war studies at kings college, england. thank you so hutch for being with us. i want to start on the news there. do you make of the cease-fire in humanitarian corridors that russia has declared while at the same time we have nato and u.s. intelligence saying putin plans to, quote, bombard cities into submission? >> it's obviously good news if you can get out people who have been having a terrible time and need food and medicine as well as rest from the bombardment. you have to assume that when these people are out the bombardment will be stepped up and there'll be a harder push to get into the towns. so it doesn't necessarily make a lot of difference to the outcome of the -- of these battles, as it were, but it's obviously welcome to get as many civilians out as possible. >> yeah. bigger picture, you've said