Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on Russia's latest raid on Ukraine and the people caught after escaping a New Orleans prison

Russia unleashed a massive drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv on Sunday, killing 12 people. 

Ukrainian officials say it's the largest aerial assault since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 

It came hours after the two countries swapped hundreds of prisoners in the third and final part of a major exchange. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold talks to Mike Hosking about the raid and the seven people arrested after escaping prison in New Orleans. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Stateside, Richard ild morning to you back online, morning mane.
You're fantastic. So the year raids, there is no peace talks,
no cease fin I know nothing that's right from Washington
and stony silence meeting. The latest Russian assault on Ukraine
coming as the Trump team seems to have backed away
from its core for a thirty day seas fire. We
don't hear them talking about that anymore. Trump himself has

(00:21):
openly speculated that the US could remove itself entirely from
any military support for Ukraine as these body battles go on,
long after President Trump insisted repeatedly during his campaign that yeah,
he could end this war within twenty four hours. He
said that over and again. The latest aerial assault by
Russia's being described as the biggest since the Russian invasion began.
More than thirty Ukrainian cities were targeted by drones and missiles.

(00:45):
Three hundred and sixty seven Russian drones and missiles were fired.
This includes fifty six cruise missiles and four guided their missiles.
Along with the drones. Most were shot down or otherwise
neutralized by the Ukrainians who were still working with Western defense.
Still twelve people have been killed, including three children, in
the northern region of Zytomir. This follows the recent prisoner

(01:07):
exchange that we've been seeing one thousand prisons from each
side allowed to go free with Washington shifting policies, though,
the EU and Britain have unveiled a new round of sanctions,
this time targeting what's called the Russian shadow Fleet, which
has been used to transport Russian oil exports. When it
comes to any further American sanctions on Moscow, well, the
TOMP team is sitting on the sidelines where Secretary of

(01:29):
Saint Rubio is saying that sanctions are counterproductive as peace
talks are being pressed, but little stone of Putin being
too interested in any peace talks, and Ukraine now is
reported to have made a bold attempt to kill Putin
by targeting him with drones looking at his military helicopter
while he was visiting the Kursk region the other day.
So the Russian defense has prevented that, but that was

(01:50):
the intention. It seems interesting. And then is this an
inside job, this New Orleans thing? I mean, how many
people only knew what was going on? There's a few,
It's not quite the scale of the Great Escape the
Second World Wars saga with Steve McQueen and Coe. But
it's getting bigger and bigger. Seven people now have been
arrested over the New Orleans jail break bit. Over a
week ago this happened ten prisoners got out, five still

(02:10):
on the run. The latest arrest come from those alleged
to have helped. That includes an inmate named Trayvon Williams,
who was said to have supplied a blanket to help
these escapees get over the jails raise a wire fence topping.
He is also said to have gone into their cell
for about thirty minutes while they made the getaway, after
shutting off water to the toilet and tunneling their way out.
William says he doesn't remember why he was in the

(02:33):
escapees cell, and he says he asked for help to
turn off the water to the toilet because it was
claud Yeah. Sure. Meantime, others have been charged as accomplices
after the prisoner's escaped, including one who supplied the fleeing
inmates with the cash through a mobile phone app. So
there's some high tech here allegedly, and those charged as

(02:55):
helpers could face prison terms themselves have up to five years. Mate.
All right, I'll catch you on Wednesday. Appreciate it. Richard
down on State Side. For more from the mic Asking
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