RADIOJune 03, 2025

30% of Russia’s bombers gone in Ukraine’s ambush

Ukraine just took out a THIRD of Russia’s strategic nuclear-capable bombers in a massive drone strike across the country. This one operation has changed everything about warfare, Glenn Beck’s head researcher and producer Jason Buttrill warns. Jason joins Glenn and Stu to break down just how life-altering this attack was and how Russia may respond.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Jason.

JASON: Yes, sir.

GLENN: What caliber is .68? You heard of that?

JASON: .68. That's a big number.

GLENN: I've never heard of that.

I know. It's big. But I don't know -- what would you say, it's .68?

JASON: Yeah. I guess.

GLENN: Yeah. Right. I never heard of it.

Yeah. Anyway. So how are you?

JASON: Good. Thank you.

GLENN: Thanks for coming in.

I -- I think what happened in Ukraine, this weekend, is kind of significant. On the war front.

JASON: A little bit.

And signals to, I think, basically what I've been saying for, what?

The last couple of years, I think.

That the next war, you know, everything that we're building, stop building them.

Because AI is going to change everything. Drones are going to change everything. Our aircraft carriers are just sitting ducks now.

What we saw happened from Ukraine, thousands of miles into the interior of Russia.

Is striking! Do you want to explain?

JASON: Yeah. I mean, gosh, you have been talking about what's coming for a very long time.

I mean, think about it. You know, wars have always pushed technology, you. Know, things that were coming, but just pushed them out there, faster than they probably would have before.

GLENN: War and pornography.

Those are the drivers. They are the drivers of tech, war, and pornography.

JASON: Yeah. We have satellite technology, because of, you know, the ICBMs and, you know, the need to dominate space.

I mean, all of these things were pushed.

I mean, you look at economic wars. You look at the oil wars. When oil prices were collapsing.

There are few enterprising people in Texas. That could not pay their workers anymore.

So they were like, let's come up with these gigantic automated platforms. So we can frac. And not pay tons and tons of money, you know, and start giving them operating costs.

That came way before.

People think of these things.

And they push it beyond. You look at this -- you talk about aircraft carriers. Ukraine effectively turned a semi-truck into a multi-you know, tens -- how much does it cost to build an aircraft carrier?

I don't know.

GLENN: Billions!

STU: Billions. Tons of money. They turned in a -- you know, a 20,000-dollar semi-truck into an aircraft carrier. That's what we're looking at right now.

Have you seen these videos of this attack?

STU: Yeah. Let's play them.

Let's do drone exits container first.

Can we do that one, please?

What you're seeing is -- oh, my gosh. Look at the guy coming out of these containers. Just full of drones.

It's like a -- I mean, it's just -- it's like a swarm of these. Okay. Drone flies over Russian bombers as they explode. That's one of them.

This is showing that these are their strategic bombers. This is, you know, like our strategic air command. We have to load with nuclear missiles. If there's a war.

They took out 30 percent of them.

30 percent of the strategic -- we have never been able to do anything like that.

JASON: Do you see the tires on those wings, Glenn?

GLENN: Oh, that's how big they are.

JASON: So they have these tires, right there. Right there. That video right there, you see there's all these tires lined up on the wings. The reason why they did that is because they're trying to stop the targeting systems of these first person drones that Ukraine is employing en masse. So they put the tires on wings, so it attempts to mask or confuse the AI in these -- in the targeting of these drones. They're trying everything they can think of, to slow down this drone warfare.

STU: Is it true, though.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

Wait. Wait. So those little spots on the wing. That's how big that plane is. I know that's a big plane.

Awes say that. I'm looking. I see the spots on the top of the wings. I'm like, are those tires?

JASON: Are those tires.

STU: Is it true that they had to control these from inside Russia? Nearby the sites though?

That's the reporting that I heard was. Which is they had all these pilots, apparently. Drone pilots inside the country. Is that accurate?

JASON: I guess that's possible.

And that's an interesting point. Because Ukraine immediately. You know what, I'll stay away from -- I will start with this. I will stay away from any of the BDA, the Battle Damage Assessment on this. Because I know the propaganda machine are going to be insane on both sides.

I don't want to get into another ghost of Kyiv situation here. So it could be as high as 40 bombers. It could be as low as ten. Who knows? The point is, that the name of the game changed, this weekend. Completely changed.

And the reason I think Zelinsky is pushing this out and saying, yeah. We did it.

I mean, Israel didn't even do that, with the Hezbollah beeper thing. They kept it close to the chest for a while, even though we all knew it was them.

But they didn't give away anything in the beginning. Ukraine is saying, this is how we did it.

You know, we loaded up these drones. We saw those tractor trailers on the back of the semi-trucks. It was remotely opened.

And then if they were in Russia or back in Ukraine, who knows where, and then they completely took the drones up and sent them out in swarms.

Like an aircraft carrier. This happened. Everything changed. But the reason they put this out there.

Is because this is also now a big psychological favor with Russia.

Now, they don't know if they can trust any cargo coming into --

GLENN: A shipping container.

STU: They're everywhere, those things.

JASON: Anything! Right. This goes way beyond.

GLENN: Let me just reset this!

Stu, what came to mind, when you said, were they controlling it from inside?

We don't know what's in our country.

We don't who came across our border.

These things could be in our country, today!

I mean, this is -- this is something that -- I mean, the whole world is about to change.

And it just did this weekend.

Let me play one more here.

Drone truck detonates, as man enters.

Let's see this one.

JASON: Yeah.

GLENN: So was that -- what was that?

JASON: Self-destruct.

GLENN: Self-destruct.

JASON: That would self-destruct, so they don't capture the vehicle or examine anything inside. So you had someone remotely opening it. You had remotely piling the swarms out. Then after the job was done, they remotely did a self-destruct and detonated the delivery vehicle. It's amazing. It really is.

GLENN: This is Ukraine.

STU: Right. I mean, Ukraine, in the middle of a war for a long time, obviously.

GLENN: This is Ukraine.

STU: This is not like -- what do we have? What does China have? I would assume it's even more advanced, right?

They're not saying that this is us, that helped them with it, either, right?

JASON: Okay. Yes. We have the capability. I don't know if we've been thinking along these lines.

GLENN: Right. Right. Of course not.

JASON: No. If you go to -- and the word is out there. Interestingly enough, we have been playing a show on this, on TV, to show how things are progressing in Ukraine.

GLENN: It's going to be last week. It was supposed to be last week.

I know.

JASON: Pretty insane.

But I have these videos, like, random lobbers and stuff.

Like, so we're on the front lines of the new drone warfare program. And there are multiple like secret locations in Ukraine, where they have full-on remotely powered vehicles. That are leading the charge. Not, you know, armored mechanized units. That's not happening.

They're sending in these drones, on the ground. Then they send in another wave of drones in the air.

You remember when this war started out, everyone was criticizing the Russians. They were like, how did this happen?

Because the Russians were coming in like World War II. They were going in, mechanized units. These big, bulky tanks. Getting knocked out. That is not how warfare is going to happen, going forward. It's just not. Everything is changing right now. And it's being test-drove right now in eastern Europe. It's scary.

STU: Is that good? Or bad?
(laughter)
That is the -- I honestly am asking the question today.
(laughter)
I don't know. I don't know.

Like, part of me thinks that like that, this type of thing might end up really lowering body counts, right?

If everyone is -- I mean, it's the Star Wars.

I know this argument was made in Star Wars. I'm aware of it. But like there's an argument that if drones are killing drones, like that's maybe a better place than where we've been over the past century, where it's people that are doing all the dying.

GLENN: I want a T-shirt. Because with what you just asked me. Because that is the question, of our times.

Is that good? Or is that bad?

STU: You can insert the question into every AI question that we have.

GLENN: Everything. Everything. Everything.

The trade, is that good or is that bad?
(laughter)

JASON: I think, when you look at modern warfare, it always ends, in my mind, it goes to the same conclusion that the war planners in World War II had, when they created the nuclear bomb.

It's -- you know, before you look at World War I, it was, you know, massive body counts on both sides. Just take out troops. Then in World War II, they were like, well, let's take out industrial centers.

So then let's deplete the enemy's ability to wage war by hitting it where it starts. Now, the problem is -- or where it's manufactured. The problem is, that's where the city centers are. So that's where the civilians are. So eventually, after you've gotten through all this drone warfare. You know, militaries were decimated on the battlefield.

Eventually, you have to go to where they produce the drones.

You know, you command and control.

That is what Vladimir Putin and his security council are sitting around the table right now. They're sitting, okay. Where are these things being produced?

Where are they being trained? Where are they doing these things? Where are they pushing the button to do those things. Usually, those are in cities, which is a very bad thing. And Russia does a way to counter that and wants to build that far. That's what we're inching towards.

GLENN: Well, they're saying, this is a 7 billion-dollar loss.

I know, this could be propaganda. They're saying, this is a 7 billion-dollar loss. You don't lose $7 billion of strategic air command.

And not respond. I mean, this -- this -- this is not going to drive them to the peace table.

STU: And that's the interesting --

GLENN: What they're getting today. Meeting today. And so what I've heard in some of the coverage is that this was intentionally done before this.

Right? To basically say, I mean, in a way, to say that we do have cards, right?

Like, you don't have any cards to play. Well, we do have cards. That's what they're trying to bring up, into this negotiation point. Essentially, we're not coming from a place of weakness.

GLENN: Yeah. But how do you -- that's a really good point. But how do you, as Vladimir Putin, address your people and say, hey. We just made peace. After they just took down 30 percent of our strategic bombers.

STU: I don't see how you can.

GLENN: I don't either.

JASON: Yeah. And that kind of narrative is kind of crap to me. Because Russia, I think on the same day or the day before. Sent its largest drone arsenal themselves, I think to date, into Ukraine. 500 drones. Or something like that.

STU: Right! My assumption with Russia is that they don't actually want this, right? They're walking down this road of peace talks. But in reality, you know, this isn't, they have not shown a lot of interest in actually solving this, I don't think. Ukraine is I think in another position, where they would like it to be over. But terms that are there, they don't like.

So I don't know that either side really wants this to end, that the moment.

JASON: Yeah. In my mind.

GLENN: Hang on. Hang on. I have to take a break. Then we'll pick this conversation up.

Because there's a lot more to talk about. So stand by. First, let me tell you about the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

Why is it after everything, the world still hates the Jews so much.

I mean, there are not that many of them.

What is your deal, World?

Israel defended itself. The world calls it evil. Terrorists, murder innocents, and the world looks away.

Now in America, someone throws firebombs into a pro-Israel crowd that is peaceful in Colorado.
The hate. It's not just there anymore.

What I said would come, in the -- 2009. 2010.

It's here.

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(music)

GLENN: Jason, you were going to respond on -- on what else is coming, and what's happening.

JASON: Yeah. In my mind, I think that both -- this is kind of payback, I think what Stu was saying. I think both countries wanted to show up very big. Or make a very big statement, and, you know, going into these peace talks, and I think that one of them wanted to sit at the table and say, this is what you're looking at, bend to our version of what's written down here, you know, in these list of demands.

Well, Russia didn't expect Ukraine to respond the way it did. So now they have both a strong packet of demands. And I think right now, they're hovering around, both of them want to end this war. Both sides do.

It's not good for either side. And now they're looking at, how do we come out of this? And make it look like that we won. So we can tell our people, hey. This is all -- this all tilted in our favor.

And they don't want to be embarrassed. Specifically on Putin's side. So right now, they're going to go through that multiple different times. This will be a long process. At times, some of them will stand up and say, I'm done with this. Walk away. They will probably come back a week later. But cool thing is this is actually happening.

They're actually sitting down and talking to each other. Even after this weekend.

They're still talking to each other. That was not happening a couple years ago. That's a big improvement.

STU: Big improvement.

GLENN: So tell me about the troops on the border of Finland that have just been moved in. They're mobilizing troops. Do you know anything about that Jason?

JASON: Some interesting movements. In general, Germany, actually deployed I think 5,000 troop deployment, I believe to Lithuania. Not because the EU told him to do that. Not because NATO told him to do that. Germany who does is not like to move troops. Because history is not so great when they deploy.

GLENN: I didn't think they could have troops.

JASON: It's actually something the media hasn't been talking about. But they did that, which I think is part of the Donald Trump leadership. In saying, well, you need to be able to -- you know, police your own neighborhood.

But there are a lot of true moments going around Europe right now. And I actually think that's a good thing. I think that them taking an active role, in showing deterrence and not just relying on us is a positive.

GLENN: Well, it's a good thing for us perhaps. I don't -- I don't like it when Europe mobilizes, and Russia mobilizes.

And Germany is sending troops across borders. I've seen this movie. It didn't work out well, the first war, the second time.

But maybe that's just me.

Could passengers have SAVED Iryna Zarutska?

Surveillance footage of the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, NC, reveals that the other passengers on the train took a long time to help her. Glenn, Stu, and Jason debate whether they were right or wrong to do so.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: You know, I'm -- I'm torn on how I feel about the people on the train.

Because my first instinct is, they did nothing! They did nothing! Then my -- well, sit down and, you know -- you know, you're going to be judged. So be careful on judging others.

What would I have done? What would I want my wife to do in that situation?

STU: Yeah. Are those two different questions, by the way.

GLENN: Yeah, they are.

STU: I think they go far apart from each other. What would I want myself to do. I mean, it's tough to put yourself in a situation. It's very easy to watch a video on the internet and talk about your heroism. Everybody can do that very easily on Twitter. And everybody is.

You know, when you're in a vehicle that doesn't have an exit with a guy who just murdered somebody in front of you, and has a dripping blood off of a knife that's standing 10 feet away from you, 15 feet away from you.

There's probably a different standard there, that we should all kind of consider. And maybe give a little grace to what I saw at least was a woman, sitting across the -- the -- the aisle.

I think there is a difference there. But when you talk about that question. Those two questions are definitive.

You know, I know what I would want myself to do. I would hope I would act in a way that didn't completely embarrass myself afterward.

But I also think, when I'm thinking of my wife. My advice to my wife would not be to jump into the middle of that situation at all costs. She might do that anyway. She actually is a heck of a lot stronger than I am.

But she might do it anyway.

GLENN: How pathetic, but how true.

STU: Yes. But that would not be my advice to her.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

STU: Now, maybe once the guy has certainly -- is out of the area. And you don't think the moment you step into that situation. He will turn around and kill you too. Then, of course, obviously. Anything you can do to step in.

Not that there was much anyone on the train could do.

I mean, I don't think there was an outcome change, no matter what anyone on that train did.

Unfortunately.

But would I want her to step in?

Of course. If she felt she was safe, yes.

Think about, you said, your wife. Think about your daughter. Your daughter is on that train, just watching someone else getting murdered like that. Would you advise your daughter to jump into a situation like that?

That girl sitting across the aisle was somebody's daughter. I don't know, man.

JASON: I would. You know, as a dad, would I advise.

Hmm. No.

As a human being, would I hope that my daughter or my wife or that I would get up and at least comfort that woman while she's dying on the floor of a train?

Yeah.

I would hope that my daughter, my son, that I would -- and, you know, I have more confidence in my son or daughter or my wife doing something courageous more than I would.

But, you know, I think I have a more realistic picture of myself than anybody else.

And I'm not sure that -- I'm not sure what I would do in that situation. I know what I would hope I would do. But I also know what I fear I would do. But I would have hoped that I would have gotten up and at least tried to help her. You know, help her up off the floor. At least be there with her, as she's seeing her life, you know, spill out in under a minute.

And that's it other thing we have to keep in mind. This all happened so rapidly.

A minute is -- will seem like a very long period of time in that situation. But it's a very short period of time in real life.

STU: Yeah. You watch the video, Glenn. You know, I don't need the video to -- to change my -- my position on this.

But at his seem like there was a -- someone who did get there, eventually, to help, right? I saw someone seemingly trying to put pressure on her neck.

GLENN: Yeah. And tried to give her CPR.

STU: You know, no hope at that point. How long of a time period would you say that was?

Do you know off the top of your head?

GLENN: I don't know. I don't know. I know that we watched the video that I saw. I haven't seen past 30 seconds after she --

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: -- is down. And, you know, for 30 seconds nothing is happening. You know, that is -- that is not a very long period of time.

STU: Right.

GLENN: In reality.

STU: And especially, I saw the pace he was walking. He certainly can't be -- you know, he may have left the actual train car by 30 seconds to a minute. But he wasn't that far away. Like he was still in visual.

He could still turn around and look and see what's going on at that point. So certainly still a threat is my point. He has not, like, left the area. This is not that type of situation.

You know, I -- look, as you point out, I think if I could be super duper sexist for a moment here, sort of my dividing line might just be men and women.

You know, I don't know if it's that a -- you're not supposed to say that, I suppose these days. But, like, there is a difference there. If I'm a man, you know, I would be -- I would want my son to jump in on that, I suppose. I don't know if he could do anything about it. But you would expect at least a grown man to be able to go in there and do something about it. A woman, you know, I don't know.

Maybe I'm -- I hope --

GLENN: Here's the thing I -- here's the thing that I -- that causes me to say, no. You should have jumped in.

And that is, you know, you've already killed one person on the train. So you've proven that you're a killer. And anybody who would have screamed and got up and was with her, she's dying. She's dying. Get him. Get him.

Then the whole train is responsible for stopping that guy. You know. And if you don't stop him, after he's killed one person, if you're not all as members of that train, if you're not stopping him, you know, the person at the side of that girl would be the least likely to be killed. It would be the ones that are standing you up and trying to stop him from getting back to your daughter or your wife or you.

JASON: There was a -- speaking of men and women and their roles in this. There was a video circling social media yesterday. In Sweden. There was a group of officials up on a stage. And one of the main. I think it was health official woman collapses on stage. Completely passes out.

All the men kind of look away. Or I don't know if they're looking away. Or pretending that they didn't know what was going on. There was another woman standing directly behind the woman passed out.

Immediately springs into action. Jumps on top. Grabs her pant leg. Grabs her shoulder. Spins her over and starts providing care.

What did she have that the other guys did not? Or women?

She was a sheepdog. There is a -- this is my issue. And I completely agree with Stu. I completely agree with you. There's some people that do not respond this way. My issue is the proportion of sheepdogs versus people that don't really know how to act. That is diminishing in western society. And American society.

We see it all the time in these critical actions. I mean, circumstances.

There are men and women, and it's actually a meme. That fantasize about hoards of people coming to attack their home and family. And they sit there and say, I've got it. You guys go. I'm staying behind, while I smoke my cigarette and wait for the hoards to come, because I will sacrifice myself. There are men and women that fantasize of block my highway. Go ahead. Block my highway. I'm going to do something about it. They fantasize about someone holding up -- not a liquor store. A convenience store or something. Because they will step in and do something. My issue now is that proportion of sheepdogs in society is disappearing. Just on statistical fact, there should be one within that train car, and there were none.

STU: Yeah. I mean --

JASON: They did not respond.

STU: We see what happens when they do, with Daniel Penny. Our society tries to vilify them and crush their existence. Now, there weren't that many people on that train. Right?

At least on that car. At least it's limited. I only saw three or four people there, there may have been more. I agree with you, though. Like, you see what happens when we actually do have a really recent example of someone doing exactly what Jason wants and what I would want a guy to do. Especially a marine to step up and stop this from happening. And the man was dragged by our legal system to a position where he nearly had to spend the rest of his life in prison.

I mean, I -- it's insanity. Thankfully, they came to their senses on that one.

GLENN: Well, the difference between that one and this one though is that the guy was threatening. This one, he killed somebody.

STU: Yeah. Right. Well, but -- I think -- but it's the opposite way. The debate with Penny, was should he have recognize that had this person might have just been crazy and not done anything?

Maybe. He hadn't actually acted yet. He was just saying things.

GLENN: Yeah. Well --

STU: He didn't wind up stabbing someone. This is a situation where these people have already seen what this man will do to you, even when you don't do anything to try to stop him. So if this woman, who is, again, looks to be an average American woman.

Across the aisle. Steps in and tries to do something. This guy could easily turn around and just make another pile of dead bodies next to the one that already exists.

And, you know, whether that is an optimal solution for our society, I don't know that that's helpful.

In that situation.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Max Lucado on Overcoming Grief in Dark Times | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 266

Disclaimer: This episode was filmed prior to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. But Glenn believes Max's message is needed now more than ever.
The political world is divided, constantly at war with itself. In many ways, our own lives are not much different. Why do we constantly focus on the negative? Why are we in pain? Where is God amid our anxiety and fear? Why can’t we ever seem to change? Pastor Max Lucado has found the solution: Stop thinking like that! It may seem easier said than done, but Max joins Glenn Beck to unpack the three tools he describes in his new book, “Tame Your Thoughts,” that make it easy for us to reset the way we think back to God’s factory settings. In this much-needed conversation, Max and Glenn tackle everything from feeling doubt as a parent to facing unfair hardships to ... UFOs?! Plus, Max shares what he recently got tattooed on his arm.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Demonic Forces to Blame for Charlie Kirk, Minnesota & Charlotte Killings?

This week has seen some of the most heinous actions in recent memory. Glenn has been discussing the growth of evil in our society, and with the assassination of civil rights leader Charlie Kirk, the recent transgender shooter who took the lives of two children at a Catholic school, and the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, how can we make sense of all this evil? On today's Friday Exclusive, Glenn speaks with BlazeTV host of "Strange Encounters" Rick Burgess to discuss the demon-possessed transgender shooter and the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. Rick breaks down the reality of demon possession and how individuals wind up possessed. Rick and Glenn also discuss the dangers of the grotesque things we see online and in movies, TV shows, and video games on a daily basis. Rick warns that when we allow our minds to be altered by substances like drugs or alcohol, it opens a door for the enemy to take control. A supernatural war is waging in our society, and it’s a Christian’s job to fight this war. Glenn and Rick remind Christians of what their first citizenship is.