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Don Lemon Tonight

Fire At Nuclear Power Plant In Ukraine After Russian Assault; Russian Military Strikes Chernihiv Apartment Complex; The Terrible Reality The World Sees Is Never Seen In Russia; Ukrainians Volunteering To Help Fellow Citizens In Need. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired March 03, 2022 - 23:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[23:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN HOST (on camera): This is DON LEMON TONIGHT and here's our breaking news. Fire burning at this hour at the giant Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine after an assault by Russian forces.

The plant's spokesperson telling CNN it could result in a nuclear accident but radiation levels are currently normal. Only one power generation unit out of six is operational.

We've got new video tonight posted to social media of the horrific aftermath of deadly Russian military strikes on Chernihiv on a Chernihiv apartment complex. CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the video, and I warn you, this may be difficult to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): CNN's Michael Holmes is live in Lviv tonight. Kaitlan Collins is at the white house. That video is horrific. Hi, Michael. Hi, Kaitlan.

Michael, horrific video posted on social media. It's showing the aftermath of that Russian military airstrike that hit an apartment complex in Chernihiv. A woman is heard screaming in that video. Kids, little kids, is what she's saying. So many civilians are victims of this war, even targeted. That's according to U.S. officials, correct?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, exactly, Don. I mean, that is so hard to watch. You know, Russia denies it is targeting civilian infrastructure or civilians in general. But look at that. I mean, just look at it. Listen to it. The pain in the voices that you hear there.

This is a civilian target. It is horrific level of damage, too. Whatever missile is involved there, it was a big one. Maybe it was multiple. We're still trying to find out. And we're still trying to find out the casualties. But you see there clearly in the video, there are casualties.

This has been the big fear all along, Don, that, you know, Russia's advance in this country, they probably thought they do would do it a lot easier than they did. They haven't. They've been held up. The Ukrainians have fought back. They've fought hard.

And then the Russians go to their playbook. And we've talked a lot about what they did in Grozny, in Chechnya, what they did in Aleppo, in Syria. They just go all out. They will bomb places into the stone age.

And that is the big fear here, that because Putin is going to be frustrated at the lack of progress of his military that he's going to turn to that playbook, that he feels he's got nothing to lose, in a way, given how the world has turned and united in opposition to him and sanctioned him like no one has ever been sanctioned before.

The pain for Russia of those sanctions is enormous. But what has it done? Has it stopped it? No. Have a look at that video again. We're worried, of course, about Kyiv, the biggest city, the capital in this country. Russians, you know, moving up around it. Will they do the same thing? Bomb, shell, you know, soften it up for an entry into that city. It is just horrendous to look at that and imagine that this is happening anywhere, but it's happening here.

LEMON: Michael, I want to talk to you about that nuclear power plant in Ukraine that is on fire tonight. A top Ukrainian official saying that the Russian army has been firing from all sides on the plant. Are you learning anything there on the ground?

HOLMES: Yeah, well, I mean, hopefully things aren't as bad as they initially appeared. I mean, as you've been pointing out, this is Europe's largest nuclear power plant. I think it's one of the top 10 in the world, in Zaporizhzhia. Six reactors at that facility. Apparently, only one is up and running at the moment and that's probably a good thing.

And yeah, you reported and Anderson spoke to a plant spokesman who said that the fighting has now eased for now. And as you keep saying, and it's the most important thing to say, what we don't know is important. What we do know is the Ukrainian emergency services say the fire was in a training building.

[23:05:02]

It's not a reactor. Ukraine is telling the IAEA that there is no change in radiation levels. They say the fire hasn't affected essential equipment. Plant personnel are working on what they are calling mitigating actions, and that firefighters are there.

Obviously, there are still concerns for the safety of the plant overall. And as your experts have been saying, if cooling is interrupted for the reactors, for example, that would be a very big deal. You know, and as we've been saying, you know, your mind goes to 1986, Chernobyl, the disaster in this country. It's outrageous and intensely disturbing that there is fighting around any nuclear reactor. And you can see the incoming fire. That is outrageous.

The other thing too, Don, I mean, if for some reason this plant has to shut down, it supplies a fifth of this country's electricity, and you can imagine the massive impact that would have on the lives of millions of Ukrainians.

LEMON: Absolutely. To the White House now. Kaitlan, I know that the White House is monitoring. What's the response tonight?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, watching this very closely, obviously very concerned. They wanted to assess what the impact of this could be. We should note that within, you know, very quickly of these reports coming in, of the shelling happening, of the fire that was happening here, President Biden was on the phone with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy talking about this.

After this, we did hear from two White House officials who said that they don't believe there are elevated levels of radiation. Of course, that is the number one concern as soon as we heard the reports of this, the concerns about what this could mean. And so, right now, they're still monitoring it.

Not only did President Biden speak with President Zelensky, but Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm also spoke with the energy minister there, her counterpart, to talk about this. She said they activated the nuclear response here, basically keeping an eye on what is going on to make sure that they can monitor it because, of course, the devastating impacts that could happen here if something were to go wrong are huge.

And so, that is why the White House was so quickly monitoring this. We should note, it wasn't just President Biden getting on the phone to President Zelenskyy. The British prime minister has spoken to him tonight, talking about what the dramatic effects of something like this going wrong could be. But for right now, they are tamping down concerns about elevated levels of radiation and say they do not see that so far, Don.

LEMON (on camera): Kaitlan, I know the president spoke with President Zelensky, our president. Biden spoke with President Zelensky. Zelensky is pleading with the West for more help. Here's part of what he said earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): If you don't have the strength to provide a no-fly zone, then give me planes. Would that not be fair?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): So, I know that the White House announced more sanctions today, Kaitlan, but what about NATO supplying planes?

COLLINS: We haven't heard anything about planes exactly of what they would send in that sense. We know that they're still working on sending defense and sending lethal aid to Ukraine. That is something that yesterday they said they were still able to get across the border.

It's become a lot more challenging to get that assistance to Kyiv than it was just about a month ago when they could easily fly things into Kyiv. Remember the Pentagon was posting pictures of the aid that they were sending there. That is not as easy now as it was then. But there is still hope because they still can get it there.

What they're really focusing on not so much as that, they're sending those anti-aircraft, the stinger missiles. Those are the ones that we were talking about, that they sent hundreds of them just in the last several days alone. I think it is about 200 on Monday.

Those are ones that they believe can be pretty effective here because it only takes really one person to launch one. You launch it from the shoulder. It's a heat-seeking missile that they believe they can use to take down aircraft. It either forces the aircraft to fly higher or they can easily take down Russian aircraft.

And so, that is what they've been talking about so far. They've ruled out the no-fly zone. They haven't said anything about sending planes to Ukraine. Of course, that would -- just raises a question of whether or not that is a step they're willing to take.

As what we saw at the beginning of this show, the bombings and the videos that you're seeing of the civilian infrastructure that Russia is targeting where you don't see any Ukrainian military in that area, these are civilian apartment buildings and orphanages and kindergartens that we've been talking about with U.S. officials.

And so, whether or not that changes the United States response, that remains to be seen. But you are right, that does come as today they did announce more sanctions here at White House on Russian oligarchs, on Putin's personal spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov. Whether or not there are more added to that list remains to be seen in the coming days.

LEMON: Thank you, Kaitlan. Thank you, Michael. And you're right, Michael, that video, it's horrific and it is hard to watch. We appreciate both of you joining us.

Now, I want to bring in CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. Colonel, thank you so much. The fighting deadly enough. Now this plant is on fire. The local mayor is blaming it on Russia. The foreign minister tweeting that Russia -- Russian troops were firing on the plant from all sides. Why on earth would any military be targeting near a nuclear power plant?

[23:10:00]

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST, RETIRED AIR FORCE COLONEL: No military, Don, in their right mind would target a nuclear power plant. But the plant here at Zaporizhzhia is the plant that, as Michael mentioned, is the number one plant, the largest plant in Europe, and it's one of the top 10 plants in the world. That is in fact true.

This plant is an older plant from the 1980s, and then it had some refurbishment done in the 1990s. But regardless of how big it is, where it is, any nuclear power plant is absolutely off limits for any military that is legitimate and is carrying out a legitimate mission.

LEMON: We don't know what the damage is here, but how could something like this change the shape of this battle for Ukraine?

LEIGHTON: So, when you look at where Zaporizhzhia is, right here, this basic -- this basic area right here is right in the middle of where the Russians are moving from the south. So, they are going into this area and they're moving generally in this direction, which is toward Kyiv.

And if I pull up here and go to the bigger map of Ukraine, we go from right here where Zaporizhzhia is, and you can see there's a direct line this way toward Kyiv.

Now, let's look at where the Russian troops are. And you look here, we have where Zaporizhzhia is, right in this area. You have what's happening in the south right here. You have what's happening in the east here. But what's important here is what's going on around Kyiv. So, you have two movements where we have our famous convoy that we've talked about for several days now, the 40-mile-long convoy. That's in that arrow right there.

But what is also important and this looks very much like a pincer movement, is this right here. It's like a scorpion reaching toward Kyiv at the moment, and this is a very dangerous part because when you look at what is going on here, this could easily be the beginning of the encirclement of Kyiv at this particular point.

LEMON: You know, colonel, again, it's unbelievable to watch that video that we have been seeing and, you know, the fact that they're doing what they're doing near a nuclear power plant.

Ukrainian forces saying that they have destroyed 20 Russian vehicles that were part of that convoy near Hostomel Air Base north of Kyiv. The longer that convoy sits there, does it become a sitting duck?

LEIGHTON: It actually can because, in fact, this is Hostomel which you just spoke about, Don, right here, and it can actually become a sitting duck. And if you look at where the convoy actually is, right here, you see starting at their northern point in this area and going down this way to the southern point, which is Antonov Airport, it is pretty much stationary because of fuel supply issues, food supply issues, you know, potential personnel issues.

Those kinds of things are going on right there. And as a sitting duck, of course, it could be a very difficult thing for the Russians to move forward. But this is going to be their bridgehead. This is what they're using. This airport right here is what they're using to launch further attacks into Kyiv, and that is why the convoy is important.

But we can't forget that at the other end of this is this part right here. This is the most dangerous part that we need to look at because we've got people coming in this way and we've got people coming in this way on the Russian side, and the target is obviously Kyiv at this point.

LEMON: Colonel, thank you. Appreciate it.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Don.

LEMON: You saw that new video of that horrific aftermath of a deadly Russian military strike on an apartment complex. But the horrible reality the world sees really in Ukraine is something the Russian people never see. How long can Russia keep this up?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKY: It's not about I want to talk with Putin. I think I have to talk with Putin. The world has to talk with Putin because there are no other ways to stop this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[23:15:00]

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LEMON (on camera): As Russia is pounding Ukraine cities, destroying whole neighborhoods and apparently intentionally targeting civilians, the world is getting a very clear picture of the total destruction the Russian military is leaving in their wake. But what are Russians being told about the war in Ukraine?

CNN's Nic Robertson has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: On Russia's state TV, audiences are only being told what the Kremlin wants them to know about the war in Ukraine. This new Russian army video shows troops handing out humanitarian aid. They claim Russian forces are giving civilians safe passage from the fighting, a message reinforced in President Putin's latest state TV speech.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): Our military have provided corridors in all areas of combat action.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The terrible reality the rest of the world sees, shelling of civilians, suffering, death and destruction, never gets aired on Russian state TV. And many Russians believe their government, that the war was forced on them by Ukraine, backed by NATO.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I know the truth. This was a forced measure on our side. After what Russia went through in World War II, it's madness to believe we want war.

[23:20:00]

(through translator): I see what's on TV when I'm getting ready for work. We try not to get too involved in it because we've got enough of our own problems.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Some do care enough to reach beyond state TV. But even then, they're not convinced by what they see.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Yes, I have heard that some civilians, even children, have died. But I'm not sure I can believe it because there is fake news. They are making money.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Obedient anchors on state TV never question the Kremlin's version of facts and reinforce its tropes about de- Nazification. No mention that President Zelensky is Jewish or Russian missiles killed civilians near a holocaust memorial in Kyiv. Even so, some, mostly younger Russians, see through their government's lies, get their news from friends, independent and social media.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Almost all of us are understanding this thing, that there is a lot of lie around. So, we do not know what's happening.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I think this is a crime. An aggression against a neighboring country. Our government invaded. Now, they are killing people.

UNKNOWN (through translator): It's awful. What can we think about it? Normal people understand everything. But we can't do anything. Because we're afraid, like everyone else.

ROBERTSON (on camera): The government is so worried independent media could challenge their narrative. In the past few days, it shut down two outlets and is right now preparing a law that would criminalize what it calls fake media. It could carry a maximum 15-year jail sentence.

(Voice-over): Despite the Kremlin's best efforts at controlling the narrative, many Russians have taken to the streets, angered by Putin's war. More than 7,500 people arrested so far, including this elderly lady at a protest in St. Petersburg Wednesday. And no surprise, this video has yet to be shown on state media.

(On camera): There is nothing more dangerous for President Putin and Russia today than the truth. Armed with evidence of what is happening in Ukraine, many Russians may reconsider their relationship with him and that could challenge his rule.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (on camera): All right, Nic, thank you very much. Joining me now, Ambassador William Taylor, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Ambassador, appreciate you joining us. I have to first ask you about this fire at Europe's largest nuclear power plant after it was shelled in Ukraine. Aside from the shock that something like this even happened, are there options diplomatically in an event like this? Communication, backchannels to Russia, for example?

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Well, there have to be direct channels to Russia, Don. And the Ukrainians just today had some of those direct channels in their conversations that talked about humanitarian corridors.

So, they made some progress. The Ukrainians and the Russians got together on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. This would have been a perfect topic and it is a perfect topic. There's no reason it can't be taken up.

This is the kind of emergency -- this is the kind of disaster in the making that both sides have a lot to agree on how to solve it. The Russians need to pull back, their firefighters need to be able to get it there, and they need to be able to address this fire.

LEMON: Ambassador, whether it is, you know, this nuclear power plant or the huge destruction in several Ukrainian cities where residential areas have been hit, Russian attacks look -- it looks totally indiscriminate. Are you worried about this conflict getting completely out of control?

TAYLOR: Absolutely. This is indiscriminate. It is killing women and children and innocent people in cities, downtown cities. Don, we've talked about this before. This is a war crime. These clearly are perpetrated intentionally. These are not accidents. When it's directed at civilians and it's intentional, that's a war crime. And it can be addressed and that needs to be addressed starting with the humanitarian corridors.

But the way to get to Mr. Putin is going to have to be direct. And as Nic just reported, the direct route is likely to be Russian people in the streets.

LEMON: Yeah. I mean, the video -- as you were speaking -- I don't know if we could please re-rack that video -- as you were speaking, the video of what's happening in Borodyanka and the destruction, it is just unbelievable. And ambassador, for what? For what?

[23:25:00]

That's -- Don, that's exactly right. What is this for? What is -- how can he justify it? As we've said, he looked for a justification to be able to answer the question you just asked, for what? He couldn't find one. He couldn't get one. He talks about de-Nazification.

And you pointed out, the president of Ukraine is Jewish. There is no rationale. He couldn't even get the Ukrainians to give him a rationale. He couldn't provoke them. They were disciplined and didn't fall into the trap. So, there is no answer to that question, why? There is no answer. The Russian people will know it. The international community knows it. The people in Europe know it. The Russian people are learning that.

And, two things. One, when their sons and daughters come back to be buried, they are going to be angry and demanding an answer to the question you just asked. Number two, their quality of life, sad to say, but normal Russians are going to pay for the sins, the decisions of President Putin in their quality of life. When their ruble doesn't buy what it used to buy and they are not able to maintain what they had before, they will be angry and they'll go to the streets.

LEMON: A French government source saying that Putin indicated on a phone call with President Macron that he intends to go all the way and take over all of Ukraine and basically saying the worst is yet to come. How do you think this crisis ends?

TAYLOR: I think this crisis ends in a long grind, a long resistance, a continued resistance. I mean, Ukrainians are resisting now. They will continue to resist. Whatever the military outcome of the next week or two or three, the Ukrainians will resist. They will either resist and the Russians for whatever reason, because Russians go to the streets or there's someone within the Kremlin, there's a palace coup or whatever it is, that could be the resistance succeeding.

Or if he is able, if President Putin is able to get to Kyiv and President Zelenskyy at the end has to move to the southwestern part of the country or whatever, he will continue to lead this. And that, Don, is what I'm talking about is the long grind. That's the long resistance that Ukrainians will put up. The Ukrainians will not give in.

LEMON: You know, in the report that Nic filed just before it ran, just before you were on, it is shocking to see some people can see through the lies. But most of what Russians are watching is really just pure propaganda. Are you worried that could actually fuel support for Putin's war within Russia?

TAYLOR: I do. But I also thought Nic's report was insightful. In particular, young people. They saw -- they are seeing through it. They are experiencing the pain of the economic sanctions already. The young people understand ways to get information. And they don't have to go through the government-controlled TV stations. They understand. And that will spread. That will spread. You cannot hide this from the Russian people.

LEMON: Thousands of Russians have been detained for protesting in an effort to control dissent. Two Russian deputies put forth a draft bill that would force Russians into military service in Donbas if they protest the invasion. Is that going to make Russians afraid of speaking out? You said after this that, you know, they may take to the streets, they may be demanding answers, but, you know, forcing them now, saying they've got to do it, is that going to perhaps change?

TAYLOR: That will probably reinforce the backlash that -- if you tell people, if you protest, we're going to throw you in jail, if you protest, we're going to make you go into the army, this will fuel the anger, this will fuel the dissent, this will fuel the protests, this will fuel opposition leaders taking to this issue.

No, I think this will have a backlash if he tries to do this. You know, they can only oppress so much. When you get millions in the street, you can't have an effect. If you get tens of thousands, if you get a couple hundred here, then you can suppress -- then you can oppress. But when you get hundreds of thousands, when you get millions in the street, you can't stop that.

LEMON: Yeah. Ambassador Taylor, thank you. I appreciate you joining us.

TAYLOR: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: Ukrainian forces trying to hold back Russians advancing toward Kyiv in the north as fierce fighting explodes in the south. One city completely under siege as Ukrainians desperately try to hold on.

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[23:30:00]

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LEMON (on camera): Russian forces gaining ground in key cities in the south of Ukraine. The Ukrainian National Guard says there has been constant bombing, including of residential buildings and schools.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in Odesa with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): The town of Kherson refuses to give up, it seems.

[23:35:00]

Looting crippling life here. This Russian soldier's bid to get into a cell phone store, a sign of the lawless world they brought with them, where food and medicine is lacking. And what life is left made more unbearable by the laying of tripwire mines, local officials said. This one posted online to warn others.

On the other side of Russian-held Crimea, Mariupol under siege without water or electricity. The mayor saying the Russian -- quote -- "scum have found no other way to break us."

The prize in the south is this. Odesa. Its opera house fortified. Its coastline a harder task, where tide could bring Russians in with it, yet still lapse as if nothing has changed. An Estonian ship sank Thursday east of here. Its crew rescued with Ukrainian officials accusing Russia of shelling it to act as cover for their landing ships. Any hour now, when the landing force could come irrevocably into view.

Odesa brims with locals ready, though. Like so many here, these civilian defenders don't want their whereabouts filmed, but are happy to speak.

Genia (ph) is chief marketing officer for an IT company. He has traveled Europe and Africa but joined up to fight on day one.

UNKNOWN: Unfortunately, I have lost two of my friends in Kherson two days ago.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): I'm sorry.

UNKNOWN: They also have been --

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Are they fighting in Kherson?

UNKNOWN: Yeah, they were fighting. And they were in volunteer troop. So, they have no military background at all. Both of them are programmers.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): We are joined by Lera (ph), age 19, a nanny who fled Russians in Crimea when she was 11.

We're ready to the end to defend our land, she said. The occupiers came to my home before. My family are still there. Only I could leave because I don't want to live in Russia.

Across town, mothers knit camouflage knitting while, like Nelia, their daughters fight. Hers staying behind to defend Kyiv.

NELIA KONONOVA, VOLUNTEER: We know the danger. We know that it will come. But we didn't know when will it come. And I asked them, children, come here. Please, be safe. Come to me. But they didn't want. No, mom, please stay alive, stay safe, but we will defend because everybody loves our -- everybody. Sorry. Sorry. Everybody wants to be independent, to be free. They decided to stay there, and I can't influence their decision. But I pray every day. I pray every night for them to stay alive.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): The defiant words of the Ukrainian soldiers of Snake Island, who told a Russian ship where to shove it, echo here.

KONONOVA: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) (bleep). Russian ship (bleep). It's the logo, it's the logo now in Ukraine.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): They will need more than high spirits in the days ahead.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Odesa, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (on camera): Thank you, Nick.

Brave citizens staying behind in Ukraine to help the most vulnerable. I'm going to speak with one who is sheltering and feeding his fellow Ukrainians in a city under attack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [23:40:00]

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LEMON: Words alone can't convey the horror that Vladimir Putin is inflicting on Ukraine. Photos and video paint a more complete picture, one of resilience. Ukraine's second biggest city, Kharkiv, especially hard hit by Putin's brutality. Russian shells targeting government buildings, shops, schools and residential buildings, killing innocent people.

But residents of Kharkiv are not cowering in fear. This man waving the Ukrainian flag in a city square.

The owner of this bar and his friends gathering to cook, bag and deliver meals to local people. People who didn't ask Putin to bomb their city, but who are refusing to run. Regular folks who want to go about their lives but now fight for survival. Kharkiv residents who now have to wonder if a Russian shell will destroy their homes or wonder what will happen to their loved ones and their beloved city. Brave people who are sending a message to Putin that they won't give up.

The owner of the bar is Bohdan Yurov, who says that the people of Kharkiv are not afraid, they're angry. And Bohdan joins me now. Thank you so much, sir. I appreciate it. You and your team have been delivering food and other aid to families and those who are afraid to leave their homes all over the city. We just showed some of these people, the pictures a moment ago.

[23:45:03]

Can you tell us how this all got started, please?

BOHDAN YUROV, SHELTERING AND FEEDING FELLOW UKRAINIANS: Well, it started kind of crazy. The first days were just constant shelling. Everyone just running all around. And then trying to find some place to stay. And then there was this idea, like, why don't we just transform the bar to some kind of shelter for our friends and neighbors?

But then in, like, two or three days, I got contacted by multiple guys. Hey, guys, do you cook foods? You have kitchen, so why won't you help subways, shelters. And then immediately we understood that there were like dozens of different chats in Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber. People from restaurants, from bar all around the city apparently help to feed different people.

So, now, we feed like 1,500 people per day, I suppose. Yeah, something like this. But it's not only us. It's literally hundreds of different restaurants that do it for free. There are multiple like dozens of volunteers that ride all across the city. And even when there is some shelling, you know, bombing, you still need food because -- it's not only subways.

For subways, it's quite straightforward. You just cook like a few hundred kilograms of food and then deliver it in a single package. But at the same time, we have some grandmas, grandpas that simply cannot afford to leave the house because they're too afraid. But yeah, in general --

LEMON: That is understandable. But getting supplies in, I mean, that's not easy, if at all. How long can you keep it up, especially with getting food?

YUROV: At the beginning, it was straightforward. We had supplies for the bar. Like, you know, you need to keep it just in case someone comes in. So, just for typical workload. But it was quite obvious that we are not going to reopen. So, we've been using our supplies. And soon as we start ordering foods, we are contacted by different supermarkets. So, we just ordered directly. So, for now it's --

LEMON: Are you working with any bigger organizations, any defense forces, or is your team acting completely independently, Bohdan?

YUROV: Independently. So right now, we're utilizing our supplies and we've got some money for the bar. So, we're mostly utilizing it. So, yeah, it's completely independent.

LEMON: I just want to put up some of the videos for our viewers to see of you driving through the city. How do you feel driving all over a city that is under attack, Bohdan?

YUROV: Yeah, as I've said, the first days were crazy. But you literally get used. So eventually, we tried to be in shelter every time we hear some bombs or airplanes. But on the third day, it was quite obvious that we just cannot sit and wait. So, it's either you sit all the time or you just ignore the bombs and drive. We are getting like 20 minutes window before bomb. It's either you sit all the time or you just ride all around. So, you need to get used.

LEMON: What are your feelings toward Russia and toward Putin?

YUROV: I mean, personally? Well, it's like I'm also angry as well. Right now, we're not thinking about some -- we're almost thinking about how to feed local people.

LEMON: And how are you guys holding up? The people you're delivering to and you're seeing?

YUROV: I think actually quite good. It's much better than I have expected. Like, for everyone, it was quite obvious that there's a war coming. You know, we've got it since 2014. But at the same time, I see smiles. I see people still keeping strong.

So, what we try to help with is not to allow people to panic. Everyone believes that, yeah, there is a chance for us to just keep strong and eventually win. So, it's not like everyone crying all around. Yeah.

LEMON: Are people able to see media accounts? Can you -- are they watching the news there and what are they seeing, if so?

YUROV: The primary source is Telegram. Like all city is using Telegram to get their news. So, we have hundreds of local groups. Like literally one of those groups is like 500,000 people from Kharkiv, sitting right together. So yes, everyone is watching it constantly.

LEMON: Yeah.

YUROV: When I'm in shelter, I can see like 20 people always on the phone because everyone is just continuously watching news.

LEMON: Yeah. Bohdan, thank you. You're a good man. We appreciate it. Be safe, okay?

YUROV: Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you. We'll be right back.

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[23:50:00]

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LEMON: Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, condemning Russia's attack on the nuclear power plant tonight, saying in a Facebook post, and I quote here, "Europe needs to wake up now. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe is on fire now. Russian tanks are shooting at the atomic blocks equipped with thermal imagers. They know what they are shooting at. They've been preparing for this."

Ukraine State of Emergency Services saying 40 firefighters are now tackling the blaze. President Zelenskyy calling on the world to stop Russian forces before this becomes a nuclear disaster, going on to say, there are 15 nuclear reactors in Ukraine. If one of them blows, that is the end for everyone.

[23:55:00]

That's the end of Europe. All of Europe will have to evacuate. Immediate action must be taken to stop the Russian army. Don't allow the death of Europe. Stop this potential atomic catastrophe.

People all over the world are watching as Vladimir Putin's brutal military assault on Ukraine unleashes a humanitarian disaster.

CNN's Impact Your World team has verified ways that viewers can help provide humanitarian aid. For more information on how you can help, go to cnn.com/impact.

And thank you for watching. Our live coverage continues.

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UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.