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Don Lemon Tonight

Ukraine's Nuclear Plant On Fire; President Biden Get An Update From President Zelenskyy; IAEA On Full Alert; Civilians Killed In Borodyanka; Ukraine Asking NATO To Help; Russia Not Yet Done With Ukraine; Newly Weds On A War Mission; Children Affected By The War. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired March 03, 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]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (on camera): CNN is going to be obviously continuing to cover the fire at the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. The news continues right now. I want to turn it over to Don Lemon who joins me now. Don?

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Anderson, I think it's important to continue your reporting, since you just spoke with, I believe the power plant manager, I was just getting ready to come on the show.

COOPER: The spokesperson. Yes.

LEMON: The spokesperson. What is the spokesperson saying, I understand the fighting has stopped and they're monitoring the radiation levels, a lot we don't know, but he did give you some information?

COOPER: He, I mean, again, his English was not great so it was a little confusing. My understanding was he was saying that the fighting seems to have been continuing, that firefighters can't get -- can't fight the fire, he's claim -- he's saying because of -- because of the fighting that's been going on.

He says there's multiple fires in buildings at the plant. The reactors themselves are not on fire. He says there is a risk of an accident and is calling for the air space above the plant to be shut down.

Now, we should point out, again, we are not, we cannot independently confirm what is going on. International observers have pointed out that radiation levels have not changed at this plant, so that is certainly good news and it's important not to, you know, get too far down the road on this because again, the information is extremely limited.

We know the White House is watching the situation, according to our Kaitlan Collins, President Biden has spoken to President Zelenskyy, but again, the images that we've seen, they're very grainy, they're taking from a, you know, security camera monitors basically.

You can see flames roughly but it's hard to tell the exact location but it seems it's not the reactors, according to spokesman and again, the radiation levels have not changed but obviously, this would be a huge concern.

Any fighting around a nuclear power plant is certainly not a good thing and we've had on, you know, General Zwack (Ph) earlier who is saying that just looking at the tracer fire that you can see on the security monitors, it does seem to be pretty indiscriminate fire hitting a building doesn't seem like a very coordinated, you know, precise attack, the kind you would maybe expect if the goal is to take over the control of a nuclear power plant and take it offline to deprive civilians of electricity.

So, you know, obviously, Ukrainians have, officials have an interest in seeing a no-fly zone in this country. That's what this spokesperson at the nuclear power plant is asking for. So again, you just have to take all these things into account. But again, a lot I feel we still don't know but certainly a situation we should be watching very, very carefully.

LEMON: Yes, and of course everyone when it comes to this situation in power plants in that area, everyone has Chernobyl in the back of their heads. We Don't exactly what this is, right to point that out, but also, Anderson, there's lots of redundancies built into those power plants whether it's nuclear or traditional power.

But still, when you have generators going offline that is concerning. And as you said, fighting in the area and we are in the middle of a war.

Anderson, we appreciate your reporting. We'll see you again. Please be safe. We're going to get now to the breaking news.

This is DON LEMON TONIGHT.

And our breaking news. We're going to get you to the pictures now. You're looking at these closed-circuit TV images -- image. It is of that nuclear power plant in Ukraine where that fire is still burning tonight. Still burning tonight.

Anderson speaking to a spokesperson tonight, giving some information on that plant. It is burning after an assault by Russian troops. And the plant spokesperson who spoke to Anderson just moments ago said it could result in a nuclear accident. Again, could result in a nuclear accident. don't know exactly what's going on, all of the details, again, some of this just coming in.

However, there are mixed reports about fighting at the plant having stopped and radiation levels are currently normal at the moment. Only one power generator unit out of six is operational and that's what I was telling him, there's redundancy built in for emergency situations but when you have these things start going out, things can certainly take a turn for the worst.

We are going to keep watching that for you. The President of the United States also speaking tonight, monitoring the situation. He's spoken with President Zelenskyy at the White House who continues to monitor the situation. Two White House officials say that their latest information shows no

indications of elevated levels of radiation at the complex and the International Atomic Energy Agency saying it is in contact with Ukrainian authorities.

All of this is certainly very concerning and we are keeping a very close watch on it. We will throughout the, this broadcast for sure and throughout the situations as long as it goes on.

We've also got the latest on this, including an expert scientist to talk us through all of the risks here. It is certainly, certainly concerning.

[22:05:07]

That is all happening as Russia is pounding Ukraine cities destroying whole neighborhoods, and apparently intentionally target targeting civilians as warnings are becoming more and more ominous tonight.

France's President Macron who had a phone call with Vladimir Putin today saying that we should expect the worst is yet to come. It's hard to wrap your mind around the scale of destruction, the buildings, neighborhoods where people were living there, their lives just a few days ago living just normal lives now utterly destroyed.

Take a look at this. Ukraine's foreign minister tweeting a video that he said shows a residential apartment building in Borodyanka, he says, quote, "Russians bombed the town for two days killing many civilians in the city of Chernihiv just about 60 miles north of Kyiv, a residential neighborhood. Check this out.

There you go. Rocked by blasts from what officials say were Russian airstrikes, one caught on dash cam video, and this is the aftermath right here of those strikes. This used to be peoples' homes still smoldering right now, officials say 33 people were killed, 18 injured. Here's the before and here's the after.

Look at your screen. In a neighborhood that was home to so many people. All of this, Vladimir Putin is to blame. Homes are being indiscriminately blasted into rubble. Over two million people have been forced to flee. The U.N. says another million are internally displaced, and they estimate more than 10 million people may run for their lives.

Many of those people may never find their way back. A father crying over his teenage son's body lying on a stretcher in what was once a maternity hospital where babies came into the world is now a medical ward.

The fact is, no one knows where this goes or how it ends. So, we're monitoring all the situation. At the nuclear plant, in those towns and cities, a maternity ward.

Straight to CNN's Matthew Chance in Kyiv. Matthew, the idea that we're talking about Russians that were possibly firing on a nuclear plant in Ukraine, it is beyond words. What do you know about this ongoing situation?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, it's pretty dire, isn't it? And alarming, that there are, there is fighting underway near Europe's biggest nuclear power plant. And the fighting is so close that the area of the territory of the plant is, you know, has caught fire. The reactor itself, there's six reactors there, but there's no reactor that's on fire so we should say that, so it's not -- it's not at that level of seriousness yet, but obviously the threat is significant.

And there are these mixed reports that you mentioned about whether or not the fighting has stopped. Certainly, the IAEA, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has said that they're gravely concerned that this is taking place and they called on all parties to stop the fighting.

It's the first time, they say, that this kind of fighting has taken place around an active nuclear power plant and obviously the consequences of something happening, a shell, you know, kind of causing significant damage to one of the reactors, I mean are terrifying.

Particularly in a country where, you know, Chernobyl is located, the scene of the world's worst nuclear accident back in 1986. And so there's a real sort of resonant, surreal public consciousness in this country, particularly, and in this region, particularly, about, you know, the horrors and the damage that a catastrophe at a nuclear powerplant can have, not just for the immediate, you know, time when it happens, but for many, many years, for decades, you know, generations, in fact, afterwards.

And so yes, it's particularly alarming now that, you know, this fierce fighting, we're seeing all around the country, has got so close to these very, very sensitive nuclear power plants. This one -- this one in particular, about 300 miles it's located from the Ukrainian capital in an area where there are lots and lots of people living and working there. Don.

LEMON: Matthew Chance on the story for us, Matthew, thank you. I want you to stand by, because I need to get to Edwin Lyman now. He is the director of Nuclear Power Safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Thank you, Mr. Lyman, for joining us. We really appreciate it. If we can put the video back up.

[22:09:57]

According to Anderson who had an official on earlier, he said it looked like that there was tracer fire, again, we don't know exactly what is going on but just looking at this video which is from a security camera taken from a monitor. The fighting near the plant has allegedly stopped.

Ukraine's regulator tells the International Atomic Energy Agency that there has been no change in reported radiation levels. Still on fire though, firefighters can't get there to put it out. So, talk to us about the immediate danger here. EDWIN LYMAN, DIRECTOR OF NUCLEAR POWER SAFETY, UNION OF CONCERNED

SCIENTISTS: Yes, well, again, the situation is very unclear and right now, the reports look like the fire may be outside of the plant perimeter not actually affecting one of the reactor units which is good news, but the bad news is there should not be a military conflict anywhere near this nuclear power plant.

Certainly, no nuclear power plant in the world was designed to be able to withstand a military assault, and there are many vulnerabilities that could be -- could be affected if there were a fire or explosions at a nuclear power plant. So, it's very disturbing that this is even going on, and I hope that there hasn't been any damage so far that there's a lesson here and that the Russians stand down.

LEMON: Edwin, a plant spokesman was on just a short time ago, he said that only one power generator unit out of six is operational. And he also told Anderson that any moment, the situation there could result in a nuclear accident. Do you agree with that? Can you explain why?

LYMAN: Yes. And certainly, nuclear accident is possible, because even if the reactor is shut down, you still have to provide cooling to the highly radioactive fuel in the core of the reactor, if that cooling is interrupted for a period of time, let's say a few hours, then there is the potential for serious core damage and this is what was seen at the Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011 when it lost all electrical power.

So, certainly a fire or explosion could disrupt the power system that distributes electricity to the plant, it could disrupt cooling systems or it could do direct damage to the reactor or the spent fuel storage facilities themselves. So, there are a lot of ways in which an accident could be initiated.

Of course, there are also a lot of ways in which the accident could be mitigated. We are 10 years out after Fukushima and there have been some lessons learned about how to cope with severe crises at nuclear power plants.

And so, Ukraine has added certain capabilities, including the plant we're talking about to cope if it does lose electricity for a long period of time, but you have to have the operators and personnel to be able to go where they need to go to respond to that event. And it's also troubling, the thought that emergency responders like firefighters not being allowed to actually access the area to be able to beat down the fire. So that's another great concern is even if there were an opportunity to save the plant, the operators have to have free reign of the plant to be able to do what they need to do.

LEMON: So, let me ask you and I know I'm asking you similar questions, not the exact same questions, so you said they need power because they need, those reactors need to be cooled. Am I correct with that?

LYMAN: Yes. Right.

LEMON: So then how long can, you know, how -- and you don't -- I'm sure you don't know this particular plant specifically, right, but usually how long, if this -- if this -- if they lose power, how long can this, can there be safety there without the cooling of those reactors without power?

LYMAN: Yes, well these reactors are actually fairly similar to the like the reactors we have in the United States. So, in the worst case, if cooling is interrupted in certain scenarios, the fuel can start to be damaged, probably within half an hour. But the actual progression of the accident could take over several hours, so the -- if cooling is not restored, the core can melt, and probably over the course of several hours and ultimately it can burn through the bottom of the reactor vessel that holds the fuel and this is what happened at three of the Fukushima reactors.

Then, the molten radioactive fuel will drop to the floor of the containment building and there's only one barrier between that radioactivity and the environment, and if you have additional challenges to the containment, for instance, from artillery fire or from the generation of gases like hydrogen within the reactor, you can have a bridge of the containment, and then you have a radiological release.

[22:15:07]

And so, we have six reactors and we have spent fuel storage both in pools and in dry casts and there's a -- there's a lot of radioactive material on site that if there were a severe event, there could be significant release of radiation.

LEMON: One more question for you. What is, and again, we don't know, this is, one power generation unit out of six is operational and that's a concern and that's why I ask for the question -- that's what I asked you the question. Again, we don't want to speculate here because there's a lot we don't know about what happened and what is actually going on at the plant.

But what is of more concern, and maybe it's of equal concern, is it a blast hitting the plant or is it the loss of power to these generators?

LYMAN: Well, either one is of concern, but the fact is that the reactors are vulnerable to damage to their safety systems and support system like the electrical distribution system and because that isn't protected to the same degree that the fuel and the reactor is that's one of the greater vulnerabilities.

So, so there are a variety of ways in which damage can occur, and you don't have to have a direct hit on the containment like I said, to actually cause damage. If you disrupt those, that critical electricity that's powering the cooling systems and the electrical distribution system needed to carry that power to where it's needed, then that could be as bad as if there were a massive explosion that directly on the reactor itself.

LEMON: How far out are we looking at, if there is some actual damage there? How far could this spread, Mr. Lyman? LYMAN: Well, after Fukushima, there was significant contamination

going, really, 25 to 30 miles from the site, sends smaller or lower levels much further than that. So, and that was after three reactors were damaged. So, I would suspect that's the kind of area of concern that I would see.

I think the accident would be different from what happened at Chernobyl. Chernobyl was a different design and the type of accident that occurred at that reactor led to a much larger explosion and a much greater and wider dispersed area of radioactivity, but that did affect most of Europe and was even detectable in the United States.

I don't think these types of reactors would lead to that kind of extensive contamination but they could pose a serious problem for the health and safety of Ukrainians, especially as they're coping with the assault that they're under now. So just add another very dangerous dimension and another threat that they certainly don't need at this point.

LEMON: Thank you, very much, Mr. Lyman. Edwin Lyman, nuclear power safety expert, we appreciate you joining us. We may have to get you back if -- as things continue here. But we appreciate it.

And just so you know, this is our breaking news --

LYMAN: Yes, I hope not.

LEMON: Yes, I hope not. Certainly. Right on. Thank you, sir.

So, this is what we know, the Zaporizhzhia Power Plant, they're telling us that one generator out of six is operational. There's a fire continuing there, there's been fire in the area and there is concern that it could get worse, but there we're keeping an eye on it.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant is the biggest in Europe, that's according to the Zaporizhzhia web site. It supports one-fifth of the total electric power generated in Ukraine. The plant has six units in total, the first one connects to the power in 1984, the sixth in 1995 so it's been operational for some time but there is concern in the area obviously, if they lose power and they can't cool those reactors it could be a disaster.

We're keeping an eye on it for you. We're also keeping an eye on this with our Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. He is here. He is a former army commanding general and CNN analyst.

General, I want to know -- I don't know about what this says about Russia's military leadership. We're going to take a break and I'll come back and ask you that question.

MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Don.

[22:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON (on camera): Here our breaking news now. And what you're

looking at on the screen that's the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in Ukraine. Our breaking news, a fire at that plant, the largest in Europe. The plant's spokesperson telling Anderson moments ago it could result in a nuclear accident, could result, we don't know, we're keeping an eye on it.

The U.S. has activated the nuclear incident response team. There are mixed reports about fighting at the plant having stopped and radiation levels are currently normal but only one power generation unit out of six is operational.

Let's bring in now as I promised before the break, CNN military analyst retired Lieutenant Colonel Mark Hertling. Thank you very much, Lieutenant General, I should say. I appreciate you joining us.

We don't know exactly what happened here, but the idea that Russian forces would be shooting at this nuclear power plant waging war at this location, it's total madness, what does that say about the Russian soldiers and their leadership, quite frankly?

HERTLING: Well, Don, I missed the day at West Point when they taught -- taught nuclear physics so I can't comment on that. But I do know enough to say that this is either incompetence, undisciplined and extremely uninformed or dangerously purposeful planned to do something bad, or it's criminality to the extreme degree.

You know, when you have a fight in the area of something like this, I understand what they might be thinking and it fits in with the Russian way of war. They're trying to displace as many citizens as they can, as we've seen in other places where they've fought and they do that by turning off the water and turning off the lights.

So, somebody may have had the bright idea, we can turn off the lights in 25 percent of Ukraine by knocking out this nuclear power plant, but it also shows how incredibly stupid they are.

[22:25:02]

LEMON: How could they possibly think that this is legitimate target? I mean, I understand --

HERTLING: They can't.

LEMON: Yes, go on.

HERTLING: Yes, they can't, Don. I mean, how can they possibly think apartment buildings are targets for cluster mutations or thermal barometric bombs, how can they think putting a missile on the top of a university floor is a legitimate target when there's no military within miles? How can they bomb entire neighborhoods and level a city in order to get to achieve their objectives?

This is the Russian way of war lately. It's intimidation, it's terrorism and it's just incredibly stupid and criminal. And the more I watch this campaign, Don, the more it strikes me that either the entire Russian army has taken on the evil personality of Putin, which I think is partly true, or they're just extremely incompetent in their planning and the execution of military activities.

LEMON: It could be both. They could have taken on and they're incompetent at the same time. The biggest question I have though, for you, is when looking at this, it angers so many people and you wonder what the hell is going on, how could they possibly think any of this is OK. Could this change how the U.S. and NATO respond to this unfolding crisis, general?

HERTLING: Yes, I think we're going to continue to see tougher and tougher actions by both the U.S. and NATO. But Don, there's that wait and it troubles me. You know, the decision-making is do you want to term what is currently a regional conflict, which is horrible and horrific, to the nth degree, do you want to change that from a regional conflict which killing -- it is killing a lot of people and harming a lot of people into the potential for a global war?

That's the difference between taking risk and gambling. You can't mitigate a gamble. You can mitigate taking risk, but, you know, as horrible as this seems and as many Americans want to get involved in this with uniform forces, that's -- that's what you're debating. And it gets to the point of having a no-fly zone or putting forces on the ground, or doing a number of things and I think that's what the administration and the NATO leadership is weighing right now.

How do you stop this mad man from going any further? Or do you attempt, over a long term, to get it under control, and I think, you know, that's the unfortunate conundrum we find ourselves in right now.

LEMON: I don't know if there's really a choice. I think, from the beginning of this, I said, I know the president didn't want to have troops on the ground and so forth, but I think that we are going to get dragged into this no matter what, and, because Vladimir Putin, nothing is deterring him, sanctions aren't deterring him. I think the only deterrent for him is it has to be brute force, sadly. I'm not a military person, I just --

(CROSSTALK)

HERTLING: Yes, I think -- I think we really need to take a longer view, Don, and we're seven, eight days into this thing right now. It is not going well. There's a lot of killing going on, killing of civilians, but I still have a great deal of faith in the long term of the Ukrainian forces and the Ukrainian population in turning this around.

Mr. Putin has not gained any of his strategic objectives. He has not divided NATO. He has not further divided the United States, in fact he's actually unified us to the, slowly unified us to a greater degree. He has not achieved his objective of subjugating Ukraine, which is one of his key objectives and turned into a criminal on the world stage and it's getting worse by the day.

He will never be accepted back into any league of nations leaders in the near future. He is a pariah and its anathema that'd be dealing with him right now. And he's only making it worse by the day. I can't see him reentering any kind of leadership role either in Russia or across the globe where he would be accepted by people of normal intellect and those who want to move societies forward.

LEMON: Well, listen, I'll leave the viewers with what you've said because your expertise and knowledge on this certainly weighs more than what I might think. So, thank you for that. And I appreciate it. I hope you're right. I think you are right. Thank you very much, General Hertling.

HERTLING: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Ukraine's president vowing to stand against Russia, asking the world how many Ukrainians have to be killed to get the kind of help he needs? His former spokesperson is here right after this.

[22:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): So, we're back now with the breaking news. A fire at Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant tonight, it has been burning for hours. The plant spokesperson telling Anderson moments ago it could result in a nuclear accident. There are mixed reports about fighting at the plant having stopped and radiation levels are currently normal but only one power generation unit out of six is operational at this point.

The U.S. has activated the nuclear incident response team and President Biden has spoken by phone with Ukraine's President Zelenskyy.

I want to bring in new Iuliia Mendel, a former spokesperson for President Zelenskyy. Iuliia, thank you for joining us. I really appreciate it.

As a journalist and a former official and as Ukrainian citizen, how do you feel hearing this development that a nuclear power plant is on fire?

[22:35:03]

IULIIA MENDEL, FORMER SPOKESPERSON FOR PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY: Thank you for having me here. Actually, we don't know how much Putin's criminal intention is going to extend. I think we are having a monkey with a grenade here and we try to do everything not to irritate it so it doesn't throw this grenade.

And we think this is already something that needs to make the west wake up and actually no-fly zone is already turning into humanitarian measure that needs to be done to save peoples' lives and prevent nuclear catastrophe. We don't know the reaction of the west right now after the nuclear -- nuclear plant has got its fire but I think that the reaction will be very soon and it can be some shifting point in this invasion of Russia that started nine years ago -- in nine days ago in Ukraine. LEMON: Listen we're having a little bit of difficulty, of technical

difficulty with the sound but I just want to ask you, you said you want the west to wake up. You talked about the no-fly zone. What exactly do you want the west to do, what would you like to see happen now?

MENDEL: This is actually one of the last measures that Ukraine was asking the west to have a no-fly zone in Ukraine, so Russia has got its superiority in the air and there was no any chance that Russia would come to the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv so fast as his -- as Russia actually came just on the second day of the invasion and this is because Russia has air superiority.

We want that NATO help us stop Russia on the air and the issue is that now, NATO has all the power to do this. We do not know if it will be done later, because it can be just too late if we think about, we will see what's going on. Putin is unstoppable and he actually shows the west that he will try to experiment as much as possible and he is uncontrollable up to now.

Even all the sanctions that were used already to kill Russian economy do not work. Just because Putin doesn't care about his people and about his neighbors, and about any kind of human rights or development that is actually the priority for the western world.

If you remember when Putin was having a talk just like nine or 10 days ago, before he recognized the quasi republics on the Ukrainian territory of Donbas, he wasn't actually angry only at Ukraine, he was very irritated and angry about the west, about the world order that has existed after the World War II and about NATO specifically.

So, his intention and his magic target is not to Ukraine, he doesn't even consider that Ukraine is the subject to talk with. He considers that Ukraine must be taken just, you know, because he thinks it's true and then he's going to turn his weaponry towards the west, Poland, Moldova, and Baltic states have now doubt in.

LEMON: I want to get in and ask you because this is very important, because you were President Zelenskyy's spokesperson, the whole world has been watching his leadership, are you concerned about him and his safety?

MENDEL: I'm concerned about the safety of my country and the President Zelenskyy, who told many times that he will be with his people to the very end. So, of course, I'm concerned about President Zelenskyy, well as I'm concerned about the independence of my country and about every victim that is dying here at this phase.

LEMON: Iuliia Mendel, thank you so much. I appreciate you joining us here on CNN. Be safe.

MENDEL: Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you.

So, they got married on the first day of the invasion only to take up arms the next day. Yaryna Arieva's husband of one week now on a mission while she in Kyiv. She joins us next.

[22:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): So, this is our breaking news tonight, fire at a power plant in Ukraine, the largest in Europe. That is as the U.S. still believes a large Russian military convoy headed towards Kyiv is stalled.

Residents there continue to prepare for a Russian attack, including newlyweds Yaryna and Sviatoslav. They got married just as the Russian invasion started a week ago, they have since taken up arms to defend their country and I spoke with them earlier this week. And Yaryna Arieva is back with me now. Thank you, I appreciate you joining us. How are you doing?

YARYNA ARIEVA, MARRIED ON FIRST DAY OF RUSSIAN INVASION: I'm OK right now, but still, I'm very terrified with the situation in Zaporizhzhia with the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Because you know, you can hide from bullets but you can't hide from radiation. And in this situation, we really need help from all around the world. We need everything you can do to solve this situation, because it's kind of nuclear terrorism and it is really awful and it is really scary.

Because if something will go bad and it will explode, the -- everything will be much worser like 10 times worser than it was in Chernobyl. And you know, my mother and my grandmother were in Kyiv when Chernobyl had exploded and they had huge problems with their health here before, so like, it is, this news are really scary and I hope that world will help -- will help to solve this.

[22:44:58]

LEMON: It is your one week anniversary with your new husband Sviatoslav and he is out on a mission right now we understand, what kind of a mission is he on?

ARIEVA Yes, he is on a mission, as he is on the territorial defense force, he -- they cover the back of the regular Ukrainian army, they help doing some work, they also help killing and catching those sabotage groups which weren't killed or catch by Ukrainian military army, like the second line of front.

LEMON: Have you heard from him?

ARIEVA: He has texted me five hours before this moment and he told like it's calm in there so really, so I was really happy to hear that. Right now, I'm working and praying all the time for him to come back safe to me.

LEMON: Does he, when do you expect to hear from him again, do you know?

ARIEVA: I hope he will come back today in the evening, or maybe tomorrow in the morning. LEMON: Since we last talked, what have you seen in Kyiv, and listen,

I asked you last time what your neighborhood was like, I didn't ask where you were, but some people misunderstood that but I wanted to know if you've been able to go out and see anything in Kyiv, have you seen any Russian strikes?

ARIEVA: Hopefully not. I'm still staying in the center of Kyiv, having no ability to leave the territorial defense force. I was just going out one time to this small shop in front of this and everything on these streets was absolutely calm. Like it is really close to the governmental streets so no one ask them to go in here. But I have seen the news, I have seen the photos of my city and it's really heartbreaking for me.

LEMON: Yaryna, thank you so much and we hope that you and Sviatoslav are OK, please keep safe and keep in touch with us. OK? Thank you.

ARIEVA: Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you.

So, six children, too ill to move even as their hospital is surrounded by shelling. CNN goes inside that hospital. We're going to bring you there, you don't want to miss it. It's right after this.

[22:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): The United Nations reporting more than a million people, mostly women and children, have fled Ukraine since the Russian assault began last week. But amid shelling around Kyiv some of the most vulnerable residents can't leave.

As CNN's Clarissa Ward reports, they're the children being treated at Ukraine's largest children's hospital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Outside the Okhmatdyt hospital the sound of heavy fighting pierces the night air. "The shelling has started, this nurse says. We're in the surgical department for newborn babies. It's so loud." Exhausted staff hover nervously in the hallway. This is Ukraine's largest children's hospital. Shutting down is not an option.

DMYTRO ISHCHENKO, NEUROSURGEON: We decided to open our surgical department here.

WARD: Neurosurgeon Dmytro Ishchenko shows the impact of just one week of war. So, the children who are too sick to be moved have to stay here in the basement in case the bombardment starts again. There are 10 patients currently being treated in this underground hallway. And they are very sick indeed.

Is this your daughter? On the floor in one corner, we meet Sonia and her three-month-old daughter Milena. Milena has a brain tumor. "It's a terrifying situation. We must stay underground and we don't know how long for," she says. "I'm alone here at the hospital and my husband is at home with my other kid. For seven nights she has been sleeping on this floor as the bombing gets closer."

She's saying that the stress of the situation has meant that her milk has dried up. So, she's now using formula for her daughter. With resources being diverted to deal with trauma injuries, parents are stepping in to help where they can.

At one bed Valentin is feeding an unconscious child. So, he's saying that little baby there is his little boy but he's helping with this child because their mother can't be here. "I tell him he's strong. There's no other way," he says. "God gives us strength."

In this environment Dr. Ishchenko offers his patients and their families whatever he can. But there are limits.

ISHCHENKO: It's really very challenging and really tough because we don't have good conditions for our patients.

WARD: Is this dangerous for them, this situation?

ISHCHENKO: Yes. And not only because we have a war. This condition is not suitable with brain surgeries.

WARD: For now, non-essential procedures are on hold. Eleven-year-old Jaroslav's (Ph) sutures should have been removed, but the risk of infection is too high. His mother Ludmila (Ph) tries to comfort him.

[22:55:09]

"I will massage you and everything will be OK," she says. But no one knows how long this war will last. And these children cannot wait forever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WARD: Don, we have heard a series of booms throughout the night. Those children are still sleeping underground, frightened for their lives with their families. The only one potential glimmer of hope here is that according to the Ukrainian delegation who met with the Russian delegation for talks earlier today there is now a concerted effort on both sides to try to establish humanitarian corridors that would allow children like the ones that we visited with today to leave this city if things continue to escalate. Don?

LEMON: Clarissa Ward, thank you so much. Russia targeting a nuclear power plant in Ukraine late tonight. Fire still burning at the plant. Stay with us.

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