. >> and joining us now, cnn military analyst wesley clark, nato's supreme allied commander and now a senior fellow at ucla berkeley center. so a town on ukraine's southern coast has fallen today, possibly a small naval base there, how significant a rugssian victory s this? >> really significant, in some cases, some troops you pulled out of small towns to prevent destruction, so that's not significant. the big battles are in kyiv and kharkiv and what we have to understand is the ukrainian resistance is phenomenal, brilliant. you got really great morale, spirit, training, these ukrainians want to fight russia, push them back and are determined to do so but thus far haven't met the main body of the russian force. that long convoy was part of the main body we saw just a moment ago. the main body slogan in part because at the top level, i think vladimir putin didn't want to put all its main forces in there. i think he could believe he wanted to intimidate and scare them to death putting the forward detachments in, well that didn't work. also, the ground is not cooperating. it's -- it shou

joining us now is cnn military analyst general wesley clark, the former nato supreme allied commander. great to have you here. because we're seeing these examples of bravery from the ukrainian military, do you fear that some in the west are becoming overly optimistic about what the battle against russia is going to be? >> well they're not going to be optimistic. the fight really hasn't been joined in the kyiv area, yet. these are advantaged attachments that are moving into the area. they try to go in at night, disrupt the defense, and take out key targets and assassinate people. buts in not the real attack. this is to prevent kyiv from defending itself. what the ukrainians are doing is, they're going out from kyiv and they're intercepting these conveys. they know about the convey, we showed the picture of it, and they say they'll deal with it. so this is a real fight. but here is the key. we've got to keep the replenishments coming to the ukrainian military. how they get in, i don't know and we probably shouldn't know. but they've got to be provided. the javelin missiles, the stingers

i want to bring in now general wesley clark to respond to all of this.e as well as repeating this baseless claim of genocide in the country's donbas region and using that as an excuse to as he says send this military operation to protect donbas. your response, general. >> i think this is information provided just to the russian people primarily. he wants to spread the lies so he can maintain public support in russia. and we shouldn't believe any piece of it. there was no nazification. the russian troops are there already. there was never any conflict. it's just a false flag deception operation. now, there is something happening right now. we know there have been explosions in kyiv and kharkiv. we know there's other stuff going on along the line, we're getting reports of troop movement. we know there's been a cat and mouse game for several weeks in kyiv trying to deal with the russian special operators that have been in there as saboteurs. so this is probably the start of something else. but when he says it's a special military operation, there's no limit

let's discuss all this with retired general wesley clark. the nato allied commander. i want to start with your reaction to clarissa's reporting there. she saw the forces are not very well prepared or even that they would have the weaponry that they would need for such an attack. does that surprise you? >> no. not surprised. the forces there are under the minsk agreement and they're being told to keep the heavy weapons back and supposedly, the separatists on the other side are being told the same thing. so if you bring the weapons forward, you're creating the provocation that russia might like. but from a larger strategic point, if you were zelensky, you wouldn't want everyone running every which way, businesses shuttering, people running, it would be crazy to do this. you would be destroying your own economy which is something putin is trying to do to ukraine for eight years now. so he is balanced on a knife edge. he has his intelligence operations. he has his military that are there. they say they're ready to go. he is building civilian forces that could provide coun

general wesley clark, thank you very much for your time, and we appreciate it. >> thank you, jim. >>>up, putin's playbook, and he is trying to justify the war with lies saying that he is fighting the neo-nazis claiming that the leader is jewish and lost family members in the holocaust, and this is next. (computer keys clicking) (mouse clicks) - shriners hospitals for children is awesome! my favorite people in shriners are the doctors and the nurses beuse they help people through life. wow, i was a really cute kid! (chuckles) but it's true! shriners hospitals for children is awesome! the first time i went to shriners hospitals for children, i was two months old. since then, they have helped me with over 18 operations, and thousands of rehabilitation hours. because of their care, now, i live a full independent life. i got my driver's license, and i'm going to college! your monthly gift provides me, and so many other kids with the care we need to just be kids. when you call right now, and give just $19 a month, only 63 cents a day, we'll send you this adorable blanket as your reminder of

i was just talking to general wesley clark and he said on the question of helping to fuel an insurgencyecifically, he says that that means you're confronting russia. i don't think there's a way we can get that reinforcement to kyiv or into ukraine without risking a confrontation with russia and are we prepared to do that? what do you think? >> russia is confronting democracy. they're confronting human rights. you saw a russian tank run over a civilian car today, severely injuring that person. russia, inside its country, kills journalists and jails opposition leaders. outside its countries, it has disrupted our democracy and the democracies of others in the west and now it's a part of the largest invasion since world war ii. i don't think we have a choice. they seem hell bent on moving farther west and russia has already confronted us. so kate, i would say it's time to start punching back and right now, that means making the fists of the ukrainians much stronger as they do that in their own country. >> are you okay with it if that means sending convoys into ukraine to send in reinforceme

i want to bring in general wesley clark. thank you so much. we appreciate you joining. >> good to be with you. >> let's talk about russia has an estimated 130,000 troops along ukraine's border, and pentagon spokesperson john kirby says that putin has added at least a half dozen landing ships in the black sea with the purpose of putting troops onshore. they are talking diplomacy but advancing into attack positions. >> right. this is a moment of maximum pressure against ukraine. so he's got the military machine moving. he's moving it to its attack position. the world is on edge. people in ukraine are starting to take this seriously. it could be very damaging. what he wants is the collapse of the government in ukraine or president zelensky say, we give up on nato, or please accept us as your friends, russia. i don't think that's going to happen. president zelensky has stood very firm, and mr. putin's running out of time. that was the reason why i believe foreign minister lavrov did a public conference with putin, was to sort of extend the clock,

. >> let me ask general wesley clark, what can the u.s. do and nato allies? there are 30 countries that are members of nato right now. what can, what should they be doing to save the lives of those thousands of people in ukraine who potentially the next day or two could be killed? >> well, that's the question. and i think we should go to the united nations. we should call on russia to do an immediate halt of its operations. we should declare a safe zone around kyiv and maybe every part of ukraine, west of the river. tell russia to halt. tell them to stop. they dont have the right to do this. as president biden said, this is ill illegal. and the sanctions are putin are great. but i remember being in the balkans and what that hardship was. and you do, too, i'm sure. where slaughter went on for years. 200,000 people were killed and finally the united states stopped it. we have to stop this. >> formernato supreme allied commander, wesley clark, thank you. >>> there's more breaking news that just coming in. president biden now preparing to take very dramatic new s

our appreciation to general wesley clark for joining us tonight.inged around on three sides. there are few options tonight. that's of great concern so many. next, the threat vladimir putin leveled at ukraine and what it is to two breakaway republics. a former ambassador to ukraine joins us as well as a former head of the cia. kitchen? sorted. hot tub, why not? and of course, puppy-friendly. we don't like to sayay perfect, but it''s pretty perfect. booking.com, booking.yeah. what if you could have the perspective to see more? at morgan stanley, a global collective of thought leaders offers investors a broader view. ♪ we see cpanies protecting the bottom line by putting people first. we see a bright future, still hungry for the ingenuity of those ready for the next challenge. today, we are translating decades of experience into strategies for the road ahead. we are morgan stanley. we need to reduce plastic waste in the environment. that's why at america's beverage companies, our bottles are made to be remade. not all plastic is the same. we're carefu

joining us now general wesley clark. nato supreme allied commander and a senior fellow at the ucla center. according to a u.s. assessment nearly 75% of russian forces are postured against ukraine. the russian/byelorussians are on the border. russian-backed separatists are putting civilians in certain areas. which of these threats is the most concerning to you? >> what you are seeing is the preparatory actions that come in from multiple directions. i'm most concerned about what might happen in kyiv in the early stages of this with an assassination campaign and subversion by people who have been infiltrated and are possibly using chemical weapons or some effort to assassinate president zelensky that would enable mr. putin to then claim that there's chaos, and he has to intervene and for peacekeeping purposes. i think that's the greatest concern. what russia is trying to do is build the pretext to invade. it's trying to persuade the world, its own people, and avoid the problems of being labelled as an international criminal

. >>> joining us now, military analyst general wesley clark. also the formernato supreme allied commander and senior fellow at the ucla center. let's listen to what national security adviser jake sullivan said about what an invasion would look like. >> if there is a military invasion of ukraine by russia, it's likely to begin with a significant barrage of missiles and bomb attacks. those are never as precise as the army would -- any army would like them to be and we dont know how precise the russian army would like them to be so innocent civilians could be killed regardless of their nationality. it would then be followed by an onslaught of a ground force moving across the ukrainian frontier. >> general, if that is the intel assessment, what do you think is happening right now to proactively get in front of that militarily and be ready to defend? >> well, ukraine has deployed its forces, especially in the north. they are running exercises up there. their border guards are alert, prepared. as jim sciutto said, actions are being taken in kyiv itse

general wesley clark, always great to get your analysis. thanks so much. >> thank you. >>> all right. now before we go to washington, i just want to point out if you are hearing the sirens behind me, this is a -- a morning thing. it has happened already a couple of times today. the sirens are going off. there is a broadcast happening, and what they are saying is telling people to, um, get their documents, check on elderly neighbors, and go to shelters. this -- this has happened daily here and it -- there -- it hasn't been resulting in any sort of kinetic activity in the city of lviv but it is a -- it is a precautionary thing. obviously, the authorities see something, they hear something and these announcements go on. they say get your documents, get your family, turn off the stove, and go to a shelter. so, if you can hear that behind me, that's what's going on. all right let's now go to washington where cnn's jasmine wright is standing by. fw give us a sense of what the white house knows as it is monitoring what is going on in kyiv. >> yeah

general wesley clark, thank you so much for your expertise. appreciate it. >> thank you. >>> coming up next, donald trump's legal woes, they are stacking up. the latest -- a federal judge saying the former president could conceivably be culpable for inciting the january 6 capitol attack. that as the former vice president seems to defend the republican national committee, calling january 6, quote, legitimate political discourse. we'll discuss all that coming up next. you're live in the "cnn newsroom." realtor.com's draw a map feature helped us find what we wanted, where we wanted. so we could finally buy our first "big boi house." big boi house. big boi foyer! big boi marble. big boi quartz. word? realtor.com to each their home. every business is on a journey. and along the ride, you'll find many challenges. ♪ your dell technologies advisor can help you find the right tech solutions. so you can stop at nothing for your customers. woman: i have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are getting clearer ♪ ♪ yeah i fee

general wesley clark, susan glasser, thank you very much. thank you for join us today.vasion of ukraine continues. "at this hour" right after a quick break. real cowboys get customized car insurance with liberty mutual, so we only pay for what we need. -hey tex, -wooo. can someone else get a turn? yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ never be afraid of your strength. because your body is capable of amazing things the one they said you shouldn't have. the one driven by a power they can't see own your strength and see how far it takes you. tonal. be your strongest. i know there's conflicting information about dupuytren's contracture. i thought i couldn't get treatment yet? well, people may think that their contracture has to be severe to be treated, but it doesn't. if you can't lay your hand flat on the table, talk to a hand specialist. but what if i don't want surgery? well, then you should find a hand specialist certified to offer nonsurgical treatments. what's the next step? visit findahand

joining us for that retired four-star army general wesley clark, a former nato ally commander. general, you heard the reports of several thousand additional troops now at the border who were not there a couple days ago. does that increase the likelihood in your mind of a russian invasion? >> absolutely. and it also is increased by the fact that the russians are lying about it. so the fact they're lying as they're increasing the force gives me greater strength in my conviction that they are preparing to go in. this is the sort of typical disinformation that would come prior to an attack. and the russians are masters at it. and let's not anybody be surprised when russians lie. they do it consistently. what they say is propaganda in 90% of the cases, and so we just have to understand that when we're listening to this. it's not real news. it's what they want us to believe. but i do think the announcement the biden administration has made of the 7,000 troops, and i think the pictures of that bridge building is really important because we're still in the information war stage of this

general wesley clark, great to have your expertise at this moment. i appreciate it. ominous threat from vladimir putin. we're covering all of this live from ukraine. stay with us. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ migraine attacks? qulipta™ can help prevent migraine attacks. it can't prevent triggers, like your next period or stress. you can't prevent what's going on outside, that's why qulipta™ helps what's going on inside. qulipta™ is a pill. gets right to work to prevent migraine attacks and keeps them away over time. qulipta™ blocks cgrp a protein believed to be a cause of migraine attacks. qulipta is a preventive treatment for episodic migraine. most common side effects are nausea, constipation, and tiredness. learn how abbvie can help you save on qulipta. ♪ ♪ ♪a little bit of chicken fried♪ ♪cold beer on a friday night♪ ♪a pair of jeans that fit just right♪ ♪and the radio up well i've seen the sunrise...♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's [yawn] bro trip! if you book with priceline, you'll save more, so you can “broooo”

and retired general wesley clark, former nato supreme allied commander. general clark, as you know, u.s. intelligence estimates now say that putin has about 70% of the military personnel and weapons on ukraine's border he would need for a full-scale invasion. but u.s. intelligence also indicates that russian officials have doubts about whether or not a full-scale invasion would work. where do you see things standing at this moment? >> i see president putin looking at this as an operation in three phases. the first phase is to build up forces and extract as much discord and as many concessions from nato and ukraine as possible. second phase is, depending on how the first phase works, go in big. use that great-armed forces he has built. he's got incredible weaponry now. he's got things we don't have at our arsenal. we could not stop this if we deployed the u.s. military there the way it's organized. he has got electronic warfare, jamming cyber, he's got a nuke hear weapons capability standing by. he's got the ability to gain air supremacy over ukraine. so,

let's bring in retired general wesley clark.ur sources and colleagues in europe. what are they telling you about the situation on the ground? >> well, first of all, ukrainians are fighting very hard. they have inflicted significant losses on the russian forces in various locations, including in the south and around kharkiv. they do need more munitions and this is what always happens in combat, because when you distribute the ammunition before the fight, you don't know where the key fight is going to be and so you have to redistribute so some of that is going on right now. the main effort it seems to me, first of all, why are they coming in from so many directions? well, as the colonel said, of course he wants to take as much as he can, but also because it really complicates the command and control issues for the ukrainian staff. you get good information, you get bad information, you get no information. you don't know what's happening. and it's overwhelming when that information flow starts, so they know this. so i think the main

albright, the nato secretary general, heavier selina, the supreme allied commander in europe, wesley clark, and native ministers of foreign affairs and defense who give credit to the eloquence study and unattended to leave that even after a year below you put a deposit, bringing the baldwin to style out those sources for koya. so cautious because of them will be runaway companies with the early kebraw yodi golf course of itself. okay. one yeah, molly lee from virginia quaid, they'll be able to stay sla or sit on mission of would anyone be awesome? so this is going up. wesley affected not as bully. we spoke briefly totally up to marie very so soon as ali col posts clarissa was here to wash and i'll go down. mm. yeah. something. oh, really cool. the lease, little push to the people. yeah. this lou collateral content from that. yes. upon. i thought he was watching sim only yet until yes. mm hm. you beat those on campus to movie than that. but nathan williams, i'm danny, over to darla. need to visit with emily. i glasgow sweeter than unique nazi's i that that was made was younger that touch me

madeleine albright, the nato secretary general, javier selina, the supreme allied commander in europe. wesley clark and native ministers of foreign affairs and defense who give credit to the eloquence southern unaffected solidity. mon, i thought a year below, you put a deposit brandanae, boardman to stop bill said it's for koya. so coastal took us with the more viewed items companies with e early kebraw yodi. kopel said itself, they were not marleni from virginia quiet. they'll be able to stay sla or sit on mission or would anyone he asked them to this is good enough. wesley affected not as bully. we spoke briefly totally up to marie of betty, so so last finally called post lisa was hit option or hold on. mm. yeah. something . oh, really, could we still push to the people, you know, this loo collateral content to not guess upon? i thought he was watching and sim only yet until yes. mm mm. you beat us on campus to movie then up at nathan williams. same. any over sharla? mitchell? with the molly sunglass most, we are the unique nazis. i that, that was made was younger that actually me nice when you,

madeleine albright, the nato secretary general, javier selina, the supreme allied commander in europe. wesley clark and native ministers of foreign affairs and defense who give it to the eloquence, studying on that. it's silly that even after a year below you put a deposit on anybody's to stop. bill said it's for koya, so cautious because of them will be runaway companies with the early kebraw with the golf course of itself. okay. one yeah, molly equal virginia w both they sla will sit all machine of wood on the awesome. so this is good enough . was less affected, not as bully. we've got 3 so totally up to moody betty. so soon as polly cope was, clarissa was irrational. hold on. mm. yeah. something oh really could resale opposed to the people you know, this lou collateral credential? not just sunken as of our planet. bad news. lucky and sim only yet until yes. mm hm. you beat us on campus the movie than that. but nathan william same any over to holla need to visit with the molly sunglasses. most we have been unique. nazis. i meant that was made last year. young cousin that touched me. nice will you

former nato supreme allied commander general wesley clark with me as well.arlier, and the situation is a quite different situation now than what we spoke earlier. there was no confirmation of an invasion, and yet here we are. we've heard from all parties involved. >> yeah. this is pretty much what we expected. first there's going to be the takeout of the air defense, and that's what it looks like has been done so far. there's sabotage and other things probably going on that we don't know about yet. the first troops have come across the border. we know that. we don't know what's happened in donbas. coming in from the north is the most direct way to get into kyiv. you saw on the video a battalion tactical group moving right down the road. unless the roads are blocked by ukrainian forces, they'll be in kyiv in a few hours, and then, you know, we'll see what happens. i assume that the ukrainians have defenses out there. it's going to be hard for cnn to capture that. hopefully we'll get social media of it or something. but they've got to stop this force coming in

. >>> i want to bring in our military analyst, the former supreme nato allied commander, wesley clark. the french say that the fall of kyiv is not flel inevitable, but is it a realistic possibility that the ukrainian capital could fall tonight, or that the ukrainian military could hold on? >> i think it's not going to fall tonight. i think the ukrainian military has fought brilliantly. they're absolutely their determination to resist is a huge force mutt suppliers against a russian force that doesn't know what it's doing or why. but 9 ukrainians are facing this overwhelming russian military capacity. i'm hearing reports of paratroopers coming in also and there will be more action tonight, but i think the bulk of the russian forces, especially the bulk of the artillery is not really in the area yet. i would expect another couple days of coming into the city, testing out the defenses, finding avenues of approach, leaving diversionary groups in there to sabotage and create chaos and confusion to ambush the defenders from the rear, so forth. that would be the russian tactic, especially at

. >>> let's discuss now with jim sciutto, susan glasser, and retired general wesley clark. good to see you all. jim, let me start with you. i'm going to ask you, from your perspective as a national security analyst, national security correspondent, the significance of this decree once it comes, acknowledging, recognizing them as the separate regions. >> reporter: it's significant. but his statement could be even worse than we expected going in. let's first talk about him recognizing the eastern provinces. when we say russian-backed separatists, that did not arise spontaneously. it arose after eight years of russia backing, financing, and encouraging them. that's how we got to where we are today in terms of what has been going on in that region. but what struck me is that his at the same times went beyond ukraine. because he lamented the breakup of the soviet union, as he has before. said it was madness, in his terms, that the former soviet republics were allowed to leave the ussr so easily. that refers to ukraine. but think of the other nations, the baltic states, latvia, l

for more on this, let's talk to former nato supreme ally commander, general wesley clark. general clark, i'm wondering if you could respond to what president zelensky said in the sound that alex was playing that panic is the enemy that they're fighting right now. before any real fighting breaks out. >> i agree with president. it is the enemy. panic is. on the other hand, have to appreciate the position the united states is in. we have the intelligence. secondly, we want to make sure our americans that are there are safe and that our nato allies are completely warned and prepared to follow through on the sanctions if russia does attack. so ukraine's a docemocracy. you have to listen to the politics of the democracy as well as doing what's smart. so there are often divergences in leader's opinions. it doesn't mean we're not solidly behind ukraine. >> of course. and putin agreed to speak to both biden and the french president macron today. do you think that is a positive sign? i mean, should we be, you know, holding out hope that maybe diplomacy does still have a chance here

also the former supreme nape toe ally commander wesley clark. he's a cnn military analyst.sponse has been overwhelmingly positive that sort of balance between taking a really tough tone but what the presidential adviser here referred to as the key message of the statement aimed at finding a peaceful solution. he went onto say from ukraine's perspective there's not a single reason for war and he also said they are definitely not interested in expansion or confrontation. there's definitely a sense here on the ground that you crane could potentially be the biggest loser in all of this if things did go wrong, if a crisis was to unfold in an invasion was to actually happen. i think while people are still very focused on talking tough and being stern, there is now maybe a bit of light or optimism about some of the developments in the last 24 hours, hearing president putin at the press conference earlier say he's committed to a diplomatic path and reducing troops along the border. no one here will believe it until they see it with their own eyes. leaders here and officials here ar

. >>> let's discuss this with retired general wesley clark. the nato supreme allied commander from 1997 to 2000. good to see you. i would like to start with your reaction to the reporting from the front lines. a good recaller, there conflict has been going on for quite some time. >> you bet it has. a lot of ukrainians volunteered their armed services and have served there and they're on standby if they are needed to return to uniform or fight again. so it's been an experience that has strengthened ukraine. putin meant to bleed ukraine but he misread the situation. instead, ukraine has strengthened itself based on the support that putin has given to the so-called separatists. >> the white house has approved a plan for american forces in poland to try to help americans who might try to evacuate ukraine, if indeed russia invades. those u.s. forces are not authorized to enter ukraine if war breaks out. how different might this all look from what happened in afghanistan? >> well, it's too early to really do these comparisons, jake. but of course, t

. >>> joining us, former nato -- well, we're waiting on wesley clark. he will be with us in a moment. in the meantime, joining us right now is the former european affairs director for the national security council, lieutenant colonel alexander vindman. thank you for being with us this morning. one of the things discussed in the last few hours with troops amassing on the border, our reporter sam kiley who was in the donbas region, is it possible that vladimir putin might be taking off bites of ukrainian, maybe not the full-scale invasion that the united states is most concerned about, but a piecemeal approach. what would that look like in donbas? what would be the human toll if it was limited to that region? >> first of all, i think it's unlikely because that doesn't achieve vladimir putin's objectives which is a failed state in ukraine and ukraine folded back into russia's sphere of influence. anybody where that russia conducts military operations with the forces assembled would be catastrophic. that's the part 245 troubles me, that vladimir putin will

retired general wesley clark who's also a retired cnn military analyst spoke about that on friday. >> this is not a failure of western diplomacy. it is not. the biden administration has done a brilliant job pulling nato nations together. we've met with putin. there's been nothing like this for nato for 20 years in terms of consultation with the west and trying to be reasonable with mr. putin. he's built-up this force. he's had this option all along. he's going to play it for all it's worth. we don't know if he's made the decision, but let's don't blame ourselves. this all in his hands. >> so as the military tensions grow, questions about when a possible invasion could come. i spoke about that with the director of the eurasia democracy initiative. >> obviously vladimir putin wants to continue making a credible threat, so everything that is happening could be interpreted as either signs of an imminent invasion or a vladimir putin bluff. but part of his bluff is once again to make it seem like an invasion can happen at any moment. this is done while negotiations are happening -- just too

let's bring in retired army general, wesley clark.e served as supreme allied commander of nato and is a cnn military analyst. also, william taylor. now vice president for russia and europe at the u.s. institute of peace. general, i want to start with you. how do you assess this? if the ukrainian intelligence agencies are saying they don't see enough troops amassed for a full invasion and the locals appear to be going on business add usual, do you think there's a difference between obviously invasion and occupation and do you think they have enough, are 150,000 troops enough for a full scale invasion? >> i think you can to a whole lot of damage with 80 some odd tactical groups like hyper sonics and air power in ukraine and i'm sure the ukrainian generals are right. it takes several hundred thousand people to occupy a country this size. when i'm reminded of our discussions in 2003 before the invasion of reiraq, i and many others said we didn't have enough troops to occupy the country. well, we went ahead anyway and certainly did a lot o

. >>> washington correspondent julia yaffe and allied commander general wesley clark.hey are trying to say they're pulling tanks out of the region, but that is not really the story. and they're not admitting to it. but what are you seeing with the various military activity, including the shelling in eastern ukraine. what does it tell you? >> this is a buildup to an attack. these are the preliminary measures that russia is working on. it may be with artillery, or they may want to discouple bob late the military in kyiv. this is the period of massive diplomatic coercive pressure on kyiv and nato. there is uncertainty. there is confusing russian reports. this is all part of the strategy. some of the withdrawals are probably staged or may be old film. we don't know. what we know is the intelligence shows the buildup is continuing. what we don't know is whether president putin has made the decision to attack or when or if he will make that decision. it is all part of the psychologist that the russians are applying against ukraine in the west. >> julia, how is this playing i

about this with cnn military analyst and former nato supreme allied commander retired general wesley clark. just seeing that, a home of a 9-year-old and her parents caught in the cross fire here. thank goodness they're still alive. but it easily could have gone the other direction. this is driving home what's at stake. >> so this is what's at stake. this russian occupation is illegal in ukraine. it began in 2014. putin thought he could go in there after the ukrainians said they wanted to be with the west. he thought he could start an uprising since they speak russian. he sent his own troops in. russian-controlled units manned by russian officers. they will be on the front lines, followed by regular forces. what you're seeing is a buildup for what may be a breakout attempt from this area that is currently controlled by the spraeuft activities to move boundaries to take the whole of the two provinces. the inept would be to draw the ukrainian forces, give them a bloody nose, get them exhausted and sweep in with forces on it of belarus or crimea, encircle them, destroy the ukrainian army, and

and cnn military analyst, retired general wesley clark. general clark, how dire was this message we all heard just a little while ago from president biden that they now believe -- the u.s. now believes putin has made up his mind and he will invade? >> well, i think it was a somber message. it was direct, and of course it's dire. obviously the president has access to information that you and i don't have. and if he's saying that going out on a limb he's obviously heard the order being given down. doesn't mean it can't be canceled at the last minute, but some kind of order has been given. >> europe as you know -- you're the former nato allied supreme commander -- hasn't faced the prospect of a war on this scale for a long time. just how bloody this could this be? >> i think it could be quite difficult. the ukrainians are really going to fight as hard as they can, but they don't have air defense. their aircraft will be knocked out of the sky. the russians will come in with missile, and wolf, it's not just the initial combat. when they get int

. >> general wesley clark, a sobering discussion but we do appreciate your perspective and your experience. thank you very much. >>> next, a little girl found, thank goodness, two and a half years after being abducted hidden away, kept out of school, and diskofrcovered in a cramped space under a staircase. her extraordinary story and abduction survivor elizabeth smart on what she is facing in the days and months ahead. udinge iphone 13 pro with 5g. that's the one with the amazing camera? yep! every business deserves it... like one's that re-opened! hi, we have an appointment. and every new business that just opened! like aromatherapy rugs! i'll take one in blue please! it's not complicated. at&t is giving new and existing business customers our best deals on every iphone. ♪ ♪ go with simparica trio it's triple protection made simple! simparica trio is the first and only monthly chewable that covers heartworm disease, ticks and fleas, round and hookworms. dogs get triple protection in just one simparica trio! this drug class has been associated with neurologic adverse reactions, including s

general wesley clark is with us. day like this. one of the major takeaways is he said we're reversing what we thought initially on that day. the analysis looks at this as an extraordinarily powerful and deadly explosive vest with ball bearings. what else did you hear that you find of significance? >> well, i think it's very significant that general mckenzie himself did the briefing for us and laid this out. i think it's a real testament to the quality that men and women in uniform and our ethics and the way we handle ourselves in the military that we have done this full investigation of this. obviously, it was important for the members of the family. they've already been informed of this. and tragically, as he said, despite the fact that people were in helmets, had the body armor that was appropriate, they believe they didn't -- it couldn't cover every part of the body and prevent these people from -- our soldiers from dying in this. so, you know, there will be lessons taken from this, obviously, and what it shows is

i want to bring in cnn alex marquardt in ukraine, cl nn nic robertson in russia, and wesley clark, the former nato supreme allied commander. he is now cnn military analyst. nic, let me to the go to you first, there in miss moscow. the u.s. is laying out, this is remarkable, in pretty striking detail the intelligence they have on this likely invasion. how is russia responding at this point? are they still claiming there is nothing to see here? >> they are. you know, the united states is clearly trying to interrupt president putin's decision-making at a very critical moment, when he has everything deployed and ready for the potential of an invasion. the kremlin spokesman this evening, little unusual they speak out this evening. normally, you wouldn't hear him for the whole of the weekend. but saying that the kremlin repeatedly says that there is no intention to invade. saying that there -- this is some kind of provocation from the west and behind this, the forces of the government in ukraine will try to attack the pro-russian, russian-backed separatists in the east of the country. the mi

let's speak now to someone who knows the russian threat well, retired general wesley clark.fferent time. russia was never not a threat, but they were certainly less hostile relations between nato and russia. russia has now opened a war on a peaceful ukraine. and threatened, it seems, or at least described threats to potentially to other kun feliz europe. is peace as we know it over in europe? >> well, jim, first, let me say when i was nato commander, we did run a venture operation, and the russians ran a special op to try to disrupt nato. there was even then no question what was going on, putin made it clear from the time he became prime minister in late wanted to restart soviet union. he has been frustrated. he can't go against democracy and freedom, so he'll use military force. he's shown he's willing to do it. look, this is an international war crime. and the world should come down on putin, not just with financial sanctions, but with legal actions. all of his assets seized, his family deported from the west, and he is an international criminal. now, we're going to have t