Ukrainian troops advance in Russia’s Kursk region

IF THIS BID FAILS, OBVIOUSLY SENTENCING IS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 18th ALTHOUGH IT'S POSSIBLE THAT COULD BE POSTPONED. >> THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE. >>> MOURNERS GATHERED FOR THE BURIAL OF A UKRAINIAN FIGHTER PILOT WHO WAS KILLED WHEN HIS F- 16 FIGHTER JET CRASHED ON MONDAY. AS RUSSIA LAUNCHED A MAJOR ATTACK ON UKRAINE. THE DEFENSE MINISTRY HAS OPENED UP AN INVESTIGATION. AND YESTERDAY, RUSSIA LAUNCHED ANOTHER HEAVY AERIAL ATTACK INTO UKRAINE, THE THIRD IN FOUR DAYS. THE UKRAINIAN AIR FORCE AS MOST OF THOSE MISSILES AND DRONES WERE INTERCEPTED. WHAT IS THE LATEST ON THIS F-16 CRASH INVESTIGATION, DO WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THERE? >> Reporter: YOU KNOW, RYAN, WE DON'T, IT IS A MYSTERY, THIS IS WHAT WE KNOW, WE KNOW THIS HAPPENED ON MONDAY IN THE MIDST OF THIS MASSIVE RUSSIAN MISSILE STRIKE ON UKRAINE, ONE OF THE LARGEST OF THE WAR, MORE THAN 100 MISSILES AND MORE THAN 100 DRONES WERE FIRED ON UKRAINIAN TERRITORY. WE KNOW FROM PRESIDENT ZELINSKI THAT F-16S WERE A BIG PART, PLAYED A BIG ROLE IN REPELLING SOME OF THOSE ATTACKS. A FAMED UKRAINIAN PILOT BY THE NAME OF MOON FISH, THE CALLSIGN, WAS INVOLVED IN THE EFFORT, HE WAS FLYING AN F-16 AND HE HAD JUST SHOT DOWN THREE MISSILES, AND A RUSSIAN DRONE. HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO THE NEXT TARGET AND SUDDENLY, THEY LOST COMMUNICATION WITH HIM, HIS PLANE CRASHED, AND HE DIED ALONG WITH THE PLANE, NOW THEY'VE ANNOUNCED THIS BIG INVESTIGATION, THEY ARE BRINGING IN THE UNITED STATES TO HELP IN THE EFFORT TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE AS IT STANDS NOW, THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND A LOT OF RUMORS ABOUT THIS IN UKRAINE. >> IT'S ALSO BEEN WEEKS OF CROSS-BORDER FIGHTING BETWEEN UKRAINE AND RUSSIA WITH UKRAINE REPORTEDLY GAINING GROUND IN RUSSIA'S KURSK TERRITORY. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT? >> THAT'S RIGHT, UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES ALSO ANNOUNCED ADDITIONAL GAINS MADE THERE IN KURSK, THEY CONTINUE TO DIG INTO THE RUSSIAN TERRITORY, MEANWHILE, THE RUSSIANS CONTINUE TO MAKE GAINS IN UKRAINE'S EASTERN DONBAS REGION GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE KEY CITY THAT IS REALLY SEEN AS CRITICAL TO THE UKRAINIAN FRONT LINE AND ITS EFFORTS TO GETTING IN SUPPLIES AND THEIR OWN REINFORCEMENTS IN THE DONBAS REGION. IT WAS DESCRIBED TO ME BY A WESTERN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL AS A GAME OF WHO BLINKS FIRST, NEITHER SIDE AT THIS POINT CAN REALLY AFFORD TO BE CARRYING OUT THESE OFFENSES, NEVERTHELESS, THEY PERSIST. I WAS SPEAKING TO ONE ANALYST WHO WAS TELLING ME THAT THE LONGER PUTIN LEAVES THE SITUATION IN KURSK WITH THE UKRAINIANS DIGGING IN, THE LONGER IT TAKES TO MOVE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF FORCES INTO THE AREA, TO RECLAIM RUSSIAN TERRITORY, THE MORE DIFFICULT IT'S GOING TO BE FOR PUTIN TO GET BACK THE RUSSIAN LAND. SO REALLY, ALL EYES ON THESE SORT OF TWO OFFENSES AT THIS POINT. NO ONE REALLY KNOWS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT. >> LET'S TURN NOW TO THE FORMER NATO ALLIED COMMANDER. IT'S BEEN MORE THAN THREE WEEKS SINCE UKRAINIAN TROOPS CROSSED INTO RUSSIA. SHOULD WE EXPECT A STRONGER PUSH FROM PUTIN TO STOP THEM AT SOME POINT? >> ABSOLUTELY, AND IT'S HIGH RISK IN THAT SENSE. THINK OF IT THIS WAY, THIS IN MILITARY SPEAK IS CALLED A SALIENT WHICH IS SIMPLY A PENINSULA OF TERRAIN THAT IS DRIVING INTO AN OPPONENTS TERRITORY, THE GOOD NEWS IS AS YOU OCCUPY THE SALIENT, THINK OF THE TOP OF A SORCERERS AT, YOU OCCUPY THE SALIENT, YOU CAN GO LEFT, RIGHT, YOU CAN KEEP GOING STRAIGHT, THE BAD NEWS IS, AND THIS IS YOUR QUESTION, PUTIN CAN SURROUND IT, POTENTIALLY CUT IT OFF, TRAPPED THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS IN PLACE. SO I THINK WHAT WE ARE GOING TO SEE IS THE UKRAINIANS DIGGING IN HARD, SO THAT THEY HAVE CONTROL OF THIS SALIENT AND CAN REPEL. IN OTHER WORDS, I THINK IT IS LIKELY THAT THEY ARE GOING TO CONTINUE THIS OFFENSE IN AN AGGRESSIVE WAY BUT THEY WANT TO HOLD THAT TERRAIN NOT SO MUCH FOR THE BATTLEFIELD BUT ULTIMATELY FOR THE NEGOTIATING TABLE. >> WE ARE SEEING SOME HEAVY AERIAL ATTACKS IN CIVILIAN AREAS AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PUTIN DID IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS WAR TO RAKE THE WILL OF THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE BUT THERE HAVE BEEN DISRUPTIONS TO LIFE AND THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REMARKABLY RESILIENT. HOW LONG CAN THE UKRAINIAN TOLERATE THIS? >> I THINK A VERY LONG TIME. THINK ABOUT GREAT BRITAIN DURING THE BLITZ IN WORLD WAR II. HITLER THOUGHT BY MASSIVELY PUMMELING THE BRITS, HE COULD CRACK THE WILL OF THE CIVILIAN PEOPLE. IT DIDN'T WORK OUT THAT WAY AND I WOULD SAY THERE IS A WHIFF OF CHURCHILL WHEN YOU LOOK AT ZELINSKI IN THIS REGARD. HE IS VERY MUCH A REPRESENTATIVE OF HIS PEOPLE. SO LOOK FOR PUTIN TO CONTINUE THIS AND BY THE WAY, LET'S CALL THIS WHAT IT IS, THESE ARE WAR CRIMES, WHEN YOU ATTACK THEATERS AND MATERNITY WARDS AND SHOPPING CENTERS, CIVILIAN POPULATION CENTERS, THESE ARE WAR CRIMES AND THEY ARE CONTINUING, AND I THINK IT'LL BE A FAILED STRATEGY ON THE PART OF PUTIN, ESPECIALLY WITH THE F-16S ON STATION NOW. >> HEARTBREAKING TO SEE CHILDREN IN BOMB SHELTERS WHEN THEY SHOULD JUST BE GOING TO SCHOOL. UKRAINE'S DEFENSE MINISTER IS AT THE PENTAGON TODAY AND THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AUSTIN CONTINUES TO SAY THAT THE U.S. WILL SUPPORT UKRAINE BUT OFFICIALS SAY THAT UKRAINE NEEDS AT LEAST 130 FIGHTER JETS, HOW MANY DO THEY HAVE LEFT AND CAN UKRAINE'S TROOPS SUCCESSFULLY FEND OFF FURTHER ATTACKS IF THEY DON'T GET THAT SUPPORT? >> I THINK THEY WILL GET THAT SUPPORT. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF F-16 AIRCRAFT THAT ARE IN THE INVENTORIES IN THE UNITED STATES. ALL OUR NATO ALLIES. THIS JET, THE F-16, IT'S KIND OF SWISS ARMY KNIFE, IT CAN DO AIR TO AIR, AIR TO GROUND, IT CAN DO ELECTRONIC WARFARE VERY WELL. PRETTY SIMPLE TO LEARN HOW TO FLY IN THE COMPARISON WITH OTHER MORE ADVANCED JETS. VERY CAPABLE. I THINK ULTIMATELY, THEY WILL END UP WITH WELL OVER 100 OF THESE COMING FROM NATO, BROADLY SPEAKING. I THINK THE PIPELINE WILL CONTINUE, FINAL THOUGHT, RYAN, THE OTHER THING, THE UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IS TALKING TO OUR DEFENSE MINISTER, LLOYD AUSTIN, ABOUT GAINING U.S. PERMISSION TO CONDUCT LONGER- RANGE STRIKES INSIDE RUSSIAN TERRITORY, THUS FAR, THE U.S. HAS HELD THE UKRAINIANS BACK. I THINK THE