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Russian Military Ramps Up Attack On Key Ukrainian Cities; Large Explosions On Outskirts Of Ukrainian Capital; Officials: Russia's Strategy Shifting To Slow Annihilation; Pentagon: Long Russian Convoy Outside Kyiv "Stalled" Russia Troops Lay Siege To Several Ukrainian Cities; Working To Help Displaced Ukrainians In Need; UNHCR: One Million Refugees Have Fled Ukraine In A Week; Refugees Flee To Hungary As Russian Attacks Intensify; Israel's Bennett Speaks With Putin And Zelensky. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 03, 2022 - 02:00:00   ET

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

[02:03:15]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And I'm Rosemary Church live from CNN World headquarters in Atlanta.

Despite being overmatched and outgunned, we will show you how Ukrainians are remaining resolute vowing to fight for their freedom until the very end.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

CHURCH: Well, it is the eighth day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and people are once again waking up to the sounds of explosions and resistance. And because of that, Ukrainian resistance Russia had not been able to capture a key city until recently.

The mayor of Kherson indicated Russian forces have taken control with troops now rolling through the streets. Kherson is strategically important for the Russian president. It's located near the Black Sea, just northwest of Crimea. A former NATO commander says Vladimir Putin is eager to establish a land corridor from Russia to the Crimean Peninsula.

Meanwhile, a bank in Kherson accuses Russian soldiers of looting. It shared this surveillance footage that appears to show troops hauling away a safe back near the capital Kyiv there was at least one explosion lighting up the sky a few hours ago.

And on Wednesday, fighter jets screamed overhead just seconds before a blast on the western outskirts of the city, U.S. and Western officials warning that Moscow may be shifting to an ominous strategy of slow annihilation which may already be playing out in Kharkiv, Ukraine second largest city.

Along with military sites Russian forces have been shelling civilian targets, several schools, a cathedral, shops, and homes, all hitched over the past two days.

The UN says at least 227 Ukrainian civilians are confirmed dead, though the real toll is likely much higher. CNN cannot confirm any casualty counts.

And as for that long Russian convoy north of Kyiv, the Pentagon says it's stalled as Russia regroups. The Ukrainian president who is holed up in a bunker claim some occupiers are fleeing back to Russia, and he prays the courage of his fellow Ukrainians.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): Our military, our border guards, our territorial defense, even ordinary farmers capture the Russian military every day. And all the captives say only one thing, they do not know why they are here. Despite the fact that there are dozens of times more of them the morale of the enemy is constantly deteriorating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Let's go to Michael Holmes now in Lyviv, Ukraine. Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Rosemary. Thanks so much. And from trained fighters to everyday civilians, Ukrainians resilience in the face of Russia's increasingly fierce attacks remains strong. But as Matthew Chance reports for us now, the onslaught taking an ever growing toll. MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russia's

assault on Ukraine continues without mercy. This is what's left of a university in Kharkiv, the country's second city. Made a painting of civilian areas.

In the port city of Mariupol, also the scene of heavy shelling, local officials say hundreds of casualties are now feared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CHANCE: United Nations, this confirmed more than 200 civilians killed across Ukraine in the week since this Russian invasion began. Ukrainian officials say the figure is much higher.

You think those figures would scare people off the streets. But look at this scene from the town of Konotop, where Russian officer holds up two grenades for protection after delivering an ultimatum demanding surrender.

"Shame on you", the angry crowd shouts. "Just go back, that's where you came from." Minutes later, the local man said Russia's terms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If we stop resisting, they will shell the city, tells the crowd. But if you vote for it, we will fight back. The decision has to be taken by everyone though, because the artillery is aimed at us.

[02:08:19]

CHANCE: Across Ukraine, they continue to be courageous acts of civilian defiance against the Russian occupiers. This was a scene in the southern town of Melitopol now under Russian control. Locals literally lying in front of these military vehicles to resist.

And this resistance on the battlefield too. Russian officials admitting nearly 500 of their own soldiers have been killed so far.

Ukrainians say the figure is closer to 6,000. Either way, the human cost of this war is already tragically high. Matthew Chance, CNN Kyiv.

HOLMES: Now, the devastating situation in Ukraine has motivated people around the world to look for ways to help. Among them is businessman, John Shmorhun, who is volunteering now as the director of a group

called Education Ukrainian Platform.

Now this, John is a group that he's working to gather funds to buy all the things displaced Ukrainians need, and we've talked a lot about the refugees. They're the ones who've crossed the border, you're dealing with the internally displaced and there are a lot of them. What is their situation? How are you helping?

JOHN SHMORHUN, DIRECTOR, EDUCATION UKRAINIAN PLATFORM: Well, first of all, it's called the Ukrainian Education Platform. The situation is pretty dire. Women and children are dying every day because of the Russian assault on Ukraine.

And we're looking for-- we're providing safe places for them to live rather than leaving the country as refugees. We believe they need to be close to their loved ones, you know, the men and boys are fighting today. So they need to be close.

HOLMES: How many people are you talking about? I mean, do we know?

SHMORHUN: We don't even know.

HOLMES: Yes.

SHMORHUN: We don't even know. We just know that we have five safe areas in safe places in Ukraine, mostly in the western part of Ukraine. We're working with municipalities to provide the shelter and then we're equipping the shelters with bedding, kitchens, clothing, medicine, psychological support, educational support, this is our goal.

HOLMES: And how much support are you getting? People are chipping in, aren't they?

SHMORHUN: Oh, they're chipping in? We're-- they're chipping in, we're getting a lot of support from Europe, from America, from Japan. A lot of support, Michael,

HOLMES: I imagine, I mean, the-- half of counties are warzone now. I imagine one of the biggest challenges is distribution.

SHMORHUN: Yes.

HOLMES: Yes.

SHMORHUN: Yes, it is. Ukrainian Education Platform has 300 volunteers all over Ukraine, who help us to move the products, by car, whatever means are possible.

Certainly one of the biggest issues are people who are stuck in the conflict areas. And we need to be able to move food and medicines to those people, particularly those people who cannot get out.

HOLMES: When we were talking before, I mean, you mentioned the sort of army of volunteers you have and the enthusiasm and the youth.

SHMORHUN: Yes. Oh, yes. I mean, the office is bustling. I joined the platform, literally when the war started. The office is just buzzing with young people working in sort of communications so that people know where to go. But also logistics support, and everything. We're moving products as fast as we possibly can.

HOLMES: Yes. And great risk, and with great difficulty, I know. You have deep ties to this country. You have roots that go back. What-- tell us about the determination of Ukrainians to resist what is going.

SHMORHUN: Yes. Well, Michael, it's been eight years of fighting. Okay? Ukrainians are determined to keep their homes and their land.

HOLMES: Okay.

SHMORHUN: And that is only been-- that will is only increased over time. They're-- you know, they're not going to go-- they're going to go down fighting. I mean, you can see that. Getting Kyiv will be a very, very difficult task. Very difficult task.

HOLMES: And the other thing I'm-- I'll ask you about, because I've asked a lot of people about it, and I get the same answer every time. I mean, if the worst would happen, if there's, you know, a few months from now there is a pro-Russian puppet government installed, that wouldn't be the end of the fight?

SHMORHUN: No, no, no. There are-- there will be a Ukrainian insurgency. That is very clear. I mean, even here in Lviv we're hearing about thousands of young men and older men, very basically, you know, swearing their oath, and joining the volunteer militias.

HOLMES: Yes.

SHMORHUN: So.

HOLMES: What is your message to the world and as they watch what is happening here particularly when it comes to those who are helping internally displaced often get forgotten? It's a huge issue. What's your message?

[02:18:27]

SHMORHUN: Yes. Well, it's-- we believe that internally displaced is better than refugee. Okay? We want people to stay here to help rebuild Ukraine. We ask that the world to give, whether it's donations and money, or donations in food, material support to keep this country running. HOLMES: John Shmorhun, thank you so much. Appreciate the work you're doing. It's important work. And I know you are deeply committed to helping the people here in Ukraine.

SHMORHUN: Thank you very much, Michael. Thank you.

HOLMES: Thank you so much.

All right. Okay, now one million people have fled the country in one week. One million, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. We were talking about 690,000 yesterday. It's a million now. They have been flooding the borders of Ukraine's neighbors to the south and to the west, but none more than Poland where more than half of the evacuees have chosen to cross the border.

Poland's ambassador to the United Nations says many of those crossing over unaccompanied children as families are being separated at checkpoints. Many refugees also fleeing to Hungary where the government is providing what it can for them.

And now reality is setting in for the 10s of 1000s who have no idea when they'll be able to return home or indeed if home will even still be there. CNN's Ivan Watson spoke with evacuees at Hungary's border with Ukraine.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The train to safety arrives 20 minutes late, rolling across the border from Ukraine loaded with civilians all fleeing the world's newest war zone.

It is a carefully managed procession families emerging one by one expatriates from South Asia and Africa, and of course Ukrainians, welcomed by a Hungarian officials and aid workers.

Each handed a solidarity ticket, a free seat on another train to the Hungarian capital where more help waits.

DAVID OROSY, VOLUNTEER, REFORMED CHURCH IN HUNGARY: They will have them with traveling, with food, with Wi-Fi, and all necessary things, even with hotels.

WATSON: Among the new arrivals and Anastasia Hrankina, her son Mark (ph), and their cat.

ANASTASIA HRANKINA, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE: Shadik (ph), his name is Shadik.

WATSON: They fled Kyiv on the first day of the invasion.

HRANKINA: Two days ago, I was thinking that this war is going to finish just in few days, and that we won't need to leave Ukraine. But now I just can't make any plans. I don't know when I'll see my family again.

WATSON: The Ukrainian refugees are almost all women and children. Absent here, husbands and fathers, men of fighting age ordered to stay behind to defend the country. You're going to Ukraine now.

OLEKSANDRA SHULENINA, UKRAINE CITIZEN: Sure.

WATSON: Oleksandra Shulenina was on a foreign business trip when Russia invaded. Now she's hurrying back into Ukraine to collect her children.

SHULENINA: My husband insists that I protect our children. So I take to my son, to my niece, we go can to Europe where my friend waiting for us. And he stay at-- in Ukraine for protect our country.

WATSON: Anastasia Hrankina's husband is also back in Kyiv, defending the city against Vladimir Putin's invasion.

And what would you tell people in Russia?

HRANKINA: I will tell them, just get rid of your president. He's insane.

WATSON: Safe, but now uprooted with no idea if and when these people can ever go home. Ivan Watson, Zahony, on the Hungarian-Ukrainian border.

HOLMES: All right, for more on how you can help the people of Ukraine go to cnn.com/impact for information, plenty of resources there, if you'd like to help.

And we'll have much more from Ukraine coming up first. So let's head back over to Rosemary in Atlanta. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Thanks, Michael. We'll be back with you soon.

Coming up. What Israel is doing to try to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine? We're live in Jerusalem. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:21:43]

CHURCH: Russian anti-war protesters chanting to support this elderly woman arrested in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. She was among at least 350 demonstrators detained for speaking up against the war in Ukraine. Now, that number came from a local monitoring group. It also says more than 7,600 protesters have been detained since the conflict began.

Anti-war rallies have drawn people of all ages in Russia who told CNN they had no say in the decision to invade Ukraine.

And Israel is also pitching into mediate between Russia and Ukraine. Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett spoke separately with the leaders of both countries on Wednesday after Ukraine's president asked him last week to help with negotiations.

Israel has good ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, but it voted at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine. And CNN's Hadas Gold joins me now from Jerusalem with more on this.

So Hadas, what are you learning of this phone conversation between Prime Minister Bennett and President Putin, Wednesday? And doesn't offer any reason to be hopeful for a diplomatic path forward?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We all hope that there will be a diplomatic path forward at the Prime Minister of Israel Naftali Bennett. Actually he had phone calls with both Ukrainian and Russian presidents yesterday. This is actually the second round of talks they've had in less than a week.

We first heard about it from the Kremlin side. The Kremlin sending out a readout yesterday evening saying that Putin outlined his principal position of the Russian side regarding conditions for resolving the conflict. He says that would include unconditional consideration of Russia's security interest, demilitarization, and he says de- notification of Ukrainian state I should note Ukraine, of course, has a Jewish president.

And he-- they continue saying and ensuring that it's neutral a non- nuclear status as well as the recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea. Now, the Israeli side did not send out an official readout of the call with Putin. However, Israeli media is saying that during-- after-- during the Putin call Israel said they would be prepared to help if asked at any time to resolve the dispute and to bring the sides together given Israel's unique position that allows it to listen to all sides.

We know that last week, President Zelensky of Ukraine did ask Israel to potentially play mediator to host negotiations in Jerusalem because they feel that the current place of negotiations that is Belarus is not a fair place, because Belarus is a close ally to Russia, that they need a change of venue. Jerusalem could be that venue.

So far, we haven't heard any concrete steps being taken for it out, any sort of talks being host. But clearly what we're seeing from these phone calls that the conversations are continuing. Israel sees itself in a very unique position having good relationships, both with Ukraine and Russia, even though as you know that Israel has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they did sign on to that UN resolution.

They're really hoping to maintain this position that they have in order to potentially be able to be a source of negotiations, a mediator to help bring an end to this conflict.

CHURCH: So as we reported, Prime Minister Bennett, after that call with President Putin also spoke by phone with the Ukrainian President Zelensky. Are you learning any more about or what those two leaders discussed and whether any progress toward peace might be within reach?

GOLD: So actually what we understand is that the Zelensky call was before the Putin call. So the first, Bennett spoke with the Zelensky and then he spoke with Vladimir Putin. Now, according to a Senior Ukrainian Official, who was briefed on the call, who spoke with me, they told me that first of all, Zelensky wanted to discuss the airstrike that damaged part of that Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial site. As far as we understand the memorial itself was not damaged, but the site was struck. He wanted to discuss that with him.

And also they discuss security concerns. We understand from some media reports that Zelensky is potentially asking Israel to provide some more military support. Israel has already sent three planes full of humanitarian aid. But the Ukrainians want more. The Ukrainian Ambassador actually went on the record the other day, saying that they want more actual military support, even if it's things just like helmets and security vests.

Now, Israel is in sort of a unique balancing act here. As I said, they have condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but they have economical cultural, there's big Jewish populations, both in Ukraine and Russia, and most importantly, security concerns here.

And this is part of the reason why they're playing this sort of balancing act, because for Israel, they consider their northern border with Syria to essentially be a border with Russia because of Russia's military presence in Syria.

Israel needs Russia's tacit approval in order to have freedom of action to strike Iranian targets in Syria. So, Israel is afraid that if they lose that cooperation, they lose that freedom of action to target Iranian targets in Syria, and their security will be impacted, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes. Very delicate situation they had. Hadas Gold joining us live from Jerusalem. Many thanks.

Ground battles are still far away from some parts of Western Ukraine. But as you will see, people there don't want to be caught off guard if Russian forces close in. That's ahead.

[02:26:50]

CHURCH: Plus, eight years after one of the bloodiest days in Ukraine's recent past, the country is still fighting off Russia. I'll speak with a filmmaker who documented the violence nearly a decade ago who says Ukrainians have not lost their fighting spirit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:00]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome back everyone, I'm Michael Holmes live in Lviv, Ukraine. And we are following the breaking news of Russia's intensifying attacks as its invasion of this country stretches into its eighth day.

Now, the first key Ukrainian city appears to have fallen to the Russians. The mayor of Kherson indicating the Russians have taken control of that Southern city with troops now patrolling the streets. The Black Sea Port, strategically important for Vladimir Putin, and it's just Northwest of Russian occupied Crimea. Meanwhile, new explosions rocking the Ukrainian capital overnight. This was the scene in Southwestern Kyiv earlier. U.S. officials warning that Moscow is shifting to a new strategy of what they call slow annihilation. That could see civilians targeted even more. Fierce fighting in Ukraine's second largest City Kharkiv has already seen the destruction of homes, schools even a church. The UN says that at least 227 civilians have been killed nationwide, in the weeks since the fighting began. The real death toll could be higher than that though. Ukrainian State of Emergency Service had put a much higher number out, 2,000 later backtracked on that. CNN, of course, cannot independently confirm these figures.

Now, all of this as refugees continue streaming out of Ukraine to neighboring countries like Poland, Hungary, Romania. The UN says, a million people have now led since the invasion began. Despite the Russian onslaught, Ukrainians are pushing back anyway they can. Ukrainians like, this man, who waves a flag in front of Russian tanks occupying the main square in Kherson. More hundreds of people, Northeast of there, who blocked an access road to a nuclear power plant as Russian forces advanced in the area. Garbage trucks also being used to stop Russian forces with the local mayor saying, "Nobody is going to surrender the city."

Now, even teenagers are doing their part. This girl was learning how to treat battle injuries in school, even before the war broke out. While some white-collared professionals, like these ones, have been practicing their shooting skills at a range.

Meanwhile, residents here in Lviv in Western Ukraine are also getting ready for battle even though they're not on the front lines. Anderson Cooper with that report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDEN (voiceover): In an old factory in Lviv they prepare for war as best they can. Welding steel in block roads, hedgehogs they're called.

COOPER (on camera): These are most effective, I'm told, when the ground is soft and that they can get dug down into the earth or, perhaps, even on a cobblestone street, they could dig down between the cobblestones. But with a hedgehog this size, it's unlikely to be able stop a Russian tank. But perhaps a vehicle or a Humvee.

COOPER (voiceover): Lviv is, so far, been mostly unscathed. At night, air raid siren sound but the fight is still further East. Each night, each day, the determination here grows.

At a brewery in Lviv, they now make Molotov of cocktails. Terasmu Celko (ph) says, they've made 2,000, at least, using empty battles of a popular anti-Putin beer.

TERASMU CELKO, RESIDENT OF LVIV: It's Putin Huilo which means Putin dickhead and they would see --

COOPER (on camera): Wait, the beer is called Putin dickhead?

CELKO: Yes. COOPER (on camera): How long have you've been making Putin dickhead beer?

CELKO: It's actually -- we started to brew this beer in 2015 because in 2014 Russians came to Crimean Peninsula and gathered and in Eastern regions. So, this label has a history already, so.

COOPER (on camera): Wow.

CELKO: Yes, but you see normally --

COOPER (on camera): That's quite the image.

COOPER (voiceover): It's a primitive weapon but potentially deadly. These Molotov cocktails also have additional materials in them to ensure the fire will stick to whatever it's thrown at.

COOPER (on camera): Petrol alone isn't good enough. You want something to make it sticky so that it sticks on --

CELKO: Yes.

COOPER (on camera): -- on a person.

CELKO: Yes, and stick on the surface.

COOPER (on camera): When we got here to the factory, there was a group of maybe 70 or so men who were all standing around a car. And there was somebody in a uniform, Ukrainian uniform, who was explaining to them how to throw a Molotov cocktail inside a vehicle to the best effect. There's a lot of people here who are trying to get as much training as they can in order to be able to face Russian forces, if and when they come.

[02:35:00]

COOPER (voiceover): In another neighborhood, residents gather supplies and send them wherever they're needed.

Spike strips to puncture tires. Flak jackets with metal plates inside. We're continually sending them to our guys there throughout the day, he says. Here you can see camouflage nets there to use as a cover so that the enemy doesn't know where our tanks and armored personnel carriers are located. In other rooms, we have medicine and groceries.

A week ago, he was a construction worker. But then Putin invaded, and everything changed.

COOPER (on camera): You have a message to Vladimir Putin, what is it?

COOPER (voiceover): What would I tell, he says. I would tell him he can go -- himself.

14-year-old Andry's school is closed. He says volunteering makes him less nervous about the war.

COOPER (on camera): Are you scared?

ANDRY, LVIV RESIDENT: On first time, on first day, I was. But now I understand that we need help and support our soldiers and people, and then we will live in peace.

COOPER (voiceover): Before leaving, we meet Pavlo and his son, Arthur, just 10 months old, wrapped in the Ukrainian flag.

He told me, I just want to say my son, Arthur, will learn to say, glory to Ukraine, faster than he says mom or dad.

COOPER (on camera): Those will be his first words, Slava Ukraini?

PAVLO, LVIV RESIDENT: Yes.

COOPER (voiceover): Anderson cooper, CNN, Lviv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, this isn't the first time Ukrainians have been put to the test. They have pushed for freedom and independence on full display more than eight years during deadly protests in Kyiv's Maidan, or Independent Square. The demonstrations involved a botched trade deal and Ukraine's pro-Russian president and quickly escalated into an all-out battle that led to a chain of events over the years leading to where we are now.

"Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom", is a documentary that captured the journey of Ukraine's violent revolution, have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: European union leaders and Ukraine have failed to sign a historic free-trade deal after a last-minute U-turn from Kyiv.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything was working towards this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are standing here to prove that Ukraine is a European country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When students started to mass together it became clear that something was going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And I'm delighted to say, joining me now is the director of "Winter on Fire," Evgeny Afineevsky. And thanks so much for being with us. I mean, the world has been watching, you know, really in awe at the resilience of the Ukrainian people. Taking up arms, you know, fighting Russia's massive military head on. What does this kind of courage say about the soul of this country?

EVGENY AFINEEVSKY, DIRECTOR, "WINTER ON FIRE: UKRAINE'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM": You know, first of all, thank you for having me. I think my don in whole the protests that I witnessed and I captured in this region entirely proved that these people have one direction. Direction to freedom, to fight for democracy. Direction that they initiated in 1991 when they -- Ukraine became independent. And the direction that they are following.

And for them to go backwards, towards former Soviet Union, towards the direction of slavery, losing freedom of speech, freedom of expression, I think it's not a life situation. For them, they rather go and die under the bullets, under the bombs but not die a slave. And I think that's the direction that I saw on my Don Square in 2015 -- '14. And that's what we're witnessing today. This determination to free their own country, free their own land.

HOLMES: The Maidan uprising was a major setback for Putin, obviously, and one he never really forgot. Now, you've said that Putin cares about land over people. Even his own people. And you think that Putin's own soldiers aren't 100 percent behind him, how so?

AFINEEVSKY: You know what, I can't talk on behalf of his soldiers because I never interviewed his soldiers. But I will tell you something, what I hear from these soldiers and what I see from these soldiers, they're not always behind this. They're living in fear. They're living in fear because I witnessed how their own calls to their own moms, begging moms to ask the authorities to exchange people who've been captured. But in the same time, they immediately fearing for the lives of their parents, lives of their families.

[02:40:00]

So, at the end of the day, it's a very unpredictable situation. Where two countries that were, at some point, brothers became enemies because of the sort of direction that government's putting them. And I think not every soldier is even understanding why they're there. Because the narrative, the media narrative in Russia is completely different than the narrative is outside of Russia.

HOLMES: Yes. That -- a lot of people here say that their relatives in Russia they've spoken to don't even really know what is going on in this country, just across the border. You know, I feel for you documentary because I was in the Maidan in 2014 when those Ukrainians died getting rid of that pro-Moscow president. I then went to Crimea and I was there when the Russians arrived. The little green men saw them coming into our hotel. Now, what the Maidan showed of course was Ukrainians did not want a pro-Moscow president and government. Now, if, if there is another pro-Moscow government installed here, what will Ukrainians do?

AFINEEVSKY: First of all, I won't believe in that. I won't believe because Ukrainians will never allow this to happen. Like I already said, they rather die under the bullets or bombs but they will not give up their land. And I emphasize this. I've seen this was miscalculation of Putin. But it was also something important coming out of my mouth. They're united. Today, their goal is united around them. It's a great lesson to the world because at the end of the day, everything that's happened there, either in 2015, '14, or either what's happening today, it can happen anywhere in the world. I do appreciate that the world is paying attention to this great lesson that we learning more and more and more and standing by Ukraine because it can happen to any country. And we're not allowed scenes like this to happen. We need to be united. The world needs to be united. Because the Ukrainians, being united in my Don, you witnessed this, young and old, rich and poor, different social classes. Every regent domination was there.

So, at the end of the day, they've been united. They won. If the world will unite together with Ukraine, we will win this battle against dictatorships and we will not allow things like this to happen in any other places. So, I think that's the immediate lesson that we need to know.

HOLMES: Yes. And before I let you go --

AFINEEVSKY: I won't believe that --

HOLMES: -- "Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for --" right, yes. The documentary is on Netflix in the U.S. and elsewhere. It is notably not on Netflix in Russia. Unsurprisingly really. It is Oscar nominated now. What do you hope the film achieves especially now in the context of this invasion?

AFINEEVSKY: You know what, I think we're learning a lot of lessons. Through the period of time between Maidan and the invasion, we saw how this movie inspired Hong Kong, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and many other places in the world.

Today, we seen how this movie inspiring bad people across the globe to go and support unity. Support the bravery of the Ukrainian nation. We learning what it means to be together and achieve things together. I think it also explains a lot to the world today in a context of Ukraine, in a context of the bravery of these people, and why they're standing for their land in the future of their kids. So, I think that's what's this movie achieving.

And it's a great lesson. It's a great lesson for everybody. What it means to fight for democracy. What values you can lose like this over a second and what values they're trying to achieve in this fight. Because for Ukrainians, it is important to not go backward. I think today, entire world witnessed how in Russia, kids who protested against the war been arrested. Freedom of speech, freedom for expression is taken in this country.

So, why Ukrainians who've been free and following the direction of the European Union, they have freedom of speech and freedom of expression, to go backwards to the place where people are slaves and where people will cut the dignity of human person. So, I think that's why for Ukrainians to stand for their land to the last drop of their blood is really important. And that's what they will do and that's what I witnessed in Ukraine and that's what's happening today.

HOLMES: It's a remarkable film in many ways. It is a roadmap to where we are now and couldn't be more timely. Evgeny Afineevsky, thank you so much. Appreciate it. It was a pleasure to talk with you. AFINEEVSKY: Thank you. Thank you.

HOLMES: Well, much more from Ukraine coming up. But first let's head back to Atlanta and Rosemary Church. Rosemary, hi.

[02:45:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANCHOR: Thanks so much, Michael. We'll talk to you soon.

Stock trading remains closed in Moscow but global oil prices continue to surge more on the economic impact of the Russian invasion in a live report just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Making small changes to what you eat can help make big improvements to your life. So, here are three healthy eating habits that can help you cut the bad by adding the good to your routine.

To help cut the salt, look to add herbs and spices to get that flavor you crave. And research suggests that certain spices like cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg contain nutrients that can help sharpen your memory and reduce stress. Try avoiding inflammatory foods. Those are junk foods like, French fries, pastries, sodas and red meat. Go for more anti-inflammatory foods like tomatoes and leafy greens.

Remember, try to always have a glass of water with you to help quench your thirst. It can help you avoid sugary drinks and help you stay hydrated.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. With the Moscow stock exchange remains close to trading for a fourth straight day after the Western post crushing sanctions on Russia. According to JPMorgan, those sanctions have now sharply increased the chance of a Russian default. In the U.S., we are just hours away from a new trading day after Wednesday's strong rally on Wall Street. The Dow alone closed up nearly 600 points. We're also seeing the price of oil climb, which means increase pressure, of course, on gasoline prices. Since Monday's close, crude has spiked more than 15 percent.

CNN's, Anna Stewart, joins us now live from London. Good to see you, Anna. So, how will Russia cope economically as its financial and trade ties with the world increasingly severed?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, so far, I think the Russian strategy has been to just pull up the financial drawbridge to the rest of the world. It is not going to let any capital leave what has become to known as fortress Russia. So, whether that is the stock market still being closed or the capital controls have been announced in recent days to try and limit any Western company taking assets out of Russia. And so, I think a default, as JPMorgan has said is possible likely on sovereign debt going forwards. Now, for Russians in the country, it will feel like they're going back in time. The economy won't just shrink but it will be increasingly sparse. You can imagine some empty shelves given some of the squeeze that's going to be having on imports. And your everyday products, everyday services that we all take for granted, whether it's using your Visa card, your Mastercard, using Apple Pay.

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Whether it's being able to buy Nike online or an iPhone, or whether you want to buy H&M because they, overnight, have also said that they are stopping all sales to Russia.

There are the limitations on travel. Where can you travel to now from Russia given all the various airspace bans around the world? And if you do travel, well your Ruble is less about half of -- it's worth about half of what it was at the beginning of the year. So, all of these are -- sort of measures, have been taken are already hitting home and it's really going to hurt.

CHURCH: Yes. And, of course, it'll hurt the average Russian rather than Putin and the oligarchs at this stage at least. And Anna, a significant move that hasn't happened just yet is the targeting of Russian energy. The country still receives revenue for oil and gas. But President Biden has hinted that may change. Where is all of this potentially going do you think?

STEWART: That was absolutely fascinating. The suggestion that sanctioning oil and gas is a measure that could be on the table. And just a couple of weeks ago, speaking to experts, that was unthinkable given the West reliance on energy. And as you can see from oil prices and where they're trading right now, there's already extreme volatility there. Yesterday, record highs, Brent was up to $113 -- wow $119 a day. WTI $115. We're seeing new multi records right here, right now. This is absolutely extraordinary.

And what's so interesting is actually Russia is already struggling to sell its oil despite lack of sanctions on that sector. So, actually, Russian oil is trading right now as an $18 a barrel discount to the rest of Brent. So, in a way, we're seeing self-sanctioning already taking place, for a number of reasons. You know, you have tank operators who are wary of using ships in the Black Sea for the risk that could be posed. You have some ships unable to dock from Russia to other parts of the world. And of course, all the big energy companies pulling out of Russia.

So, we're already seeing self-sanctioning, in a way, on Russian oil.

CHURCH: All right. And we'll continue to watch the impact of all of this. Anna Stewart, joining us live from London. Many thanks.

And we have new developments on the investigation into the Capitol riots in a new court filing. The January 6th Committee, alleges that Former U.S. President, Donald Trump, and right-wing lawyer, John Eastman, were part of a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The committee alleges, Eastman helped to orchestrate the plot and they're attempting to obtain his e-mails. Something Eastman has refused to hand over claiming attorney-client privilege.

We're back live to Ukraine with our breaking news coverage after this short break. Do stay with us.

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HOLMES: All right. Now, the latest developments as day eight of the war in Ukraine is now underway. Russia claiming it has captured the City of Kherson. Its tanks seen here rolling through the streets. Kherson's Mayor indicating the Ukrainian military has left and the Russians have taken control. The strategic Southern port city would be the first to have fallen to Russian forces.

Now, a large explosion lit up the night sky near Kyiv in another sign of the intensifying attacks. U.S. officials warn that Moscow is shifting to a grim strategy of what they call, slow annihilation, with relentless bombardments of cities and civilian targets. At least three schools, homes, shops, hospitals, and a church have been hit in Kharkiv. The UN says it has recorded more than 750 civilian casualties since the invasion began. And one million people have now fled Ukraine in one week. Think about that.

I'm Michael Holmes, live in Lviv in Ukraine. Our breaking news coverage continues after a quick break.

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