logistics

Though he sees the "value" of licensing schemes, he warns: "The realities and logistics would need careful consideration" - in other words, it would add more responsibilities to already stretched forces.

As the criminals angrily described it to the BBC, "they yanked their own plug - tanking sales, burning logistics, and torching shareholder value".

The underground teams worked in relays to guide the exhausted cavers back, while surface crews endured "appalling" weather to maintain communication and manage logistics.

"You can't release hostages while there's still bombardments going on... that has to stop, but you also have to work through the other logistics," he told CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday.

Ukraine's general staff has previously claimed that refineries in Samara and Saratov have been used as part of military logistics operations.