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Heavy Shelling West Of Kyiv, Two Children Reported Dead; U.S. Working With Poland On Possibly Providing Fighter Jets To Ukraine; Russia Poised To Deploy Up To 1,000 More Mercenaries To Ukraine. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired March 06, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:37]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone.

Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin with new brutal attacks on Ukrainian towns by Russia. Today, panic in Irpin', just northwest of Kyiv, heavy shelling a civilians tried to escape.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

WHITFIELD: At least eight people reportedly killed at an evacuation crossing points in that town, and we warn you, some of the images are disturbing.

CNN learning that among the dead were members of the same family with two children who were reportedly struck and killed by mortar fire from Russian troops as they tried to flee the bridge to safety, and you can see in the photos that their luggage is near their bodies.

Russia also attacking critical infrastructure. Officials say missiles completely destroyed the Vinnytsia Airport in central Ukraine.

Despite all of that, Ukraine and Russia will hold a third round of talks tomorrow according to negotiators, but the U.S. is now also looking at new paths to stop Russia.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying today, U.S. and European allies are looking at the prospects of banning Russian oil imports.

CNN has teams on the ground in Ukraine and around the world. We begin with CNN's Scott McLean, who is live for us in Lviv. Scott, a third round of talks will begin tomorrow, but how much hope is there?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, there needs to be some level of hope for these humanitarian corridors, Fredricka, because they are so, so desperately needed. We are talking about parts of the country that have no power, no water, no heat, and they are quickly running out of food and water as well.

And so the situation is extremely desperate. For the last two days, today and yesterday, they have attempted to get people out of the city of Mariupol, a city of about 400,000 people in southeastern Ukraine. Ukrainian say about half of the city would very much like to evacuate.

Yesterday, things failed when the Russians were accused of shelling by the Ukrainians. Today, it was a very similar picture. They had people loaded up in buses, ready to go and then the whole thing was called off. The Ukrainian saying it simply was not safe to have people evacuating while there were things dropping out of the sky.

And so, they have to hope that these talks can work out some kind of a better arrangement to make this work. The International Red Cross is actually on the ground as the sort of mediator/facilitator trying to help make this happen. But they scolded both sides in a statement today, essentially saying: Look, we are not in a position to enforce this ceasefire, however, short it would it may be. Both parties in these negotiations can't just agree in principle on the need for these corridors, they actually have to roll up their sleeves and do the very granular, very fine details and make sure that they are all worked out.

Knowing where this corridor is going to be, what route it'll take exactly, how people can get out, what kind of supplies are getting in. The Red Cross says they will work with the parties, but ultimately, respecting the ceasefire and sticking to the rules they set is up to the Ukrainians and up to the Russians -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. All right, Scott McLean, thank you so much. Please stay safe.

Kyiv is intensifying the call for international help. Earlier today, CNN's Alex Marquardt visited what was left of a neighborhood after a deadly strike on the village near Kyiv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We're just southwest of the capital, Kyiv, and throughout the morning, we have heard some relentless shelling in the distance, just barrage after barrage.

And here in this tiny little village of Markhalivka, you really do get a sense of the horror that Ukrainians all across the country are facing as their cities, towns, and villages get bombed.

This village was hit on Friday. Look at this. This is a car obviously that is now on its side completely incinerated. The engine block is on the outside. It's right in front of a home that was destroyed. This license plate right here on the ground, it looks like it was thrown quite some distance.

[15:05:07]

MARQUARDT: The locals tell us that this strike happened on Friday afternoon, just as kids were sitting down to do their homework. And just across the street here is the home of Igor (ph), who is 54 years old. We just met him and he lost five of his family members. His wife and his mother-in-law and a wife's friend were in a car that was parked out front. He also lost his daughter, who was just 12 years old and was in a wheelchair.

He and others from here had been picking through the wreckage for the last few hours, looking for valuables. In just the past few moments, he found another one of his cats. He's also been able to find thankfully his passport and wallet, but he says that he is feeling completely empty.

You can see he Igor right there on his phone in the gray beanie, that obviously he is heartbroken and disoriented, not sure what he is going to do.

Now many people have left this village, some of the hundreds of thousands who are fleeing their homes and trying to get out of the country. Many are staying, many are hoping that the Army will, you know, win in the end and vanquish the Russians.

But this is just a heartbreaking situation. There is no military installation near here. There is absolutely no reason to be striking this village and it just goes to show how indiscriminate the Russian shelling is.

Igor and everyone who we've spoken with, really just wants one thing they say, and that's peace.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Just horrible. It's just getting worse by the minute. Alex Marquardt, appreciate it.

All right, the U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is now in Lithuania as he continues to meet with allies in Europe to discuss the war in Ukraine.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy spoke with President Biden and met with U.S. lawmakers over Zoom, where he pleaded for more assistance including airpower Blinken now confirms the U.S. is in talks with Poland on the possibility of Warsaw sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We are working with Poland as we speak to see if we can backfill anything that they provide to the Ukrainians. We support them, providing MiGs, SUs, planes that Ukrainians can fly to the Ukrainians, but we also want to see if we can be helpful, as I said in making sure that whatever they provide to the Ukrainians, something goes to them to make up for any gap in the security for Poland that might result.

We're actively talking about that right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oren Liebermann joining us now from the Pentagon. So, Oren, what more do we know about this arrangement that Blinken was talking about? OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, this is

something Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed for he openly called for a no-fly zone, but the U.S. and NATO allies have made it clear that is simply not going to happen, because that would be far too close to essentially an open declaration of war on Russia and would necessitate shooting down Russian aircraft if they were to violate a no-fly zone.

The next best thing and this is what he's pushing for now is a transfer of fighter jets and fighter aircraft that he can use and that the Ukrainian Air Force can use to contest and to challenge the Russian Air Force over the skies of Ukraine.

In fact, they're looking for specific aircraft, namely what their pilots already know how to fly. That's MiG 29, fourth generation fighter jets, as well as Sukhoi Su 25. Those are ground attack aircraft. That's what he's looking for.

And of the countries they're looking at, there are a number of Eastern European countries who fly these types of fighters. Chief among them is Poland, and that appears to be where much of the effort is now as we heard from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The idea would be to transfer these MiG 29, again, these fourth generation fighter jets from Poland to Ukraine, probably Ukrainian fighter pilots would have to get out and fly the jets back into Ukraine as the U.S. and NATO have made it clear, they are not going into the country.

But that would beef up Ukrainian Air Force that simply doesn't have the resources of Russia. Where does the U.S. step in here other than facilitating the discussions here? The U.S. if Poland would transfer fighter jets to Ukraine would fill in its own fighters, would send F- 16s or other U.S. fighters to Poland to make sure they have their own.

And the conversation isn't just with Poland, Fredricka, they're looking at other countries to do this as well. Of course, time is of the essence, that goes without saying.

WHITFIELD: It is indeed. All right, Oren Liebermann, thank you so much for that.

All right, joining me now to discuss is CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Good to see you, Colonel. So we just heard the Secretary of State say the U.S. might backfill jets to Poland as Warsaw gives its own jets to Ukraine. Do you like that plan?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Fred, it has some merit. There about 23 MiG 29s in Poland right now that could be used for this, and only big thing that stands in the way of this is the fact that the airfields that MiG 29s or any other aircraft would use to defend Ukraine are being attacked right now by the Russians.

[15:10:19] LEIGHTON: So it's a tenuous issue, it is going to be a kind of touch

and go literally and figuratively, in this case, but we have to do something, and this might just be the one thing that might work.

WHITFIELD: All right, that's a big obstacle, not having the airfields in the country, in Ukraine. But then, if that were the case, that they didn't have enough airfields in which to launch from, do you see that Ukrainian pilots would then be able to launch those planes from Poland, from those airfields and then into Ukraine?

LEIGHTON: Well, that would then involve Poland, the way Russia would see it, it would be that Poland would then become a combatant nation in this war, and with that, we would have some, I think there'll be some real political and military difficulties at this point.

WHITFIELD: Okay. All right, so you've made the point too that even many areas where Russian troops have advanced, those same troops don't necessarily have control over those areas. While there may be Russian presence, they clearly don't have a great plan to execute. What do you suppose is happening?

LEIGHTON: So I think there are several things that are going on. First of all, you know, the old adage that, you know, the enemy of a plan is contact with the enemy. In fact, what happens is the plan gets thrown out once contact is made with an opposing force.

So I think part of it is just the normal friction of war. But the other part of it is, is that the planning wasn't as thorough as it should have been, and did not take into account the idea that the Ukrainians would resist and resist to the level that they have so far. So those are some big issues when it comes to this, the Russians to actually carry out their plans, their desires, and meet their strategic goals.

WHITFIELD: Since this has not become a swift operation, you know, from Russia's point of view, or what's believed to have been Russia's plan that they would be able to take this country in a matter of days, how long can the Russian military sustain itself at this kind of pace, given the economic shortcomings that are coming within country, which also means Russia might be having a hard time financing this war?

LEIGHTON: Yes, I think the financing question is going to be a very significant one, Fredricka. I mean, from a military operational perspective, as long as they've got fuel supplies and food for the troops, they could probably do this for a couple of months.

However, there is a big if here, and that big if, is the ability to finance and sustain the effort through their budgetary process. And I think that might actually impede some of their progress, and that could mean that, you know, we're seeing some issues, perhaps cropping up in the next few weeks for the Russian advance.

WHITFIELD: If fueling has been one of the obstacles as to why this 40- mile, you know, convoy of Russian tankers, and you know, vehicles seemingly not moving, if that is one of the problems, is another problem that there aren't a whole lot of arteries that could accommodate these big tankers and vehicles? And that, too, might explain why they're not moving very quickly, or turning around or, you know, changing their road plan?

LEIGHTON: Yes, I mean, it's not like you can, you know, use Waze and get to, you know, from one obstacle and around the other obstacle to your destination. You know, it doesn't quite work that way in and around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine.

So, yes, you're right. There are some issues with the ways in which the roads are set up in Ukraine. There is a major highway that goes from Kyiv to the Belarusian border that can be used by these -- by Russian military, potentially, however, of course, also means that the Ukrainians know where that is and they also perhaps know how to counter it.

So I think their ability to turn around or go around some of the obstacles is impeded, and that is going to cause some serious difficulties for them and makes them more likely to be sitting ducks that we see them at the moment.

WHITFIELD: And that would also explain kind of the quick inaction transfer of airplanes because if those -- if that convoy is a sitting duck, then that certainly would be easy target if Ukrainians could get in the air.

LEIGHTON: Absolutely. And you know, if the Ukrainians were able to launch aircraft against that convoy, that would probably change the equation for Kyiv and perhaps for the entire offensive that the Russians are mounting right now.

WHITFIELD: All right, Colonel Cedric Leighton, good to see you. Thanks so much.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Fred, anytime.

[15:15:09]

WHITFIELD: Thank you. All right, still to come, U.S. officials believe Putin is poised to deploy up to 1,000 more mercenaries to Ukraine for these Russian mercenaries and what are they capable of?

We'll discuss with the former acting Director of the C.I.A.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Destruction and devastation in Ukraine as Russia continues its attacks. This is what's left of Bila Tserkva about 50 miles south of Kyiv after an airstrike there this weekend. Blown out buildings and massive craters where bombs dropped.

Ukraine's National Police say almost 20 residential buildings were damaged.

As the assault on Ukraine continues, new warnings from the U.S. and NATO. U.S. officials telling CNN that Russia is planning to deploy up to a thousand more mercenaries into the country and is planning to bombard cities into submission.

Joining us right now is John McLaughlin. He is a former acting Director of the C.I.A. and now a distinguished practitioner at Merrill Center of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Mr. McLaughlin, good to see you.

[15:20:19]

WHITFIELD: So let's start with that influx of mercenaries first. What does it mean for this conflict? Who are they?

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE C.I.A.: Well, these are private contractors, although they do have a connection to the government. The use of mercenaries is yet the latest example, I think, that Putin's plan is not working here.

It shows that -- he has a conscript army, and the conscripts are clearly not working well. They're not well-trained, they do not respond well to command. And so bringing in the mercenaries offsets that a little bit.

The other thing to worry about with the mercenaries, of course, is that they usually follow very brutal tactics. And one reason that Russia uses them is to try and preserve some denial, some plausible denial in the event there are atrocities of one sort or another because they are typically uniformed. And these are, in some respects, the little green men that we heard about in Crimea.

WHITFIELD: So these private contractors, are they military trained? Are they more devoted, more loyal to Putin's mission?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, they are usually former military personnel, usually from their Special Operations groups, Spetsnaz and others, and I don't know that they are more loyal, they are simply better trained, and better able to carry out operations and orders than conscripts.

And as I say, they also provide Russia with at least some plausible case that they're not doing some of the things that we've seen them do.

WHITFIELD: They're more infantry men.

MCLAUGHLIN: I would call them comparable to Special Forces or Special Operations people.

Yes, the infantry, they're not artillery, they're not tankers. They typically will come with small arms and with mortars, and things like that, manned portable weapons.

WHITFIELD: Okay. I also want to get your reaction to the warning that Russia is planning to bombard cities into submission. What does that also tell you about Russia's invasion?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, again, I think it's a good sign that Putin's plan has failed, it is not working. On the other hand, this is the Russian way of war when nothing else works.

Russian warfare is all about lethality. It's all about winning at any cost, and Putin said as much to one of the foreign leaders he spoke with, Macron, I believe, in which he said: Whatever it takes, we will prevail.

And so I think that's what we're seeing here. He's done it before in places like Grozny and Chechnya, and it was part of the tactic that he pursued in Syria. So it is essentially the Russian way of war when nothing else works. And in this case, you know, I think he was badly, either badly misinformed or badly misjudged what the situation would be in Ukraine.

For anyone who's gone to Ukraine, I've been there multiple times between 1991, and the last 2016, knows that Ukraine has changed dramatically in recent years, and that the Ukrainians would resist. He apparently had no idea.

WHITFIELD: And too many people have died. Hundreds of people have died. But when you say it is not working, from the point of view of Vladimir Putin, it's because it is Day 11 of this invasion, as opposed to Day Two or Day Three, when perhaps he thought this would be easy.

MCLAUGHLIN: Absolutely. I'm quite confident that he went in here thinking that within a week or so, he would have the country subdued.

I suspect, he also thought that they would be greeted as liberators, because he seems genuinely to believe what he has to say about Ukraine.

Again, you know, he has no idea that there is a new generation of people in Ukraine who have grown up in a free society, who want to be Ukrainians, and the reaction that he has encountered was perfectly predictable to anyone who knows anything about Ukraine.

So that's why this plan is not working.

WHITFIELD: So in your view, how long can Russia sustain itself in this conflict in this manner?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, it's hard to say. You know, I heard the Colonel speaking a moment ago and, yes, money will run out and so forth. But I think the biggest problem Putin is going to have here is that within Russia, there is still information seeping in through social media platforms like Telegram and Instagram.

WHITFIELD: As he cuts down independent media.

[15:25:10]

MCLAUGHLIN: He has cut down independent media, but Russians still, you know, across 10 time zones are intelligent and have access to internet still, and knowing Russians and having dealt with them a good deal, I have a strong belief that if they are subjected to the truth here, they will be horrified and to some degree just ashamed by what is going on. So I think that is one thing that that he has to worry about as he

goes forward here.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and particularly to the younger generation of Russians, who are particularly ashamed and outspoken and are willing to risk arrest by speaking out against Vladimir Putin.

MCLAUGHLIN: That's right.

WHITFIELD: Yes, John McLaughlin, good to see you. Thank you so much.

MCLAUGHLIN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

WHITFIELD: The story of this piano man welcoming Ukrainian refugees and trying to bring a moment of peace through music.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:41]

WHITFIELD: The United Nations is calling it the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two. CNN's Arwa Damon is along Poland's border with Ukraine.

Arwa, give us a sense of what you're seeing.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we're starting to see is this sort of sad rhythm that starts to play out in reception centers like this one. The buses arrived, the people file off exhausted, mostly women and children.

But then there is this pretty incredible effort by an army of volunteers to provide them with food, water, diapers, toys for the children, clothing to replace everything it is that they had to leave behind.

But you also need to remember that just because someone has managed to reach safety, they are so far from being even remotely okay.

Those who have been able to flee, the vast majority of them are just utterly wracked and consumed with guilt and fear. Fear for those who were left behind, guilt because they actually had to make that impossible decision to leave.

And for the vast majority, it really has boiled down to saving their children.

WHITFIELD: It's all been agonizing. Arwa Damon, thank you so much.

So as the world watches millions of people flee Ukraine, many more are trying to send aid into the country. "TIME" correspondent, Simon Shuster joining me live near the border of Ukraine and Poland and Simon, I understand you are joining us right now, you are inside an ambulance.

So what are you seeing and who is with you?

SIMON SHUSTER, "TIME" CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Well, I'm with a group of about 20 volunteers from many different countries who have sent a variety of aid, humanitarian aid, assistance, and we are standing about maybe 30 yards from the border crossing into Ukraine from Poland, in a convoy of maybe 20 cars.

So we've got two ambulances here, ambulances here that were donated by the Netherlands, volunteers in the Netherlands, and my friend Gennady (ph) here is driving one of them. I'm in the passenger's seat.

And as you can see in the window behind me, it's just packed to the brim with medical supplies from European countries and making its way into Ukraine.

WHITFIELD: So you say you're in -- you know, this ambulance is part of a convoy. So, what are you all seeing? Are you driving along the border, and then you park and people come? Or are you spotting people in need, and then stopping and addressing their needs?

SHUSTER: No, we're on our way into Ukraine, and the amazing thing is, you know, you would expect there would be refugees and a great backup of people coming out of Ukraine into Poland and that is indeed the case. Just to my left, there's a large group of refugees waiting to be processed, waiting for buses to take them to safety.

But there's also an enormous traffic jam of aid convoys, aid trucks going in. We waited, I think almost four hours now, in this convoy, just to pass into Ukraine with the aid that we have, and once we get across the border, we're going to go to the city of Lviv, where the aid is going to be redistributed by volunteers to where it's needed most.

WHITFIELD: And what kind of aid do you have? What are kind of the needs that you're going to be able to address because our correspondent Clarissa Ward was there in that city that you just mentioned, and with the bridge collapse and people of all ages, but particularly the elderly who had been traveling for so very long, and then there were others who had shrapnel injuries.

So what kind of aid is in that ambulance that -- you know, and what kind of injuries or assistance are you going to or are you hoping the volunteers are going to be able to administer?

SHUSTER: So I mean, I'm here as a reporter, I should say I'm not an aid worker. So the aid that we have here in the back of the ambulance is you know, medical supplies, first aid kits, surgical supplies for field surgery, things like that -- syringes.

But when we were at the warehouse where all the trucks were being packed in the convoy, I mean there was -- you name it, I mean there was baby food, diapers, clothes, socks. There were bulletproof vests, helmets and different gear like that.

[15:35:11]

SHUSTER: So I mean, it's anything and everything. I think the feeling among a lot of people in Europe and around the world is that, you know, whatever we have, whatever we can provide, we're going to ship it and hopefully, it will get distributed.

So it is going to take quite a logistical effort inside Ukraine now when we get across the border for these volunteers to get it to the places where it is needed most, but I hope that happens.

WHITFIELD: Right. Oh, I understand. It's the volunteers that you're with, who are going to actually administer all the assistance and you're kind of a witness along the way and helping to document. I got that.

Okay, so now let's talk about your reporting that "TIME" Magazine cover that you recently, you know, wrote a piece for, and you are helping to profile of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine and the heroes, the many heroes of Ukraine and then bringing the Ukrainian language as we saw just there to the magazine's cover, for the first time for "TIME" Magazine.

So help people understand, you know, the resilience behind the Ukrainian people, including the President. These heroes that you are helping to profile, the resilience behind the courage that they have been demonstrating.

SHUSTER: Yes, I mean, I've been lucky enough to cover President Zelenskyy's kind of rise from even before he was President. I met him for the first time, interviewed him when he was running for President, and he was a comedian. I met him backstage at his comedy show.

And I've kind of followed his career through, you know, various ups and downs, the first impeachment of President Trump where he was a major character in that story.

But I never thought that he --

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness, what a terrible time for us to lose that signal. I wanted to get the rest of that thought, I know you did, too.

Well, Simon Schuster. If you can hear us, we thank you for all that you have shared with us thus far, and stay safe in the ambulance with the volunteers in making your way into Ukraine.

All right, more than one and a half million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion and nearly half of those refugees have crossed into Poland.

At the very worst moment in these people's lives, some of the kindest acts are on display. Here is CNN's Sara Sidner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As the world's newest war refugees step into Poland from Ukraine, they arrive to an unexpected sound -- a man at the Medyka, Poland border crossing playing his heart out just for them.

DAVIDE MARTELLO, PIANIST AT POLISH BORDER: I'm just trying to welcome all the refugees and I know that all those people, they hear bombing, guns shooting, cannons and whatever.

SIDNER (voice over): Davide Martello traveled from Germany.

MARTELLO: The peace is starting right here.

SIDNER (voice over): A piano man for peace.

MARTELLO: I have a trailer and I just drove like 17 hours straight.

I turn the music very loud so they can hear me everywhere. That is my purpose.

SIDNER (on camera): Your purpose here is to bring peace through music.

MARTELLO: Yes, that's my message, just peace through music.

SIDNER (voice over): And the message is received.

This is another stop on the piano man's peace tour.

MARTELLO: Taksim Square, 2014 and Ukraine in Donetsk, Afghanistan with the Army, Bataclan, Charlie Hebdo.

SIDNER (on camera): I know one place that you've been because I saw you there.

MARTELLO: Minneapolis, Minneapolis, two years ago.

SIDNER (voice over): Sure enough, in 2020, after the police murder of George Floyd, there he was with his piano healing hearts at George Floyd Square.

MARTELLO: It was just the perfect medium to restore peace, I think.

SIDNER (voice over): Nearly two years later and 5,000 miles away, he plays for the newly heartbroken in Medyka, Poland.

His next stop, Lviv, Ukraine.

[15:40:02]

MARTELLO: Before I die or something happens, I, at least want to do something. Maybe I can soften Putin's heart with music because everybody loves music, Putin loves music, too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:45:13]

WHITFIELD: New York's Brighton Beach is home to Russian and Ukrainian nationals and the community there is stunned by President Putin's attacks. They are banding together to show support for the Ukrainian people. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In South Brooklyn's neighborhood of Brighton Beach, Russian dominates everyday life from the language spoken to the Cyrillic signage.

MICHAEL LEVITIS, RUSSIAN-AMERICAN RADIO HOST: You can live here your whole life and not speak a word of English.

SANDOVAL (voice over): But lately says Moscow native, Michael Levitis, it is the support for Ukraine that is prevalent in this eastern European enclave in New York, nicknamed Little Odessa after the Ukrainian seaport, Brighton Beach is home to one of the largest Russian speaking communities outside of Europe.

LEVITIS: Right now, everybody has been Ukrainian. Right now, everybody is Ukrainian. As a show of solidarity, people are posting in their storefronts on Facebook Ukrainian flags.

SANDOVAL: On light posts.

LEVITIS: On light posts, to show that we are the people of Ukraine, we are against the war and we want the bloodshed to stop as soon as possible.

SANDOVAL (voice over): Levitis stays in close contact with fellow Russian-Americans both online and on air, as host of a talk radio show.

LEVITIS: Nobody is supporting what Kremlin is doing. Some people are understanding and they regret that negotiations did not go the way Putin wanted. But nobody is supporting this military action and the bombing of innocent people.

SANDOVAL (voice over): Questions about how to get humanitarian aid to Ukrainians caught in the conflict dominate calls into Levitis' show. He's also heard from local business leaders, one of whom is shedding Russian brandy right off his storefront.

Bobby Rakhman had the name "Taste of Russia" taken down just this week.

BOBBY RAKHMAN, BUSINESS OWNER: It just wouldn't be the right thing to do to keep the name.

SANDOVAL (voice over): A Ukrainian flag now hangs in the bustling shop's window while a new name is considered.

LEVITIS: Some businesses are changing their name either to show solidarity with Ukraine or to take out the Russian from their name so that their customers will not boycott them or confuse them with Russian-owned businesses, which right now are under very heavy sanctions.

SANDOVAL (voice over): As New York City's subway line thunders overhead, life seems to go on along this stretch of Brighton Beach Avenue, but it does so amid worries of a war half a world away. One that feels especially close to home here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL (on camera): ... Ukraine continue to reverberate throughout this community. We've also heard from the city of New York and the state of New York, Fred, both announcing their intention to help some of these Ukrainians resettle in the United States, many of them resettling in these neighborhoods trying to find some peace half a world away from the shelling that continues at this hour.

WHITFIELD: Just a little tiny bit of respite, potentially. All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:37]

WHITFIELD: We'll have more from Ukraine in a moment, but first in Iowa, the death toll is now seven, including two children after deadly storms swept across the state Saturday night.

The tornado ripped through multiple counties near Des Moines, leaving homes and businesses in shambles. The storms also left one adult with life-threatening injuries and three others hospitalized in serious condition.

The National Weather Service initially estimates showing wind speeds of at least 136 miles per hour.

And right now in Selma, Alabama, Civil Rights advocates are marking the 57th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday.

At any moment now, Vice President Kamala Harris will join others for a walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to honor the legacy of so many who sacrificed so much in that chapter of the Civil Rights Movement.

CNN's Nadia Romero is in Selma for us. So Nadia, what is happening right now?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, you're right, Fred. This is 57 years since 1965, when the first Civil Rights foot soldiers marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge right over my shoulder back in 1965. And who were they met with, but by dogs and billy clubs from state and local law enforcement.

The late great Congressman John Lewis says he was beaten within an inch of his life, but they kept marching for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and we just saw the Senate not restore some of the power back in that Voting Rights Act in just January. And that's why so many people here who are marching and so many others who are speaking on the podium behind me say that the fight for voting rights is far from over. That remembering Bloody Sunday is not just a day, but a movement, that

the Civil Rights movement and the fight for voting rights must continue.

Listen to one Civil Rights leader, Bishop Barber say why and what we have to do to push forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BISHOP WILLIAM BARBER II, SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVIST: We don't need anything else to tell us it is time for movement across America. And if we march here, but don't march in every street across these United States, then we actually dishonor what happened here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: And it is the who's who of Black leaders and Civil Rights leader, the Reverend Al Sharpton, speaking right now, Reverend Jesse Jackson speaking today and of course, everyone waiting to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris.

Now she came here when she was a presidential candidate back in 2020 and she told CNN back then that if Joe Biden picked her to be his running mate that she would say yes, and of course we know that that's exactly what happened.

[15:55:11]

ROMERO: But many people here today tell me that, Fred, they are going to ask Vice President Kamala Harris to keep up with those campaign promises to restore the Voting Rights Act and to push forward with matters that are so important to these Civil Rights leaders who have been marching for 57 years and say that there is still plenty of work left to be done -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Nadia Romero in Selma, thank you so much.

And thank you for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta after this.

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