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Deadly Landslides in Brazil; Ukraine: Russia Adding Troops, Not Drawing Down; NATO, Ukraine Skeptical Of Russian Claims Of Pullout; Ukraine's Message of Strength & Unity; Business as Usual Along Border; Russia-Ukraine Tensions; Coronavirus Pandemic; Protests in Canada; Rescuers Scramble to Find Landslide Survivors; Back-to-Back Storms to Pummel Europe; U.S. Woman Cured of HIV; Missing Girl Found. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired February 17, 2022 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:13]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes coming to you live on the ground in Ukraine where Russia's words do not appear to match its actions.
New images show thousands more troops heading towards the border as the Kremlin says they've begun to withdraw.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And I'm Rosemary Church live from CNN World headquarters here in Atlanta. I'll be covering all our other top stories, including the deadly flooding in Brazil. The capital racing to recover after nearly 300 landslides in one day.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
HOLMES: Now it didn't take long for Ukraine and Western countries to shoot down Russia's claim that it was pulling troops back to their home bases. Ukrainian intelligence reports the number of Russian forces near its borders is actually increasing. And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has seen no meaningful pullback. Now new satellite images meanwhile, show more evidence of the Russian build up.
These pictures showing troops and military equipment in convoy formation near the Russian city of Kursk. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, he's going to be meeting again with NATO leaders. That'll be in a few hours to plan out their strategy. NATO Secretary General suggested the alliance may need to strengthen its eastern flanks to protect its allies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: So far, we do not see any sign of de-escalation on the ground. What we see today is that Russia maintains a massive invasion force ready to attack. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: More now on the Russian claims of a drawdown from CNN's Jim Sciutto in Kiev.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A very public display. Russia's Ministry of Defense posting video of armor leaving Crimea across the Kerch Strait and it says returning to their home bases. Their participation in exercise said to be over. A few hours later, another convoy of fuel trucks filmed getting ready to leave Crimea as well. And then filmed on that same bridge, also heading east.
All part of a choreographed effort by the Kremlin in the ongoing information war over its intentions in Ukraine. Russian diplomats across Europe, scoff at Western claims that an attack is imminent. But both U.S. officials and NATO officials, including the Secretary General say in fact, Russian troop numbers are continuing to rise.
STOLTENBERG: So just that we see movement of forces, so battle tanks doesn't confirm a real withdrawal. It has been a bit up and down back and forth all the way. But the trend over the last weeks or months has been a steady increase in the Russian capabilities close to Ukraine's borders.
SCIUTTO: This is one of the videos issued Tuesday by Russia's Defense Ministry on units beginning it claims to go home. Followed up on Wednesday with more footage of the tanks loading on the trains, destination unknown.
Back in Crimea, the much advertised pullout involves units whose bases are in any case around Russian cities still close to Ukraine. And let's say it will take at least several days to establish whether there is a true drawdown of Russian forces from positions around Ukraine. For now the picture remains mixed. There is plenty of Russian armor and airpower still within just a few miles of the Ukrainian border.
This according to social media videos uploaded in the past day. Satellite images from earlier this week show fighter bombers and helicopters arriving at air bases close to Ukraine. The joint exercises in Belarus continue as well. Now the Belarus defense minister insists every piece of Russian equipment will leave when those exercises are over. All the while the very public war of words continues.
Over Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO. Over the fate of the breakaway eastern regions of Ukraine. And over Russia's demands for cast iron security guarantees. President Putin and Russian officials repeat that Ukraine's desire to join NATO must be off the table. That however, is a non-starter for the U.S. So far, the path to diplomacy and much of the weaponry seemed frozen in place.
(on camera): The U.S. is now closely watching the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, the Russian President blamed crimes against ethnic Russians there as the Russian Parliament has now given the president the power at least to recognize the Donbass area as independent.
[02:05:11]
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: U.S. concern is that Russia might use that as a pretext to further invade eastern Ukraine. Jim Sciutto, CNN, Kiev.
HOLMES: Now, Luke Harding is a foreign correspondent for The Guardian and author of the book Shadow, State, Murder, Mayhem and Russia's Attack on the West. So, a good person to talk to about all of this. He joins me now from Kiev. So have you seen Russia's tone change over the past week or so?
LUKE HARDING, THE GUARDIAN FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, I mean, I would say no, not really. I mean, it's interesting. I was talking to a sort of senior Ukrainian official who was saying that the kind of U.S. view of what's going on here is not wrong, but incomplete. And the way people say it in Kiev is that it's a kind of long-term attempt to destabilize Ukraine to topple the governments of Volodymyr Zelensky which may or may not have a military components.
And we sort of -- we go up and down with this story. I mean, that 24 hours ago looked like de-escalation. Now, as your report makes clear, there's not much evidence for that. And the forces are still there. And I think we're in this sort of -- we're in this kind of uncertain gray zone where actually things could escalate or de-escalate in the coming weeks and months.
HOLMES: Yes, yes. Good point. In the longer term picture, and this was in Jim Sciutto's piece as well. The Russians have, you know, they've been talking about genocide in the Donbass. A loaded word, as we all know, claims of shelling of ethnic Russians in the East as well. Is Putin perhaps setting that up as a reason for going into the Donbass ostensibly to, you know, protect ethnic Russians, especially with the motion we saw passed in the Duma?
HARDING: Yes. I mean, potentially. That's right. And there's some kind of interesting news this morning as of Lugansk, one of these separatist-controlled territories in the East were the sort of pro- Russian administration there is claiming that it's been attacked, has been shelled by Ukrainian forces now. Kiev is saying that's not true. And I've certainly done two big trips to the Line of Control to the frontline there and the Ukrainian soldiers I saw were pretty restrained.
They were -- they were well aware that if they were to attack the other side, this could be used as a pretext for a kind of Russian counter response. But I mean, it's interesting. I mean, we've been talking about various scenarios about seizing Kiev, for about full- scale invasion. But my sense is that worse something to happen. I think the East is the most likely of any for that. And of course, Russia has tremendous firepower there and could move forward at any moment. HARDING: Yes. And it, you know, as we all know, it's one thing to invade a country. It's quite another to hold it without great cost, from insurgency, and so on, as the U.S. found in Iraq. As you just said, you've been to the front, analysts say Ukrainians are much more prepared to fight them. They were in 2014. What is your read on that and the potential battlefront?
HARDING: Well, Michael, I mean, I think that's true. I mean, I've spent a couple of months here. I've talked to a lot of people, both civilians, and Ukrainian soldiers. And for sure, not everybody is going to fight but really, I think we're -- where the Russian forces to come in that they would meet pretty big resistance, not just in the cities, but also in villages and towns. And what's interesting is this sort of Ukrainian military where it's all (INAUDIBLE) but I've met groups of people who bought ammunition. who have pistols, many of whom fall back in 2014, when Russia seize Crimea and kick started this for the Donbass region.
So, I think -- I think any incursion would not be straightforward. And we're kind of trying to figure out always with a story, what Vladimir Putin is thinking. What he will finally decide what his calculus is for the kind of costs that Russia might bear. And we still -- as of now, we still don't have a definitive answer as to what he will do. It -- I would say in spring. Spring as his window.
HOLMES: Yes. Ambiguity is one of his traits. That's for sure. I wanted to ask you about this too. There was a poll by the Levada Center, which is an independent Moscow-based polling organization back in December and I found -- it found that 70 percent of Russians said they feared or were concerned about a new war. What happens if enough Russians become convinced that a war or the prospect of a war poses a threat to their personal economic situation? What is the domestic political risk of Putin of upsetting the folks at home?
HARDING: I mean, actually, I think, Michael, I think the risk is pretty minimal because Russia is a country I know well. I mean, I was the correspondent for the Guardian and for four years before I got kicked out a decade ago.
[02:10:03]
HARDING: It's a very controlled society, it's not a democracy, it's not the U.K. or the U.S. It's an authoritarian regime, which has got darker and darker in recent times. And actually, Vladimir Putin really can pretty much ignore domestic opinion, which is you say, is against any kind of war with Ukraine for cultural reasons, family reasons, longstanding ties and so on. So, I mean, I think he can kind of swap that aside.
I think it's more -- it's a sort of straight military political calculation about sanctions, about the response from the west from the Biden administration in particular. And just lastly, there's a kind of mystery at the heart of the story which is why is Putin been escalating to such a degree now. And you can say, because he regards Biden as weak, the Europeans is divided, the Russian economy is in good shape. But there's something about the story that we're not quite getting and, you know, I'd be curious to see, you know, when this regime has ever was this driven person to take these -- to take these kinds of (INAUDIBLE)
HOLMES: Yes. I couldn't agree more. I mean, that timing and why and all of that. We'll know in the fullness of time. Great to tap into your expertise and experience, Luke. Luke Harding there in Kiev. Appreciate it.
Well, I'll be back with much more from Lviv at the bottom of the hour, including a look at how Ukrainian celebrated the National Day of Unity as it was called. But first, let's toss it back to Rosemary Church in Atlanta with the day's other news, Rosemary.
CHURCH: In the coming hours. Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will compete in the women's free skate while at the center of a doping scandal that sparked tensions in the world of sports. Three substances that can be used to treat heart conditions were found in Valieva's testing sample from December. That's according to The New York Times. Valieva is favored to win the gold medal in the women's free skate after placing first in Tuesday short program.
Meantime, U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin crashed out of the Alpine combined slalom, failing to finish yet another race in Beijing. And CNN's team is covering all angles of the Winter Games. Steven Jiang is standing by in Beijing. But first let's bring in World Sports' Patrick Snell with the latest on the events of day 13. And Patrick, a pretty rough day on the slopes for Mikaela Shiffrin. What is going on with her and what's been the reaction so far to her crash and her dash hopes?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, hi there, Rosemary. Yes, you said it. This day, proving once again, I think fair to say, right? A Winter Olympics date of (INAUDIBLE) for the Americans skiing superstar who's once again fail to finish a race at these winter games. The 26-year-old from Colorado just to remind our viewers worldwide, a global superstar when it comes to this sport.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, remember, did not finish the slalom portion of the Alpine combined event earlier on this day sliding of course, having entered that slalom portion by the way in fifth place. It all look good for up to that point. This was Shiffrin's fifth Olympic event at these games. Just to recap, it's been a shock after shock early on in this one. The American didn't finish in her favorite disciplines, namely the giant slalom and the slalom.
She did finish ninth row in the Super G, 18th in the downhill event. Shiffrin expected to compete we understand in the next team event has sixth and final event on Saturday but you do have to wonder, Rosemary, just what is going on. The psychological impact this may well be taking on her. Now, one of the biggest names at these winter games, no question the freestyle skier Eileen Gu. The American-born Chinese competitor who's already won gold in the big air event, she won silver in the slopestyle. Well today, the 18-year-old bursting with talent, booking her place in
the final of the freeski halfpipe competition after leading qualifying. Very impressively indeed. The teen landing all her jumps this Thursday cheered on by the home fans over there. The granting snowpark, Gu revealing afterwards that she's far from done it would seem. She still has a few more tricks up her sleeve for the final she would reveal afterwards. Can't wait for that.
And a short while ago this, Thursday Canada crowned Olympic women's ice hockey champs after they raced into a three-nothing lead against their big North American rivals the United States before ultimately sealing a famous three-two victory. The U.S. won gold four years ago in South Korea by beating guess who in the final? Canada on a penalty shootout. You know between them, these two countries have won every Olympic gold medal in this sport.
It's Canada who celebrate. And Rosemary, reminder that the controversy surrounding the teenage figure skater from Russia remaining front and center at these Beijing Games.
[02:15:03]
SNELL: Kamila Valieva expected to take to the ice later on today for the free skates with the 15-year-old comes to be leading the field as of right now. Back to you.
CHURCH: Yes. Definitely overshadowing a lot of the other action. Appreciate that. All right. So now to Steven Jiang for more on the Russian doping scandal. And Steven, if Kamila Valieva wins gold, it will be a hollow victory and of course a slap in the face for all clean athletes. What's being said about ways Russia might punished or be punished for doping and cheating at these games?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Rosemary, the thing is, she is -- she is expected to win but she is not really halfway towards another gold medal because no gold medal will be awarded. According to the IOC, there will be an asterisk appearing next to her results to indicate the ongoing investigations and no medal ceremony for any events. She takes part in before the conclusion of the investigation.
So, this is affecting not just Valieva and the Russians but also other athletes who have won or will potentially win alongside her. That's why Thomas Bach, the IOC President has been meeting skaters from other teams, including Team USA, presumably to reassure them about where the IOC stands, but also trying to find a way to recognize their achievements as clean athletes. Now, all of this again, shining a spotlight on the minimum age for skaters to compete at the Olympics.
Right now, it's 15, which is why value ever is there. But there have been suggestions to raise it to 17 -- or 17. But many have pointed out the issue here is now the age of the young athletes. For one, if they're considered mature enough to compete, they should be taking the same responsibility when it comes to doping. More importantly, they say the -- if there are still a corrupt adults surrounding them flouting rules, trying to gain an unfair advantage, then changing the age requirement wouldn't make any difference they say. The issue here is the IOC has been given -- giving the Russians a pass for too long, even when there was a proven track record for Russia to engage in systemic doping. Here's what Christine Brennan, our sports analysts said.
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CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: They've been stealing medals in some cases from clean athletes. And it continues and then they kick the can down the road. What I would do is you have to basically say to Russia, you cannot appear, no athletes at the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. No athletes from Russia at the Milan Winter Olympics in 2026. And maybe even go to L.A. in 2028.
It should be so severe because what they have done here is basically blow up the Olympic Games.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIANG: Very strong words from Christina there, Rosemary as all eyes on Valieva value ever as she is ready to skate onto the ice again now Thursday night. Rosemary?
CHURCH: We'll see what happens. Steven Jang in Beijing. Patrick Snell here in Atlanta, many thanks to you both.
But one of the world's leading Development Bank stands accused of funding companies that allegedly use force labor in China's Xinjiang region. We'll have the details coming up. And later, daily COVID infections and now searching in South Korea. We're live in Seoul with the latest on that. Back in just a moment.
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CHURCH: For decades, the International Finance Corporation proclaimed its success in funding companies that help end poverty in developing nations. But disturbing findings in a new report alleged hundreds of millions of dollars went to companies using forced labor in China's Xinjiang region. Ivan Watson has details.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A new report accuses an arm of the World Bank of pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into Chinese companies that the report accuses of participating in a campaign of repression against Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang region. Now this comes as the U.S. has been leading a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics after accusing the Chinese government of genocidal policies and Xinjiang of the mass roundup and internment of up to two million ethnic Uyghurs and members of other ethnic minorities.
The report titled Financing Genocide from the Helena Kennedy Center for International Justice. It says that the International Finance Corporation, this arm of the World Bank, which is aimed at poverty alleviation, put $486 million into four Chinese companies at the height of the government campaign against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Accuses these companies of participating in and benefiting from forced labor programs, from compulsory land appropriation programs.
And publishes photos of what it says our facilities, factories owned by some of these companies in close proximity to suspected internment camps over the years as those internment camps then grew. The report goes on to say that there does not appear to have been adequate due diligence and monitoring of the investments to make sure that they met the IFC's standards, and says that there was only one monitoring group that went out in 2019 to Xinjiang.
Reportedly staying on the ground just 24 hours there and being detained by police no less than three times during that short visit. Now, CNN has reached out for comment, it has independently verified that money did in fact go from the IFC to these four Chinese companies, and they did use some of that money for their Xinjiang operations. The companies did not respond. The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement saying China has repeatedly emphasized that the so-called issues of forced labor and repression against ethnic minorities are huge lies concocted by anti-China forces in the U.S. in the West. They're baseless.
And goes on to say that attempts to attack and smear China are bound to fail. The IFC did not respond to specific questions from CNN, it did say "We do not tolerate discrimination or forced labor under any circumstances," and added that it would work to verify and investigate serious allegations brought to their attention. I might add that I have interviewed people -- Uyghurs who say they had been put in internment camps and after months of terrible treatment been released, provided that they work in factories for almost no money under threat of being sent back into detention if they complain, or refuse to work in these jobs.
Ivan Watson CNN, Hong Kong.
CHURCH: No, Laura Murphy is a Professor of Human Rights and Contemporary Slavery at the Helena Kennedy Center for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam University. And she is one of the authors of the report and joins me now from New Orleans. Thank you so much for talking with us.
LAURA T. MURPHY, PROFESSOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND CONTEMPORARY SLAVERY, HELENA KENNEDY CENTER: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: Now, your report uncovered some disturbing findings revealing that millions of dollars have been going to companies that may be using force labor in Xinjiang, China. What exactly did you find?
MURPHY: Well, we looked into the World Bank's development finance arm called the International Finance Corporation. And we wanted to look to see whether there were any investments in Xinjiang and indeed there were several companies that the IFC had spent hundreds of millions of dollars investing in, in the last few years. Those companies, each of the four, we found were using compulsory forced labor programs that the state sponsors. China's government has put money billions of Uyghurs into these forced labor programs and these four companies were in fact participating in those programs.
[02:25:05]
MURPHY: They were also, you know, engaging in manufacturing that was extraordinarily polluting. They were discriminating against workers based on their ethnicity. They were breaking many of the very standards that the IFC set in place to monitor companies that they give loans to.
CHURCH: So, how was it possible that this funding wasn't investigated to ensure that it went to companies that helped end poverty not to perpetuate forced labor like this?
MURPHY: Well, this was one of the interesting situations that's going on right now in China. And that is that the Chinese government has claimed that the programs that the international community understands to be forced labor are actually helping Uyghur people. And so they say, well, these folks are poor, and therefore it's good that we're sending them off to work, even if it means they have to leave behind their families, their farms, their children, their elders.
Even if they say no, at first, we believe, we know better, and they need to go out and work in these factories. And so, all of this is framed by the Chinese government as development. And the IFC kind of bought that line, it seems.
CHURCH: So, do you think some of these companies were just blinded to what was actually going on? Or do you think that they, they did know exactly what was happening here?
MURPHY: I think a lot of the companies would say that they believe that this is better for the Uyghurs. But this is a paternalistic, condescending, racist position to take, right? That, you know, a lot of people in China believe that the Uyghurs are sort of, you know, somehow, you know, inherently engaged in bad behaviors or in, you know, or needing the help, the education of the majority of the people there.
And so, I think a lot of companies engage in these things, thinking that they're helping people believe that they're helping people, but any company that's operating there, any person who's working for any company there, has seen Uyghurs people disappearing, has seen their work -- co-workers, you know, not being able to come to work, because they've been put into internment camps.
And so, they know the consequences of refusing to be engaged in a, you know, in a state-sponsored program is that you could be putting in internment camp. And so, I think that people know deep down what the consequences are. But there is a sense there that minority citizens are benefiting from these programs, even though we all know that they're repressive.
CHURCH: And while this is happening at forced labor camps in China, of course, Beijing is hosting the Winter Olympics, and only a few countries have objected by being part of the U.S.-led diplomatic boycotts. So, what should the international community be doing about China's role in these forced labor camps? Because when you look at it, a lot of countries don't seem to care. Do they?
MURPHY: Well, increasingly, governments are taking a stand and saying that what's happening in the region is genocide, or that -- or standing up against the human rights abuses there. And what's interesting is that the IOC is a good pressure point for this, because international governments have stakes, they put their money into our taxpayer dollars and pounds into the money that goes into the IFC.
And so, this is a place where we can -- we can see governments around the world putting pressure on the IFC to do something about what's going on.
CHURCH: What hope do you have that your report will shine a spotlight on this issue and perhaps see some progress achieved?
MURPHY: I think that there's a fairly good chance that the IFC will take this quite seriously. They do have performance standards that are an integral part of their sort of, you know, like, governance process for their grants. And so, I think that they'll take the findings that we brought to bear seriously, and they're had -- they have in the past made decisions based on human rights.
So, we are very optimistic that they'll read this and really understand what we're -- what we're talking about and take it seriously.
CHURCH: Professor Laura Murphy, thank you so much for talking with us.
MURPHY: Thank you.
CHURCH: International negotiators could be just days away from wrapping up their nuclear talks with Iran. That is according to the French foreign minister who told lawmakers Wednesday we are coming to the hour of truth. And it's not a matter of weeks, it's a matter of days. A top Iranian negotiator tweeted that the deal is closer than ever, but that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.
The U.S. and other world powers are negotiating with Iran in Vienna, to revive an agreement that former President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018.
And now let's go back to where Michael Holmes who joins us live from Lviv in Ukraine.
HOLMES: All right, Rosemary. Really appreciate that. We can take a break here. When we come back though, what's been dubbed a day of national unity?
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[02:30:00] HOLMES: All right. Rosemary, really appreciate that. We're going to take a break here. When we come back through, what's being dubbed a day of national unity.
Plus, a message of strength from Ukraine's president, and despite the looming threat from Russia, it's business as usual in some Ukrainian border towns. Why locals are feeling so relaxed. We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back everyone. I'm Michael Holmes, coming to you live from live even Lviv, in Western Ukraine, where it is now around half past 9:00 on a rainy morning.
Now, the U.S. is dismissing Russia's claim that it is removing some of its forces from Ukraine's border. A senior Biden administration official says that Russia has actually ramped up its presence by as many as 7,000 troops. Now, that official says that while Moscow claims to desire a diplomatic solution, its latest moves "indicate otherwise."
Now, one of those moves involves this bridge been built in Belarus during joint exercises between Russian and Belarusian forces, it's located very close to the Ukraine border, and that's significant because it would be a help to Russian troops should they invade. But the latest Ukrainian intelligence says that at this point, the Russian buildup is not large enough to pull off a full-scale invasion.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's president is projecting strength, confidence, and solidarity in the face of the Russian threat, while examining new antitank missiles and other military hardware, Volodymyr Zelensky said, his country will not be intimidated by enemies and would be able to defend itself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are not intimidated by any predictions of the world. Any people, enemies, or any dates, because we will defend ourselves. Whether it is February 16th, 17th, in March, April, or September, or December. It's not important. What is important is, this is the year 2022, not 2014. We have become much stronger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, these remarks came as Ukraine marked its day of National Unity. CNN's Sam Kiley shows us how that's playing out in the border City of Kharkiv.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[02:35:00]
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT v (voiceover): The course of Kharkiv Opera House singing in defiance of this. Russia amassing what the U.S. says are 150,000 troops on three sides of Ukraine's border. In Kharkiv, 25 miles from the front, here, a day of national unity is quickly marked amid dire warnings from Washington.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: An invasion remains distinctly possible.
KILEY (voiceover): Here, though, a message of calm.
KILEY (on camera): Do you expect an invasion?
No, we don't expect it, he says. I think we should be ready for anything, but I'm also sure everything is going to be fine.
If the Russians did attack, they'd have a short run to Kharkiv.
KILEY (on camera): We're driving north towards the border with Russia, which is now about 15 or 20 minutes away, about half an hour beyond that is the City of Belgorod, according to Russian reports, there is the first guards tank army. On paper, they are capable of mustering 50,000 or so infantry, 600 to 800 tanks, they have (INAUDIBLE) surface to surface missile. But there isn't a single sign on this road, North of Kharkiv, a city of 1.5 million people, of any kind of Ukraine military activity.
KILEY (voiceover): Just trucks waiting for routine crossing into Russia, and business as usual at the border crossing here. Russia is on the other side of that fence. The locals here, relaxed. Ludmilla (ph) says, how is it that we're forced to quarrel with our brothers. I just can't comprehend it. On the contrary, we should not have borders are all.
There is no will to fight with Russia and I don't see the will of Russians to fight with us. There are no armed forces, not even a hint, says Alexander.
In case Russia does send tanks into this vast landscape, Ukrainians insist that they recall the words of their national anthem. Our enemies will die, as the dew does in the sunshine. And we brothers will live happily in our land. Sam Kiley, CNN, Kharkiv.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: I'm Michael Holmes in Lviv in Western Ukraine. I'll be back next hour. But for now, let's send it back to Rosemary in Atlanta. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Well, South Korea is seeing a record number of new COVID cases for a second straight day, the country reported more than 90,000 daily infections. And health officials warn, that number could continue to climb. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now from Seoul.
Good to see you, Paula.
So, South Korea did so well at the start of this pandemic, particularly with COVID testing. What is behind this record number of new infections, and how is the country coping?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, it's basically because of Omicron. That is by far the predominant variant in this country now, and that's why we're seeing the numbers soar, over 93,000 new daily cases reported for yesterday. And for South Korea that is extremely high.
What we're hearing from officials is that it could go as high as 130,000 to 170,000 new cases per day. But what is more important to look at is the number of hospital beds that are still available, and there are plenty, we're being told. Also, the number of deaths are still relatively low here in South Korea, as are the ICU cases, the critical cases due to COVID.
And so, what we could see in the next 24 hours on Friday, the government and health officials will be meeting and they may infect decide to ease restrictions. It's not confirmed at this point, but we did hear from the prime minister this week, saying that they're really starting to focus on minimizing the economic impact of COVID.
Now, what we have at the moment is a curfew here on restaurants and other entertainment venues of 9:00 p.m. We know there have been a number of protests from small businesses, saying that that curfew is crippling them, asking for it to be lifted. So, potentially that could be something they look at. There's a gathering limit of six people still in South Korea. That will be looked at as well.
So, the government here, in the past couple of weeks, has really moved away from its strategy of track and trace to make sure they contact rates every single person who tests positive. You simply can't do that when it's more than 90,000 people a day, and they recognize that. They are also putting more power to the schools. The Korean schools will be back in session in about two weeks' time. And they're giving free test kits to some of the children so that they can do it at home. It's not mandatory, it's recommended, they say. But they're leaving it up to the schools that if you have a case in the school, whether you send everybody home just that year or just the people sitting around the student.
So, we're seeing the government take a step back in recognition that the numbers are so high. They simply cannot monitor everyone. So, they're focusing on the elderly and also those who are vulnerable. On Monday, this week, they said that they would give a second booster. So, a fourth shot to those who were immunocompromised and those working in the very high-risk elderly care and those kinds of facilities. Rosemary?
[02:40:00]
CHURCH: We've seen this play out in various countries across the globe. Paula Hancocks, many thank for bringing us up to date.
All right. Turning now to Canada where police are demanding protesters leave the parliament hill area of Ottawa as demonstrations against COVID-19 regulations continue to paralyze the capital. For weeks now, the so-called Freedom Convoy has clogged roads and angered citizens with constant horn blowing demanding pandemic restrictions be lifted. On Wednesday, Ottawa police handed out flyers saying, anyone blocking the streets will face charges. Meanwhile, the royal Canadian mounted police reports that four people have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with a border blockade and weapons seizure in Alberta. The stash of weapons seized by authorities include 13 long guns and a machete.
Well, rescuers are racing against time to find survivors after devastating landslides and flooding. Next, emergency crews dig through a mountain of debris as the death toll keeps rising.
Plus, back-to-back storms taking aim at Europe with both sides of the English Channel in the crosshairs.
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CHURCH: You are looking at the debris of what used to be homes and other buildings after a series of landslides tore through a city north of Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian officials say, at least 94 people have been killed in Petropolis since Tuesday. That's when heavy rains hit the area, unleashing torrents of water, triggering landslides and massive flooding. CNN's Shasta Darlington reports, some video shows city streets practically turning into rivers.
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SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN REPORTER (voiceover): A terrifying scene as rushing water carries a car down an embankment. Heavy rain drenched the city of Petropolis, a mountainous region of Brazil's Rio de Janeiro State causing deadly flooding and landslides. Emergency crews tossed debris out of a giant hole, racing to find anyone left alive under the mighty mess. Dozens are dead, including several children. The Rio de Janeiro fire and civil defense department says it's unclear how many people are still missing. Rio's governor visited the area to assess the damage.
CLAUDIO CASTRO, RIO DE JANEIRO GOVERNOR (through translator): I think that it is not time yet to discuss numbers. Our work now is to try to find survivors in this horror scene, to clean and to rescue any body's that are here.
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DARLINGTON (voiceover): A rescuer carries a dog to safety. And residents look on at what's left of their neighborhood. More than 1,500 families have been displaced as the property destruction is enormous. The city has declared a state of public calamity. One shopkeeper says he lost everything in a matter of minutes.
HENRIQUE PEREIRA, SHOPKEEPER (through translator): It arrived by surprise. It started flooding gradually. The wall here in front was taking everything. The water pressure was taking everything. Everybody on the street had 100 percent damage. It was very difficult. Now, to start over.
DARLINGTON (voiceover): Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro, who's on a trip to Russia, tweeted that he has asked for immediate assistance to be sent to the victims. Rio's civil defense says that Petropolis had more rain in one afternoon than the historical average of all of February. Officials are urging residents to relocate to safe areas are shelters until the debris can be cleared away. Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.
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CHURCH: Extreme weather is also a problem in Europe, which is taking a one-two punch from two powerful storms. One's name Dudley, which is moving across the English Channel after pummeling the U.K. with high winds. But that's happening just as another storm named Eunice is heading toward Britain. Derek van Dam joins us now with the details.
So, Derek, what is going on here?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. It's really English Channel that separates Dudley from Eunice. The two storms that you mention just a moment ago. Let's start with Dudley, this is our storm that has moved through. It's called -- it's caused widespread travel disruptions across Scotland, portions of Northern U.K.
Look at the Coast of France. This whipped up some impressive waves right along the Atlantic Seaboard into France, all thanks to the winds that continue to be associated with these systems. Now, that low pressure, that would be trouble -- or rather Dudley is continuing to move across portions of Germany, into Belgium as well as Poland. We've had 63 reports of severe wind gusts just in the past 24 hours. You can see them highlighted across the U.K. and throughout that region.
But waiting in its wings, this is the next storm, the more powerful storm, mind you, will be Eunice, and that is now entering into the picture across the extreme eastern sections of the Atlantic.
But in the meantime, today, we have strong wind threat today across portions of Poland, Northern Germany stretching into Belgium, the Netherlands, as well as the Central U.K. We have the potential for severe wind gusts and tornadoes. And then, we start to see our chances increase as we go into the overnight and into Friday. It's really Eunice, the low-pressure system that is associated with our next round of strong winds, as you can see with our forecast wind gust double into London. We could experience wind gust between 80 to 100 kilometers an hour.
U.K. MET Office currently amber alerts in place for much of Southern England, including London. Fallen trees, travel delays, and power outages are likely with the storm by Friday evening.
Back to you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Thanks for that wrap. Appreciate it. Derek van Dam.
Well, still ahead, a woman in the U.S. has just become the third unknown person to be cured of HIV. Details on this exciting medical breakthrough when we come back.
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CHURCH: Now to an incredible medical breakthrough here in the United States. An American woman has become just the third unknown person to be cured of HIV. So, how did it happen? Here's CNN's Elizabeth Cohen.
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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A woman in the United States has been curative of HIV. She's a third person to be cured in this way, here's what happened. She had HIV, and then later was diagnosed with leukemia. Doctors wanted to give her a stem cell transplants for her leukemia, and so they found umbilical cord cells from a baby who had a gene, a specific variation of a gene that made them resistant HIV. They gave a transplant with those baby's umbilical cord cells and found four years later, she still has no HIV. They can't find any HIV in her.
Now, it sounds like, wow, they should do this for that everyone with HIV. Here's why they don't. Stem cell transplants can be very dangerous. They can kill people. You would never want to give it to someone if they didn't have a disease like leukemia that you were trying to treat. Also, there are lots of pills out there, t there's drugs out there that treat HIV perfectly well. And so, you want to take the risk since they're good treatments for HIV. Let's take a listen to Dr. Anthony Fauci.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: This person happen to have an underlying disease which required a stem cell transplant. So, I don't want people to think that now this is something that can be applied to the 36 million people who are living with HIV.
COHEN: So, as Dr. Fauci said, you would never want to treat everyone with HIV with a stem cell transplant. However, for people who have both a blood cancer and HIV, this might turn out to be a very good treatment. Back to you.
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CHURCH: Dr. Jorge Rodriguez is a board-certified internal medicine specialist and viral researcher. He joins me now from Los Angeles.
DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, BOARD CERTIFIED INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST: Thank you, Doctor, for being with us.
My pleasure, as always.
CHURCH: So, researchers are reporting a third case of HIV remission after a stem cell transplant using umbilical cord blood. How significant is this breakthrough and how might it be applied to other HIV patients?
DR. RODRIGUEZ: It's very significant, Rosemary. As you know, I've doing HIV research now for going over 20 years. And it's a glimmer of hope. And what it has shown us is that if you replace the cells that the virus invades -- let me explain this very, very simply, I hope. The virus needs to hook onto something in the cells and invade it. Some people are born without that sort of landing pod, and this patient had leukemia which required them to get chemotherapy and their bone marrow was completely gone. So, they had to receive a transplants of stem cells that did not have this landing pod.
So, we know that these landing pods are essential. And even though this was a long way from a cure, because this is a very drastic measure to get rid of HIV, we know that we are in a certain path, we need to follow certain path to get there.
CHURCH: So, what makes someone a good candidate for this procedure that could potentially lead to a cure?
DR. RODRIGUEZ: Well, first of all, I don't think that this is ready for primetime. This is something that is very drastic to do. First of all, you would have to be, obviously, HIV positive, but would have to be on medication that controls the viral replication. You would then, in the old way of doing this, you'd have to have a donor that also had all of your genetics, so there wouldn't be a rejection.
The difference with stem cell is that you're starting so early in the process of making cells, that you may not need all that specifics. So, I mean, that's where it's leading, or you -- guess what, you could sometimes create a vaccine that may block that landing pod. So, it's telling us that that's the important factor.
CHURCH: And why has it taken so long to find a cure for HIV? And, I mean, there hasn't been a vaccine. We've been able to come up with a COVID-19 vaccine in such a short time, and it has been years, decades in fact, with HIV and there isn't a vaccine. But this is a glimmer of hope in terms of a cure, but why has it taken so long?
DR. RODRIGUEZ: Well, there are many reasons. And unfortunately, it's 30 million deaths to this day from HIV. Not all viruses could carry the same genetics. And the HIV virus, if you ever see how it's mapped out, it continues to change. And the only stable areas of the virus that you can make a vaccine for are within the virus. So, you almost have to borough to the core of it.
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COVID is different because it has these spikes that are right on the outside, and that's what they made the vaccine for. So, that is one of the many reasons that it has been almost impossible to make a vaccine.
CHURCH: And just in very basic terms, how does all this technology work? And what is the next step forward with, this?
DR. RODRIGUEZ: Well, this technology works, first of all, by mapping. Think of a virus as a necklace of many different colored beads. You need to know the sequence of those beads. Once you do that, you can design a vaccine towards it, but you need to find an area where that necklace is not going to change colors.
So, where we are now, is at a point that we know, that if you can program cells to come up with the correct sort of, color of necklace beads, that it can fight the virus. But what is also been very difficult in HIV is that virus lays latent in many cells in the body.
So, even, for example, the people now that are on medication that have no virus, replicating, once they stop that medication, the virus comes from hidden areas. So, it's very complicated, but I think that there is a light that is guiding us on a path that is hopefully a permanent cure for HIV.
CHURCH: Absolutely. That is certainly the hope. Doctor Jorge Rodriguez, many thanks as always for talking to us.
DR. RODRIGUEZ: My pleasure.
CHURCH: A six-year-old girl is back with her legal guardians after disappearing more than two years ago in New York State. Paislee Joann Shultis was reported missing in July of 2019. Police believe she was abducted by her non-custodial parents. Police repeatedly visited her grandfather's home, but were given limited access to the house.
During their latest search Monday, one officer noticed something about the stairs to the basement, upon investigation, they found little Paislee hiding in this small compartment with one of her accused of abductors. Paislee's biological parents and grandfather are now charged with custodial interference and endangering the welfare of a child.
And thank you so much for watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with Michael Holmes at the top of the hour joining us live from Ukraine after this short break. Do stay with us.
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