India Today has accessed exclusive satellite images showing the extent of damage caused to Pakistan's airbases during Operation Sindoor.
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00:00The clearest images yet of the extent of damage that's been carried out at various air bases in Pakistan.
00:08And today on this special broadcast, we'll tell you the reason why Pakistan was forced to seek ceasefire on the 10th of May.
00:18The images that we're about to show you will show you the extent of damage on ground at 13 Pakistan Air Force bases and radars,
00:26damage to aircraft, damage to their ground weapon storage facilities, their command and control structures, and their highways.
00:34This is evidence of the highest imposition of cost yet on a state sponsor of radical Islamist terror.
00:45Attacked in Noor Khan in the country.
00:48True horror of IF skyfall on Pakistan.
00:56Hangars blown open, radars in ruin.
01:04Devastating hits at Pakistani air bases exposed.
01:13Explosive evidence of Indian Air Force's clean strikes.
01:18Pakistan's air base and highlation is our top focus on India first.
01:28India today has accessed the clearest and the latest satellite images of the destruction at the Noor Khan Air Base.
01:37And Noor Khan is one of the most important air bases in Pakistan.
01:40At Bholari, their latest air base at Sindh, at Mureed Air Bases, these are multiple air bases where Indian Air Force struck.
01:48The damage is far greater than initially assessed and expected.
01:52The damage to the air bases from Jacob Abad to Raheem Yarkhan and from Sargodha, that's 200 kilometers plus inside Pakistan.
02:00So these were strikes that were very deep inside Pakistan that have shaken Pakistan to the core.
02:06Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Archist Bhadoria joins me in a moment from now.
02:12I'm Gaurav Savant.
02:13As always, let's get started with the headlines on India first.
02:22The Congress Party versus Shashi Tharoor war is out in the open.
02:27Top Congress leaders share Uditrad's post calling Tharoor a BJP spokesperson.
02:34Tharoor had credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for surgical strikes on Pakistan.
02:45Under fire for saying Kannada was born out of Tamil, Kamal Hassan clarifies but refuses to apologize.
02:51Kannada groups threaten to boycott all his films.
02:54A year before Tamil Nadu elections, NDA's formal invite to TVK, top BJP leadership want to tie up with Vijay.
03:07AIA DMK pitches for the alliance, says TVK wants DMK's ouster.
03:12Donald Trump hauls new student visas, orders missions to stop new visa applications, already scheduled visa appointments to continue.
03:26Top Putin aid and former Russian president warns Donald Trump of World War 3.
03:37The US slams Russia for stoking fears, calls the Commons unfortunate and reckless.
03:44So after Pakistani armed forces tried to escalate, attempting to strike Indian air bases and strategic assets in response to India successfully targeting nine terror camps,
04:05including the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Tayibayat Mureet K and Jaish-e-Mohamed's Bahawalpur facility,
04:11the Indian armed forces were forced in retaliation to strike even deeper inside Pakistan.
04:17So from Skardu in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir down to Bolari in Sindh.
04:23But the major hits and massive hits were in Pakistan's Punjab province.
04:28And we have the latest satellite images from the Noor Khan air base.
04:32We'll also of course tell you about what happened at Raheem Yarkhan and Sargoda and Jacobabad.
04:37But we will show you satellite images of what happened at Mureed air base.
04:40We will tell you what happened at various Pakistani air force bases and these strikes were not symbolic.
04:47They were demonstrative, no doubt.
04:48They were a signal of intent, but the damage caused was intense and would hurt the Pakistan army for a very long time to come.
04:56Because a proper Pakistan that's anyway been waging this terror war against India,
05:02with that nuclear bogey, now it has no place to run and no place to hide.
05:08India today's access satellite images that reveal the real extent of the damage.
05:12In a moment from now, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadoria, former Chief of Air Staff,
05:16he will join us to discuss these satellite images and the impact on Pakistan.
05:21But first, India today's Sandeep Unnithan and our bureau colleagues get you more in this report.
05:46The message is clear.
05:56Any act of terror will be treated as an act of war.
06:01During Operation Sindur, India rained fire on Pakistan after the terror state tried to attack Indian military infrastructure
06:09in response to India's attacks on terror hubs.
06:14After Pakistan's misadventures, India, in multiple precision strikes, hit 11 of their air bases,
06:22making them completely dysfunctional.
06:26Bholari was one of the worst hit.
06:28The Indian missile strike on a particular hangar damaged one Sab 2000 Avax and three to four Western origin fighter aircraft.
06:36India used indigenous BrahMos missiles to carry out strikes at this air base.
06:41The satellite images show a hole in the hangar rooftop and major damage inside the hangar.
06:48Not just Bholari, other air bases including Murid and Noor Khan also sustained considerable damages.
06:56The satellite images show the impact of the missile strikes that made a crater of three meters on the ground.
07:02The munition impact was just 30 meters from a crucial underground facility, which could be a weapon stockpile.
07:11Another attack at the compound damaged a drone complex and other structures at the air base.
07:17A similar site was seen at the Noor Khan air base, where earth movers were used to remove the damaged structures.
07:23Pakistan lost at least 35 to 40 personnel in these attacks.
07:31Bureau report, India Today.
07:35Operation Sindur was all about the effective employment of air power and missile power.
07:42And Indian air power was able to deliver.
07:44India Today has exclusively accessed the latest satellite images.
07:49They've been analyzed at length and they show you the extent of damage caused to Pakistan's air bases that forced Pakistan to seek a ceasefire.
08:00Literally, plead for a ceasefire on the afternoon of the 10th of May.
08:05Joining me now on this India Today special broadcast for his impressions on these satellite images is Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadoria, former Chief of Air Staff.
08:15Sir, a privilege to have you on this special broadcast with us.
08:19Thank you for joining us.
08:20I want to take our viewers through some of these images that India Today has accessed from Maxar and also from Detresfa.
08:27Let's take a look at the first image that's coming in from the Bolari air base in Sindh.
08:35And this was a deep strike in Pakistan, Sindh province.
08:39The latest air base, the newest air base and targeted and how.
08:44We've got two images on your screens.
08:46One before and after the strike and that is a hang up.
08:51There's a precision strike, Air Chief Marshal Bhadoria.
08:54Your impressions of the structural damage, the damage to the roof and what was inside.
09:01What can you tell us?
09:02From what I can make out from the satellite pictures which came earlier, this is much more clearer and closer and much more explicit.
09:12And very clearly the kind of damage that you see from the roof and the weapon has gone straight inside.
09:17Nothing inside this hangar would have survived.
09:20Nothing inside.
09:21There is going to be AWC inside this hangar and there would be whatever else kept inside in terms of systems, in terms of if any other operation that was there.
09:31Nothing would survive in this hangar because the weapon, real blast is inside the hangar.
09:37It penetrates and then explodes.
09:39Yes, very much so.
09:40And you can make out where the weapon has gone and some of the impact which will be hangar door, you can see strewn in front.
09:49So this is very clearly a big hit, a very, very strategic target and a very major loss for Pakistan Air Force.
09:57So we are told that a Saab 2000, their advance early warning command and control aircraft, that was lost.
10:03We are also told by sources that they have lost some western fighter jets.
10:08Could be three to four.
10:09Would it be F-16s?
10:11Could it be Mirage 3 or five?
10:13I think if you are talking of A2 ground strikes, what was stuck at Jakobabad, the pictures that we saw earlier, would be F-16s.
10:20Would be F-16s.
10:21Because the hardened shelters that were stuck there.
10:23Here, of course, is Saab 2000.
10:25Now, how major a loss would be for a country like Pakistan to lose an advance early warning command and control system?
10:34It's a major loss in terms of not only combat equipment.
10:37It's a loss in terms of, you know, immediately if they have to deploy, they lose a major asset.
10:43But more importantly, it is in the context that this was done, it is a clear signal of how accurately their assets can be targeted.
10:54And this is just a demonstration.
10:56They were just, you know, nine on the 10th morning, nine of those targets taken.
11:00They could have taken 20.
11:02On those nine targets, they could have taken 20 more targets.
11:05So much more was possible.
11:07But it was in a controlled and graded manner, looking at the situation.
11:12And it was a very clear message.
11:13One is targeting and getting the asset.
11:15In this context, I think it is very clearly driven home.
11:19And these are assets.
11:20You should remember what was done to their air defense center itself.
11:23Their control centers that were knocked off.
11:24Their radars that were knocked off.
11:26So a big hole was created in their entire air defense network in terms of capability.
11:32And they were blinded in that zone.
11:34And none of our weapons practically, all the weapons have hit.
11:38So maybe leave side one or two.
11:41Every weapon has hit its target.
11:43They have not been able to intercept anything.
11:45And that is because the way their air defense network was taken out.
11:47So, Pakistan and, you know, SEAD suppression of enemy air defenses, as you taught us quite some time back, SEAD was the first critical part of our operations, successful in Pakistan's Punjab province, successful in the Sindh province.
12:05What does this say about the Chinese air defense systems that Pakistan has?
12:10No, it says more about our attack capability and ability to take out.
12:14The Chinese systems in terms of HQ series that they had provided, they have a certain level of capability going from 200, 300 kilometers, depending on what, which radar and which missile combination you're talking about.
12:28Those were networked, those were provided in large numbers.
12:33But we created the holes where they were required.
12:37So it was a demonstration of our capability to disrupt any such network and do what we want.
12:43I think that is important.
12:44Bholari, there were also losses of lives and we're told major losses of lives of Pakistan air force personnel.
12:50Yes, I've seen those, some of those videos and reports and I think it would have happened probably because of this, in this hangar.
12:58Would they have been trying to retrieve the aircraft or park the aircraft inside whatever, in hardened pens?
13:03Some operations, it could be systems, it could be this, but if it has happened, I think this is one of the places where there could be people and it would have stuck.
13:12I now want to shift focus to the other side and that's equally crucial.
13:17This is Pakistan air force base, Mureed.
13:20Like Noor Khan, a very significant, whether you talk about Mureed or you talk about Jacobabad, you talk about Raheem Yar Khan, you talk about Noor Khan, Mushaf, which is Sargodha.
13:31Take a look at the Mureed side, sir, both before and after.
13:34Sir, you know, this satellite imagery is courtesy of Maxar and if you look at the strike, after the strike, not only was the roof damaged, a section of the roof caved in, what is even more severe, the UAV hangars.
13:49One and two, after the strike, they've been destroyed and there's a huge hole that's come up there.
13:55What would that indicate, sir?
13:56Yeah, so this again, you know, it's a very carefully chosen target to destroy some of their assets and the control center and you see the kind of results which are now more explicitly visible in these satellite pictures.
14:11So it's a target that you see the kind of damage that is shown and these pictures have been taken, I think, after a gap of a couple of days.
14:20A week, almost a week later.
14:22Yeah, and some of the debris is probably removed, but you see the nature of that damage, nothing there and its vicinity would survive.
14:31And for airborne assets or any other assets, any damage on any of the surfaces, it disables it.
14:41More importantly, the command centers and all those get written off.
14:44So that is the other, the underground storage facility, you know, you can look at the hardened shelter, you can look at that narrow entrance in that picture.
14:54When you take out, what would that indicate, sir?
14:57No, clearly whatever storage facility they've hit there, that hit is almost in the center of it and it has gone cleanly.
15:06From top, you would always see a small hole.
15:09Yes.
15:09The weapon would go inside and explode.
15:11And then blast off.
15:12And on a facility that is enclosed like this, the blast effect and the damage is even more when it is in an underground thing.
15:21So again, inside this, whatever existed there would be disabled.
15:25So a three meter crater, it's really deep.
15:28In some areas, we are told that the Pakistanis subsequently, you know, they not only brought in JCVs, but they removed everything from that area.
15:36Would that be an indication that that entire building or that entire structure is now a write-off?
15:40Absolutely.
15:41I think so.
15:42So their assets are gone, their structures are gone, their command and control centers are gone?
15:46Yeah.
15:46See, the focus was totally to take out after the first two nights, some radars that were taken out, important radar networks.
15:57And then the air defense centers, command and control centers, three of them were knocked off.
16:03And then the assets on the airfield.
16:05On the airfield, lots of strategic assets or important assets, ardent shelters, the weapon storages, and targets on the runway itself.
16:13If you see the entire target length of all the nine bases that were stuck.
16:17So important thing is that everything was stuck very precisely.
16:22And the damage is there to see.
16:23No, they can't hide it.
16:24They are not accepting it.
16:29But the whole world has seen it.
16:31Oh, absolutely.
16:32You know, because all those who were saying,
16:33What did you do?
16:34Why did you do this?
16:35Why did you do this?
16:36They need to see the extent of damage on ground.
16:40And this is unprecedented.
16:41It's never happened in the past.
16:43And now I want to focus on…
16:45And that ceasefire we have not done.
16:46Yes.
16:47The kind of damage done on 10th morning, this ceasefire request came from the Pakistani DGM.
16:54So there is no question that we have asked a ceasefire or we have accepted it, we have accepted it because of this thing.
17:02And it was always the case that they were told, do not escalate.
17:06If you do any damage to our military targets, we will hit you back.
17:10So it was a graded hitting back.
17:13But on the 10th morning, the levels and precision that was done, they just gave up.
17:18It must be understood.
17:19There is a lot of, I think, you know…
17:21In this fog of war, you know, information or misinformation warfare from the Pakistani side.
17:26You're saying Pakistan gave up.
17:28Of course, after the result of this 10th strike, that is when they have decided to stop.
17:35I'll tell you one more reason and I want you to look at the Noor Khan Air Base.
17:39And Noor Khan is aankho ka noor, if I may, for Pakistan.
17:44It is right between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
17:47It's the seat of power in Pakistan.
17:50Islamabad is like the secondary seat of power.
17:52The main seat of power is Rawalpindi, which is general headquarters.
17:55And this Noor Khan Air Base is right next to general headquarters in Rawalpindi.
18:00And that was struck.
18:01And how?
18:01I want you to look at those images with Air Chief Marshal Bhadoriya.
18:06Proof of Noor Khan Air Base hit and the manner in which it was hit.
18:10The air base, the runway, that area close to it, some military support vehicles, they've been destroyed.
18:17But most significantly, isn't this their main command and control centre?
18:22Absolutely.
18:23The command centre that has been destroyed and believe me, this explosion would have been
18:28heard in their offices, in their headquarter buildings.
18:31Those are so close.
18:33It is close enough to one of their nuclear command and control centre.
18:36This is what our attack on this has and this kind of precision and our ability to attack
18:42has shook them more than any other place.
18:45This and I think Sargoda and Bolari.
18:47These two, three are very, very important pieces in this.
18:51And the way we were able to disable their air defence network and do what we wanted.
18:57So, this would have really been a catalyst in their decision to stop and, you know, ring up the US.
19:05Because then they realised if they'd gone on for another day, they wouldn't have had an air force left, isn't it?
19:10No, we would have stuck stronger than this and the Navy was waiting off Karate.
19:15Yes.
19:15Okay, so it is only because of a restrained nature of our actions that Navy had still not hit Karate.
19:24Otherwise, if it had gone on to one more night, I am sure that even that step would have been taken.
19:29And of course, our own attacks would have multiplied to some extent.
19:34Even if you take a 3x multiplication, I don't think, you know, that would have been serious escalation and that would have been serious damage on their part.
19:42So, should we have done that?
19:45Should we have done that?
19:46Because there are many who argue when we were right there.
19:49And, you know, people like us, people like you and I, and we've all suffered Pakistani state-sponsored terror for decades.
19:55The Prime Minister said the first terror attack took place in 1947.
19:59No, we should not mix up and we should not get confused.
20:04We went in for this portion after hitting the terrorist targets, saying that you stop.
20:10They did not stop.
20:11They attacked us on seventh night.
20:14In response, some radars on the, on the, what was happening on LSU was exchange of fire.
20:18But what was hit inside was, was in a very measured way.
20:23On next night, they increased their drone attacks, increased their loitering munition attack.
20:27Another measured response was given, three more, you know, radars, etc.
20:31It is when they hit our bases and when we hit Adampur in a big way and they tried to take out S-400, then this result happened.
20:38So, we were measured and we are always giving them chance to stop.
20:43Okay, once we have said that we are taking terrorist targets and they should not escalate and they are escalating, we are measured in our response.
20:52So, it is not logical for us to have continued beyond a point because, you know, it was not meant to be taken to a full-fledged conventional conflict unless they want it.
21:02If they wanted to take it, we were ready.
21:05But it doesn't mean that we, we continue.
21:08Okay.
21:09So, when they gave up, it was, I think, a very correct decision.
21:12What would, so, you know, Asim Munir has made himself a field marshal.
21:16There are people in Pakistan mocking him, saying that, you know, in Pakistan, you know, the concept of Form 47, you know, for somebody to be elected a leader.
21:24So, they are saying, you know, Shabash Sharif is Form 47 prime minister, Asim Munir is Form 47 field marshal, like a failed marshal.
21:32So, he has made himself a field marshal.
21:35But does he have either Izzat or Iqbal today in Pakistan?
21:38I don't think so.
21:39I don't think so.
21:40And very soon even Pakistani public will know it.
21:43There was nothing achieved by their side.
21:46All the terrorist targets were hit.
21:49They were exposed to the world.
21:50Their nexus with terrorism was exposed.
21:53The kind of damage done to their targets, their ability to defend their bases, their ability to defend their country was exposed.
22:01So, so, and the Pakistani public will know it.
22:05You can't hide these things.
22:06You can't hide these, you know, satellite images.
22:09No, and when they were being slammed, Pakistani public knew they were being slammed.
22:13Of course, of course.
22:13They are the ones who are giving the videos and the pictures.
22:15They were the ones who have put out all these videos.
22:16Bhavarpur and Muridke, all the pictures initially came from them.
22:18Yes.
22:19I mean, the detailed picture.
22:21So, what I want to understand from you now, sir, is initially we hit nine terror camps and successfully.
22:27Then when they tried, we hit their air defenses and punched a hole in their air defense system.
22:32And then we hit 13 bases and radar stations finally.
22:37Next time, when there's a terror attack, they would know what our strategy is.
22:41They will have better air defenses.
22:43They will have better systems.
22:45What if we can't hit their air defenses again?
22:47No.
22:48Even this time, they, whatever they had, they had deployed and they were fully ready.
22:53Once Prime Minister had given very clearly a direction that they will be punished in an unimaginable manner
23:00and their accomplices and supporters would be taken care of, they knew something is going to happen.
23:05But they never imagined it will be of this level.
23:07So, they were fully ready.
23:09Let us not.
23:10Next time, will they be ready more?
23:12Of course, they will be.
23:13And therefore, we need to also step up our game in terms of whatever is required to be done to be ready next time.
23:20And don't forget what Prime Minister has said now, that any terrorist attack will be an act of war.
23:28It changes the entire, you know, philosophy of how we can tackle.
23:33It has put the terrorist, the Pakistani army and the ISI in the same frame.
23:38And therefore, what we can do in the opening shot next time can be very much different from what we were constrained to do this time.
23:46This time, we just took terrorist target.
23:48That next time, if you have a proof, we are at liberty.
23:50Whether we do it or not is another matter.
23:52I'm sure there will be a very, very, very, you know, good look at it.
23:56But they have been put in the same frame.
23:59That is very important to understand.
24:00That's a very interesting point to make, sir, for joining me here on India today.
24:04Thanks.
24:04So, it's a major, major loss for Pakistan.
24:08I now want to bring into this conversation India today's Sandeep Unnithan to help us analyze the situation better.
24:15Sandeep, bring us details.
24:17You've been assessing these images very, very carefully.
24:20Bring us details of the extent of damage on ground.
24:24Gaurav, you know, again, what happened on the 10th of May was not a normal airstrike by the Indian Air Force.
24:31It was a rampage through Pakistan, from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the north to the deserts of Cholistan in the south, Sindh.
24:41That's more than 1,500 kilometers.
24:43The Indian Air Force has, you know, in the span of just 23 minutes, they have struck 13 targets with great precision.
24:50And they have destroyed radar sites, they have destroyed hangers, as you've just shown, and as Air Chief Marshal Badoria has explained to us in such great detail.
25:01This is possibly the Indian Air Force's largest number of attacks in the shortest span of time.
25:0823 minutes.
25:08These 23 minutes are going to echo through the Indian Air Force's history for decades to come.
25:15And this will actually set the template for a new kind of offensive air power doctrine that the Indian Air Force has always been doing.
25:23But this actually sets the tempo for a new kind of warfare which unfolds in not days and weeks and months, but in minutes, Gaurav.
25:32Sandeep, you and our team have been going over the extent of damage caused to Pakistan in terms of hardware, in terms of aircraft and lives lost.
25:42What have you been able to piece together?
25:44Well, Gaurav, you know, simply hitting these number of bases on the ground, it just shows that no air base in Pakistan is safe.
25:51When your country does not have the kind of geographical depth, when every air base of yours is within the range of the Indian Air Force's fighter jets and air-to-ground missiles,
26:01that itself has been a very big strategic signal to Pakistan.
26:05It doesn't matter what generation of aircraft that you have, what kind of AVAX you have, what flight refuelers you have.
26:12If you are not able to land them at any airfield, if none of your airfields are safe, that's a very big signal.
26:20And through all of these attacks, I think that's what the Indian Air Force has demonstrated.
26:24This extensive damage that's been caused to command posts, to air bases, to hangars where aircraft were, you know, parked in.
26:33And we've actually seen some evidence of aircraft being destroyed on the ground as well.
26:38Those missiles that have gone through hangars have destroyed everything that is inside them.
26:43So a lot of damage caused to the Pakistan Air Force in a very short span of time.
26:49It is going to take them several months to recover.
26:52It is one thing to replace the losses.
26:55The reputational damage to the Pakistan Air Force that's been caused by that very intense rampage that the Indian Air Force is, you know, engaged in on the 10th of May
27:05is going to take several years for the PAF to recover Gaurab.
27:08And that's the point I was coming to, Sandeep, because Aasem Munir may have made himself the field marshal of Pakistan.
27:16But a field marshal should have won a war.
27:18You know, in 1971, when Sam Manikshaw won Bangladesh and liberated Bangladesh from Pakistan, that's when he was made field marshal.
27:29For Aasem Munir, he's had 13 of his bases slammed.
27:34He's had 9 of his terror camps slammed.
27:37He's had his Air Force, you know, run to him for secure cover.
27:41And the DGMO contacted the Indian DGMO, literally, as the Prime Minister said, waving a white flag, seeking a ceasefire.
27:49So in his own country, he neither has Izzat nor Iqbal.
27:54Neither Izzat nor Iqbal, Gaurav, indeed.
27:57And in fact, you know, as you mentioned, field marshals, you know, back in the day of the militancy in Punjab,
28:03if you remember, there were the terrorists who would declare themselves brigadiers and generals and all of that.
28:08And they were called self-styled so-and-so brigadiers and self-styled generals.
28:12So this is exactly that.
28:14You know, Aasem Munir can choose to call himself whatever he wants to because the narrative that they want to craft for the people of Pakistan
28:21is that they have not lost a single war since 1947.
28:25But world history recognizes it otherwise.
28:28We have seen Pakistan not win a single conflict since 1947.
28:32Yet they keep trying.
28:33They've lost in Kargil.
28:35They've lost before that.
28:36In 1971, they lost half of their country.
28:38In 1965, they were fought to a standstill.
28:411947-48, they did not achieve their objective.
28:44So whichever war you look at it, the Pakistan military has leaped in headlong.
28:49It's thought of it very tactically, but it's come out, you know, the loser.
28:54They've lost men.
28:55They've lost machines.
28:56They've lost material.
28:57They've lost half of their country.
29:00And yet they continue with this narrative building.
29:03You know, for a soldier, his izzat, his iqbal, that's everything.
29:09His honor and Pakistan army today is a force without honor.
29:14I also want to bring my colleague Pranay Upadhyay who joins us for more on this big story.
29:19Pranay, you've been speaking to your sources and bring us the extent of damage.
29:25So we've looked at satellite imagery.
29:27But tell us more about what human or human intelligence and your sources are telling you about the losses, Pranay.
29:34Gauru, you know that after the losses, we corroborate the information through human intelligence.
29:39And now we can say with surety that over 200 have been killed in Operation Sindhu strikes, which include 160 terrorists and their family members.
29:49And even Pakistani army, Pakistani armed forces took the losses, which amounts to almost 35 to 40 personals, which is a huge in this small operation, in this small, like, you know, conflict with India.
30:04And as Sandeep was referring to, like, you know, after losing the battlefield, they can call themselves anything.
30:10I think the Pakistan army is having a fields day.
30:13They are taking a victory lap.
30:15They are, and as you know, that after Operation Azman now, Pakistan armed forces came up with the doctrine of notion of victory.
30:23So here they are, all they are claiming is notion of victory.
30:26They have lost in the battlefield.
30:27You know, right from the Gilgit, Baltistan, Skardu base up to, like, you know, Bolari and Jacobabad bases in Sindh area.
30:36So if all the frontline bases have been hit by the India, Indian Air Force and deeper, wider, all the, like, you know, military establishments took that hit.
30:47And in Murid, you have been showing those satellite imageries in Murid, a strategic weapon storage has been taken out.
30:54This is a clear message.
30:55In Sargoda, which is considered as the crown jewel of Pakistan Air Force, which houses IF-16, JF-17, and even their strategic nuclear weapons storage facility at the Kerana Hill.
31:07So all these facilities, and this is just an example of it, Gaurav, that this is the capability, this is the capacity of precision, taking out or carrying out precision strike by the Indian Armed Forces.
31:18And this is just an example of it.
31:20We haven't gone for a full-scale war.
31:22We have just shown just a bit of our capacity and our, like, you know, our capability.
31:27That's a very significant point to make there.
31:32More than 200 losses, fatalities in Pakistan.
31:36And more important, more important is Pakistan Army lost yet another war to India.
31:44It's lost the terror war.
31:45The nuclear bogey has been called out forever, for a very long time to come.
31:51Pranay and Sandeep will continue to track developments on the story very closely.
31:54Gentlemen, many thanks for joining me.
31:57I want to focus on the other big story we're tracking here on India first.
32:02And that's the made-in-India Kaveri jet engine.
32:06And that's undergoing trials in Russia, even as we speak.
32:10Remember, there was a huge trend on social media requesting the Narendra Modi government to continue funding the Kaveri engine.
32:17That's the indigenous fighter jet engine.
32:19So, this engine, initially, when it was on the drawing board, it was planned to be used to power the indigenous light combat aircraft initially.
32:29But now we are told it will power the Ghatak stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle.
32:34Still, about 25 hours of testing remains to be done in Russia.
32:38The Kaveri engine, like I said, was initially proposed to be developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization, DRDO, for the LCA or the Light Combat Aircraft.
32:47But there were multiple delays in this program.
32:50The LCA is currently being powered by the American GE 404 engines.
32:55The Kaveri engine is being indigenously developed.
32:58It's a turbofan engine by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment of the DRDO.
33:18In a major milestone for India's defense self-reliance, the DRDO's Kaveri jet engine is currently undergoing crucial trials in Russia.
33:28With just 24 hours of testing left, this indigenous engine could soon power India's longest-range unmanned combat aerial vehicle or UC VAX.
33:48Initially intended for the light combat aircraft Tejas, the Kaveri engine project had faced delays,
33:54leading the IAF to use American GE 404 engines in the LCA Mark I and upcoming Mark I variants.
34:06But supply issues from the U.S. have reignited interest in homegrown alternatives.
34:12Public sentiment is also playing a role.
34:15A growing online campaign with the hashtag Fun Kaveri has brought fresh attention to the project,
34:21urging the government to prioritize indigenous defense technology.
34:25There are now active plans to mount the Kaveri engine on a light combat aircraft for demonstration purposes.
34:37Simultaneously, DRDO is in talks with global engine manufacturers from France, the U.K. and the U.S.
34:43to co-develop a more powerful engine for India's future fifth-generation fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft or AMCA.
34:51With final tests nearing completion and policy support growing, the Kaveri engine may soon go from an ambitious dream to flying reality,
35:06powering India's future combat aircraft and drones from the skies.
35:10Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned U.S. President Donald Trump of World War III breaking out.
35:24This after U.S. President Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin was playing with fire by refusing to engage in peace talks with Ukraine.
35:33Now, this fresh war of words or this exchange between Cold War adversaries came amidst Trump's growing frustration with the Russian President Vladimir Putin
35:43as Russia continues to strike Ukraine.
35:46Virtually thumbing our nose at the U.S. President's repeated calls to engage with Ukraine on ceasefire talks.
35:53At the same time, Russia says it's Ukraine that continues to target Russian cities,
35:58including attempting to target Moscow and the Russian President's flight.
36:03That, they said, is a red line crossed.
36:08On Tuesday, the U.S. President Donald Trump's Truth Social post,
36:13warning the Russian President that he's playing with fire, got a prompt reply from Moscow.
36:19Within hours, the former Russian President posted a cold threat of World War III on X in reply.
36:25Dmitry Medvedev is now the chairman of the Security Council of Russia.
36:32The Kremlin's official response to Donald Trump's post remained diplomatically restrained.
36:41Trump says a lot of things.
36:43We, of course, read all of it, monitor it,
36:45and we come to a conclusion that Trump hasn't got sufficient information
36:49about what's really going on in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation.
36:56In the backdrop of this war of words on social media,
36:59Russian drone attack on Kharkiv region in Ukraine on Tuesday killed one and injured eight.
37:07Russia destroyed and intercepted over 100 Ukrainian drones over various regions,
37:12including a swarm of drones heading for Moscow on Wednesday.
37:17Videos circulating in social media show an aftermath of a drone attack on Zelinograd
37:23within the territory of the Moscow region.
37:27These were similar to waves of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow and other cities last week,
37:34following which Russian strikes in Ukraine intensified.
37:38Since coming back to power, the American president has been pushing for an end
37:44to the deadliest European conflict after World War II
37:47and has shown increasing frustration with Vladimir Putin in recent days.
37:53After speaking to Trump for more than two hours last week,
37:56Putin said that he had agreed to work with Ukraine on a memorandum
38:00that would establish the contours of a peace accord,
38:03including the timing of a ceasefire.
38:05Russia says it is currently drafting its version of the memorandum
38:11and cannot estimate how long that will take.
38:17At the same time, there are a lot of nuances
38:19regarding the subject of discussions that cannot be sacrificed.
38:23None of the parties will sacrifice them because of their national interest.
38:27Just like the U.S., Russia also has its national interest
38:31that is paramount for us and for our president.
38:34President Vladimir Putin's conditions to end the war in Ukraine include a demand
38:44that Western leaders pledge in writing to stop enlarging NATO eastwards
38:49and lift a chunk of sanctions on Russia.
38:53They do not want to hold talks in neutral Geneva,
38:57but they want to have them in NATO member state, which is Turkey.
39:00You see, it's not about which country will host talks and which alliance it belongs to.
39:05It is all about Putin and their desire to postpone.
39:08They are constantly looking for reasons to postpone,
39:12a format which can bring an end to the war.
39:14Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reached Berlin on Wednesday for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Meitz
39:23to discuss further military support.
39:27Berlin has been the second biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the U.S.
39:31A day before traveling to Germany, Zelensky reiterated his willingness to hold peace talks at the highest level,
39:38including a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
39:45While the Kremlin hasn't ruled it out, they haven't committed to any timeline for further talks either.
39:51This war is more than three years old.
39:56It has already divided the world in different camps of pro-Russia, pro-Ukraine, neutral and the American doctrine dictated by Donald Trump.
40:05With no clear commitment, the war could escalate any day beyond the Black Sea, engulfing Europe and beyond.
40:13Bureau Report, India Today.
40:14There is clear and present danger of an escalation.
40:19And joining me now for more from Kiev is journalist Anna Basova.
40:23With me, our Foreign Affairs editor Geeta Mohan and our colleague Sandeep Unnithan.
40:28Anna, there is a real threat that this situation could get out of hand.
40:34There have been drone strikes and missile strikes.
40:37Is there an apprehension in Kiev that things could escalate and deteriorate?
40:41Well, having fourth year of full-scale war and twelfth year of regional war in Ukraine, there is almost nothing that can scare us.
40:55We have undergone through the massive rocket missile attacks.
41:01Now, three nights, one by one, we had drone attacks.
41:04It's 250 drones just over Kiev.
41:08So, personally, I didn't sleep until 4 a.m.
41:10So, I think there is hardly anything that can frighten us.
41:14And especially after having spent several winters with no electricity, no heating, no water supply, no mobile connection, no internet.
41:24So, we have adapted to everything.
41:26There is nothing you can frighten us with.
41:30And talking about World War III, in my humble opinion, it is already unfolding.
41:37Just that we do not call it World War III.
41:40But have a look.
41:42Full-scale war in Ukraine.
41:45Full-scale war in the Middle East between Israel and various terroristic organizations.
41:52Full-scale war between India and Pakistan.
41:55It's not a full-scale war here.
41:59You know, we just punished Pakistan.
42:01But, you know, that's more a four-day punishment for Pakistan.
42:04But let me just come back, you know, to the point, Geeta.
42:09Is this reflection of frustration when it comes to Donald Trump?
42:13You know, initially he said, let me just get to White House.
42:16This war will stop.
42:1724 hours, I get into White House.
42:19This will stop.
42:20Now, it's almost 130 days.
42:21It's actually, there's apprehension that this is escalating.
42:25Well, two things.
42:26One, he maintains that these wars wouldn't have happened if he were in power.
42:31And secondly, his promises, he's failed there because he thought it would be very easy for
42:36him to say, to tell both sides what to do, and they'll do it.
42:39That's not how countries work.
42:41That's not how certainly Putin works.
42:44And yes, there's growing frustration when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine war.
42:47He's not been able to resolve this one crisis.
42:51He's not been able to do anything about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
42:54And certainly has had nothing to do with the India-Pakistan, on the India-Pakistan front.
43:01So, yes, growing frustration.
43:03And the Kremlin is really not stopping or allowing Trump the space to say what he wants to and
43:11get away with it.
43:12There's no getting away when it comes to Kremlin and Moscow.
43:15So, yes, he's getting a response from Kremlin on a daily basis.
43:20And now Medvedev has also stepped in.
43:22Okay.
43:22And Sandeep, if you were to look at the situation militarily, Russia's striking, as Anna was
43:28just telling us, Russia's striking very close to Kiev and in Kiev.
43:33But then there are also Ukrainian drones that are targeting Moscow and other cities, including
43:39attempting to target fuel dumps, ammunition dumps.
43:42So, from both sides, one, there is escalation point one and point two.
43:47Now, Europe is going to give longer-range weapons and remove the restrictions on use of
43:52longer-range weapons to target Russia.
43:55Absolutely, Gaurav.
43:56In fact, German Chancellor Friedrich Metz had just said that there's going to be no
44:00range limits to any weapons that are going to be supplied to Ukraine.
44:04Now, that is a very, very big red line that has been crossed.
44:08And Metz, obviously, is speaking up for the entire Western alliance, which includes Germany,
44:14the US, and, of course, the UK and France.
44:17And now this means that a whole range of new weaponry could be supplied to Ukraine.
44:22It's not just going to be in the past.
44:24It used to be every little weapon system that was supplied, like the army tactical missile
44:28system, the ATACAMs.
44:31And then, of course, you had the Taurus and you had the Storm Shadow.
44:34All of these were in the, you know, 150, 250 and up to 500 kilometer range missiles.
44:39Now, this new assertion by the German Chancellor potentially opens up a whole new range of weapon
44:45systems that could be supplied to Ukraine to strike deep into Russia.
44:50And that is one of the reasons that Medvedev has made that statement about a warning of
44:55World War III.
44:56Because, Gaurav, as we know, Russia revised its nuclear doctrine just last year in November.
45:01They came out with a new nuclear doctrine which said that not only would Russia respond if
45:06there was a catastrophic threat to the Russian homeland, but it would also respond to conventional
45:12threats made to the Russian homeland.
45:14And, of course, their ally Belarus, this would mean that even it would now even look at conventional
45:21weapon strikes as a, you know, as a trigger to launch nuclear weapons.
45:27So, we are actually heading into very dark and uncharted territory, Gaurav.
45:31This is very, you know, as you rightly point out, this is dark and uncharted territory.
45:37And, Anna, it does appear to be a rather scary situation.
45:41But is Ukraine getting the kind of weapons it wants and on time?
45:46Will longer range weapons or the restrictions being removed on use of longer range weapons,
45:51will that fuel this fire?
45:53Because just a couple of days ago, we were hearing that there could be direct conversation
45:57between President Putin and President Zelensky and they would try and find a solution bilaterally.
46:04Or was that only, you know, talk-talk with more action happening on ground?
46:10Well, if you remember, last week, Zelensky accepted the challenge and said,
46:16OK, if you are willing to talk to me, I will come to Istanbul.
46:20So, what has happened?
46:21Zelensky arrived, our prime minister arrived, minister of military ministry arrived.
46:28But no Putin, no Lavrov, no one from Russian authorities.
46:34So, this is the first factor.
46:37The second factor, you know, so-called red lines.
46:40There have been a variety of them since 2022.
46:45And each and every time they were crossed, nothing happened.
46:49At first, Russia alarmed, like, it is a red line you are crossing if you provide Ukraine
46:54with HIMARS systems.
46:56So, HIMARS systems were delivered, were used, Karsan was liberated, nothing happened.
47:04Then another factor was announced to be a red line.
47:08But each and every time these red lines were crossed and nothing happened.
47:11So, the notion red line is really being mocked at in Ukraine.
47:18Each and every time we hear a red line, we start smiling because it has become a kind of
47:23an internet meme, but not a real threat.
47:26So, now, of course, there is always a small probability that something might happen.
47:34But after having violated a lot of so-called Russian red lines, we see that they can produce
47:46numerous threats, but actually they do nothing.
47:50They just then shut out.
47:52Are you getting the kind of weapons, you know, Ukraine requires to carry this fight through?
47:56Because in several areas, there were reports that Russia was gaining territory because Ukraine,
48:01they were fighting to protect every inch of territory.
48:05But weapons, ammunition, resources were not coming in time.
48:08And, you know, in this trench warfare, inch by inch, Russia was gaining territory and Ukraine
48:14was losing territory.
48:18Actually, it's not about, well, long-range weapon is always needed.
48:23There can be no abundance of weapon at any war.
48:27But with that slow Russian advancing, it was another challenge.
48:32Yes, Ukrainians were stepping back.
48:34But when there is a choice whether to save the territories or to save your army and then
48:41return back and win back the territories, but with the saved army, of course, army is
48:47always a priority.
48:48You can always fight back for your territories, but you can never revive your army if the soldiers
48:53just swept away.
48:56And this was also a kind of strategic or tactical step to step a little bit back, but to save
49:04as much live army as possible.
49:08Oh, absolutely.
49:08And at the same time, to kill as many soldiers, excuse me for such words, but to kill as many
49:14soldiers as possible while they are advancing.
49:17Okay.
49:18Geeta, from the Russian side, does there appear to be inch by inch, are they taking new territory
49:25and would that be then used as a bargaining chip during negotiations?
49:30Or is Russia saying till the Dnipa or the Dnipro River, they will retain whatever they've
49:35taken?
49:36Well, the negotiations and the talks have a few very clear red lines.
49:42The territories that have been taken by Russia, especially Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, and
49:49maybe parts of Zaporizhia, because it holds the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, are non-negotiable.
49:56Beyond that, there are conversations that are going to be, that Russia is willing to have.
50:01But these are areas that you're right, the Dnipro River is certainly going to become a natural
50:06boundary if Putin has it his way.
50:11Now, Ukraine, for the Ukrainian president, it would be untenable to accept ceding so much
50:17territory to Russia.
50:18But at this point in time, there's only that much leverage that Zelensky has over the United
50:26States of America, particularly Trump administration.
50:29And the fact that Europe is not really going to come stand and fight this war if America withdraws,
50:37Gaurav.
50:38These are realities that the two sides have to understand and live with.
50:44And one will have to wait and see whether if Putin and Trump are willing to talk and settle
50:52the war of words that we're seeing, the bickering that we're seeing on social media online.
50:57It just seems to be escalating.
50:57And, you know, the last 30 seconds I have on this part of the show, Sandeep, this is then
51:02World War II, perhaps even World War I kind of trench warfare.
51:08Everyone wants to regain that one more patch of land to use as a bargaining chip.
51:15And in this battle of attrition, the one with more weapons and a bigger army and does appear
51:20to be Russia, does it have an edge?
51:23Well, Gaurav, you hit the nail on the head.
51:25It's while Russia is threatening World War III, it's actually the situation on the ground
51:30is World War I.
51:31The kind of heavy attrition that both sides have been inflicting on each other, it is
51:36something that we have not seen possibly since the Second World War.
51:40It is bloody.
51:42It is brutal.
51:43And both sides can't advance, Gaurav.
51:46From the kind of first-person view drones that are being deployed by both sides.
51:50Now, they are two of the most largest manufacturers of FPV drones in the world, Russia and Ukraine.
51:57And both sides are reporting literally running into walls of FPV drones.
52:02It's almost impossible to advance on the front.
52:05So, the fronts are more or less solidified and you can only make advances at very great
52:11personal costs like loss of lives.
52:13So, we're hearing about a supposed Russian offensive that's supposed to happen in summer.
52:19But there doesn't seem to be any signs of that so far on the ground because, like I mentioned,
52:23it's descended into a very bloody World War I kind of trench warfare with both sides running
52:29into these walls of drones, first-person view drones and even, you know, wire-guided first-person
52:36view drones.
52:37I mean, this is literally, it transcends, you know, warfare from the First World War to the
52:44Second.
52:45Absolutely.
52:45And the overhang of a Third World War, which is a nuclear, you know, elephant in the room,
52:51Gaurav.
52:51You know, you're absolutely right.
52:53When I was reporting from Ukraine, you could actually see hedgehogs and trenches and trench
52:59warfare and tanks in streets of Europe like you probably read in, you know, Commando comics
53:05and that was happening in front of you.
53:07And in all of that, you still have drones and first-person drones, you know, first-person
53:14view drones, where you have these drones coming in with machine guns and AK-47 rifles attacking
53:19the adversary.
53:20It's absolutely bizarre, this battle.
53:23Anna, please stay safe.
53:24But for joining me here from Kiev, Anna Basova, many thanks, Geeta Mohan and Sandeep.
53:30Continue tracking that story.
53:31I will come back to you for more.
53:33That is all we have for you on India First this evening.
53:35Many thanks for watching.