I'm John Batchew with my colleague Anatole Levin of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Moscow, point of view.

Anatole, the report in the London news right now is necessarily provocative, Cold War thinking.

Moscow sending drones to Iran, the presumption being that something sneaky is going on.

In fact, it was the drones invented by

Tehran that Moscow then learned to both buy and then manufacture and using in Ukraine.

So they're sending back drones that come from Tehran, or at least from the plans.

I'm also told that Russia is now building at the

behest of North Korea, a drone factory in North Korea. I'm also told that the drones that are being

used have engines that are created in China and other parts. There are lots of allegations. I don't

account for any of these other than information

in wartime, information warfare. However, there is the sense now that Moscow has opportunity or

less opportunity to resolve Ukraine. Is there confidence in Moscow with this flood of money that

wasn't expected? Or is there a despair because

the situation in the Gulf is so intractable? I mean, the increase in money has hugely

increased Russian confidence because, you know, until this war, the Russian economy was really coming under

increasing pressure, especially from inflation. And, you know, they are now earning, apparently,

financial time says, about an extra $150 million a day from their energy exports.

So, of course, this is a tremendous help to Russia.

Now, however, this doesn't immediately, you know, translate itself into an improvement in the Russian situation on the battlefield.

We have to see how that goes. So far Ukraine continues

to hold out very well, has even been counter-attacking. But once again, it depends on how long

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