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Don Lemon Tonight
President Putin Declared Military Operation In Donbas; Explosions Heard In Ukraine's Capital Of Kyiv; Russian Troops Encircle Ukraine's Border; President Biden To Meet With G7 Leaders; Russian Invasion Has Begun With Missile Strikes; Russia And Ukraine Had Tit- For-Tat At U.N. Security Council Meeting. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired February 23, 2022 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[22:00:00]
WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: But the Russian army will be own land. But the Russian army will be able to push through.
It's a big country. It's the size of Texas. The Ukrainian people will resist. The Ukrainian people will make it -- will make it hell for Russian occupiers. The Ukrainian government will presumably leave Kyiv. It will set up somewhere else, maybe in the west. But it will continue to support it. And the Ukrainian people will continue to support it. And the Russian opening is fine. The Russian -- the Russian they don't have an endgame, Wolf. They don't have an endgame.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST (on camera): Yes, we're going to continue our special coverage. I want to thank all of our viewers for this special coverage tonight. I'll be back tomorrow 6 p.m. Eastern in The Situation Room, 9 p.m. for CNN Tonight. We're continuing to monitor what's going on. Our breaking news coverage continues right now with DON LEMON TONIGHT.
DON LEMON, CNN HOST (on camera): This is DON LEMON TONIGHT. Thank you for joining us.
Here's our breaking news. Vladimir Putin announcing a special military operation claiming to protect Donbas. The U.N. calling an emergency meeting in the Security Council. That's going on right now. The U.S. Ambassador at the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield saying this just a moment ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Tonight, we're seeing the Russians close airspace, move troops into Donbas, and move forces into combat-ready positions. This is a perilous moment. And we're here for one reason and one reason only, to ask Russia to stop. Return to your borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): I want to get right now to Jill Dougherty and also our Kaitlan Collins. Jill, you're in Moscow this evening. Vladimir Putin speaking just moments ago. Talk to us about this special envoy claiming to protect Donbas. What is he saying?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CONTRIBUTOR: Well, he's said that Russia was left no chance to protect itself from others, and he said he's decided to conduct a special military operation to protect Donbas. That's that region that we've been talking about in the east which he recognized just the other day.
He also said Russia plans do not include occupation of Ukrainian territories. So, we would have to see what he means by that. The word occupation and also Ukrainian territories. It may mean that this operation is concentrated on Donbas.
But again, this is just coming rather unexpectedly from President Putin. I should say also, Don, that oddly enough he is wearing the very same suit and tie that he wore the other day and the same location at his desk in which he delivered that very long speech earlier this week about Ukraine.
He also mentioned, and this is, he's been saying this for the last couple days, Russia will not allow Ukraine to have nuclear weapons. Now, no one is talking about Ukraine having nuclear weapons. He makes the argument that they have the know-how from the old Soviet days and could create nuclear weapons.
This is something that Ukraine absolutely denies and probably most people in, you know, Europe and the United States would say that is not true. In fact, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons. But in any case, a dramatic moment here as the United Nations is talking about and debating this issue of Ukraine. President Putin on TV saying that he has decided to conduct a special military operation. Don?
LEMON: Stand by, Jill. I want to bring in Kaitlan Collins at the White House. Kaitlan, Vladimir Putin speaking. Any response from the White House, from the president or any representative there?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We've asked. This speech from President Putin has just happened, and we know that President Biden had been monitoring this closely. The White House said he'd been being updated by his national security adviser Jake Sullivan tonight, Don.
But the split screen here is just chilling. Because what you are seeing is this emergency session happening at the United Nations with these officials. Of course, we should note this is a session that is chaired by Russia. With these officials coming out one by one condemning Putin's moves in recent days, saying that this is what they had predicted would happen, something that they did not want to happen.
And then on the other side you've got Putin announcing this military operation, which is exactly what the White House and other intelligence -- other nations, other allies had predicted was going to happen.
[22:05:03] And you see there the representative from Ireland is speaking. Just a few moments ago we heard from Linda Thomas-Greenfield. She is the United States ambassador to the United Nations. She said she'd just gotten off the phone with President Biden.
And she came out and was pleading for Biden to stop, to now take his troops back, to turn around and leave the border at Ukraine where of course we know he's amassed over much -- over 100,000 forces.
And Don, I want to read something she said because it talks about what the United States has been saying over the last few -- the last few weeks. Warning about what they believed was going to happen, how Putin was going to game this out, something that White House officials have said they believed caught the Russian leader off guard.
And tonight, just a few minutes ago in these remarks after speaking with President Biden, Linda Thomas-Greenfield said over the last few weeks Russia has called our predictions hysterical, they said we were lying. Russia said we were supplying the world with misinformation. Russia's diplomats even laughed in the face of human suffering that we were sounding the alarm about.
And then Don, she goes on and she said, but what we said would happen has come to pass for all the world to see. Pointing to what has happened, pointing to Putin recognizing these breakaway Ukrainian territories as so-called independent, asking for parliament, basically demanding from parliament that he could put Russian forces in there. And now this chilling speech that he has given tonight saying that he has sanctioned this military operation, Don.
LEMON: Jill, as we get this new information -- stand by. I learned now that we have Matthew chance. Matthew Chance is going to join us now from Kyiv. Matthew, good evening to you. What is -- what is the word from Kyiv? Are people responding? Anyone there responding to President Putin, the Russian president saying that he is going to supply this special military operation to protect Donbas?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's too early for a response, Don, if I'm absolutely honest because this has come out of nowhere, this speech by Vladimir Putin on Russian media basically saying that he's launched a special operation in Donbas, calling on Ukrainians to drop their weapons, saying not to resist essentially and saying that any responsibility for bloodshed as a result of this basically war that's been, you know, suggested or declared by President Putin is on the hands of the Ukrainians who resist.
I tell you what, I just heard a big bang right here behind me. We shouldn't have done the live shot here. There are big explosions taking place in Kyiv right now. I can't see where they're taking place from this vantage point here on top of the roof of the hotel in central Kyiv. And I can't explain what they are. But I heard four or five explosions a few moments ago. I don't know whether our viewers or whether you in the studio there could hear --
(CROSSTALK) LEMON: We could hear it, Matthew.
CHANCE: -- what I just heard. You could. Right.
LEMON: Yes.
CHANCE: So, I mean, I don't know what it is. But I will tell you that the United States has warned --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Was that another one?
CHANCE: -- that the Ukrainians -- Yes. I mean, I think it was. But they're quite distant from where I am now. But I can tell you that the United States has of course warned the Ukrainian authorities that it is possible that there could be strikes, air strikes, missile attacks, ground attacks as well on various places around the country including on the capital Kyiv.
Now, I don't know whether that's what we're witnessing now. But it's a remarkable coincidence that I'm hearing these explosions in Kyiv right now.
LEMON: Matthew, let me jump in here --
CHANCE: In minutes after Vladimir Putin gave that speech.
LEMON: Yes. Minutes after the speech. I just want to -- have you any explosions, anything similar since you've been in Kyiv?
CHANCE: No. No, absolutely not. This is the first time. This is the first time that we've heard anything. It's been absolutely silent in this city throughout the course of tonight and for the past several weeks we've not seen anything at all.
In fact, I've never heard anything like this in Kyiv for the years that I've been coming here and reporting from here. So this is -- this is the first time. But look, it's going to be more than just a coincidence. I can hear rumblings right now. You know --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Matthew, is it safe where you are?
CHANCE: -- pinpoint -- Yes. I think it's -- I think it's relatively safe at the moment.
LEMON: There's another one.
CHANCE: I've got a flak jacket right here. Let me just get it on.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: So, Matthew chance is live for us in Kyiv, Ukraine. Matthew, we're going to stick with you. Matthew is on a roof in central Kyiv, he's telling us. And just for the first time just moments ago you witnessed live on this program explosions.
Again, he doesn't know exactly what those explosions are but he says it's the first time that he has heard them since he's been in Kyiv. He is trying to put on a flak jacket now to make sure that he is safe.
I think we should stick with this just to see what's happening as he is doing this.
CHANCE: Yes, I think we should --
WATTERS: And we'll get to our other correspondents in a moment. This is where it appears there are things going on.
[22:10:03]
Now, the president of -- Vladimir Putin moments ago saying he was going to send a special military operation to protect Donbas. And then just minutes after that speech aired on state television our Matthew Chance is doing a live shot for us here at 10 o'clock Eastern Time, 5 o'clock a.m. in Ukraine. And there are explosions again, not exactly sure what they are. But Matthew Chance is getting into place now and he's live. Matthew, are you back with us? Can you hear us now?
CHANCE: Yes, I can hear you throughout all of that. I'm sorry about --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Matthew, just so you know, your flak jacket is covering your microphone. If you can somehow get it out.
CHANCE: That's right. Yes. Here it is.
LEMON: There you go. Now loud and clear, Matthew. Go ahead, please. Please, if you're -- do you need to put on your head gear? Or you're good.
CHANCE: Yes.
LEMON: Take your time. Don't rush.
CHANCE: Sorry. I think I've broken --
LEMON: We're good.
CHANCE: I've broken my microphone as I got on the flak. the flak jacket.
LEMON: Yes.
CHANCE: There you go. I have to hold it in front of me like a little mic.
LEMON: OK. So, Matthew --
CHANCE: But yes, we're coming over the past -- (CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I want you to stand by.
CHANCE: Yes?
LEMON: Matthew, don't get anywhere because I want to get to Clarissa Ward. She's in Kharkiv. And I understand Clarissa you're hearing blasts as well?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. It's been a few minutes now. We have been hearing a steady stream of loud strikes. It's not clear exactly what they are targeting. The city is eerily quiet still. Most people probably fast asleep when President Putin made that surprise speech announcing essentially the beginning of serious military action.
We don't know exactly what those strikes are targeting, but our colleague Fred Pleitgen who is on the Russian side of the border just about 30 miles away has said that he has been hearing helicopters in the skies near Belgorod not far from here. That's where we've seen a large Russian build-up near the border.
And now people here are going to be waking up to a very different country than the one they went to sleep in. President Putin showing no signs of backing down at all. And as I said, we've been hearing -- of course once you finally come to us for the live it's actually quiet for a moment. We have been hearing a steady stream of thuds all around the city.
We're in the city of Kharkiv. It's a city of 1.4 million up in the northeast of the country. It is not a city that is accustomed to war. It has been hit heavily in the Second World War. But this is a city full of young professionals.
And up until a few days ago nobody would have believed that this was actually going to happen. And yet here we are after 5 o'clock in the morning witnessing the beginnings of what promises to be a very ugly war.
LEMON: Yes. Clarissa, I want you to stay with us. You and Matthew Chance. And for those of us who are just joining us, I'm sure many are tuning in, many more are tuning in now, you're live watching CNN.
What has happened just moments ago, there was a speech by the Russian President Vladimir Putin saying that he was sending a special military operation to protect Donbas. And moments after that blast were heard where Matthew Chance is now in the city of Kyiv. Clarissa ward also hearing steady blasts in Kharkiv, or Kharkiv. Kharkiv is how she is pronouncing it there. And that just happened moments ago.
Clarissa, before I get back to Matthew, Matthew said that he had not heard anything, any blasts, this is the first time that he's hearing even with the operation that had been happening for years in Ukraine, he had never heard anything like it. Does that -- is that the same for you? WARD: Absolutely. I mean, we're used to, you know, being on the front
lines covering the crisis and the war that's been going on here for eight years. You heard artillery. You would hear gunfire, grenades, mortars, things of that nature.
But what we have been hearing, rumbling across the skies for the last five to ten minutes, is something of a very different nature. And I think that's borne out when you look at the build-up on the Russian side and you see the amount of weaponry and hardware and troops.
This is clearly an operation on a much larger scale than anything Ukraine has witnessed in eight years of this war. And what's just so striking is that the mayor of Kharkiv yesterday had put out a tweet basically telling people continue about your daily business, stay calm, stay unified, the city services are still working, you should still go to work.
And less than 24 hours later here we are, the beginning of a major military operation. I would like to say that there are bomb shelters in this city, one that's not too far away from here.
But so far there's no sense that there's any way of telegraphing to ordinary people that this has begun or of giving them any sense of how they should behave, where they should go, what they should do.
[22:15:07]
There has been a state of emergency declared across the country. But when we were coming into this city, you know, hours ago, we saw a couple of checkpoints to go in and to go out but that was about it. And so, you definitely don't have the sense here that people are really properly prepared for this moment, Victor.
LEMON: Right. It's Don. Stand by. I want you to stand by. I want to get back to Matthew Chance. Matthew joining us now. Matthew, you've put on your gear. I'm glad that you're OK. Clarissa said that they heard a steady stream of explosions where she is in Kharkiv.
CHANCE: Yes.
LEMON: And now we heard live what you -- what was happening to you in Kyiv. Anything -- any explosions?
CHANCE: Well, actually, since we last spoke it's gone quiet again. But we did hear that flurry of explosions, maybe seven or eight different distinct explosions. But they seem quite distant away. I mean, it's -- when you come under artillery fire or you hear explosions close up, you can really tell how close they are. And these seemed like quite a distance away. You could hear them in the distance.
Still in Kyiv, obviously. It's a big city. And we've got this good panorama across the city here now. And it's not quite clear. I've been speaking to our security advisers here. It's not clear what may have been targeted. But obviously, this is the capital of Ukraine. The defense ministry is here. The foreign ministry building is right
behind us here. Government buildings. Command and control centers are here. And of course, there are also units of the Ukrainian military on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital as well. Which are positioned obviously to defend the city from any kind of ground invasion.
The reason I raise that is because one of the elements of the U.S. intelligence has been passed on to the Ukrainians according to the Ukrainian officials that I've spoken to is that, you know, the Russian attack which has been, you know, which was talked about by this intelligence which now seems to be sort of coming to -- coming to fruition involved not just airstrikes but also an element of ground attack as well, ground skirmishes that it was described to me, sort of both in Kyiv and in other cities as well.
And so, look, we don't know. It's difficult to explain at this point, being so distant from where these things are happening. But clearly, something is happening now. And that is very different from what was happening just a few minutes ago.
And we've mentioned this already, but it is remarkable that this happened within seconds really or within a minute or two of Vladimir Putin finishing that dramatic unexpected speech that he made on Russian media saying that he'd started a special operation inside Donbas and again, calling on the Ukrainian military to surrender their arms and saying that any bloodshed as a result of this war that appears now to have been launched, any bloodshed for that would be on the hands of the Ukrainian government.
Now, I haven't had any reaction yet from Ukrainian officials. But they will be watching this and I will get reaction. But what they -- but they've obviously condemned it already. Or condemned the build-up of forces that have led to this and have welcomed the sanctions that have been placed on Russia as a result of its recognition a couple of days ago of those rebel republics in the east of the country.
And they've called for more sanctions to be placed on Russia. More tougher sanctions that they hope will deter Vladimir Putin from going any further. And I can only imagine, I could predict that those calls are going to get louder and louder as these -- as this continues. Another big explosion right there. Right there. I don't know whether you heard that. Where did that come from?
UNKNOWN: Do we need to move the camera?
CHANCE: Yes, we're going to move to the other camera. We can move to the other camera if you like. But at the moment -- we've got another camera set up just a short distance away which gives us a better panorama of the city which we --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Can you walk there now, Matthew? Or is it --
CHANCE: Yes. Can we walk there now? Is it live now?
UNKNOWN: It's a different camera. They're going to have to change parts.
CHANCE: OK. You can't basically.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: OK. OK. That's fine. So, Matthew, listen --
CHANCE: It's a different path.
LEMON: If you continue --
CHANCE: Yes.
LEMON: -- it's already set up. If you want to continue to talk and they can set it up. Or you tell me what you need. If you need to get to safety, if you want to go to the other camera.
CHANCE: OK.
LEMON: We do -- we still have Clarissa Ward.
CHANCE: You set up the camera?
UNKNOWN: It's almost set up.
LEMON: OK.
UNKNOWN: Just going to get the handle and put the mic here.
LEMON: OK.
CHANCE: Yes. OK.
LEMON: OK. So, listen, this is all happening live. So -- and we want to be very transparent about what happened, what's happening. Matthew Chance is live for us in Kyiv. The moment we went live with him just a moment ago, about 10.07, 5.07 in Ukraine, in Kyiv, a series of explosions could be heard as he was giving his live report.
[22:19:59]
He put on his flak jacket, also his helmet, his headgear, and then continued to report. I want to make sure that he is safe. He is now moving to another camera that will give us a better perspective of what is happening there behind him in the city of Kyiv.
Meantime, in Kharkiv where our Clarissa Ward is joining us this joining us this evening, also a series of explosions that she is hearing as well, Clarissa. Now, have you -- Matthew just heard an explosion there. Are you still witnessing anything now?
WARD: So, it's been quiet now for a few minutes, although I will say our colleague Fred Pleitgen who is on the Russian side of the border reports that he is hearing a lot of outgoing artillery fire. Not sure exactly where that might be landing. But clearly, we are on the brink or in the midst now of something
truly significant and something that I think many people here never really actually believed was going to happen. But when you heard President Putin's words there, and they were so chilling as he told Ukrainians to lay down their arms, as he said that any responsibility for any bloodshed would lie with the Ukrainian regime, and he said that he -- that Russians have no intention to occupy Ukraine.
So, at this stage we really don't have a good sense of what the scope of this operation is or frankly even what the target is. We can only go by what we know from those Maxar satellite images and eyewitness reports, a huge amount of Russian weaponry and manpower has amassed all around Ukraine, but particularly not too far from us.
We're about 20 miles or so from the Russian border and 10 miles beyond that inside of Russia the latest images from Maxar are showing an increased number of troops assuming like fighting unit positions.
LEMON: Clarissa?
WARD: And so, the question now becomes how do the people of Kharkiv prepare for this?
LEMON: I want you to stand by, Clarissa. By the way, Clarissa and Matthew, 300 -- about 300 miles apart. So not the same series of explosions that they are hearing. Not possible for that.
But I want to get to Frederik Pleitgen, as Clarissa just mentioned. Frederik is north of Kharkiv. And Frederik, I understand that you're hearing artillery fire. Can you confirm that, please?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right, Don. We believe that we're hearing artillery fire. I'm in Belgorod on the Russian side of the border. So, essentially, I would assume that some of the fire that Clarissa is hearing impact in the Kharkiv area is probably coming from Russian positions right here in the area around Belgorod.
In the distance sort of over there we're hearing a lot of outgoing artillery fire. Those are the sort of thuds that you would hear from artillery cannons. But we're also hearing salvos that could very well be rockets that are being fired as well. Just a couple of moments ago, I'd say less than a minute ago, there was a really loud bang here where it's hard to imagine that that would have been incoming fire.
That also sounded like something really, really big was just shot into the direction of Ukraine. That of course is after the past couple of days. We've seen a massive military build-up here especially in the Belgorod area. Of course, we are very close to Kharkiv, very close to where Clarissa is.
And as we've been coming in here, we've also been seeing that military activity by the Russians. We drove in here and all the military trucks are driving around there. They all have their license plates turned around, seemingly trying to mask their movements, maybe also trying to mask people trying to see what units those trucks were with. So, there's been a big military build-up. We can still sort of, hear
in the distance that steady stream of what sounds like artillery at work, what sounds like cannons being fired here. Belgorod, of course one of the main areas where the Russians have concentrated their forces, Don.
And throughout the day I traveled really on the entire border region between Russia and Ukraine down by Donetsk where it seems as though there's some fighting going on there as well. All the way up here to Belgorod. It's a huge area. But the main concentration of Russian forces are up here and down near the Donetsk area.
And we can certainly see, or we can certainly hear at least from our vantage point that it really seems that that military operation is very much in full force from what we're hearing standing right here on the balcony at the moment but also having driven through the city as well, Don.
LEMON: Are we hearing that -- are you hearing that now as you speak, Matthew? Excuse me, Frederik.
PLEITGEN: Yes. Now we're hearing it. There's still a little more -- it's got a little -- they're still a little -- it's a little more in the distance now. What I think they've done is they probably have different sort of positions here where you have some artillery positions that might be a little further away from where they are.
But they also must have some that are pretty close because we have heard some of the bangs that have been pretty loud. There's a steady stream. You can probably barely hear it over the microphone right now but there have been certainly some bangs that really have shaken the neighborhood.
[22:24:56]
There are still some people who are walking around down here who all of them stopped and saw that something big had either just been fired off or impacted. But from our vantage point here it certainly seems as if this is where a lot of the outgoing fire that is possibly hitting the Kharkiv area is probably originating from right here, Don.
LEMON: All right. Frederik Pleitgen is on the Russian side in Belgorod. And also, Matthew Chance is in Kyiv. And our Clarissa Ward is joining us from Kyiv as well -- excuse me, joining us from Kharkiv.
I want to get back to Matthew Chance now. Matthew, when you first began your reporting, we could clearly hear the series of explosions behind you. You've moved to a different position.
CHANCE: Yes.
LEMON: What is the latest?
CHANCE: Yes. Well, I've simply moved to this different position, Don, because it gives us a much broader panorama of this city. It's dark of course. It is what, nearly 25 past 5 in the morning here. Sunrise is about an hour from now. But we are hearing these rumbles, these blasts coming from this general direction. This general direction is to the east.
I've been told by sort of our security advisers here that that's the direction of the airport. Right over there. That's where the main international airport is for Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and that's where we heard the most recent explosion take place.
Now, whether the airport was targeted or not, we haven't got that kind of information yet. But there are surface-to-air missile sites around those -- that airport as well to provide, again, one of the defensive perimeter things that are put around the Ukrainian capital to provide some defense.
So, it's possible they could have been targeted. You know, at this point you get into speculation about what could be the purpose of attacking the Ukrainian main airport in the Ukrainian capital.
I mean, is it because they want to secure it with ground forces and put in, you know, airborne troops in there? That's one possibility. But then that would imply that there's going to be a much broader sort of attack or invasion of Kyiv and of Ukraine than was implied by Vladimir Putin --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: But if this is just the beginning --
CHANCE: If you can just remind our viewers.
LEMON: If this is going to continue --
CHANCE: Yes, go ahead.
LEMON: -- this is just the beginning, so I would imagine that you will be witnessing a lot more of what you witnessed earlier. Matthew, stand by. Be safe.
CHANCE: Yes.
LEMON: I want to get now to the White House where Kaitlan Collins has some breaking news now. The president is responding. What do you have, Kaitlan?
COLLINS: Well, Don, this is what the White House had feared and we do just have the first statement from President Biden on this tonight. It's important, so I'm going to read it to you in full.
President Biden says, the prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces. President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.
He says, Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring and the United States and its allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable.
Don, he adds, I will be monitoring the situation from the White House this evening and will continue to get regular updates from my national security team. He says, tomorrow I will meet with my G7 counterparts in the morning. That's going to be virtual.
And President Biden adds, then speak to the American people to announce the further consequences the United States and our allies and partners will impose on Russia for this needless act of aggression against Ukraine and global peace and security.
He says we'll also coordinate with our NATO allies to ensure a strong united response that deters any aggression against the alliance. And Don, most importantly he says tonight, Jill and I are praying for the brave and proud people of Ukraine.
So, it's the first statement from president Biden since this happened, since that announcement from President Putin, that chilling announcement. He says he will speak tomorrow after he meets with those G7 leaders virtually to talk about what the response is going to be from the United States for these actions by President Putin.
LEMON: And all of this happening within just the last few minutes, Kaitlan. Very quickly after Vladimir Putin gave that speech about this special military operation that he is sending in. And then what we've heard, explosions happening in Ukraine and on the Russian side of the border as well.
Stand by. I want to get to Clarissa Ward now, who is joining us again live. Clarissa also hearing those explosions from her location. What are you hearing now, Clarissa?
WARD: Well, it's been a little bit quieter now, Don. I heard something but quite far away in the distance. But that first initial period of the I'd say roughly five to ten minutes after President Putin effectively declared this war, you heard a very steady stream of explosions.
I can't say what exactly they were, whether they were missiles or what kind of strikes they were. But still, there's this surreal sense. I can't quite explain it.
[22:30:01]
I think everybody here up until the very last minute just didn't think this was actually going to happen. They didn't think it was possible because it doesn't make any sense and no one could understand how President Putin would make such a decision and potentially kill so many people.
I think I don't know if you could just hear that, that was another strike in the distance there. But now it's very clear that Ukrainians are waking up in a different country to the one that they went to sleep in.
And I think they'll be waking up with a real sense of alarm because part of the government's strategy here really, Don, has been to try to keep people calm, to try to avert a state of panic. And so, one doesn't have the sense that there's been a huge amount of preparation put into place, particularly here where I am in Kharkiv where just yesterday the mayor was telling people to go about their daily business, to go to work, saying that, you know, the city's facilities were still operational and it was important to stay calm and stay united.
And so, I'm sure a lot of people will have questions waking up this morning as to what they should do next. Where should they go? Should they leave the city?
President Putin has said that he does not intend to occupy Ukraine. But still, we have so little sense of what the scale and scope of this operation is going to be, what the targets are going to be, what the timeline is going to be, and what this means for the more than 40 million ordinary Ukrainians who have absolutely no reason at all to be seeking any kind of conflict with Russia. And who as I said, Don, just never really believed I don't think until this moment that it could actually happen.
We're just starting to see in the distance the beginnings of dawn here. The sun will be coming up in the next hour. But it remains unclear what happens next, what happens now. Is there any further possibility of de-escalation? Can this be stopped? So many questions and so few answers. And still we haven't yet heard anything recent from Ukraine's leadership in response to this dramatic and devastating escalation, Don.
LEMON: Yes, you're right. That's who we haven't heard from. We've heard from Russia. We've heard from the White House. And now we need to hear from Ukraine. I want to get to Matthew Chance. Thank you, Clarissa. We'll get back to you. Be safe. I want to get to Matthew Chance now. Matthew, what's happening where you are?
UNKNOWN: South, south of the hotel.
CHANCE: Yes. Well, I mean, there's been about three -- sorry, what was that? There's been about three explosions since we last talked. Again, in distant areas from where we are in central Kyiv but still sort of relatively close by. It's not clear the direction in which they're being targeted or these explosions are taking place.
But you can see as Laura (Ph) she was saying this is an absolute shock. I mean, even right up until the last moment Vladimir Putin it was assumed or it was hoped, you know, would not pull the trigger on this. There was even a last-ditch appeal by President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. He tried to call the Kremlin and speak to Vladimir Putin. But that he said was met with silence.
He put out a social media post which we've been reporting on before this all started to happen in which he spoke in Russian directly to the Russian people and said look, you're told that we need to be freed but we're already free. He said there may be differences between us but it doesn't mean we have to be enemies. But that is a message that does not seem to have been heard in Moscow.
And with Vladimir Putin making that short statement that he's launched a special operation, military operation in Donbas, he said, which is in the far east of Ukraine and urging Ukrainian military to put down their weapons. Any bloodshed, again, he said would be on the hands of the Ukrainian government.
But that's also being coupled with these -- well, these explosions taking place in the Ukrainian capital as well. It is so tense in the city tonight. It's so quiet in Kyiv. Up until these explosions took place.
A state of emergency has been imposed across the country. And in Ukraine what that means is everybody had to go home by 11 o'clock. It means that people who were in the reserve forces for military forces have been banned from leaving the country.
And of course, there's been more security put on the outskirts of the city, checkpoints going into the city. And indeed, it may be some of those military checkpoints, who knows, or some of the military defenses outside the city anyway that may have been targeted with these -- with these explosions.
Travel installations -- you know, transport installations. Key government buildings. And all the additional security around them. And you know, obviously it is extremely disturbing to hear these explosions in the darkness, so we can't see exactly what's being hit right now, which direction, you know, the explosions are coming from.
[22:35:00]
But it's deeply disturbing about what's taking place in Ukraine right now.
LEMON: Perhaps you can help me out with this.
(CROSSTALK)
UNKNOWN: Missile strikes in (Inaudible).
LEMON: CNN is getting reporting --
UNKNOWN: -- that the invasion has begun.
UNKNOWN: Missile strikes.
UNKNOWN: Missile strikes in Kyiv.
CHANCE: OK. So, I just (Inaudible) --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Go ahead, Matthew.
CHANCE: -- Don, because my producer was telling me that an adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry who we've just been speaking to says that the invasion has begun. That was his words. And he said that what we've been hearing, these explosions, are missile strikes. He didn't give any further detail about what has been hit, what's been targeted.
But again, the adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry telling CNN that the invasion has begun. Those are his words. And that those explosions that we've been witnessing here in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, are missile strikes.
So, there's a development. Some clarity perhaps from the Ukrainian side. And their first reaction as far as I'm aware to what we are witnessing here in Kyiv and what's taking place it seems in other parts of the country as well tonight at the hands of Russia.
LEMON: And there is a delay. So, pardon me for -- as you were getting that information in. Thank you very much. I was just talking to Clarissa Ward and she said exactly who you said we haven't heard from is Ukraine and now we're hearing from this interior minister you said, ministry saying the invasion has begun, explosions are missile strikes that we're hearing.
CHANCE: Yes.
LEMON: This is what I wanted to ask you as you were getting that new information. CNN is also getting reporting that the explosions heard by CNN in Kyiv came from the east, which is in the direction of the international airport. Talk to us about the significance of that if that is indeed true, Matthew.
CHANCE: Yes. Well, I mean, it does seem that -- I mean, this direction here is the east. And we've got our camera positioned on this balcony here because it overlooks the direction of Russia, to the east, to the northeast. And that's where the Boryspil International Airport is located.
As I mentioned to you earlier, it's not just an airport. It's a defensive location as well where there are surface-to-air missile battalions stationed there. And it could be those that have been taken out. What our security adviser is telling us is look, we don't know right now why the airport would have been hit but it may be and it is only a maybe at this point, but it may be that some kind of air bridge or air location is being, you know, made secure, landing zone being made secure that could result in Russia bringing in troops.
Now why would they want to do that? Is it to invade or occupy the Ukrainian capital? Well, one possibility is that, yes. It also may be to instill a sense of panic and fear amongst the leadership of this country and to force them underground.
Remember, one of the reasons I think they may be hitting Kyiv is to deny the forces in the east -- and there's another big explosion just then as well. Which you could hear. It's also coming from the east side I'm told. Actually, from the south side. The southeast.
Yes, one of the reasons they may be striking Kyiv right now is to try to cut off and deny the command-and-control centers to the forces that are for the most part, that Ukrainian military forces for the most part in the Donbas area in the east of Ukraine. Once you cut off the defense ministry and the sort of officers and the Secret Service and the intelligence headquarters here in Kyiv, you know, and the political leaders of course and it creates a sort of higher degree of confusion in that remote location hundreds of miles away in the actual war zone, which has been a war zone for eight years now in the east of the country.
That may -- that may be one explanation. But I mean, frankly, at this point we just don't know what's being targeted. It looks like it's come free throw direction of the airport. You know, as I say, there are defensive structures around Kyiv which have been reinforced over the past couple of days as well.
Particularly now there's a state of emergency being declared here and it could well be those that have been targeted. We're going to get some more clarity on this as the night proceeds and as the daytime breaks of course. But I remember all we've got --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Matthew, why don't you stand by for a bit and I just want to update our viewers.
CHANCE: -- and that word from the interior ministry. Yes.
LEMON: I just want to update our viewers and we'll get back to you. We have plenty of time to talk. I just want to update because as this is happening --
CHANCE: Yes.
LEMON: -- more people tend to tune in and I just want to make sure that people know what's happening. You've been watching our Matthew Chance. He is in Kyiv giving a report just a short time ago at the top of the hour and he heard explosions there. Not exactly sure what it was.
But now Matthew is saying he's hearing from the Ukrainian interior ministry saying that the invasion has begun and also saying that the explosions are missile strikes.
Our Clarissa ward is in Kharkiv, also hearing explosions both on the Ukrainian side of the border. And also, our Frederik Pleitgen joining us from the Russian side of the border and he's hearing explosions there as well.
[22:40:02]
He is also hearing that it is artillery fire. So, it is believed that according to the interior ministry that this invasion has begun.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, releasing a statement blasting Russia and president Vladimir Putin saying it was an unprovoked and unnecessary invasion.
We're also getting reports from CNN teams who are all over Ukraine and also Russia and they're hearing these explosions. If they are close to the -- close to the border they're hearing these explosions coming from the Ukrainian side of the border.
So that is where we are right now. We'll continue our reporting with Matthew Chance, who is getting the very latest information. Matthew, back to you now. Matthew. On -- Matthew, who is on the terrace and getting information from his producers. Matthew, what do you have?
CHANCE: OK.
UNKNOWN: Air to ground targeting.
CHANCE: OK. I got it. I got it. Don, are you hearing me all right?
LEMON: Stand by, Matthew. I want to get to the Russian ambassador speaking at the U.N. We'll get back to Matthew. Let's listen.
CHANCE: OK. Fine.
VASILY ALEKSEEVICH NEBENZYA, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS (through translator): Focused on weakening Russia and promoting the bloc from NATO. But these people are women, children, the elderly, who for eight years have been cowering from Ukraine's shelling. These are Ukraine people and not the Maidan authorities.
This is the difference in our priorities. If you do not change the geopolitical lens, you will never understand this. Then on whose behalf this decision I mentioned has been made. Who we didn't -- who we never thought about for these eight years, simply calling them pro- Russian separatists and terrorists? Those people are the most important for us.
I'd like to say once again the root of today's crisis around Ukraine is the actions of Ukraine itself who for many years were sabotaging its obligations under the Minsk package of measures.
Last week even there was a hope that Kyiv would rethink and nevertheless implement what it signed up to do in 2015. For this first and foremost we needed direct dialogue with Donetsk and Luhansk. However, further confirmation that Ukraine is not ready for this type of dialogue and steps to grant Donbas special status are set forth in the Minsk agreements while with the support of this position from western backers finally convinced us that we simply cannot force those living in the Donbas to suffer more.
And as much as I already said, the Ukrainian provocation against those Donbass not only has not stopped but has intensified. The leaders of the LR and the DPR turned to us with a request to provide military support in line with bilateral cooperation agreements as agreed at the same time as there were recognition. This is a logical step which is a consequence of the actions of the Ukrainian regime. During this meeting --
LEMON: So that is the Russian ambassador obviously defending their action. You see the Ukrainian ambassador sitting there with his hand -- sort of, his head sort of in his hand in disbelief as everyone else except for Russia feels the same sentiment. He is all of us, as we say.
We'll get back to our correspondents in Russia and also Ukraine. You're watching CNN.
[22:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON (on camera): You're watching breaking news on CNN. The invasion has begun. That is according to the Ukrainian interior minister. Explosions are missile strikes, we are told. Our reporters on the ground in Ukraine are told.
Russian President Vladimir Putin releasing a statement really speaking not long ago just at the top of the hour saying that he was going to send special forces into the area to protect Donbas.
And then shortly after that our folks on the ground, our reporters started to hear explosions. We've got reporters on both sides of the border, on the Russian side and the Ukrainian side as well. Our Jill Dougherty is on the ground for us as well. There's Clarissa Ward. There's Frederik Pleitgen and Matthew Chance as well.
I want to get now to -- let's get to Jill Dougherty to get some comment as they are listening to this unless we're hearing explosions on the ground. Again, this is all happening now live. So, you are witnessing it just as I am.
So, Jill, thank you very much for joining us this evening. A lot has happened since we --
DOUGHERTY: Yes.
LEMON: -- spoke to you at the beginning of the hour. What do you make of these explosions that we're hearing and the interior minister saying -- or ministry saying the invasion has begun?
DOUGHERTY: Well, it obviously has. And I think the most interesting and the important part right now is to look exactly at what President Putin is saying. So, what he is saying is he has launched this special operation, this special military operation, to protect the people he says in Donbas who have been subjected to genocide, as he puts it, and all sorts of attacks for eight years.
And what he's talking about, and this is kind of a disturbing thing, he wants to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine. Now, that could mean, you know, further afield than simply Donbas. He also says they are going to bring to justice those who committed numerous bloody crimes against civilians including civilians of the Russian federation.
And then, at the same time he says we don't plan to include the occupation of Ukrainian territories. We're not going to impose anything on anyone by force. So, what you can make of this is it does appear with those explosions in the capital and some other cities that this goes beyond Donbas. And what do they plan on doing? How will they demilitarize and de-Nazify a country if they don't take it over? There are a lot of questions.
[22:49:59]
And I can also tell you, Don, today this was -- this unfolded like clockwork. You had this de-Nazification, all day long on the Russian state media you had pictures and reports and movies about Nazis, video from World War II, video of neo-Nazis that do exist in Ukraine. The president, remember who said --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Jill, I need to interrupt. I'm sorry.
DOUGHERTY: Sure. Sure.
LEMON: I want to get to the U.N. Pardon my interruption. I want to get to the U.N. the Ukrainian minister is speaking now. Ukrainian ambassador.
SERGIY KYSLYTSYA, UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: You declared the war. It is the responsibility of this body to stop the war. So, I call on every one of you to do everything possible to stop the war.
LEMON: The responsibility to respond.
KYSLYTSYA: Or should I play the video with your president declaring the war? Thank you very much.
NEBENZYA (through translator): I guess I must say that I thank the representative of Ukraine for his statement and questions, I wasn't planning to answer them. Because I've already said all I know at this point. Waking up Minister Lavrov at this point is not something I planned to do. He said the information that we have will be something we provide.
And this isn't called a war, this is called a special military operation in the Donbas. I now give the floor to the representative of Germany.
UNKNOWN: Mr. President, we meet at the very moment of a military escalation we have not experienced in Europe for over a generation's time. The president of the Russian Federation announced a military operation on Ukrainian territory. We condemn this in the strongest possible terms. And we call upon all members of the Security Council and the United Nations to now stand up for Ukraine and against --
LEMON: Germany now speaking at the United Nations as the United Nations are going into the evening here. You heard from the Russian ambassador responding to the Ukrainian ambassador. The Ukrainian ambassador saying it is the responsibility of this body to stop the war.
In his response the Russian ambassador saying we're not calling it a war. This is a special military operation in Donbas. The doublespeak, or the misinformation speak that has been coming from Russia, same thing coming from Vladimir Putin we're hearing it from the ambassador as well.
I want to -- what preceded these explosions that we're hearing in Ukraine was the Russian President Vladimir Putin giving this speech saying that he was going to send a special military operation to protect Donbas. We'll hear from him, and then we'll get a response from General Wesley Clark on the other side. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The people's republic of Luhansk and Donetsk need our help. They've asked for our help with this regard. From the seventh charter, from the U.N. Charter of the territorial assembly, agreement on friendship and assistance with the people of Donetsk, the people of Luhansk, a decision has been made of a special military operation. Its aim is to defend the people who for eight years put up with terrible humiliation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): That happened just before 10 o'clock Eastern here just before 7 a.m. in Ukraine.
I want to bring in now General Wesley Clark to respond to all of this. He is saying that they strive to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine, as well as repeating this baseless claim of genocide in the country's Donbas region and using that as an excuse to, as he says, send this military operation to protect Donbas. Your response, general.
WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I think this is information provided just to the Russian people primarily. He wants to -- he wants to spread the lies so he can maintain public support in Russia. And we shouldn't believe any piece of it. There was no Nazification. The Russian troops are there already. There was never any conflict. It's just a -- it's just a false flag deception operation.
Now, there is something happening right now. We know there have been explosions in Kyiv and Kharkiv. We know there's other stuff going on along the line, we're getting reports of troop movement. We know there's been a cat and mouse game for several weeks in Kyiv trying to deal with the Russian special operators that have been in there as saboteurs.
So, this is probably the start of something else. But when he says it's a special military operation, there's no limit to that. We don't know what that means.
[22:54:58]
And this is insofar as we hear it, it's just more propaganda and disinformation that could confuse our response and our public opinion. This is illegal military occupation. It's the seizure of territory of another country. It's the start of a major military operation of war that Europe hasn't seen in 75 years.
LEMON: We have heard, General Wesley Clark, from Vladimir Putin. We've also heard from the President of the United States denouncing what he calls these baseless strikes on the Ukrainian people. And we're also hearing now from the adviser for the interior ministry of Ukraine saying earlier this evening that the "invasion has begun." That's a quote. Another quote is "missile strikes on Kyiv." And that was released to a group of journalists there.
So, we've heard from just about everyone involved. And of course, you have been listening to what's happening at the United Nations this evening. The Russian ambassador and the Ukrainian ambassador going back and forth about the language. One of them calling it a war. The other says it's a special military operation. Respond to that. What do you think of that?
CLARK: I think that there will always be these dialogues going on. This is part of the Russian game plan. And of course, we want the U.N. to get involved in this. Russia is acting illegally. We want to bring it to the attention of the world. And Vladimir Putin's acting like a war criminal.
Now, in the 1990s we had a lot of war criminals in Serbia. They were brought to justice. Many of them are behind bars. At least one of them committed suicide in the process.
Putin has got to understand that the world is not going to tolerate this kind of behavior in the 21st century. He will be censured. He will be branded as a criminal. And people of Russia will be hurt. So, it's very important to keep this dialogue going at the United Nations, expose the lies of Russia, and ultimately bring international law against them as well as other means of resistance.
LEMON: General, I want to ask you, that adviser to the interior ministry of Ukraine, his name is Anton Gerashchenko, who said that the invasion has begun. Also saying here that control centers such as air fields and military headquarters are being hit by the shelling. Do you expect Russia to take Kyiv?
CLARK: I think -- I think that Russia will move forward and try to take land that's currently occupied by Ukraine. And we don't know what the extent of this operation might be, Don. It might be a phased operation in which they try to draw the Ukrainian forces and reserves east to block a breakout from Donbas and then come in behind them from the north or up from the south with an amphibious assault.
We just don't know what the final shape of this is. Or it could be a simultaneous move. We would have expected to see an airstrike, several airstrikes and some missile attacks and so forth. This has started rather consciously at least as far as we can tell from the information that's publicly available.
I have heard offline that there is fighting along the line of contact around Mariupol, that there's action there. But we don't have any official reports of that at this time. And so we don't really understand the extent of it. But we do know that this is the way it would begin. We always expected it to begin with a cyberattack and with the special sabotage and so forth including in places like Kyiv and Kharkiv. LEMON: All right. Thank you, General. We'll get back to you. And if
you're just joining us, you can see on your screen now what is happening. There is the military operation has begun, the invasion according to the Ukrainian interior minister has begun.
CNN has you covered. We are on both sides of the border, on the Russian side and the Ukrainian side. Our Clarissa Ward is in Kharkiv. Our Frederik Pleitgen is joining us from Belgorod. And also, Matthew Chance is in Kyiv this evening. All of them hearing -- hearing explosions.
Our Jim Sciutto is going to join us in just a moment. And we have Jill Dougherty who's in Moscow. So, the worldwide reach of CNN is with you right now. And we've got our Kaitlan Collins at the White House. We're going to take a very quick break. We'll keep a close eye on what's happening in Ukraine. Join us back after the break in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
