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Don Lemon Tonight

U.S. And NATO Believe Russia Now Poised To Bombard Ukrainian Cities Into Submission; Russian Forces Occupying Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant; Young Men From Around The World Answering Ukraine's Call To Help Fight "Russian War Criminals." Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired March 04, 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: This is DON LEMON TONIGHT. Our breaking news, a source telling CNN that U.S. and NATO officials now believe Russian forces are poised to bombard Ukrainian cities into submission and likely inflict even more casualties across Ukraine.

The U.N. reporting at least 331 civilians have been killed since Russia launched its invasion last week and there are fears that the actual toll may be even much higher.

Also tonight, Russian troops now occupying the giant Ukrainian nuclear facility that they attacked and plant officials saying technicians are working now at gunpoint.

I want to go now to CNN international correspondent Michael Holmes. He is in Lviv, Ukraine. And our senior White House correspondent, Phil Mattingly, joins us from the White House, of course. Hello to both of you, gentlemen.

Michael, I'm going to start with you in Lviv. The Pentagon is saying that Russia has fired more than 500 missiles in Ukraine and western intelligence officials telling CNN that U.S. and NATO, and U.S. and NATO believe that Russia now plans to -- quote -- "bombard cities into submission." Talk about the toll that could take on the ordinary people who are helping to fight for their country.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, hi, Don. Yeah, it's frightening, isn't it? Just those words, it's chilling, this intel, moving to bombard Ukrainian cities into submission, just those words. And as you and I have discussed in the past, you can look at Grozny in Chechnya, Aleppo in Syria, and you can see what that could look like. It is chilling.

And you get from people we speak to, you know, a real sense of foreboding about how bad this could get. You mentioned the civilian death toll, the official one, it's one of the hundreds. It's likely much bigger than that already. And the sort of bombardment they're talking about, it just doesn't bear thinking about.

Already some of the video images from Ukrainian towns and cities like Kharkiv and others, you know, what we know is happening in the port city of Mariupol, it's horrifying. The reality is though that those awful images might just be the taste of what might be about to happen if Putin follows through.

LEMON: The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appearing for NATO to do more -- appealing, I should say, excuse me, for NATO to do more to protect the citizens. He is not holding back tonight, right?

HOLMES (on camera): Absolutely. I mean, he is desperate. We've heard that he is desperate right now for more help. And let us just take a quick listen to some of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): Today, the alliances leadership gave a greenlight for further bombing of Ukrainian towns and villages, refusing to make a no-fly zone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES (on camera): Yeah, the West is helping, of course, Don, with weapons and sanctions, but the risk for the U.S. and NATO is how to help without triggering a regionwide conflict. The whole notion of a no-fly zone keeps coming up, but the reality is if you're going do that, you're going to have to be willing to shoot down Russian planes, and we know that the West and NATO just aren't going to do that, Don.

LEMON: Yeah. So, Phil, listen, presidents usually deal with domestic issues, right? From time to time, they have to deal with this war as hell. And you know the White House is closely monitoring the situation, especially at the nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Now, you have the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. warning that another plant may be in danger. How is the White House handling the situation, Phil?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., her comments today underscored a real acute anxiety I heard from officials across the administration today, not just about the events of last night, but what it portends for the future, and not because they believe that there's some grand Russian strategy when it comes to nuclear power plants, but the appearance that there wasn't one at all.

You heard words from officials like reckless, dangerous, the height of responsibility. That was the view coming out of last night, coming out of seeing the videos of those fire fights, rushing and scrambling to get more information. Now, the good news is that U.S. officials say it was never on the brink of a nuclear meltdown. There's been no indication of any radiation leaks in the area at this point in time.

But when you talk to U.S. officials about what transpired last night -- look, there's really little, Don, that surprises them at this point, seven, eight, nine days into this invasion. This is one of those issues, a very dire moment, recognizing it. The country has four active power plants. You heard from the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. that there is concern about a second power plant as well.

[23:04:58]

And the broader implication, regionally, globally, about where something like this could end up going, one official I was talking to earlier today said, while this was never on the brink of a nuclear meltdown, it is to say, put it mildly, never a good idea to have a firefight at a nuclear power plant. As this person put it, things can escalate very quickly, Don.

LEMON: Yeah. From the U.S. president back to the Ukrainian president, Michael, Zelenskyy gave a speech that was broadcast in several cities in Europe, where thousands came out to show support for Ukraine. What can this kind of direct appeal do, especially in these former Soviet bloc countries?

HOLMES: Yeah, it's an important thing. He spoke via Zoom, several European cities simultaneously, encouraging Europe to stand with Ukraine, asked for a moment of silence for those who have fallen already.

And the thing is, as you say, a lot of those nations, especially former Soviet bloc countries, they're watching what is happening here in horror and not just because of what is being done here, but because Putin, of course, have made it clear, he has his eyes on other countries in the neighborhood, those former Soviet states who have moved west.

Those people I know -- in fact, I interviewed the president of Lithuania a couple of days ago, he said, you know, the Baltic states are all worried about what Putin might do in the region when or if he is done with Ukraine, and that he might, you know, turn tanks towards them. They're very worried.

LEMON: Yeah. Hey, really quickly, Phil. How often are the two presidents talking? Can you give us an idea of that or is it just sort of intermittent as needed?

MATTINGLY: It seems to be dependent on circumstances. Obviously, they spoke last night. They speak probably every two or three days. I will say that based on officials I've spoken to here, they are in direct contact at a lower level, on a seemingly daily.

At some point, it feels like hourly basis with what's going on the ground with Ukraine, what the needs are, what the U.S. and their allies can deliver. But the leader-to-leader conversations have been at least over the course of the last couple of weeks happening every two to three-day basis.

LEMON (on camera): All right. Gentlemen, thank you very much. I appreciate it. I want to bring in now retired Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt. He is also the former assistant secretary of state for Political Military Affairs. Thank you, general. Appreciate it. it is good to see you. I wish it was, of course, under different circumstances that we were speaking to each other once again.

Tonight, we have this dramatic video of Ukrainian workers at that nuclear power plant telling the Russians to stop shooting. Let's listen to it and then we'll discuss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): He goes on, you are endangering the security of the entire world. Attention, stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility! Stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility! Stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility! Attention, stop it!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): So General Kimmitt, look, here is the reality. Russia now controls two nuclear power plants. There are many others in the country. It has said that they're going towards another one, from the U.N. ambassador. What is your concern about that right now?

MARK KIMMITT, RETIRED U.S. ARMY BRIGADIER GENERAL: Well, I think the major concern is, if there is a nuclear accident in one of those facilities, a meltdown, obviously, the plumes of radiation will not simply affect Ukraine but will also spill into Russia and some of the other countries as well.

We can have another Chernobyl and there are 18 of these inside the country. So, you can imagine if we have 18 Chernobyl, it will be the greatest nuclear catastrophe in modern history.

LEMON: The head of NATO says today that Russia has deployed these banned cluster bombs against Ukrainians. CNN's own teams --

KIMMITT: Yeah.

LEMON: -- have seen the so-called vacuum bombs rolling into the country. Talk to us about what makes these weapons so hideous?

KIMMITT: Well, in the case of the cluster munitions, this is an artillery shell that will explode in the air. It will drop dozens of grenades onto the ground. Most will explode, some won't. So, what is left over becomes an explosive hazard to people that are walking through the area.

And in the case of the vacuum bombs, the vacuum bomb, the thermobaric bombs, the problem is it's like a fuel air explosive. Everybody has seen the movie where the good guy turns on the gas vouch inside the bad guys' house, walks out, and ignites it.

Unlike the regular artillery shell that has dynamite, that is what explodes, this is a fuel air explosive that you let the fuel into the air, let it seep out into different areas you lighted, and it really has the effect not dissimilar to a nuclear weapon.

[23:09:57]

LEMON: But general, I mean, what is -- the purpose is obvious, but why on earth would Vladimir Putin and the Russians use these, especially that type of weapon, on an area that they want to be part of their own territory? It seems like they're just destroying and killing people for no purpose. Why use those types of weapons in a civilian area?

KIMMITT: This is the Russian way of war. They don't think emotionally. They believe in what they call this correlation of forces. We have to dominate the warfare space. And whether it is civilians -- it's not that they're shooting at civilians intentionally, they are just indifferent to the fact that civilians happen to be in that area they're targeting.

They are conducting modern-day sieges at cities such as Mariupol, Lviv will soon be that way, Kyiv will soon be that way. It is just the way they fight. They fought that way at Stalingrad. They fought that way in Grozny. We are going to see -- unless Zelenskyy surrenders or allows the cities to surrender, these will be modern-day sieges that will be started by bombardments time after time after time.

They will surround the city. They will then starve the city because what they're trying to do is make sure that if they have to put their soldiers in those cities, it is under the most favorable terms possible. We saw this in Stalingrad. The Germans didn't get defeated at Stalingrad. They were starved at Stalingrad. This is the Russian way of war.

LEMON: It is not about humanity, it's about dominating. The U.S. put 52 bombers (ph) -- go on. Go on, general.

KIMMITT: It is mathematical. It is not emotional. It is mathematical. That is the way they look at warfare. A correlation of forces that dominates the other side will win the war, will win that battle.

LEMON: So, I want to talk about what the U.S. is doing. They put B-52 bombers over NATO's eastern flank today in an exercise with our allies. Is the alliance doing this to keep Putin from even thinking about pushing into other countries? What's going on here?

KIMMITT: Yeah, that is messaging, pure and simple. What the NATO coalition is saying is that we will defend, as the vice president said, every inch of NATO territory. We are moving troops into that area. Other countries are moving their troops into that area.

We are flying B-52s and other capabilities to let the Russians know that we are prepared, we are deterring now. But if that deterrence fails, we are prepared to defend. That's the mission we had during the Cold War. That's the mission I had as a young officer on the East German border for years and years.

LEMON: We appreciate having you on. We'll have you back. Thank you, general. Thank you so much.

KIMMITT: Sure. Thank you.

LEMON: The city of Mariupol in Southeast Ukraine under heavy Russian shelling and completely surrounded. Humanitarian conditions deteriorating. No water or power. A convoy of journalists leaving the city, stopped by Russian tanks. The encounter absolutely harrowing, as we see firsthand from ITV news reporter John Irvine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN IRVINE, ITV NEWS REPORTER (voice-over): Without electricity, water or fuel, we could no longer report from inside Mariupol. So, we decided to join what would be the last convoy to escape. The city has a large Greek community and Athens had tried to secure safe passage for a (INAUDIBLE) of Greek diplomats, citizens, and foreign journalists.

With Mariupol just five miles behind us, tanks suddenly appeared in the midst. We hope they were Ukrainian, but they were not. We filmed the Russians as surreptitiously as possible.

I can (INAUDIBLE) four Russian tanks. Thankfully, the crews at the minute appear to be quite relaxed. Somebody from our lead vehicle is going to have a chat to convince them that we are who we say we are, an innocent convoy leaving Mariupol for safety. You can see the (INAUDIBLE) on one side of one of the tanks. I can't, anyway, but definitely Russians.

At one point, the tank turret turned our way.

[23:15:00]

URBAN: We were staring down the barrel. It's not clear what spooked them, but something definitely did. And suddenly, some of the Russian soldiers to the right and left of the tank were kneeling and aiming their rifles at our convoy.

Thankfully, the situation eventually calmed down. They then checked our IDs, searched our vehicles, and allowed us to proceed. It took a while to drive through what turned out to be a large Russian-armored column.

(On camera): Dozens and dozens of vehicles, armored personnel carriers, tanks, hundreds of men.

(Voice-over): Their presence confirmed that Mariupol is indeed encircled and it is taking a pummeling. We were leaving behind a city where the deputy mayor claims Russian shelling today killed hundreds of civilians. To the Russian-speaking people of this region, it must feel as if these Russian soldiers are guilty of fratricide.

John Irvine, ITV News, in Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, John, thanks so much.

The U.S. and NATO believe Russia is poised to -- quote -- "bombard cities into submission in Ukraine" with the world watching in horror. How is this going to end? CNN's Fareed Zakaria is here after the break.

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[23:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Here is our breaking news, U.S. and NATO believe Russia is poised to bombard cities into submission in Ukraine, which would mean many more civilian casualties.

A senior western intelligence official was telling CNN, his experience with Russian leadership and Vladimir Putin leads him to believe -- quote -- "They have a completely different standard when it comes to respect for human life."

CNN's Fareed Zakaria is here. He is the host of "Fareed Zakaria GPS." He joins me now. Fareed, thank you. Appreciate you coming on this evening. You know, in the outskirts of Kyiv, a business center destroyed, a woman watching her house as it just goes up in flames. This video is really horrific. Now, officials say that Russia is poised to bombard these cities into submission. Do we -- I don't even know. I hate to ask you. How does it end? I don't think we know. But not good.

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST: Not good, Don, but not as good as the Russians might think going in, because the truth is you can bombard cities into submission, but one of the things that the United States learned in Vietnam, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, clearing is easier than holding.

Once you barrel your way through, you now have to hold these cities, and that means you hold them block by block, which means you've got to have somebody there, because otherwise, every time a Russian tank or armored vehicle goes down a street, somebody is going to throw a Molotov cocktail, somebody is going to have -- the Ukrainians are armed. There are a lot of arms in Ukraine.

So, it is going to be a very complicated challenge for the Russians to hold a country of 44 million people who don't want to be occupied by the Russians.

So, it looks grim for the Ukrainians because the Russians are being fairly brutal, but the truth is the Russians are also going to come up against a reality, which is this is in some ways militarily for them an easier path, they're just using brute force without worrying about casualties, but then holding this place is going to be really tough. This is a place that is much larger than Iraq. It has 44 million people. It is -- they are determined not to be occupied.

LEMON (on camera): Well, let's talk about what's to be done. I mean, you've heard the arguments from a lot of folks: The NATO should be doing more, the U.S. should be doing more. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy believes that NATO should be doing more, slamming NATO for refusing to establish a no-fly zone over the country. Listen and then we'll get your response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): We believe that NATO countries have created a narrative that closing the skies over Ukraine would cause Russia's aggression against NATO. This is the self-hypnosis of those who are weak, insecure inside, despite the fact they possess weapons many times stronger than we have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Look, he went on, he implied that any more deaths will be due to NATO's inaction. How do you see this, Fareed?

ZAKARIA: So, let's understand what a no-fly zone is. A no-fly zone is essentially an act of war. What you are doing is what NATO or the United States, because that's the only country that could enforce a no-fly zone, would be saying, if we see anything in the sky, we will shoot it down. So, what that would mean is an American plane with an American pilot would enter Ukrainian air space and shoot down a Russian plane.

That is a direct military confrontation between the United States and Russia, two nuclear-armed superpowers. That strikes me as a very dangerous course of action, and I think the Biden administration and NATO are properly very, very cautious about taking that step.

[23:25:02]

Now, it's also true President Zelenskyy is an incredibly brave man and he is under incredible pressure, but the truth is the Russians are not using the air to do most of the bombardment they are doing.

So, the truth of the matter is, it's not clear to me how much shutting down the air space would do. Yes, it does give the Russians an advantage, but most of the fighting is taking place on the ground, not on the air.

I would still urge that the most important thing we could do is to massively ratchet up the sanctions and to sanction the oil and gas industry. That is the source of Putin's wealth. That is the source of the Russian state's wealth.

It's important to understand, all these broad sanctions, a lot of them are hitting Russian oligarchs. We don't know how much influence they have over Putin. Some of them are hitting the Russian people. The vast majority of the Russian people have no say in any of this. It's not a democracy. They may not support the war. They may not support Putin. We have some evidence they don't.

What we need is the one thing, the goose that lays the golden egg for Vladimir Putin's war machine, and that is oil and natural gas revenues. You have to shut those down. I think that puts more pressure on Vladimir Putin than even doing some kind of a no-fly zone because they're dominant on the ground.

LEMON: So, why isn't the U.S. doing anything about it? Why isn't the White House doing what you're saying?

ZAKARIA: Because the fear is that it will trigger higher gasoline prices at home, it will trigger an energy crisis. It is an understandable fear. These are complicated issues. I would say I think that the American people would understand that what you have here is a superpower aggressor with nuclear weapons threatening to tear up the international order, threatening to essentially tear up the rule book, annex another country, alter borders by force. This is all historic stuff. You know? This is stuff we will be writing about in the history books for decades to come, centuries to come.

LEMON: Fareed, do you think the American people understand if their gas prices double, triple, quadruple, that gas prices go up? Because, you know, I was talking to former secretary, William Cohen, who said he believes that Americans should know, people should know that we have to sacrifice in these moments because democracy, freedom, they're all at stake right now.

But there are people who say, why this conflict? There are conflicts, skirmishes all over the world, why is this one so much different? Why are we involved? Why should we upend our lives, the price of our gas, and so on? You understand what I'm saying.

ZAKARIA: Right. I totally understand. Here is the simplest way to understand it. A skirmish that takes place between two small countries in Africa or the Middle East, Latin America, they don't threaten to upend the international system.

When you have a nuclear power, the largest nuclear power in the world, Russia has more nuclear weapons than the United States, a great power with a veto in the security council, when it threatens its neighbor what you are reverting to is a pattern of great power politics that is more reminiscent of the age of Hitler and Mussolini, more reminiscent of 19th century Europe where the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must, that is a very different world than we've lived in for the last 70 years and certainly ever since the end of the Cold War.

So, it's not, I mean, to put it directly to people who think about this and they say, why Ukrainians being -- why do we pay so much attention, is it just because they're white? No, it is not because Ukrainians are white or European. It's because their aggressor, their invader is a nuclear-armed superpower. That's the danger.

If Russia can get away with this, it can get away with invading Poland, it can get away with invading the Baltic states.

LEMON: Okay.

ZAKARIA: China can get away with invading Taiwan. You essentially tear up the rule book of international relations.

LEMON: Okay, Fareed. So then -- okay, go ahead. So then -- I think to add to that argument, then, if this is so important, if it's a nuclear superpower, then why aren't we doing more to help? Why aren't we supplying, you know, more -- troops at all? Why aren't we giving more, you know --

ZAKARIA: Yeah.

LEMON: -- why aren't we doing a no-fly zone? We should be -- the only thing that Putin will respond to is actual force. He is not going to be stopped through sanctions no matter how many sanctions you put on him. He is determined to take that territory. As General Kimmitt just says, this is not about emotion for him, this is pure mathematics. It is about force. He wants this territory.

[23:30:00]

He is going to do what he wants to do.

ZAKARIA: Right. So, look, what we are trying to do is balance the very real problem that having a nuclear-armed superpower, you know, upend the international order is a huge, huge problem and should be, you know, there should be some very heavy price to pay.

We're trying to, frankly, ensure that we don't have a nuclear war. And one of the rules that the United States and the Soviet Union used during the Cold War, which seemed to stand us in good stat and keep the world at peace and keep nuclear deterrent solid, was that there was no direct military conflict between the two nuclear-armed superpowers.

The theory is that that can escalate, right? Whichever side is losing will keep ratcheting up. So, it's a balance. You are trying to, you know, you're trying to do what is the best you can without risking a nuclear war.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, Fareed. That's what we're going to talk about next. Thank you, Fareed. I appreciate you joining us. We'll see you soon. We will be watching you on Sunday.

ZAKARIA: Always a pleasure.

LEMON: So, Russian forces now occupying the biggest nuclear plant in Europe. The Ukrainians pleads to stop that caught on tape. That is next.

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[23:35:00]

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LEMON (on camera): Tonight, Russian troops occupying the giant Ukrainian nuclear facility they attacked. Plant officials saying technicians are working at gunpoint, and Ukraine released this video of frantic moments during the attack, which caused a fire at the plant. It shows the inside of the plant's control room and a demand over the PA system that troops stop shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): He goes on, you are endangering the security of the entire world. Attention, stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility! Stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility! Stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility! Attention, stop it!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): And tonight, a U.S. official is saying Russian forces are now about 20 miles away from and closing in on Ukraine's second largest nuclear facility.

A lot to discuss with Edwin Lyman, the director of Nuclear Power Safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists. We had him on to talk about this breaking news just last night. He is back to discuss this. Thank you, Edwin, for joining us again.

The video inside the plant is horrifying. Nightmare scenario here. We're also seeing damage on the walkways of the facility from last night. What goes through your mind as you see how close this was to being something really much worse?

EDWIN LYMAN, DIRECTOR OF NUCLEAR POWER SAFETY, UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS: Well, by all accounts, it wasn't a close call. Fortunately, there are no reports that there is any serious damage to the nuclear facilities, into the safety systems that protect them. So, there haven't been any increases in radiation in the environment.

But the very fact that this power plant was the scene of an attack like this, that there was a fire that could potentially have propagated and spread to safety systems and caused wider damage is truly frightening, and I'm very concerned about what the future holds for the other nuclear plants in Ukraine.

LEMON: So, the nuclear operators on the plants say that the staff are now working at gunpoint. Does this increase the risk of something going wrong? I'm sure it does. Obviously, the stress, anxiety, fatigue, and so on.

LYMAN: You said it. To operate any nuclear plant, it is a very complex operation. You have to make split-second decisions and a mistake can be dire. So, operators generally have to be well-rested and at the top of their game. And certainly, it does not sound like the staff are working under (INAUDIBLE) of this plant meets those characteristics.

LEMON: Split-second decisions like what, Edwin?

LYMAN: Well, when in the control room and something happens, you know, there is a transit, you get indications of something that is going wrong, and you have to diagnose it and you have to know how to fix it, and that isn't always an easy thing. And so, it really does take a great deal of skill. Operators are trained on simulators to cope with these types of accidents. But fatigue and inattention have been big problems in the past in control rooms.

LEMON: Yeah. I got to ask you this before I let you go. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. says that Russian forces are 20 miles from enclosing on Ukraine's second largest nuclear facility. Are you concerned about another potentially disastrous situation there?

LYMAN: Well, there is no reason to think there won't be. I don't see the Ukrainians giving up with that fight. [23:40:00]

And so, we'll have to see what the future holds. But we're running out of time. There really need to be zones established around the nuclear plants, they are essentially cease-fire zones, until they can come up with a negotiated settlement on how to address the operation of these very sensitive and important facilities.

LEMON: Edwin Lyman, thank you for your time once again. Appreciate it.

LYMAN: Thank you. Have a good night.

LEMON: You, too. Thousands of Ukrainians desperately trying to flee their country, but some foreigners are trying to get in to fight against Russia.

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[23:45:00]

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LEMON: Ukraine's President Zelenskyy is not only standing up to Russian forces brutally attacking his country but calling on -- and I quote -- "citizens of the world" to join the fight against what he calls Russian war criminals. And tonight, groups of young men horrified by Russia's violent assault are answering his call.

CNN's Sara Sidner reports from near the Polish border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Przemysl Poland train station where the world's newest refugees are flooding in, we spot several men dressed in military gear walking with purpose out into the cold while most everyone else is trying to come in. We wondered who these men are who can only speak English and are itching to get to the border with Ukraine. They agree to talk with us, but first names only, and they asked us for help finding a ride to the border 20 minutes' drive away.

(On camera): Can you tell me what it is you are doing here in Poland very close to the border with Ukraine?

UNKNOWN: Just trying to help. Protect freedom. Simple as that.

SIDNER (on camera): What is your biggest concern? You're also here. Are you going in? How many people? What is your biggest concern? Where are you going?

UNKNOWN: We don't really know right now.

SIDNER (voice-over): There are six men total. They say they are strangers who met here in Poland. Mike is from Clearwater, Florida. A.J. is from South Dakota. Matt is from Nottingham, England. (On camera): What does this remind you of this time in history?

UNKNOWN: 1936 when fascism rose in Spain. A lot of people went over but not enough. If we had crushed fascism in 1936, we could have avoided 1939. That's what this feels like. If we don't stop it now, it is going to be our kids fighting this fight.

SIDNER (voice-over): They all came for one purpose: to fight for Ukraine. Most of these men say they are veterans of war. But Matt makes clear he has no military experience.

But they say they all left once they saw the brutal attack on Ukrainian citizens, jumping into action a day before President Zelenskyy called for more foreign fighters to join him in the fight against Russia.

ZELENSKYY (on-screen translation): Ukraine is already greeting foreign volunteers who are going to our country. The first sixteen thousand are already on their way to protect freedom and life for us and for all.

SIDNER (on camera): You're going in without a plan. Why?

UNKNOWN: Those people also have a family and friends and, you know, somebody has got to stand up for them and, you know, it's not just the U.S., it's not just Britain, it's the whole world is coming together.

SIDNER (voice-over): It is 3:00 a.m. with no plan, no one to pick them up on the Ukrainian side of the border, and little equipment. Some don't even have a heavy jacket in below freezing temperatures. They jump in a taxi, head for the border, and disappear into the night.

And they weren't the only ones. This French-Canadian who goes by the name Miguel Wally (ph) says he received a call from a friend asking for help in Ukraine.

UNKNOWN: I'm a veteran but I'm programming, right? So, last Friday, my friend who is in the jeep, he called me and said, okay, we really need you because you're an ex-sniper and can you join us? I said, yeah, okay, I'll do it.

SIDNER (voice-over): They and the other foreign men all heading into war without the might of their country's military to back them up.

(On camera): I mean, you guys are going into war without a huge plan. What's your worry?

UNKNOWN: Not getting there.

SIDNER (voice-over): Sara Sidner, CNN, Przemysl, Poland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (on camera): Sara, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

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[23:50:00]

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LEMON (on camera): Normally this week, we'd be introducing you to our first CNN hero of 2022. But as the world turns to Ukraine, so do we. Russia's invasion and the missile attack near the holocaust memorial in Kyiv earlier this week have evoked echoes of World War II. And the Ukraine's holocaust survivors, now in their 80s and 90s, the crisis hits especially close to home as they find themselves once again at risk.

2014 CNN hero Zane Buzby has been helping this vulnerable population across Eastern Europe for almost 15 years. And now, amidst the turmoil, she is stepping up to do even more. We caught up with her in Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Many explosions in and around Kyiv, the largest invasion in Europe since World War II.

UNKNOWN: I don't believe it's happening really.

ZANE BUZBY, 2014 CNN HERO: This is terrible for the Ukrainian people and absolutely horrendous for the holocaust survivors. A lot of these people are the last person in their family, the only one who survived. These people went through this once already. And so, for them, something like this trigger all this trauma.

[23:55:02]

She's holding a picture of her family that was killed.

In Ukraine, right now, we have just under 350 survivors who were helping. They're spread out across this vast country. They don't have extended families. So, they're very lonely as well. The early memories come back and haunt them at night.

So, we have our translators and our people on the ground over there making sure they're okay. We spoke to her daughter only yesterday. So, she's okay. We don't want food sources to run out. We're getting them as much medication as possible now because who knows in two weeks what's going to happen.

These are the people who we have caregivers for. So, they're kind of going through this together. The important thing is to give them some comfort and care, just like a family, and that's what we bring them.

This was the woman who said, you are like a daughter, a grandchild and a niece and a friend all in one.

We have to make sure that these survivors are not left alone during this devastating time. It's been logistically different but we're doing it. So important that they know they haven't been forgotten.

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LEMON (on camera): To find out how you can support Zane's work and nominate your own CNN hero, go to cnnheroes.com.

And thank you for watching, everyone. Our live coverage continues.

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