[00:15:52] again there will be a ban on fuel
[00:15:55] exports, there will be problems
[00:15:59] for the armed forces of the Russian Federation, because
[00:16:02] they have less and less fuel at the front, their
[00:16:06] logistics are increasing, and all this,
[00:16:08] all this, reduces their capabilities in this
[00:16:12] war and brings an end to the war,
[00:16:15] bloodshed, this senseless war that Putin started in the center of
[00:16:18] Europe, that is, this
[00:16:21] notorious multi-layered air defense
[00:16:24] system, which Putin and Russian occupiers always
[00:16:28] praised, turns out not to be so
[00:16:31] good if it fails around Moscow, that is, it's
[00:16:35] not, it's a whole system.
[00:16:38] Not quite, unfortunately, the Russians have a very
[00:16:42] good air defense, there are two
[00:16:44] aspects, with which, or in which
[00:16:47] we manage to overcome
[00:16:51] this system, well, the first aspect is that the Russian
[00:16:54] state, well, the Russian territory, it is gigantic, and this is,
[00:16:58] probably, the first time in all past
[00:17:01] centuries, when the size of Russia, it
[00:17:04] is not a strategic advantage, but, let's say,
[00:17:07] a huge disadvantage, because earlier, during
[00:17:10] the First, Second World Wars, world
[00:17:13] wars, Russia, well, Russia was difficult to
[00:17:17] defeat precisely because of these distances that had to be
[00:17:21] overcome, so, now, when there are modern
[00:17:24] types of weapons, modern types of intelligence,
[00:17:28] then this territory becomes a disadvantage, because you cannot
[00:17:31] cover all of its territory with air defense, you have
[00:17:35] the opportunity to reach certain targets in Russia from
[00:17:38] different points, from different angles with modern types of
[00:17:42] weapons, but despite this, Russia's air defense
[00:17:45] system is being built, and they are studying
[00:17:49] our experience, they are learning from mistakes, and
[00:17:52] are building a layered defense, and that is why we have to
[00:17:55] launch not even hundreds, they are already talking about thousands
[00:17:59] of drones, accordingly, of course,
[00:18:02] most of them are shot down, but with such a
[00:18:05] quantity, when this air defense system is exhausted, which, by the way, Russia
[00:18:09] does with us, when they launch dozens of hundreds of
[00:18:12] drones, decoys, drones that do not carry
[00:18:15] a warhead, which simply
[00:18:18] imitate, let's say, a combat
[00:18:22] drone or a missile, then
[00:18:25] accordingly, this air defense
[00:18:28] is exhausted, and the Russians act the same way on our side, well, you know,
[00:18:32] just as they acted, we also started, and in one way or another, at
[00:18:36] such a target as an oil refinery,
[00:18:39] in one way or another, at least one or two drones
[00:18:42] break through, and it is already almost
[00:18:45] impossible to cover an oil refinery, and it is difficult, you cannot
[00:18:48] move it underground, because in one way or
[00:18:51] another there are ground parts and at the
[00:18:54] slightest damage to them a large fire occurs,
[00:18:58] a fire as a result of which everything is destroyed, so
[00:19:01] here let's say this, let's not
[00:19:05] underestimate the enemy, the enemy... is cunning,
[00:19:09] evil, so, he has a good
[00:19:12] technical base, they may not be as developed
[00:19:15] from the point of view of civilian
[00:19:18] technologies, modern technologies, but unfortunately,
[00:19:21] ballistic missiles exist, and we see how they are
[00:19:24] increasing the number of reactive Shaheds, we do not yet have
[00:19:28] such reactive Shaheds of our own Ukrainian ones in such
[00:19:32] quantities, and we do not yet have such quantities of ballistic missiles.
[00:19:35] Therefore, we should not underestimate the enemy, but
[00:19:39] this is our success, of course,
[00:19:42] today's damage to this plant, and this is a significant
[00:19:46] blow to Russia, and first of all, not only an economic
[00:19:49] but also a political blow, because we
[00:19:53] are again demonstrating to the Russians that Putin is unable to protect
[00:19:56] Moscow, unable to protect Russians,
[00:20:00] and this war must be ended, Mr.
[00:20:03] Myroslav, this is still during these three days of elections that are taking place
[00:20:07] for the State Duma, that is also such a moment, and we also have news
[00:20:11] from the commander of the Third Army Corps, Brigadier General, Brigadier General
[00:20:14] Andriy Biletskyi, he
[00:20:18] reported the liberation of new settlements in Donetsk region within
[00:20:22] the Vivaldi operation, it is
[00:20:25] about the North of Donetsk region, about the settlements of
[00:20:29] Shandryholove, Dyrylove and
[00:20:33] also control over
[00:20:35] the settlement of Drobycheva. We can listen to Biletskyi's
[00:20:39] direct speech.
[00:20:41] We promised good news, I report some of it. During
[00:20:45] the second stage of Vivaldi, we returned another 40
[00:20:48] km of Ukrainian land. The settlements of
[00:20:51] Shandryhalove and Derylove have been liberated. The settlement of
[00:20:55] Drobochovo is completely under Ukrainian control. Moreover, it should be noted that
[00:20:58] Shandryhalove is a critical point for
[00:21:02] both our troops and the enemy. The second season of Operation
[00:21:05] Vivaldi has been completed. But the operation continues. So follow
[00:21:08] the official reports of the Third Army
[00:21:11] Corps. So we follow the official reports,
[00:21:15] as Mr. Biletskyi noted. Mr. Myroslav,
[00:21:18] what does this give in such a broad perspective,
[00:21:22] let's say, how does this change the enemy's
[00:21:25] plans, including for the autumn-winter
[00:21:28] campaign, if such a one was being prepared?
[00:21:32] Well, look, first, we need to congratulate the Third Army Corps,
[00:21:36] they, with great efforts, and
[00:21:39] losses, but demonstrate successes,
[00:21:43] and strength of endurance and
[00:21:46] high spirit, and not only the Ukrainian
[00:21:50] people are watching this, but the whole world, so, but I
[00:21:53] would not look at it from this angle from the point of view of
[00:21:56] the autumn-winter campaign,
[00:21:59] these are important, but tactical successes, which simply
[00:22:02] demonstrate that
[00:22:05] in modern warfare it is impossible to live like
[00:22:08] Russians, with military thought, conditionally
[00:22:11] 19th-20th centuries, when
[00:22:14] it was considered that seizing, holding territory is
[00:22:17] the basis and main
[00:22:20] task of that or another great power, empire,
[00:22:24] etc. Currently, we are demonstrating with our
[00:22:26] war that the rules have changed, that
[00:22:30] seizing territory does not mean holding it and
[00:22:33] controlling it effectively, so they seized Crimea, as a result
[00:22:37] there are problems with logistics, there are constant arrivals at all
[00:22:40] infrastructure, people sit
[00:22:42] for days there and weeks without water,
[00:22:46] without electricity, this is the same with the occupied territories, you cannot...
[00:22:51] you cannot, due to modern means of destruction and intelligence, concentrate enough
[00:22:54] people there who would be enough to hold those or other
[00:22:58] territories, well, you captured it, so,
[00:23:01] then drones arrive, then missiles arrive with cluster
[00:23:05] munitions,
[00:23:08] then, well, your entire logistics are cut off and
[00:23:11] the group that remains in this territory,
[00:23:14] often small, it simply cannot continue
[00:23:17] to resist our counteroffensive actions, because,
[00:23:21] well, they are not supplied with water, it is difficult to deliver
[00:23:24] food to them, all this, everything that goes there is
[00:23:28] destroyed, gigantic numbers, for you to deliver
[00:23:32] water and food to soldiers in a trench, on our side, by the way, it's the same, and
[00:23:36] this is also a problem, to deliver water and food to soldiers in a trench,
[00:23:39] well, a whole operation is carried out, in which a larger
[00:23:43] number of people and means are involved than
[00:23:47] those to whom this food and water
[00:23:50] are given, these are the conditions of such modern warfare, and again
[00:23:54] this demonstrates to us Putin's madness,
[00:23:57] the Russians', not understanding how the modern world works, they live
[00:24:01] in archaism, in the past,
[00:24:04] and because of this, and
[00:24:07] the corresponding result, because it's not enough
[00:24:10] to enter with small infantry groups,
[00:24:12] capture a section of a field, some ruined
[00:24:16] village, dig into some hole, you need...
[00:24:20] to hold this section, and there are no roads,
[00:24:24] all logistics are disrupted, kamikaze
[00:24:27] drones are hanging around, drones with artificial intelligence,
[00:24:30] they search for you with high-precision
[00:24:33] cameras that can see 20 or 30
[00:24:37] km, with thermal imaging devices, as soon as they find you, they
[00:24:40] destroy you, and as a result, well, on
[00:24:43] our side there are also problems, but it's easier for us, because we still have
[00:24:47] allies, and we have a shorter
[00:24:50] logistics shoulder because our partners from
[00:24:53] abroad help us, and Russia understands this, they are destroying
[00:24:56] now, you see, they are destroying border crossing
[00:24:59] points, our logistics, but in one way or
[00:25:03] another it's easier for us to bring, let's say,
[00:25:06] from Poland or other European countries the
[00:25:10] same weapons, fuel and necessary materials, than for Russia
[00:25:14] to bring from the Urals, and accordingly, this is what we
[00:25:17] started talking about, that capturing
[00:25:20] a large territory does not mean achieving
[00:25:24] success in war, because you simply cannot
[00:25:27] hold and protect this territory, and
[00:25:31] the Third Army Corps perfectly demonstrates this
[00:25:34] new axiom of the modern world. Mr. Myroslav, at the
[00:25:37] very end of our conversation, a question
[00:25:40] about possible mobilization in Russia, which was
[00:25:43] predicted after the completion of the so-called
[00:25:46] elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation, will it happen?
[00:25:50] Will this mobilization solve all the problems of the Russians,
[00:25:54] the Russian occupiers in the war against Ukraine, if
[00:26:03] This is to say that Russia does not
[00:26:06] operate with military expediency,
[00:26:10] logic, military-economic,
[00:26:13] but they operate with military-political
[00:26:16] logic, which often goes against
[00:26:19] the real picture of the world.
[00:26:22] And all the logic of a normal person
[00:26:26] suggests that any mobilization in Russia
[00:26:29] will lead to a socio-economic and...
[00:26:32] political crisis, and this
[00:26:35] will simply be an overwhelming catastrophe for
[00:26:38] Russians, and that it is not worth it, but the war
[00:26:41] itself is illogical and it led to
[00:26:44] a catastrophe that generally puts the very future existence
[00:26:47] of the Russian state and Russia as such, all of this
[00:26:50] territory, into question. But what is in Putin's head,
[00:26:54] we don't know. All experts say that it will be difficult, because people
[00:26:58] need to be trained, they need to be armed, and most importantly,
[00:27:01] a large... a large mass of people in modern warfare does not play
[00:27:05] a decisive role. This is important, it will create
[00:27:09] problems for us, but it does not play a decisive role, because again,
[00:27:12] you bring a soldier, as one
[00:27:15] Russian fighter once said, and on the other hand,
[00:27:19] instead of a truck of soldiers, a truck of drones arrives.
[00:27:22] That's why
[00:27:24] we can't say what's in the madman's head right now.
[00:27:27] Thank you, Mr. Myroslav, for the conversation. This is... Myroslav Gai,
[00:27:31] an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a volunteer and a military blogger. Next, Iryna Korzhenkova,
[00:27:35] an analyst of the Chesno Movement, joins our broadcast.
[00:27:38] She is already
[00:27:55] we want to talk, among other things, probably,
[00:27:58] about starting with the position of Prosecutor General right now.
[00:28:02] There is no person in this position, and here on
[00:28:06] our broadcast, just yesterday, People's Deputy Andriy
[00:28:09] Osedchuk proposed
[00:28:12] to the President's Office to arrange an informal competition for the
[00:28:15] position of Prosecutor General, that is, so that there would be people who would conduct
[00:28:19] this competition transparently, there would be several candidates, and they would openly tell
[00:28:22] the President: "Look, we liked this
[00:28:26] candidate according to these parameters."
[00:28:29] Should we wait until when? We can listen now.
[00:28:33] Well,
[00:28:35] I have been proposing to the President's Office for several days to lead
[00:28:38] this process, to create some advisory
[00:28:41] commission, it can be called
[00:28:45] competitive, international experts can be included there, again,
[00:28:48] but so that we all see that candidates for the position of
[00:28:52] Prosecutor General are not selected somewhere behind the scenes, but
[00:28:55] that this is a process of selecting professional people.
[00:28:59] I remain an optimist, I believe that... in the prosecutor's
[00:29:03] system and generally in the legal profession of Ukraine, there are strong and
[00:29:06] powerful people who would possibly agree to perform this
[00:29:09] role, but they need to be provided with normal conditions, and again,
[00:29:13] a normal selection system needs to be created.
[00:29:16] So, how likely do you think such an option is, or should
[00:29:20] the parliament still consider the bill
[00:29:23] and radically change the approach
[00:29:26] and have the competition
[00:29:30] as proposed in the bill that is currently registered in parliament? Well, for
[00:29:33] the future, a competition is definitely needed, but for now,
[00:29:37] what we see is that Ukraine already
[00:29:40] needs a Prosecutor General, not an acting one, because we know
[00:29:43] that we have had an acting head of the Security Service
[00:29:46] of Ukraine for a long time, and well, that's quite wrong during
[00:29:50] martial law, because these are law enforcement
[00:29:53] agencies that must have a permanent
[00:29:56] head. And what Mr. Andriy Osaychuk proposes seems
[00:30:00] to make sense as a transitional
[00:30:03] moment until the bill is
[00:30:06] adopted, and everything will then be
[00:30:10] brought into the legal framework, because we understand that
[00:30:13] adopting a bill, well, such a rather
[00:30:16] interesting, rather ambiguous one,
[00:30:19] takes a certain amount of time, and
[00:30:23] all this will not be adopted next
[00:30:27] week. I remind you that the council will only convene in three
[00:30:30] weeks, so until the end... of October, at least
[00:30:33] we will have an acting Prosecutor General,
[00:30:37] and it seems that during this time, an informal competition could be held,
[00:30:40] and this is quite a good, by the way,
[00:30:44] initiative and a good interim
[00:30:47] option until the bill is
[00:30:50] adopted and enters into force. But the fact
[00:30:53] that there is no Prosecutor General should probably
[00:30:57] please the people's deputies of Ukraine.