Judging Freedom - Patrick Lancaster: LIVE from Ukraine War Zone - #KURSK Frontline - #Donetsk

Episode Date: October 2, 2024

Patrick Lancaster: LIVE from Ukraine War Zone - #KURSK Frontline - #DonetskSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thank you. Hi, everyone. Judge Andrew Napolitano here for Judging Freedom. 2024, our intrepid and fearless and wonderful friend Patrick Lancaster joins us live from somewhere in Ukraine or Russia. We'll find out exactly where in just a minute. There's a little bit of a delay in communicating, but it is Patrick. He is here live. Patrick, my dear friend, I'm glad to see you are alive and well and handsome and healthy and happy. Welcome back to the program. Hi, Judge. Normal. Thanks for having me. It's great to be back. And we've got a lot to talk about. OK. Can you tell us where you are and in so doing, what is the status, what is the state of the war between Russia and Ukraine in early October 2024? Yeah, Judge. I'm actually in a little bit of a transition period.

I just came from the front in the Kursk region of Russia, where starting on August 6th, Ukraine came across the border and invaded Big Russia, however you want to call it. It made an incursion on Russia and now controls a large territory in the Kursk region of Russia. And I've been covering the front line there and talking to civilians, talking to the soldiers, talking to the generals. And there's a lot going on there. But at the moment, I just arrived in Donetsk, which is much south and actually in the disputed. People's called it Donetsk People's Republic as.

And Western law says it's part of Ukraine. Russian law says it's part of Russia since September of 2022 when there was a referendum that were both voted to join Russia so here it's a lot quieter than it was the last time I was here but still people are dying and getting injured by Ukrainianrainian shelling on civilian areas every day and they're still fighting going on on the front line last time i was here from the center uh well actually i should say about six months ago the center of uh donetsk was about six miles from the front line and now it's pushing 15. So Russia has been pushing Ukrainian forces back.

So it's a lot quieter as far as incoming shelling to the center of Donetsk. So we've got a lot to go further here and investigate the situation, but we've got a lot to talk about in the Kursk region, if that's all right with you. Yes, of course. That was going to be my next series of questions.

Tell us what you saw in Kursk and what is the status of it now? We understand in the West that the Russians have surrounded the remaining Ukrainian forces. But what did you observe when you were in Kursk? Well, what I can say is I spent quite a bit of time there, and arriving, I had a chance to speak with one of the top generals, if not the top general on the front line, the Chechen general, Russian general, the Apti, and had a very interesting interview with him. And he was, on one hand, quite hopeful that the war would end soon, but also quite nervous about what it would mean if the war does not end this year. He looked at the possibility of if the war does not end this year, that unfortunately it might go into a nuclear World War III.

So we all hope that doesn't happen on both sides. I think no one wants that to happen, and that should be the most important thing, is that Russia and the United States do not go to full-out war and do something that leads to the end of the world or World War III. But what is, Patrick, what is happening in Kursk? Is there still fighting going on? Are the Ukrainians still there? Are there still hundreds of square miles of Russia that are Ukrainian-occupied, or have the Ukrainian forces been repelled? No, they have not been repelled. They still control

many, many square kilometers of territory in the Kursk region. In the last weeks, the Russian counteroffensive has gone and started, you could say. And I was there on the front line with the assault groups and went with them deep into the front line where they assaulted Ukrainian positions and took control back of some of the territory that was controlled by Ukrainian forces. Now, when I say the front line, things are a lot different in Kursk because it hasn't been a war zone for the last eight years. So the front line is very fluid. There's not so much set trenches and here's the front line. No, it's more like, oh, there's a bunch of bushes over there and some trees. That's where they are, and we're across this field over here. It's a very, I don't want to say unorganized, but at the same way unorganized because it's happening so fast. And neither side has time to solidify their positions because they're moving so fast.

Okay. It baffles forth. So it's like, you know, one day this area of trees is controlled, and the next this area is controlled by Russia and Ukraine's over here. So it's a constant fluid motion on the Kursk front line. I was there several times with the special forces the Russian special forces and it seems it seems like there's definitely a motion happening to repel Ukrainian forces and my last time speaking with one of the

generals where he predicted that that Ukrainian forces were going to be pushed out within a couple of months. So we'll have to see what time tells about that. Okay. Patrick, you sent us a video, which I believe you took or your photographer took in course. We're going to play it now, and then you and I will talk about it. Chris, Lancaster number one. So this is another one of those times you think, are you going to make it back? This is a very dangerous situation.

Just 100 meters from the other side, something like this. Very dangerous. the other side something like this very dangerous i'm patrick lancaster right now we are with russian special forces heading towards the kursk front line and we're going to be showing you the Мы с русскими специальными силами Поехали на фронт к Кырску И мы покажем вам реальную ситуацию на земле Что вы не увидите в восточном среднем мире Это из США? Да, из США или Британии Вот номер 100% восточные оружия на русском земле

Да, из США Что это? Это перетяжка Мы дошли до этого Я не уверен, как далеко мы пойдем Чтобы вы поняли, что мы делаем Мы идем в одну позицию за другим Ближе и ближе В полную область К позиции Украины We've been going one position at a time, closer and closer, up kind of a half circle to the Ukrainian position, to the very front line. We're trying to get a little bit closer, get more of a better look of where they are exactly and what the situation is.

Remington, Ukrainian trophy! All right, well, that was quite a shocking experience. We were getting closer and closer, and an explosion, and gunfire, and then we had to get out of there quick. Wow. So my takeaway, and you take it from here, is that there's unmistakable evidence of American and British ammunition on the most courageous people I've ever known. You were right there as fire was going out and incoming fire was going in. What were you doing there, and what did you see besides what you narrated in the film? Well, basically, we received information that some of the Russianussian uh positions uh russian troops had taken over

these ukrainian positions moved the front line uh back and uh we went to investigate the these abandoned ukrainian positions well as you kind of i don't know if you really could tell from the video but they weren't fully abandoned there There were still bodies, Ukrainian soldiers laying there. But we found a lot of American, European, and NATO weapons on the ground, on Russian soil, literally, just scattered around the dirt. I mean, we saw at least 10 different examples, not even ammunition, but food. There was also so many reports of Western mercenaries being on the ground. And by the amount of English lettering on the food and just you know we found crackers from Sweden and I think we found a Swedish grenade

launcher US tourniquets other a lot of the US bullets American American bullets, as you saw in the video. I mean, this isn't just a little one-off video. I mean, I documented my whole trip in and out this area as we went closer and closer to the front line. And as we got, I think it was just 150 meters from what we were under the impression that was Ukrainian territory in these bushes. Some of the foliage area closer to us, the special forces I was with said that they located an assault team or a sabotage team or something like this. It was really, it happened so fast, it was really unclear at the moment what was happening. But they engaged, and the other tree line engaged, and then we got out of there pretty quickly. So that's, you know, one of the examples of my experience there in the Kursk Frontline. That was near the city of Shuzhou,

which is one of the hottest areas. But I mean, really, a lot of crazy things going on there, both as far as the military perspective, but the soldiers and the civilians. It's really hard to think. We have another clip from you which is an interview of an Armenian soldier though born in Moscow he's Armenian

who says he wants to become Russian. Now it's not clear to me who he is or how you're with him but let's run the clip and then you can tell us what we see. Lancaster No. 2, Chris. Why did you volunteer for the special military operation? Well, my first goal is Russian citizenship. My second goal, let's just say it's my patriotic duty.

I was born and raised in Moscow, and I still haven't fulfilled my duty to it, to my motherland. So you were born and raised in Moscow, but you don't have Russian citizenship? Yes. And how is your service going? What do you do here? My service goes well. There are minor issues, but in general, I am in a great unit. I have a good team here and a good commanding staff. What's with this young man? I guess the laws are different. If he was born in Moscow, why is he not a Russian citizen? Why does he have to fight in the Russian military in order to acquire that citizenship?

Can you explain that, Patrick? Well, as I understand, the laws in Russia are a bit different than some of the other Western countries like the United States. Like, for example, us in the United States, we've got the law of land and blood. As far as I understand the law, which, of of course land and blood means if you have blood, one of your parents is an American citizen, then so are you. And as far as land, of course, if you're born in the through a different process if you don't have the, if you don't qualify for the law of blood citizenship. Are there many foreign males in the Russian military who joined in order to acquire Russian citizenship? Yeah, I've met quite a few. I actually interviewed in the Kursk region another one, a man from Japan. And he's been fighting in the Russian military, I think for close to a year and he's in the special forces as well

and he's actually a former Japanese special forces soldier and As far as I understand he's going to be trying to obtain citizenship, but I don't think that's his main goal I think he you know is for the more ideological stance, fighting for the Russian forces. And that full interview is on my channel as well, if people want to check it out. Now, Patrick, do you have a feel for the Zelensky government and how stable or unstable it might be? The war has been going on for two and a half years. The Ukrainian losses have been nothing short of catastrophic. It's October, but in 45 days, winter will be there, and fuel supplies and energy infrastructure have been radically diminished since last winter. Yeah, weather's already changing fast here.

The temperature is going down, and things are going to change fast when the Russian winter comes. Of course, we're going to have the muddy time before that, but we'll have to see how much the effects of the the degradation of the energy system uh uh and heating systems and things like this uh affects the fighting force of uh ukraine and we we hope that people stop suffering on both sides and hopefully by the new year the war will be over but you know it's hard to predict that I mean it's been so long and this is a ten-year war of course Russia just pulled in two years ago but everybody

thought this was going to be over a lot sooner but the fact is Russia has been making a lot of games this year and in the last weeks. Of course, Ukraine made a huge gain in Kursk, so things are very fluid. But the fact is, as far as Donbas goes, Russia has been really pushing since they took control of the Donetsk suburb of Avivka, which really opened up the city of Donetsk and a lot of the surrounding areas to both protection and moving forward by Russian forces. We're going to play another clip, Patrick. This is of a man with whom you spent a good deal of time. This is a tragic story describing how Ukrainian soldiers killed his pregnant wife and his neighbors and fellow villagers indiscriminately. Chris, Lancaster number three.

No, this is targeted killing, just targeted civilian population. I just do not know how to choose the words correctly. It's genocide of the Russian people. They just killed everyone who is in the territory indiscriminately. Did they kill, did Ukrainian soldiers kill his pregnant wife? разбора. August 6th, he realized he had to move his family, and his family consisted of himself, his one-year-and-eight-month-year-old son, his wife, who's two months pregnant, and his aunts. And he decided that since they had two vehicles vehicles he was going to sit in the first vehicle

to try to um take all the fire if any fire went at them he wanted to take it himself and hope that they would uh make it in the second car so they were driving through the shelling through the attacks and um they came across a uh came around a turn and immediately came face to face and they're moving this isn't you know they're moving fast as far as I understood me in there they're going and going and going and they come around on this dirt road this this turn then there's you know there's trees so they couldn't see exactly what was on the other side of the turn. And they come around this turn. And first he comes face to face with this Ukrainian soldier. Well, he said he assumed it was a Ukrainian soldier. But as you sure, but the fact is it wasn't a Russian soldier. It was a pro-Ukrainian, a Ukrainian

soldier that had come across the border with Ukrainian forces into, cursed Russia. He said he came two meters from this soldier, and then the soldier looked in his eyes, saw it was a civilian car and a civilian man without a uniform, and

opened fire, and a bullet went, a man without a uniform, and opened fire. And a bullet went through the bill of his hat and in the back, and several went through his car. And he was not hit. And then the soldier kept shooting and turned the gun on the car, his family's car. But they were going so fast. I mean, it wasn't like they talked to stop, talked to speak to him and he started firing. They're moving and it was just bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.

So it kept going around the turn because it was like a half moon in turn. And then he thought everything was okay. And so they're going, they're going, they're going. And when they got out of sight from this soldier, he slowed down and his family's car hit him from behind. And then he realized there was a problem. And he got out of the car and saw that their car had been hit and saw blood coming from his wife's side and she was huddled over their two-year-old, one year, eight-month-old, trying to protect him. And he was also hit.

And so he picked up his pregnant wife and kid and brought the ants into the front car, drove to the hospital. And a doctor tried working on him. He himself tried to perform. They couldn't get her heart going. So she and their unborn child were killed. And as far as the last I've heard, luckily their young son is still alive, president anymore. His term expired and there was no election. Is he, as we say here in the U.S., on thin ice in his tenure in office? Well, you can imagine the opinion of the draftees or the mobilized soldiers.

I mean, how for so long now it's been a full draft, and they're just literally taking people off the streets in cuffs to send them to the front lines with little or no training. You know, Russia had a mobilization and it was done and done and then done uh but ukraine has just had this kept constant mobilization where they're just picking people and sending them to the front so none of those people probably very happy with him and uh all the uh military battalions that have lost so many people, so many friends. You know, we can only imagine. I mean, I'm not over there.

I basically, as you know, stick to what I see with my own eyes. In my reports, I don't really give my opinions. I just give the facts to the people that live it. But, you know, we can imagine what the Ukrainian soldiers are thinking. Before we go, Patrick, can you tell us, without jeopardizing your own safety, of course, where you're off to next?

Well, right now I'm in Donetsk, and we're going to be doing a little bit of investigation in Mediupol, working on a film, a documentary film, and I assume I'll be hitting up the Lugansk Front

and also going back to the Kursk Front as well, because that's really something that needs to be shown. This has really brought up a new part of the war. I mean, you know, Ukrainian forces control, you know, a lot of kilometers, square kilometers of Russian land in the Kursk region. So, I mean, things are changing rapidly. Hopefully, they will end soon and people stop dying. But until then, I've just got to keep on doing my best to report what's happening. Patrick, you're a brave man, to say the least. And you're a great man. And we are deeply grateful, not just I and the Judging Freedom team, but the many, many thousands that are watching you live and will be watching you once we post this in the

streaming venue. Thank you, Patrick. Godspeed. Stay well. Come back again whenever you want, my dear friend. All right. Thanks a lot for having me. As I said, Judge, it's been great. And for your followers, everything I said is always

backed up on my YouTube channel. So just go check it out. See the full report yourself if you have any doubts. Watch everything on my channel and watch as many different sources. Nobody can give you all of the information. You need to educate yourself. And I'm glad you're here with me, Judge, and we can help show the world together what's really happening, what the Western mainstream media is not showing them. Thank you, Patrick. All the best. St. Patrick, financially in this amazing, amazing, courageous, non-ending trek that he goes through

in Ukraine and Russia. Coming up at 1.30 this afternoon, Aaron Maté. At 2.30 this afternoon, Phil Giraldi. Judge Napolitano for judging freedom. Thank you.