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Vladimir Putin Signals He Is Open To More Dialogue; Torch Relay Kicks Off Final Countdown To Winter Games; Denmark: First E.U. Country To Lift All COVID Restrictions; U.S. FDA Reviewing Pfizer Vaccine For Children Under Five. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired February 02, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

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[00:00:30]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This hour on CNN NEWSROOM, peace speaks. Russian President Vladimir Putin breaks an almost month-long silence over Ukraine, claiming his security demands are being ignored, but he hoped negotiations would continue.

Denmark is done, lifting old COVID restrictions after declaring the coronavirus no longer a critical threat. But will this mean a return to pre-pandemic life?

And in Beijing, a low-key scaled back Olympic Torch Relay now underway just days before the opening ceremony for the Winter Games.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: Thank you for being with us. And we will begin with the latest on Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking out for the first time in weeks accusing the U.S. and NATO of trying to draw Russia into an armed conflict and ignoring Russia's security concerns.

Those comments came after a five-hour long meeting with the Prime Minister of Hungary. Viktor Orban described his visit to Moscow as a peacekeeping mission and said Russia's demands were reasonable and sanctions pointless. Well, Hungary is a member of NATO. During a joint news conference with Orban, Putin accused the alliance of a history of deception.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We were given promises not to push the infrastructure of the NATO block to the East one inch, everyone knows this well. Today, we see where NATO is located. Poland, Romania, the Baltic countries. They said one thing, they did another. As people say, they screwed us over. Well, they simply deceived us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: During a phone call with the U.S. Secretary of State, Russia's Foreign Minister gave no indication Moscow is planning to de-escalate anytime soon.

And in Kyiv, members of Ukraine's parliament held up flags from countries which had pledged support while the British, Dutch and Polish Prime ministers met with Ukraine's president all warning of the consequences of a potential Russian invasion.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Our country has changed, our society has changed, our army has changed. There will be no occupation of any territory or city in Ukraine.

Unfortunately, there will be a bloody tragedy if the invasion of our country starts and therefore, I'm being very open. This is not going to be a war of Ukraine and Russia. This is going to be a European war, a full-fledged war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: While the Russian president add his long list of grievances and accusations, he also left open the possibility of resolving this crisis through diplomacy and further negotiations.

For details on all of this, our man in Moscow is Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on camera): So, in his first public comments for some time, President Putin took a really tough line, accusing NATO of deceiving Russia, his words were stronger than that, screwing it over is what he said.

He said that that was because NATO had not kept to agreements on security. And he then went on to say that NATO and the United States have quite simply not answered Russia's fundamental concerns.

PUTIN (through translator): It should be noted that we are carefully analyzing the written responses received on January the 26th from the United States and NATO. But it is already clear that the fundamental Russian concerns were ignored.

We have not seen adequate consideration for our three key demands regarding NATO expansion, the renunciation of the deployment of strike weapons near the Russian borders, and the return of the block military infrastructure in Europe to the state of 1997, when the Russia NATO Founding Act was signed.

ROBERTSON: Then, President Putin laid out a dire scenario. He said, Imagine Ukraine has joined NATO, and Ukraine is trying to take back Crimea from Russia, which he said is Russian and it's not going to go back to Ukraine.

Of course, Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 when it invaded Ukraine, and it is recognized internationally as belonging to Ukraine.

But anyway, Putin's point, imagine Ukraine as a member of NATO, and now attacking Crimea. He said, well, that would put Russia at war with the whole of NATO. He said, had anyone thought about that?

So, very tough line positions from President Putin about how aggrieved he feels about the situation right now, but then he did seem to offer a diplomatic opportunity.

[00:05:03]

ROBERTSON: He said he'd been in conversation with the French president in recent days, he's had several phone calls that he said he hoped that in the coming days very soon, he hoped he would have a face-to- face meeting with President Macron.

The impression that President Putin is creating at the moment is that he has not yet made up his mind which way to go. And in the United States, officials at the State Department are saying they're not going to try to read too much into what he said at his press conference. But they're going to wait until he delivers his written response to their letter to him last week.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: To Washington now, Jill Dougherty is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service. During her three-decade long career, she was CNN Bureau Chief in both Moscow, as well as Hong Kong. And it's been a while it's good to see you, Jill.

JILL DOUGHERTY, FORMER CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Thank you, John, good to see you.

VAUSE: So, along with the accusations that the United States and NATO are using Ukraine as a tool to hinder Russia, Putin offered up kind of a very strange hypothetical. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PUTIN (through translator): Let us imagine that Ukraine is a NATO member, and is stuffed with weapons. And there are state-of-the-art missile systems just like in Poland and Romania, who will stop it from unleashing operations in the Crimea, let alone Donbas, a Russia sovereign territory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And he's talking about Ukraine reclaiming territory illegally seized by Russia, which seems very off the point here, but you know, talk to that if you will, but also overall, is the tone from Putin just generally in this news conference, is he trying to turn down the crisis, especially with that offer to keep the door open for diplomacy?

DOUGHERTY: You know, I think, John, today, he was -- at this news conference with Prime Minister Orban of Hungary, I think he was because he did not mention the threats that he's had before. You know, if you don't do what we want, we will take military technical measures. There was nothing really of that, it was more the complaints that he has put out many times before, saying, you know, the United States is trying to push Ukraine into armed combat.

And that would explain, you know, going to Crimea, retake Donbas. On Crimea, he said, forget it, the story is closed, it's over, it's part of Russia.

But I think the tone is a little bit more hopeful, because he did say, maybe we can, you know, talk and have some type of way that we can protect the interests and the security of everyone.

But you know, this is a very, very delicate maneuver, because he actually, almost, I'd say, began to enter the negotiations with an idea of what NATO could do with Ukraine telling essentially, sorry, you can't be a member. So, there's a little hope, but this is we're a long way from any resolution.

VAUSE: You mentioned, the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban was in Moscow, he held his news conference after meeting with him. Hungary is a member of NATO, is this the -- you know, the emergence of cracks in NATO's united front?

DOUGHERTY: You know, that is what Vladimir Putin would like, of course, and there's a lot of diplomacy going on right now. President Putin has been talking to President Macron of France and Boris Johnson and a cast of thousands. And in each meeting, most of the allies are on the same page. With Orban, it's slightly different, because he does see more eye-to-eye with President Putin.

But I think President Putin's idea is as this drags out, and you have more people coming to Moscow talking by phone, the more chances for the cracks that you're talking about John, to emerge, and the differences because there are some differences, even among the unity of NATO, there are some differences. And so, if you can exploit those, then, it works in President Putin's favor.

VAUSE: During Putin's news conference, he specifically referred to a return to the 1997 NATO Russia founding agreement. It's not a legally binding treaty. It was signed almost 20 years ago when the security atmosphere was very different.

But NATO did agree to carry out its collective defense, ensuring the necessary interoperability integration and capability for reinforcement, rather than by additional permanent stationing of substantial combat forces on the territories of the former Warsaw Pact states.

So, here's the thing, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, NATO members directly bordering Russia had no NATO troops deployed on their soil until 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. A similar story again, with a buildup of NATO forces in Eastern parts of Europe. That's all as a direct result of Russia's action. So, it seems what Russia is doing is bringing these NATO forces closer to the border.

DOUGHERTY: They are. There's no question because you have certainly an increase in the number of forces that are going in there. They're still small numbers, you know, when you say 5,000 people compared to more than 100,000 of Russian troops, they're not large numbers, but Russia is taking it as an increase in threat.

[00:10:13]

DOUGHERTY: And certainly, if Russia were to attack, then, according to the -- you know, United States into NATO, they would send even more forces in to buttress the members of NATO that are on Russia's borders. So, yes, they would end up -- Russia would end up with more of NATO on their borders.

VAUSE: OK, Jill, thank you. As always, it's good to see you. Thanks so much.

DOUGHERTY: OK.

VAUSE: On Ukraine's front lines, though, many are downplaying a potential Russian attack.

Later this hour, CNN's chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward speaks with Ukrainian troops deployed near the border with Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): What's amazing to see is that despite the buildup of tanks, and heavy weaponry on the Russian side of the border, which is less than 20 miles from here. Here on the Ukrainian side, there's no sense at all that anyone is preparing for an invasion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: It's a report you will see only here on CNN.

The president of the tiny West African nation of Guinea-Bissau says drug traffickers were behind an attempted coup.

Gunfire erupted near a government compound Tuesday where the president was reportedly attending a Cabinet meeting. The shooting lasted for five hours according to the president leaving many members of the government security forces dead.

Guinea-Bissau has seen multiple military coup since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1974.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UMARO SISSOCO EMBALO, PRESIDENT, GUINEA-BISSAU (through translator): Today we are facing an assault. I was in the middle of Council of Ministers with all the members including the Prime Minister, we were attacked with very heavy weaponry for the duration of five hours, but now everything is under control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The violence in Guinea-Bissau comes a week after a military coup toppled the government in Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Chad and Sudan have also been the targets of coups in the past two years.

At least 24 people have been killed in a massive landslide in Quito in Ecuador. Rescuers are slogging through the muddy debris looking for a dozen people still unaccounted for.

Residents say they had to climb the walls to escape the immense Black River that swept through the city dragging everything with it.

The storm that triggered the landslide dropped more rain on Quito rather, than the city has seen in almost 20 years. The mayor has declared three days of mourning.

Right now, the Olympic torch relay underway signaling the official countdown to the Beijing Winter Games. The red and silver torch meant to resemble a ribbon in the wind will be carried by 1,200 torchbearers and will include underwater robots, self-driving vehicles before lighting the Olympic cauldron on Friday.

CNN's Bureau Chief in Beijing Steven Jiang joins us now with more. Boy, have they learned a few lessons from the last time they did Olympic torch relay back in 2008? Scale it down, keep it simple.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF (on camera): I was going to say, John, this is a much more truncated torch freely. As you mentioned back in 2008, before the Summer Games, there was a 4-1/2 month process involving thousands of people across the globe, across six continents. But as you can alluded to, protesters also docked portions of the relay routes over China's human right -- of China's human rights record back then. This time obviously, it's in a much more controlled environment, and probably in a more subdued setting as well.

In selecting their torchbearers this time, the organizers and the authorities obviously try to focus on a combination of patriotism, and sportsmanship. So, the first torchbearer today was actually an 80- year-old former Chinese speed skater who was the first ever Chinese athlete to win a world championship in winter sport back in 1963.

And then, of course, among the first batch of torchbearers we have seen so far, a Chinese astronaut, a famous space scientists as well as Yao Ming, the always towering figures literally, in Chinese basketball, John.

VAUSE: Steven, thank you. Steven Jiang there in Beijing with the very latest on the Olympic torch relay and of course, the Olympic games now, what? Two days and seven hours to go.

We will take a short break. When we come back, no more masks, no more lockdowns, no more social distancing. We'll take you to Denmark. Now, the first country in the E.U. to lift all COVID restrictions. Also ahead, a prominent human rights group accusing Israel of imposing

a system of apartheid on Palestinians. It's the third such report in just a few years. More on that when we come back.

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[00:16:46]

VAUSE: Well, in the past 10 weeks since the Omicron variant was first identified, 90 million COVID cases have been reported globally. That's more than the total reported in all of 2020.

Well, Omicron appears less severe than other variants, the head of the World Health Organization urging countries not to get complacent to continue testing, tracking as well as vaccination efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: It's premature for any country either to surrender or to declare victory. This virus is dangerous and it continues to evolve before our very eyes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Despite that warning from the WHO, Denmark is now lifting all COVID restrictions, the first country in the E.U. to do so. The government says it's no longer considers COVID-19 a socially critical sickness. Health officials credit widespread vaccination and boosters more than 80 percent of the population now fully vaccinated.

CNN's Scott McLean has more now reporting in from Copenhagen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Loud music, stiff drinks and close talking, in Denmark, they're partying like it's 2019. After two years of on again off again restrictions, mask mandates and lockdowns, Denmark has officially kissed COVID restrictions goodbye.

ALEN MEHIC, BARTENDER, NEVER MIND BAR: I am over it, like I think everybody is.

MARCEL OSTERGREEN, DJ NEVER MIND BAR: I'm excited. You know, we've been waiting for this moment for so long.

MCLEAN: In reality, the pandemic hasn't gone away. In fact, new average daily infections in Denmark are more than 12 times higher than the country's previous peak and rising.

Is now really the best time to do away with the rules?

SOREN BROSTROM, DIRECTOR GENERAL, DANISH HEALTH AUTHORITY: Sure. And of course, everybody's asking us that question. But when we're looking at our hospital admission reach day by day and we see fewer and fewer cases and we see very few cases in the elderly that are vaccinated actually admitted to hospital or even dying.

MCLEAN: And that's just because of vaccination?

BROSTROM: I have no other good explanation why Denmark is in such a unique place.

MCLEAN: Denmark has one of the highest vaccination rates on Earth. Late last year, they lifted most restrictions only to once again batten down the hatches in December, closing schools, mandating masks indoors, and putting curfews on bars and restaurants. Now, virtually, all of those restrictions are gone.

Is it really the end this time?

MAGNUS HEUNICKE, DANISH HEALTH MINISTER: Well, we hope so. But we promised the citizens of Denmark that we will only have restrictions if they are truly necessary, and we'll lift them as soon as we can.

MCLEAN: It's not just Denmark. Last week, England lifted nearly all of its domestic restrictions as lawmakers set out a novel new strategy.

SAJID JAVID, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: We must learn to live with COVID in the same way that we've learned to live with flu.

MCLEAN: Before the vaccine, COVID was a lot more deadly than the flu. But as immunity rose and a less severe variant emerged, deaths directly caused by influenza or pneumonia are now not far off of COVID. And lately, they're contributing factors far more often.

Is it reasonable to treat COVID like we treat the flu?

LIAM SMEETH, DIRECTOR, LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE: I think it's not a bad model, unless of course the virus arises and comes up with a nasty, highly infectious variant.

[00:20:08]

MCLEAN: Back in Denmark, people are free to circulate, so was the virus. But two years, three vaccine doses and a lot of sacrifice later, COVID doesn't seem so scary anymore.

Scott McLean, CNN, Copenhagen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Joining me now is Dr. Eric Topol, Professor of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research, a nonprofit research institute focusing on Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Topol, good to see you.

DR. ERIC TOPOL, PROFESSOR OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE, SCRIPPS RESEARCH (on camera): Great to be with you, John.

VAUSE: OK, so, what are your thoughts on Denmark? Essentially, you know, down (PH) the torpedoes declaring an end to the pandemic. They say the coronavirus is no longer a critical threat to society. The argument here is that because it's virtually impossible to ret

(PH) Omicron from spreading, and has a much lower mortality rate, just let it run wild and be done.

TOPOL: Yes, it's really interesting and controversial. I think the key for Denmark and other countries in the E.U. is that they have a very high rate of vaccination, and boosters. So, that gives them a lot more leeway than countries that aren't near that 80 percent and 60 some percent of people that have had a booster shot, that's giving a lot of protection, especially as noted in the people of advanced age.

The other thing just to note is that Denmark is one of the most aggressive testing places in the world. So, they're very high case numbers where they were highest in the world or second highest, even right now, that has to be normalized for the fact that they very aggressively test. So, other countries may look better at the moment, but that's because they're not testing nearly as much.

VAUSE: Also, they shifted the focus from the number of New Delhi infections to the number of hospital admissions. And now it seems it's the hospital admissions which are the key here.

TOPOL: Yes, especially also ICU and the deaths which are going in really good direction in Denmark. And so, that really looks at least right now that things are heading in the right direction, even though there's this association with cases. So, we're going to see in the next few weeks.

Remember, Denmark did this several weeks ago, lifting all restrictions, and it didn't go too well, because Omicron came along. So, hopefully, this time it will.

VAUSE: Yes, we wish them luck.

Meantime, in the U.S. regulators, they're asking Pfizer to submit a request for emergency authorization for their two dose COVID vaccine for children younger than five. Here's the U.S. Surgeon General, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: And what the FDA is going to do is do a thorough and thoughtful analysis of that data to understand the answer to two critical questions. Is this vaccine safe for kids under five? And is it effective for kids under five? And if the answer to both of those questions is yes, then they will recommend that it be used.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: But here's the thing, back in December, Pfizer's clinical trials found that kids aged six months to two years, they saw an immune response similar to teenagers, the others did not. So, the trials were extended to include a third dose of the vaccine. And those results were expected at the end of next month. The timeline here doesn't make a lot of sense, given the FDA advisory

board is scheduled to meet two weeks from now. So, what's what's going on here? Why the rush?

TOPOL: You know, John, this is very unusual. Here, Pfizer wasn't the one pressing, but actually, the FDA asked him to bring in the data they had.

Remember, the use of very low dose of the vaccine 10 micrograms as opposed to the adult dose of 100, or the dose in ages five to 11 of 30. So, a very low dose, and it didn't have that desired effect on the immune system, which is why they're going with this third dose.

And as you know, we won't have that data in the next couple of weeks. So, one way to have done it would have been just to wait till that third dose data is wrapped up or do a trial with these two doses at a higher level.

But this is an unusual circumstance. And I think the FDA is trying to accelerate things to be in a position so that when that third dose data is ready, then they will have those kids who with their parents elect to go ahead with the vaccine in a position to get them fully vaccinated.

VAUSE: So, they're making a gamble if you like, the third shot will make up for the deficiencies of the two doses. Is there any way that that may not work out like that?

TOPOL: Well, it probably will work out. But you know, we're not sure. One thing it's very very safe. I mean, because there's two lower dose, I think that's what we've learned.

Whether the third dose which is spaced so that helps because you've primed the immune system, and now you've given it a dose later, so it's probably going to work fine, but we won't know until we see the data.

VAUSE: Yes, I guess it's a safe gamble at best. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, though, among five to 11-year-olds, who are now eligible for the vaccine, less than 19 percent are fully vaccinated, less than 30 percent have received their first shot. And that rate is much lower than many health experts were expecting.

[00:25:01]

VAUSE: Clearly, a lot of parents are hesitant. They're worried about their kids getting vaccinated and moves by the FDA to rush authorization, did they do a lot to build confidence here?

TOPOL: Well, I think the real problem is that parents were spooked about this myocarditis thing that we're seeing mainly in teams, in boys. But it hasn't been seen in ages five to 11. There's a total of like 11 cases, and these kids did very well.

So, we haven't yet been able to turn this around that the dose that was used, again, much lower in ages five to 11, a third. That worked really well. very safe, highly effective. And the myocarditis thing that was the real issue, just really is not an issue here. Very disappointing that we don't have high rates in uptake in that age group.

VAUSE: Yes, especially given the fact that you know, the younger group is now being affected by the COVID or coronavirus, you know, increasing rate and more and more kids going to hospital.

Dr. Eric Topol, great to see you. Thank you.

TOPOL: Same here. Thanks, John.

VAUSE: Take care.

Well, Canada is trying to clear two blockades thousands of miles apart. Truckers are protesting mandates for masks and COVID vaccines, protesting they won't move until the restrictions are lifted.

The border crossing includes as a major commercial route between the U.S. and Canada and this could add to a supply chain issues.

Two people were arrested in Ottawa where the so-called Freedom Convoy has been parked since Saturday. The Premier of Alberta says members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were assaulted on Tuesday.

Still ahead, while there's growing alarm in the West about a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers say clashes with separatists have become common and little has actually changed on the front lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARD: He's saying that every night there's fighting once it gets dark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

More on our top story this hour, the Russian President Vladimir Putin breaking his silence on Ukraine. But the tense diplomatic stalemate between Moscow and the West showing few signs of easing, with more than 100,000 Russian troops in circling Ukraine on three sides, U.S. defense officials say Moscow now has the force capable to launch an invasion at any time, but Russia's Foreign Minister continued to downplay the troop buildup on Tuesday during a phone call with the U.S. Secretary of State.

Meantime, Vladimir Putin spoke publicly about the standoff for the first time in weeks taking questions after meeting with Hungary's Prime Minister. He accused the U.S. and NATO are trying to goad Russia into a conflict and ignoring Moscow's key security concerns.

[00:30:08]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is already clear that the fundamental Russian concerns it is already clear that the fundamental Russian concerns were ignored. We have not seen adequate consideration for our three key demands regarding NATO expansion. The renunciation of the deployment of strike weapons near the Russian borders and the return of the block's military infrastructure in Europe to the state of 1997, when the Russia NATO founding act was signed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: In Kyiv, Ukraine's president sat down to talk to the Polish, Dutch, and British prime minister. Boris Johnson warned after their meeting that a Russian invasion would be a disaster, with implications well beyond Ukraine's borders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This is about something even bigger, I'm afraid. It's about the whole European security architecture. Because being no doubt about what, I think, President Putin is trying to achieve here. I think that he is trying, by holding a gun, as it were, to the head of Ukraine, by intimidating Ukraine, to get us to change the way we look at something that was absolutely fantastic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Despite the growing alarm in the west, in eastern Ukraine, some just don't seem worried about a potential invasion. CNN's Clarissa Ward visited the front lines near the Russian border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Ukraine's first line of defense if Russia decides to invade. And it is basic. Half a dozen soldiers in snow-covered trenches. No sign of heavy weapons.

Russian-backed separatists are just half a mile away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD (on camera): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

He's saying that every night, there is fighting once it gets dark.

These front lines have been frozen for years. A Russian offensive would change that in an instant. But the alarm in Washington is not shared here.

(on camera): What's amazing to see is that, despite the buildup of tanks and heavy weaponry on the Russian side of the border, which is less than 20 miles from here, here on the Ukrainian side, there's no sense at all that anyone is preparing for an invasion.

(voice-over): The sergeant here asked we not give his name. He says he doesn't expect conflict, but he is prepared.

"Our commanders told us that we must be alert," he tells us. "We are ready to meet guests from Russia."

(on camera): What kind of weapons do you have at this position? Do you have any heavy weaponry? I don't see any. But I just want to make sure.

(voice-over): "You don't need to see. And the enemy doesn't need to see," he says. But we have everything."

What they don't have here are many layers of defense. Driving from the front, we see just a handful of checkpoints.

If the Ukrainian army can't hold this area, Russian forces could reach Mariupol, a port city of half a million, in hours.

Despite the threat, life here goes on much as normal. At the local market, stalls are open, and the shelves are full.

(on camera): I'd love to know if you think that there will be a war?

"We don't want war. We have children and grandchildren," Natalia says. "And there won't be war. We believe that."

Some, like Arjan (ph), say that America is exaggerating the threat.

"No, there will not be a war," he says. "It's only Biden who thinks this."

(on camera): It's interesting talking to people here. Nobody seems to be remotely concerned about the prospect of an imminent invasion.

(voice-over): These people are no strangers to war. All around Mariupol, the hollowed-out remnants of villages destroyed and abandoned by fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists.

But whether moved by denial or disbelief, these soldiers and the people they're protecting don't expect history to repeat itself. For now, they wait, and they watch, and they hope.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Mariupol, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The intent, it seems, was to sexually harass, disgrace, humiliate, and hate on women for speaking out. When we come back, Muslim women in India suddenly appearing for sale in a fake auction. Details in a live report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:36:51]

VAUSE: A Dutch publisher has hit pause on the printing of a new book which examines who gave up Anne Frank and her family to the Nazis after the book's flashy release about two weeks ago.

Historians and researchers have cast doubt on the central finding that a Jewish notary may have been the one the one who betrayed the Franks.

This was the conclusion of a six-year-long investigation by a retired FBI agent and his research team.

The Dutch publisher now says it should have taken a more critical stance and will wait for answers to some key questions.

The book's English-language publisher, Harper Collins, has not commented, at least not yet.

The Israeli government calling Amnesty International anti-Semitic after the human rights group released a report accusing Israel of apartheid for how it treats Palestinians.

The lengthy report details unlawful killings, detention, torture; says Palestinians have been denied basic rights and freedoms. It also says Israel has created an institutionalized regime of systemic repression.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AGNES CALLAMARD, SECRETARY GENERAL, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: Amnesty International is here today to call on the authorities of Israel to put an end to the system of apartheid it is maintaining against all Palestinians living under their effective control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Even before the report was officially published, Israel denounced it as false and biased.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YAIR LAPID, ISRAELI FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER: In the past, Amnesty was a respectable organization. Not anymore. Today, this is precisely the opposite. It isn't a human rights organization but just another radical organization which echoes propaganda without seriously checking the facts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Israel's staunch ally, the United States, has rejected the apartheid label. But the Palestinian foreign ministry welcomed the report and took a big step further.

"The United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly are obliged to heed the compelling evidence, hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people, including through sanctions. Equally and notably, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court must investigate Israel's crime against humanity of apartheid without delay."

In the last six months, without warning, a number of Indian Muslim women have been listed for sale in a fake auction online, with users encouraged to bid to own them.

Vedika Sud joins us now, live from New Delhi with details. This is pretty disgusting.

VEDIKA SUD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. In this case, you know, this incident has taken place twice. First in July last year and the second as recent as January.

The outrage the second time over has prompted quick action, John. And now the police is investigating whether this incident is a part of a larger conspiracy.

John, I spoke to two Indian Muslim women about their ordeal and why they feel they have been targeted. Here's their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUD (voice-over): Arfa Khanum says she will never forget New Year's Day. Khanum, an Indian journalist, became part of the biggest headline in the country. Along with at least 100 other Muslim women, including journalists and activists, Khanum's photograph, sourced without her consent, and her Twitter handle re-posted online, offering her for sale in a fake auction.

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ARFA KHANUM, JOURNALIST: I was numb, and I can't say I was scared. I was still trying to make sense of what was happening. For several hours, I did not know how to process this, how to kind of internalize it, how to react to it.

SUD: Khanum says she's being targeted for questioning rising Hindu nationalism under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governance.

KHANUM: I feel it is part of their strategy to actually attract those women who are political, who are outspoken, who are brave, who are critical of this government's social, political, economic policies. And women like me, who are political journalists, who reports from New Delhi and report on Narendra Modi's government.

SUD: Twenty-five-year-old Khadijah Khan, a lawyer and journalist, says she was horrified to find her details on the same website, called Bulli Bai, a derogatory term for Muslim women.

KHADIJA KHAN, LAWYER AND JOURNALIST: I realize that the message that they were trying to send is, OK, we will debase you, we will degrade you, we will humiliate you until you are silenced. Or until you cow down.

SUD: India's technology minister tweeted to say the Indian government is working with the police.

(on camera): Within 24 hours, a U.S. Website had pulled down the accountant and suspended it for violating its policies.

India has laws targeting cybercrime, but it does not have a specific legislation against cyberbullying.

(voice-over): The Mumbai and Delhi police have made at least five arrests in the case so far. They have been booked under various offenses of the India law, including promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion or race and outraging the modesty of women.

Speaking to CNN, the lawyer of one of the arrested, Vishel Jha (ph), says her client is innocent.

The accused are yet to enter a plea in court.

According to the Delhi police, during preliminary investigations, an accused confessed to being part of a conservative group with the intent to defame and troll Muslim women.

Maharasha's (ph) information technology minister suspects a bigger network behind these crimes.

Activists like Kavita Krishnan, who have been monitoring the probe closely, feel little has been done by Modi's government to secure the safety of these Muslim women.

KAVITA KRISHNAN, ACTIVIST: What we are seeing it is not an isolated phenomenon, because the silence of the so-called mainstream political leadership, the silence of the Modi regime leadership on what is happening here, repeatedly auctioning Muslim woman online. I think that that silence speaks volumes.

SUD: While investigations continue, Khanum and Khan say they don't feel safe as Muslim women in India.

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SUD: CNN has reached out to the Indian government and the ruling party, the BJP, for comment. But we haven't received a response so far.

John, though we do know that India's minority affairs minister last month, speaking to news agency ANI, had spoken on this controversy. He said, and I quote him here, "No criminal or community conspiracy will succeed against India's composite culture."

Back to you, John.

VAUSE: Vedika, thank you. Vedika Sud there for us, live in New Delhi. We appreciate it.

SUD: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM.

VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts after a short break. I'll see you back here, hopefully, at the top of the hour.

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