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Ukraine: Russian Troops Entering Northern District of Kyiv; Ukrainian Families Looking for Safe Spaces Amid Attacks; EU Leaders Announce Harsh Sanctions, Say Putin Must Fail; Russia Unleashes More Attacks, Airstrikes on Ukraine; Ukraine Invasion Rattles Markets for Second Day; Kharkiv Residents Turn Subway Station into Bomb Shelter. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired February 25, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes coming to you live from Ukraine where the defense ministry just issued a chilling statement. Clashes have erupted close to the center of Kyiv and Russian reconnaissance troops have entered that northern part of the capital -- a specific district.

The ministry has tweeted out that civilians should, quote, make Molotov cocktails and take down the occupier. A few hours ago, Ukraine's military said it was resisting an advance from the north and blew up a bridge, in fact, to keep Russian forces at bay or at least slow them down.

Now the British Prime Minister says he's told Ukraine's president the world is united in its horror over the invasion. But Volodymyr Zelensky not for the first time has accused Western allies of just not doing enough. Saying, quote, we are defending our country alone.

Meanwhile, we're getting in new images that show the aftermath of recent shelling in the Luhansk area of eastern Ukraine. Lots of fires and rubble. This is inside one of those regions that Russia recognized as independent ahead of this invasion of the whole country.

And just minutes ago, air raid sirens blaring again in Kyiv. We've been hearing them here in Lviv as well earlier today and these are live pictures of the Ukrainian capital as we continue to monitor developing events there on this possible incursion of reconnaissance troops from Russia entering one district of the capital. Obviously, an important development if true.

Now all across the country many Ukrainians inevitably understandably terrified. Some families have been crowding into subway stations and bomb shelters along with young children trying to explain to them what is going on and to make some sense of how their world has been turned upside down.

EU leaders have been condemning the barbaric invasion, as they put it, and imposed their harshest ever sanctions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: Putin is trying to subjugate a friendly European country and he's trying to redraw the maps of Europe by force. He must and he will fail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: CNN's international security editor Nick Paton Walsh joins me now from Kherson, in Ukraine. Give us a sense of what's been going on there. There was fighting earlier, what's the latest?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Judging by the sound of sirens I'm hearing behind me, things may have picked up again. There was significant fighting yesterday described as the most serious in Ukraine by President Volodymyr Zelensky. Down at the bridge on the east of this town, it is a key part of the infrastructure here because it takes you from the part that is down by Crimea, the peninsula of Ukraine south of Russia controlled, up towards for the mainland broader Ukraine through the Donets River that cuts the country essentially in two.

Going across that river a key task for Russian forces. And they seemed to have some success here yesterday getting across the bridge but then were pushed back. We've seen that ourselves. Now there's been an intense fight down there. Bodies still lying in the road, houses taken down -- sorry, buildings taken down. While it seems to be airstrikes.

Overnight we heard consistent low flying jets over the city causing people to be terrified, frankly. The hotel we're in, the owner gently going room to room, turning out the lights and putting her kids into safety. It is possibly happening again down there. We simply don't know whether Russia feels it has to take this town as part of its moves north. There are suggesting it might choose to go west towards Odessa or east towards the separatist territories. But it is extraordinary to see the breadth.

I've come all the way from Odessa, in the southwest here to above Crimea, of Russian moves here. And also too, civilians caught in their daily lives in the middle. On that very bridge where the violence was very intense. The petrol station destroyed. Multiple Ukrainian vehicles being left by the side of the road after being incapacitated in one way or another.

[04:35:00]

To see civilians simply driving up back and forth on that large bridge, past blown out field trucks, past the corpse of a soldier on the floor. Continue on their daily business because they have to, not out of some bizarre courage. But also, they say going past Russian troops that have hidden their positions on the other side but are staying there, waiting it seems, for another moment to perhaps try and take the vital bridge again -- Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, visceral images painted there by you, Nick. I wanted to ask you about another incident that happened, this island, Snake Island, where Ukrainian forces utterly defiant in the face of Russian aggression.

WALSH: Yes, look, it's a very dark episode it seems. And may have encountered for some of the explosions we heard yesterday morning when we were in Odessa on the Black Sea. This Snake Island is sort of off to the south of that. One of the farthest reaches of Ukrainian territory approached by a Russian boat. I don't know if we can play you the audio that particular incident.

But essentially it shows a radio exchange between Russian military who say you need to surrender. You need to give yourself up or we will open fire. And then the response, pretty profane for me to repeat here from the Ukrainian soldier, the sole occupants of the tiny weather- beaten island saying no in different language and then radio silence. We understand everybody on that island died according to Ukrainian President Zelensky. So, courage certainly but also a sign, frankly, of the ruthlessness of Russian forces as they move forward around Ukraine -- Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, that recording and we will play it there later on in our coverage, but it wasn't just no, expletive no to the Russians. And even according to Ukrainians now, they are all dead. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you for your reporting out there. We'll be back to you in the hours ahead. Thanks so much.

I spoke earlier with the Ukrainian lawmaker, and I asked her how she is feeling as Russian forces are invading her country. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LESIA VASYLENKO, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: We need assistance. We need help. We need help from all the partners that we have, from all those countries that call themselves our partners.

Political statements are great. We are thankful for those as ever, but we need some protection. We need the sanctions to be in place. We need more weapons inside of Ukraine. And at the end of the day, we need a closure of our airspace. And that can be done only with the help of the U.S. and the U.K. And we need the UN peacekeepers or whatever other troops on the ground here in Ukraine countering Russian attacks.

HOLMES: Yes, sadly, none of that seems particularly likely. You know, when you talked about the surreal nature of this, I think back to Vladimir Putin when he spoke, he spoke of close cultural and familial ties between Russia and Ukraine. And yet, of course, an invasion, like the one underway could cause thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of deaths of people in Ukraine, related to people in Russia. That must just boggle your mind.

VASYLENKO: I'm sorry. Yes. So, it just doesn't speak out of my window. And there's like -- there's planes flying in towards -- because I'm on the outskirts of Kyiv right now. I'm sorry. Yes, sorry for that. So, because every time we get this, it's disturbances every single time like that.

So, I'm on the outskirts of Kyiv right now. And just as we spoke, there were several planes flying in, in the direction of the city. And we know from the president's address, just several minutes ago that air strikes are to begin, well, right about now. Hopefully, our anti- airstrike system is going to be able to withstand that.

But as we speak, and this is what I say that we are all exhausted from this, because we have helicopters, we have airplanes, fighter jets, flying all around all the time. And every time we hear a noise, it's like looking out of the window, where is it going? Is it going to hit it? Or is it going to miss?

HOLMES: I can't imagine how unsettling how terrifying this is for you and everyone in Kyiv as well. What is your greatest fear about what's going to happen? I mean, clearly Putin wants to overthrow the government, at a very minimum, but if he's troops and tanks come into the city, it could become a very bloody situation.

VASYLENKO: Let's hope that doesn't happen.

[04:40:00]

I have faith in the Ukrainian army and in the Ukrainian people. We now have a huge lines piling in to sign up to the territorial defense units. People here are brave and are not up to giving up their country. We do not want to live under somebody's rule, whoever it is. We are a free people. We have fallen for our freedom. Our men and women have died for this freedom in the recent years, and also in the decades and centuries before that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES (on camera): Unbelievable, isn't it? That will do it here from Lviv, Ukraine for the moment. Let's send it back to Isa Soares there in London. Just incredible what's been unfolding here over the last 24 hours. It's so hard to hear, particularly, Isa, Peter Zalmayev earlier. I've spoken to him so many times. And I see him in that analyst, academic role driving west to dump his family off, because he's worried for their lives. Get a turnaround, drive back to Kyiv will and pick up a gun.

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Incredibly terrifying. I can't imagine what these families are going through, Michael. And how do you explain this to your children? That's also the other question. How do you explain what is unfolding to your children. We'll touch base back with you in just a few minutes. Michael Holmes stay safe my friend, thank you very much.

Well, as Russia opens a military front in Ukraine, it's facing pushbacks from the economic front. Up next, we look at why the military invasion will mean losses for Russian business. Anna Stewart is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: I'm Isa Soares in London and we continue our coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Let's have a look at how markets are reacting to Moscow's military action and the new round of sanctions of course that have been slapped on Russia.

Let's have a look at Europe first. Major indices are currently up slightly as you can see there.

[04:45:00]

Less than two hours in the trading session and the FTSE 100 probably fearing the best, just over 1.3 of a percent. Really clawing back some of those dramatic losses that we saw on Thursday. Investors probably not surprised by the sanctions. I'll talk about that in a minute with Anna.

But if you have a look at U.S. futures, very different picture on Wall Street. Futures are lingering in a negative territory. Red arrows right across the board.

In Russia, meanwhile, the benchmark MOEX index has recovered some of the losses it suffered on Thursday. That's when the index closed down 33 percent. The Moscow stock exchange has canceled today's morning session.

Well, as the Kremlin unleashes its military might on Ukraine, Russia is coming under a barrage of international economic sanctions. On Thursday the EU slapped a new round of punitive measures on Moscow. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said they'll have, quote, a maximum impact on Russia's economy as well as political elite.

President Joe Biden also announced a package of U.S. sanctions. They goes after Russian's top banks, state owned businesses, oligarchs as well as the military. And they announced the strongest sanctions ever imposed on any economy the size of Russia's. Moscow is facing even more economic punishment as Britain, Japan, Canada, Australia and Taiwan announcing new measures as well.

CNN's Anna Stewart joins me now live from London. And Anna, we heard President Biden talk about the long-term -- maximize, his words were -- maximize long-term impact on Russia. From finance, from balance, from all aspects of society, does this go far enough? Let me ask you differently, what's not on the table?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: I think that's key. Because yes, banks, key companies, more oligarchs, incredible export restrictions. We can talk more about that. Withholding tech from some critical industries in Russia. But wat's not here is exports -- is, sorry, sanctions on the oil and gas companies, on wheat. Russia essentially can still sell those products where it gets most of its revenue from and you can see why, because the West is so reliant on them. And also, SWIFT. We've talked a lot about SWIFT, that was not on the table either.

SOARES: OK, why is SWIFT not on the table? The U.S. seems to be keen for it to be on the table. It says it might be on the table. The Brits and the French this morning saying likewise. Where are the standout countries and why are they not on board with SWIFT?

STEWART: This was so interesting. It's always been on the sharp ends of the spectrum. This is the global financial system that underpins financial transactions around the world. It's based in Belgium. So, Europe is really key when it comes to disconnecting SWIFT and Russia. It's essentially run by a cooperative. Now Europe is a problem. And actually, that is something U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned in his press conference yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is always an option but right now that's not the position the rest of Europe wishes to take.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: Senior EU sources told us you have on the side reporting and disconnecting Russia from SWIFT, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. On the other side of the EU, you have Germany, Italy, Hungary and Cyprus. Those are the countries with stronger economic ties to Russia. And today, we also had actually the U.K.'s defense minister saying, they would like to go further. The U.K. would like to go for the SWIFT option. But currently there are too many divisions. It would be too costly for Europe.

SOARES: But very quickly, if there's not SWIFT, what else does the West have to try to deter or punish in some way, Putin?

STEWART: Well, I mean there's always sanctions on gas, on oil, on those companies. There is SWIFT. There is also of course the option to actually pick out President Putin himself and target him with sanctions. That's largely symbolic. I'm not sure if it'll do anything to change the situation. I doubt it would de-escalate anything.

SOARES: Anna Stewart, thank you very much. I'll be right back after a very short break.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Let's quickly bring you up to date on the breaking news we are following. Ukraine's defense ministry reporting clashes close to the city center in Kyiv. It says Russian reconnaissance troops have ended the northern district of the capital and it's asking citizens to, quote, get this, make Molotov cocktails and take down the occupier.

It comes as Ukraine's interior ministry says one of its fighter jets has been shot down over Kyiv. And as air raid sirens have, again, been going off around the capital. Now residents in Kharkiv, Ukraine, have turned a subway station into a make shift bomb shelter. CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward was there and spoke with frightened but determined Ukrainians seeking safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kharkiv residents scrambled to find shelter as Russia's brutal assault unfolds. Deep underground scenes reminiscent of the Second World II, and the shock just sinking in, that what was unimaginable is now reality. As 36-year-old Darya tells us.

DARYA, KHARKIV RESIDENT: You wake up in a totally new reality at 5:00 a.m. And you find out that the world is no longer the safe place you imagine. We are independent country, Ukraine, and we are totally not same as Russians. And we don't want to be a part of Russia or any other country.

WARD: Yesterday, this was just an ordinary metro station full of people going to and from work. Today, it has become a de facto bomb shelter. And there are just hundreds and hundreds of people who have descended on this place, fearful for their lives, and uncertain of what the future will bring.

And the thing you hear over and over again from people is where can we go? Where is it safe now to go in Ukraine? And I want to be clear about something. This is not a frontline city in Ukraine's eight-year war with Russia.

[04:55:00]

This is a thriving metropolis of 1.4 million people who have never experienced anything like this in their entire lives. And now they're being forced to literally camp out with their families, their pets, their loved ones. They grabbed whatever they could from their homes, and they brought it here. And they don't know what's next for them. They don't know what the new Ukraine will look like, and what place they will have it.

WARD (voice-over): Many we approach are too overcome to speak.

WARD: I'm asking them if they're afraid. They're very nervous.

WARD (voice-over): Look at the situation around you, this woman says.

WARD: I'm so sorry. It's a terrible, terrible situation.

WARD (voice-over): There's no doubt here about who is responsible for this conflict. But few can understand why.

WARD: So, it's interesting. I just asked them, what do they think of President Putin? Do they think he's crazy? They said he's not crazy. He's sick. He's sick. We just want to live peacefully.

DARYA: I just hope that some people in Russia will (INAUDIBLE). It is Putin and the world.

WARD (voice-over): A simple plea for mercy that has so far fallen on deaf ears.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HOLMES: Powerful reporting there from Clarissa Ward.

Now if you would like to help Ukraine with humanitarian aid or some other sort of assistance, just go across to CNN.com/impact and you'll find plenty of resources there.

I'm Michael Holmes live in Lviv, Ukraine. Our breaking news coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues on "NEW DAY" with John Berman and Brianna Keilar. You're watching CNN.

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