Command bunker sends soldier an ebike via drone to escape battlefield

After a Russian assault left all three of his fellow soldiers dead and himself wounded, Andriy, stationed near Siversk, Ukraine, thought his life was over. But back at his command bunker, they hatched a plan. Armed with determination, a will to live – and a bike – he was able to escape. CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh reports. #CNN #News

President Donald Trump’s foreign envoy, Steve Wyckoff, is expected to travel to Russia this week. That’s according to the US president and now backed up by Russian state media, citing anonymous sources. If Wyckoff visits midweek, it would come just ahead of Trump’s Friday deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire deal with Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine says it hit Russian fighter jets and a weapons depot in and a nighttime drone operation in Russia occupied Crimea. Drones have played a vital role on the battlefield for both sides. CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh reports. That includes the incredible rescue of an injured Ukrainian soldier pinned down by Russian attacks. This Russian assault, brutal, even throwing landmines into the bunkers, had left all three of his fellow soldiers dead in the trench next to him and Andrei, with his leg wounded, unable to run, fought like so many Ukrainian soldiers in tiny, isolated positions, pinned down by Russian drones. That he was done. The other. But it’s what set you. One is not willing to say no program it. But back at his command bunker, watching on drones, they had an idea. Maybe Andrei had the strength to cycle out. So they attached an electric bicycle to a drone like this, moving it slowly, perilously in pieces to the front. It was dropped to Andrey Hole, and then, remarkably, he cycled out. You have to humble, preferably the one of the thrusters. You will be sort of wounded toward the end of the year, butcher. But, you know, I think it was kind of it was good at some points. You know, I’m someone that’s becoming someone that’s with the Ukrainians who tried to ensure the skies were free of Russian drones. But that wasn’t enough. Andrey hit a landmine. The drone operator’s heart sank. Had it all come to nothing. But then this tiny figure emerged, limping out of the smoke, somehow alive, walking on his bandaged leg, visible on the ledge below from a sort of zero. Welcome, either. While many initially wore your personal phone a bit and still greeted by Ukrainian and helped into another bunker where he had to wait two more days for rescue. Necessity is the mother of invention in Ukraine, but nothing can beat luck. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kiev, Ukraine. Well, let’s get some perspective on Russia’s next steps. We’re joined by Jill Dougherty, CNN’s former Moscow bureau chief and current Georgetown University professor. Great to see you, Jill. Hey, Linda. So President Trump is growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress towards any sort of deal he gave Russia a 50 day deadline to get to a peace deal. Then you reduce that even further. It’s now just days away. Is Kremlin taking this ultimatum seriously? You know, I think one of the problems here is that President Trump has used unpredictability, to his advantage sometimes, but sometimes it backfires. And I think right now the Kremlin is looking at this. And alternately, I mean, if you look at lower officials who some sometimes give a more full explanation of how they’re looking at this, they’re saying is theatrical, bombastic rhetoric. And so on the one hand, I think they say, well, he’s done this before. He set a deadline. Then he changed and he went back and they’ve changed. And on the other hand, I think they are taking it seriously. But the point, Linda here is what is serious. If you look at the two threats, tariffs on Russia mean almost nothing because the United States essentially does not really do much trade at all with Russia. So that’s really not effective. Number two is secondary tariffs as Nick was talking about in India and China India and China at this point are indicating that they’re just kind of going to go ahead and try to, do what they think is in their interest, which is at this point, as they proceeded, continuing to get energy from Russia. So those threats that President Trump had are weaker than they were before. And that’s where we’re kind of in this dilemma. And then the drama of having Steve Woodcocks going to Moscow and we don’t really know. Will it be an, you know, an ultimatum or could it be a new deal for for Putin? It’s unclear, of course, as Steve Wyckoff, went to Russia back in April and was criticized for, pretty much, narrowing some of the Kremlin talking points. I just want to play some sound from that last visit. The two sides have we’ve narrowed the differences between them, and now we’re sitting at the table. I was with the president all day yesterday. I’ll be with him today. We’re sitting with him discussing how to how to narrow it even further, as the president said, he really expects there to be some sort of, some sort of deal in the, coming weeks, maybe. and I believe that that’s the case. So he was speaking that there might be a deal, within a few weeks of that last meeting, and it hasn’t even got close to that. is it likely with just a few days to go until the sanctions deadline that we call will potentially move the needle? Well, it depends on what President Trump has said he is supposed to say to President Putin. I mean, you know, I think one of the problems for Wycoff is the last time he was in Moscow, and he’s been there several times. He’s usually very complimentary of Putin. He has said he’s, you know, smart person, a kind person, etc. and now he has to go where in a situation where his president, Mr. Trump, is saying the complete opposite, that he doesn’t trust Putin so diplomatically for cause this is difficult. But the Russians understand that Wycoff is a messenger. So what is Trump thinking today? What’s the message? And that’s what the Kremlin will have to be prepared for. It could be, you know, more pressure or it could be something else. There’s a lot of unpredictability here. And Trump is finally conceding that Russia is pretty good at dodging sanctions. As you have also noted. Can the U.S. actually close the loopholes, especially when it comes to oil? It’s very, very difficult, Linda. there are a lot of ways, and I think President Trump was correct. There are a lot of ways and loopholes that can be used. There are a lot of, indirect ways of selling oil, selling energy, getting money, evading sanctions. I mean, that is what Russia does. They are sanction busters because they feel that that is in their interest. And so it’s extremely hard. But I think secondary sanctions if they were carried out could be effective. But again, you have this change by or maybe lack of change from China and India who say we need the oil. We’re going to continue to buy it. And of course, Ukraine’s leader Zelensky has repeatedly said that he wants direct talks with Vladimir Putin. Is he likely to get them? Well, now that’s another wrinkle because that is one indication that’s coming from the Kremlin that, yes, President Putin could be open to a direct meeting. However, and that’s a big however that would have to be preparation and, you know, agreements and things before that would happen. So in other words, everything is open at this point, but in the same breath, and this is, I think, the bottom line, Putin has said that he is going to prosecute this war to the point that he wanted to, you know, three and a half to four years ago, achieve and he insists he’s going to stick with that goal. So what does President Trump do to jar that move? So far, nothing has worked. And still in the midst of our conversation, President Trump has just taken to social media about this issue, saying India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then for much of the oil purchase, selling it on the open market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine. Because of this, I will be substantial raising the tariffs paid by India to the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter, President Trump. So we will continue to see how this plays out over the coming days. In the lead up to that meeting, when, Steve Wyckoff goes to Moscow to heal Doherty. We’ll leave it there for now, but thanks so much.