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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Condemns NATO for Not Establishing No-Fly Zone; Video Captures Sky News Journalists Coming under Fire; NATO Chief Says Days to Come in Ukraine "Likely to Be Worse"; U.N. Reports Over 1.2 Million Flee Ukraine Fighting; Ukrainian Mother Speaks from Shelter in Kyiv; Cricket Legend Shane Warne Dies at 52. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired March 05, 2022 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. Live from Ukraine, I'm Michael Holmes. Thanks for being with us.
And our breaking news this hour, a dire warning about the civilian toll from Russia's shifting invasion tactics here in Ukraine. A senior Western intelligence official telling CNN that U.S. and NATO officials believe that Russia is poised to, quote, "bombard cities into submission."
Already Ukrainian civilians have come under increased attacks.
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HOLMES (voice-over): You're looking there at the aftermath of fighting on the outskirts of Kyiv. The U.S. says about 92 percent of the forces Russia staged outside Ukraine's borders for its invasion are now inside Ukraine.
And we're learning Russia also plans to deploy an additional 1,000 mercenaries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Meanwhile, we're getting an inside look at that Ukrainian nuclear power plant now occupied by Russian forces. Ukrainian authorities releasing video of a warning sounding inside the control room. Have a listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You're endangering the security of the entire world. Attention. Stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility. Stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility. Stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility. Attention. Stop it. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says that, while the attack on the plant was a close call, no radioactive material was released. Meanwhile, as Russia continues its advance, Ukraine's president says NATO is giving Russia what he called a green light to bombard Ukrainian cities by not implementing a no-fly zone.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (voice-over): NATO has deliberately decided not to cover the skies over Ukraine. We believe that NATO countries have created a narrative that closing the skies over Ukraine would provoke Russia's direct aggression against NATO.
This is the self-hypnosis of those who are weak, insecure inside, despite the fact they possess weapons many times stronger than we have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now the Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke with the German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday. Germany says Mr. Putin told the chancellor that a third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine is scheduled for the weekend.
All right. Now to a video that captured the moment a Sky News team say they came under fire from Russian forces near Kyiv. Reporter Stewart Ramsey was wounded in the incident. A camera operator took two rounds to his body armor. Here's some of what happened.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
STUART RAMSAY, CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, SKY NEWS (voice-over): We think it's a Ukrainian checkpoint and a mistake.
DOMINIQUE VAN HEERDEN, SKY NEWS FIELD PRODUCER: Journalists.
RAMSAY (voice-over): So we identify ourselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
VAN HEERDEN: British journalists.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
VAN HEERDEN: Journalists.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Journalists.
VAN HEERDEN: Journalista.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)?
Is everyone OK?
You OK, Dom?
VAN HEERDEN: Journalists.
RAMSAY (voice-over): Somehow, we have to get out of this. But the rounds keep coming. It's a professional ambush. The bullets just don't miss.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Run.
VAN HEERDEN: Where can we go?
Shall I call (INAUDIBLE)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Stop!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Journalists.
VAN HEERDEN: Where you going?
RAMSAY (voice-over): I'm hit but escape the car. And with producer, Dominique van Heerden, we make our way down the embankment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're (INAUDIBLE).
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RAMSAY (voice-over): Camera operator, Richie Mockler, has taken two rounds to his body armor but is still stuck in the car. He runs for it in a hail of bullets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now the journalists say they were ambushed by a Russian reconnaissance squad. CNN cannot corroborate Sky News' account of who shot at them.
And just a word. These are colleagues of ours, they're also friends. Dominique van Heerden, the producer there, used to work for us here at CNN. I worked with her many times from Iraq to here in Ukraine back in 2014. We're all very glad they're alive.
All right. More now on that attack on Ukraine's and Europe's largest nuclear power plant. It led to fears, of course, of a catastrophe in the making. And even though radiation levels remain stable, those fears still remain, too. Our Sam Kiley is in Dnipro in Ukraine with details.
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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Russians have admitted that they have sent troops into the nuclear power station just south of Zaporizhzhya, itself about 80 miles south of where I am in Dnipro.
They say that they captured in order to keep it out of the hands of a terrorist regime here in Ukraine. The Ukrainians have said that main battle tanks fired their guns, their big guns, against this nuclear facility. We don't have independent verification of that.
But we have seen video evidence that it was struck by at least one missile on the outskirts of the nuclear facility, in a room designed -- described as a training area.
This has been a catastrophic event that could have been utterly, utterly devastating, with international condemnation of the Russian move coming from around the world.
But equally, desperate video evidence of the efforts made by the control room inside that location have also emerged, with the scientists there working inside the control room, broadcasting on the public address system, saying this is a dangerous nuclear facility. Stop your firing. Do not attack. Stop it.
Those sorts of remarks indicating just how dangerous they felt it was. Now those selfsame scientists are now being held at gunpoint by the Russian military, to continue to work to keep that nuclear power station running and to keep it safe.
Now they would normally have been switched out several times by now. But it's more than 1.5 day since they were overrun by other crews. They are, though, in the view of the Ukrainians, being held hostage, much like the crews still working at the Chernobyl nuclear site in the north of the country.
That was, of course, the scene of a nuclear catastrophe in the 1980s that poisoned huge swaths of the landscape from the British Isles to Russia, when it melted down and was brought under control with a great deal of loss of life.
The teams there who were captured by the Russian military had been there for more than a week, also unable to switch out, putting enormous stress on these nuclear facilities.
And coming at a time when the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has said that Russian forces are now about 20 miles from the southern Ukraine nuclear facility, one that has three reactors rather than the six just south of Zaporizhzhya.
But nonetheless the second largest in the country. And there are deep, deep fears that that, too, could fall into Russian hands. So far, though, the international atomic energy authority has said that the reactors are in the hands of the Russians, have not had any serious damage done to them, there are no radiation leaks -- Sam Kiley, CNN, in Dnipro.
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HOLMES: Now the Biden administration is watching all of this from Washington, of course, and keeping a close eye on Russia's escalating violence in this country. CNN's Phil Mattingly with the latest from the White House.
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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: U.S. officials are watching near minute by minute what's happening on the ground in Ukraine as Russia's invasion continues, the escalations continue.
And there is real, palpable concern about how things may ramp up in the days ahead.
However, top administration officials from the White House, the State Department, the United Nations, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, all across the board continuing to condemn Russia's actions, call for de-escalation and make clear, allies are as united as they've ever been.
President Biden meeting with Finland's president in the Oval Office and underscoring that point and the stakes. Take a listen.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've been in regular touch for some time now and coordinated a united transatlantic response to the Russian -- holding Russia accountable for the unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine. And we agreed it's not only an attack on Ukraine.
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BIDEN: It's an attack on the security of Europe and on the global peace and stability.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: That meeting occurred as secretary of state Antony Blinken was in Brussels, meeting with allies, a critical alliance that, over the course of the last week, has deployed the most comprehensive and biting sanctions package for a country against Russia's size that's really ever been seen.
More than 30 countries, more than four continents cratering Russia's economy in an extraordinarily short period of time.
However, both NATO officials and the U.S. making clear one thing they will not do is something President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested and that's implement a no-fly zone.
Very real concern on the U.S. side of things that that would lead almost certainly to a war with Russia, something the president has made clear he does not want and is not willing to pursue.
However, $350 million in lethal aid did arrive from the U.S. to Ukraine over the course of the last several days. Those weapons already being put to use. And that aid is expected to continue to flow if the administration has its way.
They've submitted a request for $10 billion in lethal and humanitarian assistance to the United States Congress. They expect action on that as soon as next week, all underscoring the realities of this moment.
As tense and tenuous as things appear to be, as Russia continues to escalate, the world, at least the Western coalition, is extraordinarily unified. And while there will be no ground troops to assist the Ukrainians, that assistance in money and humanitarian support and in lethal aid will certainly be there.
Now when you talk to U.S. officials, they made clear they know things are going to get worse before they get better. They expect a very bloody escalation in the days ahead.
And there's nobody at the White House or in the Biden administration who believes that, if Russia goes all in, that there's much that the Ukrainians can do to stop them in the end.
However, everyone here at the White House acknowledges what they've seen from Zelensky, what they've seen from the Russian military, has gone far beyond their expectations in terms of efficiency, proficiency and also courage.
Something that gives them hope and at least provides what has been the underpinning of the resolute response from the West -- Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.
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HOLMES: And for more I'm joined now by Malcolm Davis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He is a senior analyst at that think tank, working on defense strategy and capability.
And thanks for rejoining us to discuss.
What struck me is you have predicted Russian tactics and territorial moves with remarkable accuracy during all of this, especially in light of what NATO and the U.S. is saying about Putin's plan to bombard cities into submission.
Give us a sense of how you see Putin's forces positioned and next likely moves.
MALCOLM DAVIS, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Thanks, Michael.
Look, I think that they are intending to move to that phase. I think they've realized that their initial phase of light and quick operations to seize cities has failed comprehensively.
So they're reverting to type, in the form of combined armed operations and that means bringing in lots of heavy artillery, long-range missiles and rockets, airpower and bombarding cities into submission.
They did it in Grozny in 1994. And that's the way they're going to do it here in Ukraine. And the tragedy is, of course, that so many civilians are going to die.
So I would expect to see the Russians move their forces from the south toward the north, now that the Russians seem to be making headway in the south, and from the east to meet up with that stalled convoy along the north. And then you will see, to put it bluntly, hell unleashed on Ukrainian cities.
HOLMES: Yes, it doesn't bear thinking about. I mean, the thing is throughout this -- I mean, there's been sanctions. There's been more sanctions, brutal sanctions.
But how does NATO and others deal with such brutality as might be coming without, you know, triggering a broader conflict?
What can they do?
DAVIS: This is the ethical and moral dilemma that we will face in coming weeks, as we watch large numbers of Ukrainian civilians die under hails of Russian artillery and rocket fire. We are going to face incredible pressure to do something more substantial than simply sanctions.
There's already a lot of discussion on social media about no-fly zones. President Zelensky has called for no-fly zones. I think we all understand that, if we do a no-fly zone, the Russians will challenge it and we will have to shoot down Russian fighters. And that could then lead to escalation.
I think there's also been discussion about increasing the different types of weapons we supply Ukrainians. But then the practical aspects of how we get those weapons to the Ukrainians, how we train them so they can use them effectively and how we prevent the Russians from intercepting or interdicting those weapons supplies.
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DAVIS: And thus, generating another chain of escalation comes to the fore. So really, I think that what we're facing is that in Putin -- with Putin playing the nuclear card by rattling nuclear sabers, he has effectively warned off NATO from further intervention.
And it's left us in a difficult place because we can't easily increase our involvement in this conflict without risking rapid escalation to a full-on nuclear war.
HOLMES: Speak to the dangers, too, of a man like Putin, if he feels cornered or threatened or if he feels he's got nothing to lose.
DAVIS: Look, that is the issue here. If it becomes clear that Russian forces failed to achieve their objectives in the coming weeks and the whole war is a failure, then Putin will be cornered. And there's two ways out of it I see at that point.
Either he's deposed in a coup d'etat or he escalates. I don't see him coming to the negotiating table in humiliation and accepting a peace agreement that sees Russia withdraw, with him having lost huge amounts of face.
So the real risk is we are left with one of two scenarios going forward: either Russia wins and we end up with a devastatingly bad security environment in Europe, where we face Russia across international borders; that is, thinking in terms of possible next steps against other NATO states.
Or we face the possibility of the uncertainty of a coup d'etat in Moscow or the horrific thought of escalation and what that could involve.
HOLMES: Yes. And I suppose another option is that this could, for years, be a simmering insurgency and continue in that vein as well.
To that point, do you think Putin wants to occupy the whole country?
Which is a pretty impossible thing to do with a hostile local population.
Could you perhaps see some sort of rump state of Ukraine in the west of the country, around Lviv where we are?
What would that look like?
I mean, what would that be?
DAVIS: Yes, I think that's right. He doesn't have the forces to occupy the entirety of Ukraine. I think what he will seek to do is seize control of Kyiv to remove the Zelensky government from power.
Now I would hope that Zelensky and his people would rapidly relocate to Lviv, where you are, to set up a government in exile there, to create a rump Ukraine. And from Western Ukraine, they would then support an insurgency, a war resistance, that would continue to drive up the cost for Russian occupation forces in the east and the south.
And I would hope that NATO would then support that rump Ukraine with the aim being to one day see Ukraine recaptured. But that's a long-term strategy. We're talking years and with the
danger that goes with that outcome, of the constant risk of escalation and inadvertent miscalculation, leading to a direct Russia-NATO clash. So I think what you're suggesting there is quite a possible outcome.
HOLMES: Always terrific analysis, Malcolm Davis, appreciate it. Thanks so much.
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HOLMES: All right. Coming up here on the program, some of Ukraine's youngest and sickest were already fighting for their lives. Well, now war is forcing them to flee. We will travel with them on their journey to safety. We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back.
Refugees are pouring across European borders to escape the fighting here in Ukraine. According to the U.N., more than 1.2 million have already fled to other countries, nearly 650,000 people seeking refuge in Poland alone. Many have fled to Polish border towns, where they've been reunited with family and friends.
Now the plight of the refugees also mobilizing volunteers around the world to help. Ukrainian and Italian volunteers in Rome, joining forces to send humanitarian aid to war-torn Ukraine. Badly needed items including food, blankets, warm clothes and medicine are on the way.
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MARKO SEMEHEN, UKRAINIAN PRIEST (through translator): We hope this war will end as soon as possible. We are worried because Ukraine is our homeland, the country where we were born and where we hope to return.
I think people feel a great sense of injustice because Ukrainians are quiet and peaceful people, who live in their own country. We had no demands from anyone. We just wanted to continue our European journey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now the masses fleeing Ukraine include children with heartbreaking illnesses. Arwa Damon rides along on a train carrying some of them out of the country to find safety and the medical treatment they desperately need.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A train speeds through the darkness and crosses the Ukrainian border into Poland.
Most of these children are from hospices in and around Kharkiv. It had the best palliative care for children in Ukraine. Now one of the areas most intensely bombarded.
The carriage is filled with the sort of emotion that is too intense, too incomprehensible for words.
But it is also filled with so much love, love among strangers, seen in the tenderness of the touch of the medical team, the whispered words of, "You are safe now." Love of a mother, who will dig up superhuman strength, just to keep her child safe.
DAMON (on camera): Hi, Victoria. Hi. Oh, look at that smile.
DAMON (voice-over): Victoria, who has cerebral palsy, can't sit up.
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DAMON (voice-over): Her mother, Ira, doesn't know what to say. She has so much pain in her soul, her tears just won't stop.
They had to get closer to the border with Poland before this humanitarian train could pick them up. Ira carried Victoria for three days through the panic of others trying to flee, train so packed she could not even put her down until now.
Dr. Eugenia Szuszkiewicz worked to bring the families together inside Ukraine to get on this train organized by the Polish government and Warsaw Central Clinical Hospital.
DR. EUGENIA SZUSZKIEWICZ, PEDIATRICIAN & PALLIATIVE CARE SPECIALIST (through translator): I just have a storm of emotions. My biggest fear did not come true.
DAMON (voice-over): It's a trip that could have killed any one of these children, even without a war. That reality had the medical team so understandably anxious. We were not permitted to film anything until the children were safely, on board and stabilized.
DAMON (on camera): How old are you, Sophia?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).
SOPHIA, PEDIATRIC PATIENT: Five.
DAMON (on camera): Five, thank you.
SOPHIA (through translator): Mom, what do I say?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): What do you want to say?
SOPHIA (through translator): To say there is war there. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Then say it.
SOPHIA (through translator): It's war there. And now we'll live in another.
DAMON (voice-over): While this train was heading toward safety, Ira heard that her town was bombed.
IRA, VICTORIA'S MOTHER (through translator): My husband, my mom, sister, everyone, my dad, nobody is picking up the phone. There are just the beeps and that's it.
DAMON (voice-over): Ira follows quietly, as Victoria is carried off the train. They are now away from their home that was filled with such love, a home and family that may no longer be -- Arwa Damon, CNN, Warsaw.
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HOLMES: A quiet Ukrainian village becomes a target of Russian airstrikes. We're going to show you what a reporter found when we come back.
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HOLMES: Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes in Lviv, Ukraine, bringing you the latest now on the Russian invasion of this country.
And the U.S. says Russia is poised to send up to 1,000 mercenaries to Ukraine. And according to both the U.S. and NATO, Russia is now prepared to, quote, "bombard cities into submission," a chilling statement. That is a move, of course, likely to cause even more significant civilian casualties.
And it comes as the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is blasting NATO for not approving a no-fly zone over Ukraine. He said that gives Russia the green light to bomb Ukrainian towns and villages even more. And he called the NATO countries weak and insecure.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): NATO's summit took place today, a weak summit, a confused summit, a summit that shows not everyone considers the struggle for freedom to be Europe's number one goal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now we're learning around 100 people could be trapped in the rubble of a wrecked apartment block in Borodyanka. It was hit by shelling on Wednesday. You can just see there the devastation.
The town just northwest of Kyiv has seen a persistent shelling the last few days, just a devastating scene. Now by the way, in a phone call with the German chancellor on Friday, the Russian president Vladimir Putin called news of Russia shelling Ukrainian cities, quote, "gross propaganda fakes."
Just look at the video for yourself.
Now some people in Eastern Ukraine thought an idyllic village, a place with no military or strategic importance, could perhaps be a safe haven from Russian bombs. Well, you guessed it; they were wrong. As ITN's Dan Rivers reports for us now, it has become a target for Russian airstrikes. But a warning, some of the images in this piece are disturbing.
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DAN RIVERS, ITN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At first glance, it appears a peaceful sanctuary, which is why those bombed out of Kharkiv sought refuge here. But a closer look shows the village of Yakivlivka was anything but safe. It was devastated by what locals say were four Russian airstrikes. And this was the result.
The body of Victor (ph) lies in front of the home where he perished as firemen search for that of his wife, Oksana (ph), still buried under its ruins.
RIVERS: What we're seeing here is the true face of this Russian invasion. President Putin doesn't seem to care for the civilians are caught by his shells and rockets. He's not liberating this country is destroying it.
RIVERS (voice-over): There is no hearse for the bodies. (INAUDIBLE) in this war has already robbed the dead of their dignity and left the living seething with fury.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
RIVERS (voice-over): "Putin, you should die," he says.
In Natasha's garden, they're sifting the rubble for anything worth salvaging. She was sheltering nine people in her home, including several young children. Their car had been shot as they ran the gantlet from the city.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With children.
RIVERS: And two children were here?
RIVERS (voice-over): She shows me where they were sleeping when the first missile hit. The shockwave ripped through every room, lacerating them all with glass. The children escaped without major injury.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).
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RIVERS (voice-over): Across the street, a garden hewn apart by the impact. The blast is so powerful it overturned cars. The crater so deep you could bury one inside it.
People are left sifting through what's left without the support of any aid agencies, wondering what will come next. Is the shelling continues to echo across this shattered community? There is no obvious military targets here, just a village which tried to offer shelter to those in need -- Dan Rivers, News ITN, Eastern Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now Ukraine's capital bracing for more onslaughts as the Russian invasion drags on. Coming up, we speak with a woman who is taking cover in a shelter and she talks about what people like her are going through right now. We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: I'm Michael Holmes, coming to you live from Lviv in Western Ukraine.
Now as Russian heavy weapons pound towns and cities in this country, civilians hunkering down in any shelter they can find. To give you an idea of what they're going through, we spoke with Olena Gnes. She's sheltering in Kyiv with her three children, including one infant. CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke with her earlier.
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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Olena, how are you doing?
How are you -- how's your family?
OLENA GNES, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE: Hello, just fine.
COOPER: I see that your little one is awake. I think that's the first time we've seen her actually awake.
GNES: Oh, really?
No, I've done so many interviews.
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GNES: She's like a superstar now. My three dragons.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Beautiful. She's so beautiful. GNES: Thank you. She is. Today, my husband, they visited us. He came to the shelter. Well, basically, the reason why he came because he was probably scared.
There was a very heavy shelling at Bucha, this is very close to Kyiv. And he decided that it's enough. And we have to leave here, though he came like took back us into the car.
And he said, you have to leave because it's your last chance. And it shouldn't be like this, this is wrong, cover kids shouldn't live in the shelter in the basement. They need to grow. They need to have normal future.
And we talked again, about what we should do. And I said that I feel I need to be here. And our children need to be here. Because this is how I feel. And he agreed. So we had about 30 minutes of time together. All family united. And they really hope it will repeat again like this.
COOPER: Can you talk about that decision?
I mean, that's obviously an incredibly difficult decision to make. And I know, I've received a lot of emails from people or messages from people saying that they hope you will leave with your children.
Can you explain your thinking on this?
GNES: Yes, you're right, that this is a very difficult decision, of course, because obviously, I'm risking. But I feel if I turn my back toward the enemy and they will start running, I will not never stop running. And that will become weak, I will lose the ground under my feet.
So while we are here, we can be strong, because this is the place where we are supposed to be right now. Because if we leave, yes, we will lose our native ground.
Another reason is basically see this is what Russia wants us to do. She wants Ukrainians to leave, she scares us. And then they will just come and take our homes, the same that happened eight years ago in the east of Ukraine.
You see they scared some of the local Ukrainian population, people left became refugees. And then Russians came on their place. And now it is like no Russian controlled territory. I do not want my country to be Russian controlled.
So this is my part of the bat. You know, obviously, I will not throw my kids on the tanks or anything like this. I don't want them to be hurt by but it's our -- like, mission to stay here. And another reason, you know, to leave Ukraine, it's not that easy.
And there's children too, I mean, people who are leaving Ukraine they're risking to people who became refugees in Europe and elsewhere. For them life is not easy. Moreover, they are having, you know, the feeling of guilt I suppose that say left. Even like some of them. I understand it shouldn't be but this is what I feel what I hear from the people.
And today --
COOPER: Yes.
GNES: -- I was outside on the street and so really many people, many people from our neighborhood almost all of our neighbor state. Now I do not want the West to have no worlds to have a wrong feeling that everybody left Ukraine. I mean even if 1 million people left Ukraine there are 43 million people who stay.
And I'm not the only mother was children. We have other children in the shelter. We have other women and children in this neighborhood who, you know, and life of each of us it mean -- it means something.
And because like you are talking to me over there from CNN, you're showing my story and then one of very few Ukrainian women who is eager to speak and can speak English.
Yes, they can talk to you. Yes, I just want you guys to know that we are here, we Ukrainian people, we are civilians. And we stay here on our native land. And we have our Ukrainian army that protects us.
And we need help. We need no fly zone here for Putin not to kill us all. And we still need help. We are strong. Yes, we try our best. But we need more help, please.
COOPER: I think for people who I know reach out to you and say you should leave I think nobody can understand what it is like to be in the situation you're in unless it actually happens to them in their country.
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COOPER: And I think people make choices that may seem strange to people outside. But when you're in a situation when it's your country and your home and your husband fighting and these are your streets, it's impossible --
GNES: Exactly.
COOPER: -- to know what decision anyone will make.
GNES: I will -- if you allow, I will give one example. Like before, we were thinking sometimes from time to time, what about like, emigrating somewhere to another country was like a higher level of life?
No. But when they started, it became obvious like, oh, this is the place where we belong. This is our nation. And this time, it's our challenge. And we have to face it.
And, you know, 80,000 Ukrainians who emigrated before they came back now to Ukraine to protect Ukraine. So how can I leave in a situation? I should come.
COOPER: Years from now, your daughter is three months old when she -- years from now what will you tell her about this time, this time that she lived through but won't remember.
GNES: I will tell her that she was the cutest baby ever. And this she played a very important role. Because she is like relief for everyone in this shelter.
And now like everyone is so stressed and there is a lot of fear, anxiety, you know but when people take her on her hands, now they feel -- they -- it's like a piece of light here. Something very kind and it helps us to find the devil, the darkness. And that's things that are happening right now to Ukraine.
COOPER: Well, if she doesn't believe you, you can have her call me and I will confirm that she is the cutest baby in the world.
GNES: Thank you. Thank you.
COOPER: I mean, my baby's pretty cute too. But your baby is beautiful. And as are you and your family and I appreciate you talking to us tonight again. Thank you.
GNES: Thank you very much. You give me hope.
COOPER: I think you give a lot of people hope who are watching right now. So thank you for that. Your strength is awe-inspiring. Take care.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now amid the outpouring of support for Ukrainians from across the world, an idea to send payments to Ukrainian Airbnb hosts has gone viral.
Now this began with a tweet from a social media influencer, who encouraged people to book rooms from Ukrainians on the lodging app Airbnb, telling followers to reserve a stay but message the host that payments are being made as a donation only.
Within 24 hours, hundreds started taking part, some sharing the responses they received from Airbnb hosts in Ukraine.
Many hosts moved to tears, one writing, "The world is not without good people. Now I have tears in my eyes and I cry with happiness in the first of these terrible days. Thank you very much."
Another just says, "I'm just crying. I'm just crying right now. I'm shocked. I'm incredibly grateful for your support."
Now in response to the trend, Airbnb confirmed that it is waiving all guest and host fees on all bookings in Ukraine at this time.
Well, the people in Ukraine may be in need of the very basics, shelter, food, water, clothing. If you would like to help go to cnn.com/impact. You're going to find a lot of resources there for ways that you can help.
Coming up on the program, my colleague Paula Newton will have the day's other stories, including legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne's passing. His amazing career. After the break.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello. I'm Paula Newton here at CNN Center.
North Korea has fired what appears to be a single ballistic missile into the waters east of the Korean Peninsula. Now that's according to South Korean officials.
Seoul held an emergency meeting of its national security council in response to Pyongyang's ninth test of the year. Analysts say the increased testing shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is trying to show his nation remains a key player in the struggle for power.
Ukraine has won its first gold medal of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics. Now it was in the Para biathlon men's sprint standing event. The games kicked off with a message of peace.
During the ceremony on Friday, the president for the International Paralympic Committee made an impassioned plea for dialogue and diplomacy, not war and hate.
Earlier in the week, the committee banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the games. Chinese state media censored a large portion of the speech. The country has repeatedly refused to call Russia's military operations in Ukraine an invasion.
Now some shocking news from the world of cricket. Aussie Shane Warne, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest to ever play, passed away suddenly of a suspected heart attack on Friday. He was just 52 years old.
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NEWTON: I'm Paula Newton. Stay with us. We will have more of our breaking news coverage live from Ukraine and Michael Holmes just after the break.
