Hello from the Heartland.

My name is Jenna, and this is Smarter News, news when it matters and why it matters.

Our Smarter series features unique people who help us think and live smarter.

Well, we're back with author, journalist, correspondent, David Satter. And it has been exactly

one week since the last interview that we had. And we had such a response to that interview,

David. I just wanted to have you back to continue our conversation about what we're watching

in Ukraine, but also the perspective that

you add from decades of reporting in the Soviet Union, through the Cold War, through the

collapse of the Soviet Union, and then the rise of modern day Russia. We tried to get exactly

to the hour that we spoke last time. This is how precise we're trying to be, because the world is

changing so fast. And look at all that's happened in the last week. This is how precise we're trying to be because the world is changing so fast.

And look at all that's happened in the last week. And maybe that's where we need to begin.

I mean, what do you think about what we've seen in the last week, David?

Well, it's appalling, of course. I mean, it's, and it's appalling not just for the Ukrainians who've

suffered and are going to suffer as they now bomb cities, but for the poor Russian soldiers

who've been thrown into this, many of them had no idea where they were being sent. They were

told that they were being sent for maneuvers on the

border with Ukraine. They didn't realize they were being thrown into a war. And in fact, many of them

have been sent into this inferno in violation of Russia's own regulations. Because according to the regulations, you can't just send

draftees into a war zone unless they sign contracts. Well, they're being forced to sign those

contracts. They're being intimidated. They're being beaten, and they're being thrown in large

numbers into a fight for which they're not prepared.

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