Full transcript
0:00The fighting in Ukraine is turning more
0:02brutal. 5 years into the war and Russia
0:04is churning out newer but more
0:06unpredictable weapons. This includes
0:09kamicazi drones and ballistic missiles.
0:11And Russian President Vladimir Putin
0:13seems to have more surprises in store.
0:16As per reports, the Kremlin has inducted
0:18a new ballistic missile, a weapon
0:20military watchers are saying is packed
0:23with surprises because it can supposedly
0:25make unpredictable shifts last minute,
0:27making it nearly impossible to stop or
0:30intercept such a weapon. How is a
0:32country hit by thousands of Western
0:35sanctions producing such weapons,
0:36though? And what is Putin's new missile
0:39that comes with endgame surprises? Our
0:42next report tells you more.
0:48Russia is building its arsenal at a
0:50record pace and it is increasingly using
0:54long range missiles and drones to strike
0:56Ukraine's capital Kev
1:00along with Ukrainian military positions
1:03and power grids. Despite being hit by
1:06nearly 24,000 Western sanctions, Moscow
1:09is pushing out weapons at a rate that
1:12hasn't been seen since the war in
1:14Ukraine started back in 2022.
1:18But the US military intelligence has
1:20raised another alarm. The Kremlin has
1:22inducted a new weapon, a long ranged
1:26ballistic missile that is packed with
1:28endgame surprises.
1:30Russia has inducted an unspecified new
1:33type of ballistic missile. NATO intel
1:36reports say the missile has a range of
1:38800 km. It can be launched from a mobile
1:42groundbased launcher. The missile has
1:44reportedly already been test fired. It
1:47has been inducted and Moscow plans on
1:50deploying it against Ukraine by year
1:52end. As per US intelligence, the missile
1:55features new flight systems, allowing
1:58the ballistic weapon to deploy a
2:00maneuverable re-entry vehicle, also
2:03called as MARV. The MARV is a type of
2:06warhead that can alter its trajectory
2:09once the missile begins its final
2:11descent towards its target.
2:13The main purpose of deploying a MAV is
2:16to evade air defense systems and destroy
2:19high value targets like command centers,
2:21headquarters, or advanced weapon
2:24systems. Here's how a MARV functions.
2:27After the missile is deployed and
2:29reaches its terminal stage, small
2:32thrusters or fins on the warhead get
2:34activated, shifting its trajectory in a
2:37controlled manner. These can easily
2:39defeat air defense systems that are
2:41meant to shoot down incoming projectiles
2:44with a fixed trajectory. But the
2:46maneuverability gives the added
2:48advantage of deploying the warhead to
2:51strike slow moving high value targets
2:53like aircraft carriers. And because such
2:56missiles can alter their course last
2:58minute, MAV weapons are often called
3:01dancing missiles.
3:05MAV technology is not new to Russia.
3:07Moscow already has missiles that can
3:10deploy such warheads. However, most of
3:13those weapons are mated to
3:15intercontinental ballistic missiles.
3:18As per open- source information, Russia
3:21currently has three primary missiles
3:23that can deploy MAR warheads. These are
3:27the URN silo based ICBM,
3:31the RS28 Sarmat liquidfueled ICBM and
3:35the RS24 YARS mobile ICBM.
3:39These are all missiles which are meant
3:41to strike thousands of kilometers away.
3:44However, Russia's immediate need is
3:47short-ranged ballistic missiles that can
3:49deploy these unpredictable warheads.
3:52That explains the new weapon.
3:56And this is concerning news for Ukraine.
3:59Despite nations trying to bring Keev and
4:01Moscow to the negotiating table, the
4:04Kremlin has pledged to carry out strikes
4:06on Ukraine even during the talks.
4:13>> We have stated repeatedly that following
4:15the collapse of the Istanbul agreements
4:17due to Western interference, we will not
4:20halt the special military operation for
4:22the duration of negotiations.
4:28The new ballistic missile with MARV
4:30capabilities is not about how fast or
4:33far it can fly. It is about what the
4:36weapon can do in the last few seconds.
4:38It won't give Ukrainian air defenses the
4:41time to understand the surprise moves,
4:43making interception a nearly impossible
4:46task. The future of missile warfare is
4:49going away from speed and range and is
4:52now becoming more about
4:53unpredictability.
4:55If Russia has mastered that capability,
4:58then the most dangerous part of this
5:00missile will not be where it starts, but
5:03where it changes its mind.
5:06>> A militia has put a kingdom on edge, and
5:08Saudi Arabia with its billions of
5:10dollars, sophisticated weapons, and
5:12powerful allies is scrambling to contain
5:15that threat. On Tuesday, the kingdom
5:18briefly issued alerts over possible
5:20attacks in Mecca,
5:22Jedha, and Tif. This was the first time
5:25Mecca received an attack alert since the
5:27latest round of hostilities with Houthis
5:30intensified. Although the missile alert
5:33was later lifted, the stakes are high
5:35because of the city's religious
5:37significance and large civilian and
5:39pilgrim presence. The missiles and
5:42drones are coming from Yemen from the
5:44Iranbacked Houthi rebels. And Saudi
5:47Arabia is now staring at a militant
5:48group that isn't just capable of
5:50attacking its territory, but is rapidly
5:53expanding the geography from which it
5:55can threaten the kingdom. On Monday,
5:58Houthi forces launched ballistic
5:59missiles and drones towards Saudi
6:01Arabia, injuring 13 people in the
6:04country's south.
6:19Now, Riyad has vowed to respond firmly
6:22and even the United Nations Security
6:24Council is set to meet today to discuss
6:26the hostilities in the region,
6:28especially since the Houthis now have
6:30strategic control of the Babal Mandab
6:32Strait. The renewed fighting has also
6:34pushed oil prices higher with experts
6:36warning that a prolonged conflict could
6:38lead to impending oil crunch. This isn't
6:41just a Yemen story anymore. It is a
6:43story about how quickly a conflict can
6:46travel. From a missile launch in Yemen
6:48to an oil terminal in Saudi Arabia, from
6:51a shipping lane in the Red Sea to fuel
6:53prices thousands of kilometers away.
6:56Andread is discovering another
6:58uncomfortable reality. Military power
7:01does not automatically guarantee
7:03military options. The United States and
7:06UK have ruled out direct strikes on the
7:08Houthis in Yemen, instead offering
7:10intelligence and advisory support.
7:13Pakistan despite its close defense
7:15relationship with Saudi Arabia and is
7:17signary to the recently agreed Mecca
7:20pact has reportedly drawn its own line
7:22here saying its forces could defend
7:24Saudi territory but not participate in
7:27combat operations on foreign soil. So
7:30Riyad has been looking elsewhere.
7:32Reports say Saudi Arabia has sought
7:34Israeli intelligence assistance with
7:36talks reportedly mediated by US Central
7:39Command. A country that does not
7:41formally recognize Israel is apparently
7:43looking towards Israel for help against
7:45a common enemy. And that tells you just
7:49how much the regional equation has
7:51changed. But perhaps the most important
7:54question is this. How did the Houthis
7:56get into a position where they can
7:58threaten Saudi Arabia, pressure global
8:01shipping and set aside one of the
8:03world's most important maritime choke
8:05points? It's a nasty piece of
8:07geopolitical geometry. And the answer is
8:09on the map. Because the Houthi advance
8:12isn't just about how much land they have
8:14taken. It is about which land they have
8:16taken. And to understand why Riyad is so
8:18nervous, we need to see exactly what has
8:21fallen into Houthi hands. Let's take a
8:24closer look.
8:35In the past few weeks, the Iranbacked
8:37Houthi rebels, which operate out of
8:39Yemen, have seized control of the
8:41country's entire Red Sea coastline.
8:45Let's begin right there at Yemen's Red
8:47Sea coastline. The Houthis have made
8:48major gains along Yemen's western coast,
8:51pushing Saudi backed government forces
8:54out. Now look at this. This is the Bab
8:56al-Mandab trade right here. The narrow
8:59gateway connecting the Red Sea to the
9:00Gulf of Aiden. This waterway handles
9:03around 10 to 12% of global trade. Riyad
9:06depends heavily on this crucial choke
9:09point for its oil trade. And the Houthis
9:11are tightening their grip. Exactly here.
9:13Sitting right inside this strategic
9:15corridor then is Mayu. also known as the
9:18Perim Island which the group has
9:20captured. The group is also seized the
9:22greater and lesser harish islands right
9:26here. These are Red Sea approaches. Now
9:28we move north along this coast. Here we
9:31have Hereda which was already a major
9:34Houthi stronghold and now they have
9:36seized a port city sitting right nearby
9:38Hereda. It is called Mocha located
9:41around 80 kilometers from the Babal
9:44Mandave Strait. Then there is Dubab
9:46located on the mainland almost directly
9:49opposite to the Mayo island. As you can
9:51see on the map here, the Houthis aren't
9:53simply expanding across Yemen. They're
9:54building a coastal ark. The Iranbacked
9:57rebels are also moving further east of
9:59Yemen in Thai and Mari. Now you have to
10:03understand that Marib is home to Yemen's
10:05oil and gas sector. Whoever controls it
10:08secures major economic gains. Control of
10:11Thai could also give the Houthis then
10:13greater leverage over roots connecting
10:16northern Yemen with the south, the Gulf
10:18of Aiden and the Red Sea coast. It's
10:20clear that the Houthis are going all in
10:22to gather leverage. And for Saudi
10:25Arabia, the Red Sea is turning red in
10:27more than one way.
10:30If you enjoyed today's show, hit the
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10:46>> The revolution is made through human
10:48beings, but individuals must forge their
10:50revolutionary spirit day by day.
10:53>> Every revolution begins with a question.
10:57Why should the world stay the same? One
11:00voice rises, then another. An idea
11:04becomes a movement. A movement becomes
11:08history.
11:11Five revolutionaries, five stories of
11:15struggle, reform and rebellion.
11:20They faced prisons. They faced bullets.
11:25They faced empires.
11:28But they never stopped fighting. Not for
11:31power, for justice, for equality, for
11:35freedom.
11:37The revolutionary