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Don Lemon Tonight

Intense Shelling Killed Six People In Kharkiv; Pictures Of Atrocities Shown To The World; Russia's Pattern Of Invasion; New Sanctions Includes Putin's Family; Kharkiv Not A Safe Place To Stay; POWs Tortured Before They've Been Released; Tiger Woods Practicing For The Masters. Aired 11-12a ET

Aired April 05, 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.

Russian forces increasingly focusing on capturing regions in eastern and southern Ukraine. The military governor of Kharkiv saying that the city and its surrounding areas were hit by at least 54 Russian strikes over the past day. At least six killed.

And new atrocities discovered as Russian troops retreat from areas near Kyiv. Horrifying scene unfolding in Borodyanka. Bodies laying out in the open in a city now in ruins. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy addressing the U.N. Security council describing the horrors he witnessed in Bucha.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): There is not a single crime that they would not commit there. The Russian military searched for and purposely killed anyone who served our country. They killed -- shot and killed women outside their houses when they just tried to call someone who is alive. They killed entire families, adults and children. And they tried to burn the bodies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: General Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs, telling Congress today that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is the greatest threat to peace and security in Europe and the world in decades.

CNN's John Vause is in Lviv tonight live for us. John, hello to you. We're getting new video showing the town of Borodyanka completely destroyed. More bodies and more allegations of war crimes. This is about 30 miles northwest of Kyiv. What are you learning?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is where Ukrainian authorities have said they expect to find the highest number of civilians who have been killed so far. Just by context, it's a small town. Before the war home to about 14,000 people. It's located on a key access road which leads directly to the capital Kyiv. Now, in terms of what's happening there, the destruction is

everywhere. You can see buildings where floors have fallen one on top of the other, accordion style because they've been hit by airstrikes. Artillery shells have left entire neighborhoods in rubble.

And there are volunteers who are now going out searching through all of this trying to find bodies. And what they're finding, the bodies are civilians. Someone riding a bicycle. A child's body which is beyond recognition. Another driver of a car who's been shot in the head and the chest. It appears this person was trying to deliver medical supplies.

And there are bodies which have been dumped in back yards. CNN spoke to one couple that found a corpse of a man next to their garden shed. His head had been covered. Hands tied behind his back. His feet had been bound. There were bruises all over the body which is indicative of some kind of torture. Shot dead with a bullet to the back of the head.

Residents have also talked about Russian soldiers occupying their houses and using them as barracks and looting, if you like, taking clothes, whatever else they could. And a lot of drinking, a lot of alcohol being consumed as well apparently, according to these residents. And this is just the beginning. They expect a lot more of this sort of horrific stories to come out, Don.

LEMON: Let's talk about Kharkiv because deadly explosions have been hitting there. How bad is it getting in that city, John?

VAUSE: Well, this is now where the Russian forces have decided they're going to essentially turn their firepower. It's going to be on the east. The question will be is this the start of their full-on offensive which we have been expecting?

[23:04:56]

Have they had time to rearm, resupply, get reinforcements in and is this the beginning of that full-on offensive or is this just sort of the beginning of the warm up -- 54 strikes in the region over two days would indicate over the last day or so, would indicate this is some kind of ramping up and essentially the people of Kharkiv are now hunkering down I guess for worse to come.

LEMON: John Vause, thank you very much. We'll see you at the top of the hour. I want to turn now to CNN military analyst and retired air force colonel Cedric Leighton. Colonel, good evening to you.

The battle lines are more dynamic tonight than they have been in weeks. So, when we look at what Ukraine has already taken back and Russia's so-called refocus on the south and east what cities remain in the most danger?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: So, Don, good evening. The main city is just what you talked about, Kharkiv, right here in the northeast area of Ukraine. You look at this area right here, this is the Donbas region. This is where the Russians want to focus most of their efforts here and here.

The other area is coming up from the south. This is where I think a junction of forces could occur if the Ukrainians don't prevent it. And that would be here in the town of Dnipro, which is right on the Dnipro River. And it divides Ukraine into east and west quadrants.

And then the final city, don, that I think is at risk is this one right here. That's Odessa. That's the port city. The third largest city in the country. But the highest volume of trade goes through here under normal times and normal conditions. And these are the areas that I think will be the focus of the Russians. Primarily here with a secondary over here.

LEMON: The Pentagon has ordered more switchblade drones including many of a newer generation than the ones promised in March. The S-600 is a tank killer. How could these impact the battlefield?

LEIGHTON: So, these could impact the battlefield in several ways, Don. First of all, just really quickly, this has a range of 20 miles. Can stay up for about 40 minutes in loiter time. Cruises at about 70 but can make a quick dash at 115 miles per hour. And as it says here, it's got anti-armor and anti-personnel capabilities.

And one of the things to look at here is how does this actually work. So, the folks at AeroVironment have this video here that they show us. Abd what they're doing here is they're killing enemy SAM sites, enemy radar associated with SAMs. And they have a direct hit. And they were able to do this because they have siting capabilities like this. They can use these handheld devices. One person, usually two, can control this.

And any target that goes in and out of their field of view can then be determined. They can look at it. They can also make sure that they don't hit targets that they didn't intend to hit. For example, here's this civilian truck that's coming in at the same time as an armored personnel carrier. The drone has a wave-off capability. It can come back and it can hit the target like that.

LEMON: Wow. Wow. Fascinating. Listen, we have discussed why the U.S. is hesitant to provide Ukraine with systems like jet fighters, Colonel. What other tools can help them close the skies as, you know -- against Russia's missiles?

LEIGHTON: So, this is, you know, -- obviously the tanks aren't going to close off the skies here, but this is one of the weapons systems that they could actually get. The S-600 could be used to help with some of this. Other things that could happen would be to give them frankly the capability to shoot down enemy aircraft.

So that is the most important thing. They have some of that of course with the Javelin missiles, Don. But the key thing is this. They need higher-range systems like the s-300 to take out the low-altitude and medium altitude as well as high-altitude air threats that the Russians would provide them.

LEMON: The graphic and horrific images coming out, you know, of formerly occupied places like Bucha also reveal heaps of destroyed Russian vehicles. Do images like these give us any insight really into the state of Russia's armored units here?

LEIGHTON: So that's a very interesting point because you know, when you look at what has happened here the map shows us how far the Ukrainians have actually come. This is the most that we've seen of Ukrainian forces in the yellow here as they've deployed around Kyiv. Kyiv being of course right here.

This is -- this is the metropolitan area right here. The Antonov airport being one of the key areas that they hit first. But the kinds of things that they are looking at, you know, these tanks were part of Russia's main inventory. They're also being used by the Ukrainians. They are very vulnerable to drone strikes. They're very vulnerable to other kinds of strikes, ambushes, things like that.

[23:09:52]

And what it tells us about the Russian ability to actually maintain their vehicles is that these vehicles require a lot of maintenance. They require a lot of fuel. And the Russian logistical capabilities aren't up to speed. At least they weren't up to speed when it comes to Kyiv. Whether they'll be up to speed when it comes to places like Kharkiv, that may be another story. But they need a lot of work on logistics if they're going to make these things work on the battlefield.

LEMON: Colonel, you have drones, you have Stinger missiles, Javelins all helped defend Kyiv. But is that enough to take the fight to Russia in the east and south? And if not, what weapons do they need?

LEIGHTON: So it's not enough. These weapons are defensive in nature. And when it comes to these kinds of different tactics in a battle space like this, Don, what you're looking at is you need offensive capabilities.

The tank is one of these. The T-72 is basically a force-on-force kind of weapon. It allows for an offensive capability. The other things that they do need, even though it's off the table from a NATO standpoint, would be fighter jets that could augment the Ukrainian air force's capabilities.

So, a MiG-29 as an example, something they could use, something they're familiar with, that could actually work to provide an offensive capability that they have in a little bit but they need to augment that capability. They need to get a bit more of that in order to be able to actually take the battle to the Russians because the battle space that we're talking about here is one that is very large and it is -- it requires a lot of mobility on their part.

Right now, the Ukrainian forces are basically stationary in all of these areas that they've taken so far. But in order for them to move and take out Russian forces like in this region and in the south, they would need to become far more mobile than they currently are.

LEMON: Colonel Leighton, thank you so much. I appreciate it. LEIGHTON: You bet, Don, absolutely.

LEMON: I want to turn now to President Zelenskyy's scathing address to the U.N. Security Council today, describing the horrors of what Putin's forces did to Ukrainians in Bucha.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): civilians were crushed by tanks while sitting in their cars in the middle of the road. Just for their pleasure. They cut off limbs, slashed their throats, women raped and killed in front of their children. Their tongues were pulled out only because the aggressor did not hear what they wanted to hear from them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, now he's the president of Asia Society Policy Institute and author of the book "The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict Between the U.S. And Xi Jinping's China." Right here on my desk. Thank you. I can't wait to get into it.

Thank you. I really appreciate you joining us here.

KEVIN RUDD, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Good to be with you.

LEMON: Let's talk about you just heard what President Zelenskyy said about going -- he went into graphic detail about what Russia is doing to innocent Ukrainians. He told the U.N. Security Council, and I quote here, "to dissolve itself if it doesn't act immediately to punish Putin. What should -- what more should they be doing?

RUDD: What we face in Ukraine now are plainly not just a series of war crimes as defined in the Geneva Conventions but beyond that, when we the international community adopted the International Criminal Court about 20 years ago, we outlined a whole series of offenses as an international community which we said then would not be committed by armed forces against civilian populations.

That whole fabric has been ripped up. Therefore, the decision by the international community, led by NATO and others, to establish an investigation into war crimes being committed is the first step. But these people who have perpetrated these offenses both in the command structure and in the field, consistent with Nuremberg principles, must be held to account. And there's a mechanism for that to happen over time.

LEMON: He said there, he called for a new Nuremberg-type trial or investigation. You agree with that?

RUDD: I believe that's the right thing to do. Technically, the Russians can try and escape from the International Criminal Court because the methods of referral are complex. Russia is not a signatory to the Rome statute which underpins it. And secondly, because they've got veto power in the Security Council, it's difficult to have the case referred. Therefore, if you stand outside of that and looked at new mechanisms

like they did and had to innovate in 1945, then there is a way in which these folks can be brought to justice. If you let this just pass through, as if it's just one of those things that happened, then we as an international community are degraded by that. And we can't. This is rank barbarism of the first order.

LEMON: Yes. So, consider -- you have studied Xi Jinping, obviously, from the book, for a long time now.

RUDD: Yes.

LEMON: And he's one of Putin's new friends. What do you think Xi is thinking as he sees the Russian invasion, the troops retreating, morale in the gutter, at least six generals killed, and now the video of these alleged war crimes? And basically, I mean, this is genocide. What do you think he is thinking?

[23:15:01]

RUDD: I think Xi Jinping's view, to the extent which he is seeing all of this accurately, would be experiencing some level of buyer's remorse.

LEMON: OK. Wait a minute. You said if he's seeing it accurately.

RUDD: Well, in the Chinese political system there is a degree of reverence for the supreme leader. And that is they prefer often not to provide him with the most candid advice for fear that they get their heads taken off on the way through.

LEMON: As has been said about Vladimir -- about Putin.

RUDD: Well, authoritarian political systems are like that. It's case universal.

LEMON: Got it.

RUDD: So that's the caveat here. But underneath it all, remember China is still governed by a Marxist-Leninist system. And in a Marxist-Leninist system people are not necessarily squeamish about violence. Look at the history of the state since 1949.

And underpinning that again with their view of Russia is this. The Chinese Communist Party's view of Russia is better to have a benign friendly Russian state on your border. Secondly, it enables China to concentrate on the United States, regionally and globally. And then the Russians continue to act as a strategic distraction for the United States globally. And guess what they're also counting on.

They're counting on the Europeans and others to suffer from strategic amnesia in 12 months' time. As Putin proceeds to salami slice Ukraine, takes Donbas, keeps Crimea, perhaps a land corridor in between them, then freezes the conflict like he did 10 or 15 years ago with Ossetia in Georgia, then wait for the international community to forget before you begin the salami slice again. So, the challenge for all of us is to maintain vigilance and to

accelerate the response, not to simply allow it to slide out of our consciousness.

LEMON: Do you think that is -- OK, you're talking about what happens. If he does that, do you think him doing what he said is to divide -- because it has been said he wants to divide it like a North and South Korea. Right?

RUDD: Yes.

LEMON: And then he'll move in and then keep pushing the boundary is what you're saying.

LEMON: Exactly. If you look carefully at his speech under his nationalist speech from Moscow way before the invasion started, it's quite clear he regards Ukraine as an illegitimate state. He aims for Kyiv whenever he can get it. He failed in his first attempt. He salami sliced the east. And then he'll wait for everyone to forget about it and then you roll in.

LEMON: Is that a fait accompli. You think he is -- you think he is going to do that? You have no doubt that he's going to do it? Or can that be stopped at this point?

RUDD: If the United States and its allies provide sufficient military support for Ukraine not just now but next week, next month, the rest of this year and into next year and the years to come, and doesn't let it slide from international opinion, then the old forces of deterrence begin to apply against a future action.

If, however, Moscow senses that this is sliding off the political agenda in 12 months' time because we're preoccupied with some other shiny new ball in international political debate, that's when they start to act again.

LEMON: Fascinating. How do you think this ends?

RUDD: I think what Putin's strategy is to salami slice Ukraine, Donbas, Crimea and a land corridor, and then call it to become like in Georgia 10 or 15 years ago a frozen conflict.

LEMON: Yes.

RUDD: Then try and take it off the international political agenda, survive your economy by continued economic support from China. And then slowly peg your way back with the Europeans with the lure of oil and gas supplies. Which means that the long-term solution on the economic front is for Europe to become utterly resilient on the question of its own energy supplies, finding them elsewhere including the U.S., Canada, even my own country, Australia.

LEMON: Will more sanctions, do you think really do anything?

RUDD: Well, I don't believe Putin now can comfortably leave Russia to travel abroad. Either -- other than Beijing, Pyongyang, Tehran, Damascus in Syria. The list is starting to look a bit thin. But beyond that I cannot see how the international community will regard this man and the government he's led as in any way a normal state.

And therefore, you cannot simply accept his presence in the international community, international conferences, as being normal. This is 2022. What we're looking at here is 1945. Therefore, I think it's crossed an entire threshold.

But the challenge for all of us, Don, is not to forget, not to allow this to slide. They're banking on Europe and the west being strategically soft and allowing it to slide from our collective consciousness when it's gone off the television screens.

LEMON: Prime Minister Rudd, thank you very much. The book is "The Avoidable War: The Dangers of Catastrophic Conflict Between the U.S. and Xi Jinping's China." Kevin Rudd. Thank you. Can't wait to read it.

RUDD: Good to be with you.

[23:19:59]

LEMON: I really enjoyed this conversation. I hope you can come back. Thank you so much.

The U.S. and European union are expected to announce sweeping sanctions tomorrow. Will they target members of Vladimir Putin's own family? We'll talk about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So, we have some breaking news for you. CNN is learning that the U.S. could apply sanctions on Vladimir Putin's adult children. That is according to a western official familiar with the plans.

The Kremlin is very secretive about Putin's family. But we know that he has two daughters with his former wife. The White House has said that the latest round of sanctions will be applied in conjunction with European allies.

[23:24:58]

So, joining me now, Howard Stoffer. He's a professor of international affairs at the University of New Haven. Joins us now. Good evening to you, professor.

HOWARD STOFFER, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN: Thank you.

LEMON: So, this is an image believed to be of one of Putin's daughters as she's speaking at the St. Petersburg international forum. Putin may have more children. Unclear. Is this a symbolic move or something more significant?

STOFFER: Well, he has two daughters, Mariya, who is the oldest, and Katerina who is younger. Mariya is now in health care in Moscow. The younger daughter, Katerina, is now working in an A.I. Institute at the Moscow State University. It's believed that he probably has squirrelled away some of his 20 -- $200 billion in money that he has taken for himself and put them into accounts with his daughters' names.

And of course, his ex-wife, Lyudmila, also probably has some of his money put away in various accounts. And there are reports that he had many affairs with women after being divorced and one such woman, a gymnast, he apparently had a pair of twins with. And so she might have some of his money put away as well.

So, it looks apparent that sanctions need to be applied to all of these family members because they may be hiding some of his money. And also, because he's starting this war and he has to have some pain as well because of what he's been causing in Ukraine.

LEMON: You know, professor, Putin doesn't really talk about his family that much, and the Wall Street Journal -- if at all. The Wall Street Journal describes the identities and whereabouts of his daughters have always been withheld by the Kremlin.

But I want you to check this out. Oliver Stone interviewed Putin over two years, got him to talk a little bit about his family. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLIVER STONE, FILMMAKER: Are you a grandfather yet?

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): No.

STONE: How do you like your grandchildren?

PUTIN (through translator): Yes.

STONE: So, are you a good grandfather? You play with them in the garden?

PUTIN (through translator): Very seldom, unfortunately.

STONE: Very seldom. You're a very lucky man. Two good children.

PUTIN (through translator): Yes. I'm proud of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: He's clearly uncomfortable talking about his family. Why is the family shrouded in secret?

STOFFER: Because that's just the nature of totalitarian system. He doesn't want to be vulnerable to anybody else doing something to him if a lot is known about his family. He also himself has kind of a dark background. You know, his mother survived the Leningrad siege and nearly died in that siege. And when he grew up, he was a scrappy kid getting into fights all the time. Did poorly in school.

But he was very lucky. When he finished law school at Moscow state, he was selected to join the KGB. And no one else in the law school had been selected. So, he was lucky there. And then in the 1990s when Yeltsin was going through various candidates to become president of the country he suddenly got picked. The 25th person to be picked. He got selected in 1999 and stayed and remained as president of Russian Federation.

And so, he believes, he has this psychological profile that he believes that he is, you know, a blessed man and that everything he does will turn out OK, which is part of the reason that some of our colleagues in the intelligence communities believe that Putin is motivated by whatever vision he has, he knows it's the vision that will lead to success because he's not known failure in his personal life.

LEMON: Oligarchs' assets are getting seized all over the world. This Russian oligarch's $90 million superyacht was just seized in coordination with the Department of Justice KleptoCapture unit. Does taking these assets put any pressure on Putin?

STOFFER: Probably not very much. But what it can do is worry -- he can worry a great deal that seizing those assets would lead to finding the rest of the assets that he has distributed among the 117, 120 oligarchs or billionaires, so that some of that money will be found.

Also, there are reports now that the Justice Department in the United States and other countries in Europe are -- the oligarchs are going through their lawyers and trying to negotiate a deal where they can keep one quarter of their ill-gotten criminal assets and in return, they will reveal what assets they've hidden and where they've hidden that belong to Putin. So, that's a very intriguing development over the last few weeks.

LEMON: Professor Stoffer, always a pleasure. Thank you.

STOFFER: Thank you very much.

LEMON: He escaped constant shelling in Kharkiv. Now a Ukrainian who is documenting the horrors he's seen is facing new danger as Russia pulls troops from Kyiv.

[23:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Russian forces ramping up their bombardment of areas in eastern Ukraine, especially Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city. A top official in that region saying in the last day alone Russian artillery strike hit the city more than 54 times, killing at least six people.

Let's bring in Dmytro Kuzobov, a Kharkiv resident who fled the destruction in his city. And he's been documenting his experience in this war in a personal diary. It's really amazing the stuff that you're doing. We appreciate you joining us here, Dmytro.

[23:34:57]

So, let's talk about this. You fled the destruction of your home city of Kharkiv and now you're again in an area where Russian troops are bearing down after pulling their troops from Kyiv. Are you doing OK?

DMYTRO KUZOBOV, KHARKIV RESIDENT WHO FLED DESTRUCTION: Yes, I'm fine, but it's Poltava region, so it's like center of Ukraine and it's next to Kharkiv region, to my native city, and it's really quite dangerous because they lose Kharkiv for our capital and they try to focus on eastern Ukraine.

So, it's Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which are particular occupied since 2014. And this Poltava region is close to these areas. We have a few air raid siren in Poltava region. So it's still quite dangerous now.

LEMON: I was going to ask you, do you feel safe? Do you have enough food, water and such?

KUZOBOV: Yes. Yes. In Poltava region we have no problem with food and such things.

LEMON: Yes. Your family was still in Kharkiv as of just a few weeks ago. How are they doing? Have you --

(CROSSTALK)

KUZOBOV: Yes. My --

LEMON: You're in contact with them?

KUZOBOV: Yes, yes. My grandparents are still in Kharkiv, and they have some humanitarian help and they are OK, but there are still striking and still bombing on Kharkiv because they keep on bombing residential areas. So, it's very dangerous to be in Kharkiv right now. And it's very dangerous for them.

LEMON: Yes.

KUZOBOV: And I worry about them because they decided to stay and they stay there for 80 -- for 40 days of war now.

LEMON: Wow. Yes. I'm sure that's weighing on you.

KUZOBOV: I'm sorry?

LEMON: I said I'm sure that's weighing on you.

KUZOBOV: I'm sorry, there's something --

LEMON: I mean weighing -- I mean I'm sure that is on your mind all the time. It's constantly on your mind and you're troubled by it.

KUZOBOV: Yes. Sure. Yes.

LEMON: Listen, as I mentioned when I was introducing you, that you have been documenting the war in your personal diary. And I just -- I just want to read some of your latest entry. This is what you wrote about the pictures coming. This is out of Bucha and other towns around Kyiv now free from Russian occupation, and you write this. You say, groups of civilians who were shot with their hands tied

behind their back, naked mutilated bodies lying on the road, Russian soldiers evidently tried to burn them in an attempt to cover up the crimes. Women shot dead whose bodies were driven over with tanks afterwards. Mass graves. One which held 280 people. Peaceful civilians were tortured, raped, violated and murdered only because they are Ukrainians.

How do you make sense of what Russian soldiers are doing? I mean, people doing this to other people.

KUZOBOV: Yes, it's horror. It's a complete massacre. It's genocide of Ukrainian people because all those people were murdered, tortured just because they are Ukrainians and such things are happening now in the 21st century in the heart of Europe and you know, the west is deeply concerned with it but we need some real help, some military help.

Our President Zelenskyy told tonight two weeks ago that we need just one percent of its tanks and planes and two weeks just came and we had nothing, we still had nothing. And we need something more than deep concern right now from all the western politicians and official.

Because Bucha is just a small city near Kyiv and we didn't see Mariupol, you know, because we didn't know then completely now how many people were killed in Mariupol and what did they do to these people.

So, it's very horrible things and it's -- I think it's close to Islamic state and it's brutal actions and we're really devastated and choked with these pictures, our Ukrainian society. And in social media there are these pictures are marked like sensitive content. They are blurred.

[23:40:05]

But I think the world must see these pictures, their uncensored versions just to know that the war is going on and it's really horrible.

LEMON: Well, we are showing those images, and it is important for the world to see the atrocities of what's happening there. We appreciate you joining us.

KUZOBOV: Yes.

LEMON: We want you to be safe. Thank you so much, Dmytro.

KUZOBOV: Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you. Ukrainian prisoners of war returning home with stories of torture and harassment. CNN's Christiane Amanpour has their stories. That's next.

[23:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: A prisoner exchange with Russia has led to the release of

dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war who now are back in Kyiv. They are talking about the brutality that they suffered at the hands of their Russian captors. But many also say that they want to continue fighting to free Ukraine from Russia's grip.

More tonight from CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: Back home and free. These former Ukrainian prisoners of war once held by Russian forces are greeted by friends and colleagues in Kyiv. Freedom for now is the drag of a cigarette, walking on home turf, even if that means using crutches.

Bags of food are handed out to the more than 80 former Ukrainian POWs released in a prisoner exchange with Russia. It's a welcome meal and a moment to decompress and reflect on what many here say was the physical and mental abuse they endured in Russian custody.

One POW named Gleb says he was captured nearly a month ago while evacuating civilians. He was beaten by Russian soldiers.

GLEB, FORMER POW (through translator): They hit me in the face with machine gun butts and kicked me. My front teeth were also chipped.

AMANPOUR: Anya and Dasha were in the same unit. It was shelled by Russian troops, who they say tried to break them, making them shout glory to Russia. And they shaved their heads, telling them that it was for hygiene purposes.

ANYA AND DASHA, FORMER POWS (through translator): Maybe they were trying to break our spirit in some way.

ANYA AND DASHA, FORMER POWS (through translator): It was a shock, but then we're strong girls, you know?

AMANPOUR: Dmytro says he was taken by Russian soldiers in Mariupol and suffered daily beatings during his captivity.

DMYTRO, FORMER POW (through translator): They would beat us five to six times a day for nothing. They would just take us into the hallway and beat us up.

AMANPOUR: It's an ordeal, and it will take time to heal both mentally and physically, though many say they want to go back to their units and continue fighting. But before that Gleb shows us a slip of paper with what he says are the phone numbers of loved ones of prisoners still held captive by the Russians. He says he will tell the families they are still alive and not to give up hope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: Now, right after that conversation they all went back to their unit for further debrief and some mental health care, and we're being told now by the local human rights council official here that some of the 15 women who were captured have further recounted that they were forced to strip naked in front of men, forced to squat in some instances, forced to very loudly declaim Russian propaganda. General harsh interrogation and humiliation. Don?

LEMON: Christiane, thank you so much. A year after a car crash almost ended his career, Tiger Woods is set to return to the links.

[23:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Golf legend Tiger Woods says he intends to play in the Masters starting this week. It has been just over a year since a car crash left him with serious injuries, putting his entire career at risk.

CNN's Brian Todd has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tiger Woods said that right after his horrific car accident almost 14 months ago, there was a chance one of his legs might have had to be amputated. Today, he said, the words many thought might never come, just ahead of golf's premier tournament, the Masters.

TIGER WOODS, GOLFER: As of right now, I feel like I am going to play, as of right now.

TODD: The 46-year-old is scheduled to tee off on Thursday morning when the Masters begins at Augusta National Golf Club. Just rumors of a Tiger comeback when he played some practice rounds yesterday drew a large crowd of fans. Now that he is playing competitively.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: The TV ratings should just go through the roof. They'll be Tiger-esque, as they always are. But this time it's like we stepped into a movie set, you know. This story is just -- it transcends golf. It transcends sports.

TODD: Police said Tiger Woods was driving 85 miles an hour in a 45- miles an hour zone when his car crashed on a winding road near L.A. on February 23rd of last year. Law enforcement officers said there would have been a much different outcome had he not had certain safety features in his vehicle.

ALEX VILLANUEVA, SHERIFF, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Thankfully, the interior was more or less intact, which kind of gave him the cushion to survive what otherwise would have been a fatal crash.

DAN RAPAPORT, STAFF WRITER, GOLF DIGEST: His leg was basically crushed under the weight of an SUV. It looked life-threatening initially. Certainly, career threatening. And he was in a hospital bed for three months.

TODD: After multiple surgeries and a rod placed and screws placed in his leg, and excruciating rehab, Tiger Woods now says it's not his swing that's the issue.

WOODS: I can hit it just fine. And I don't have any qualms about what I can do physically from a golf standpoint. It's now walking is the hard part.

TODD: And analysts say the course at Augusta is one of the hardest to walk on the tour.

[23:55:02]

BRENNAN: You don't see the hills on TV, but I watched him walk up that first fairway in his practice round on Monday as the throngs, the masses were following him like it was a Sunday afternoon. I watched him walk up that hill, and he looked older. His shoulders were hunched, and he was going much slower. Those hills are going to be brutal on him.

TODD: Still, Woods says he wouldn't be playing if he didn't think he could win, which would be his sixth Masters title and his 16th major tournament win. Can he pull it off?

RAPAPORT: I don't expect him to win. But again, I'm done -- I'm done doubting Tiger Woods. I've done it too many times, and I've been forced to eat my words way too many times.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: One of Tiger Woods's biggest motivations to play and one of the great joys of his life is playing with his 13-year-old son Charlie, who he has been playing practice rounds with recently. Dan Rapaport of Golf Digest says Charlie Woods has a perfect swing and of course a great coach, but he says it's too early to speculate if Charlie is headed for the pro tour, and he says Tiger Woods will not push his son to play professionally. Don?

LEMON: Brian Todd, thank you. And thanks for watching. Our live coverage continues with John Vause.

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