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Ukrainian Village Destroyed In Russian Attack; Russia Has Fired 600 Miles, Nearly All Amassed Combat Power Now In Ukraine; Interview With Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA); New York Rallies In Solidarity With Ukraine; Volunteers In California Make Medical Kits For Ukrainians; More Than 1.5 Million Refugees In Need Of Aid; Moldova's Prime Minister Speaks Out On The Ukraine Crisis. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired March 06, 2022 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:15]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Significant developments along the Black Sea coast where I'm standing.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): They are preparing to bomb Odessa. Bombs against Odessa. This will be a war crime. This will be a historical crime.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We've seen very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians. It would constitute a war crime.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: This village is about six miles, 10 kilometers from the closest military installation. There's no reason that if Russia is trying to avoid civilians that there should be any strike anywhere near here.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Every person you talk to here has a story of loss and fear and no answer for their children of what the next day may bring.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now I feel safe but I'm very depressed because my family was divided by war into parts and I left my heart there in Ukraine.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. And we begin on this Sunday with the brutal reality for civilians in Ukraine.

This video shows Russian missiles screaming toward the Vinnytsia Airport. That's about 120 miles southwest of Kyiv. Ukraine's president says the airport is destroyed.

This is a Russian shelling of Ukrainian civilians who are just trying to flee their country, trying to get to a safer place. Irpin is a suburb northwest of Kyiv. It is in the path of Russian forces who are ramping up their efforts to encircle the capital. The aftermath, we warn, is stark and very disturbing.

This image from the Associated Press shows the human toll. The city's mayor says eight civilians were killed including two children.

Ukraine's president says Russia is preparing to bomb Odessa as it escalates attacks on populated civilian areas. And this morning on CNN, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. has seen reports of possible Russian war crimes and says Washington may hit Moscow with its biggest economic blow yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLINKEN: We are now talking to our European partners and allies to look in a coordinated way at the prospect of banning the import of Russian oil.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Here are some other developments unfolding today in the crisis. The United Nations says more than 360 civilians are confirmed killed in Ukraine and it concedes that the real number is likely much higher.

This Ukrainian boy frightened and overwhelmed is one of at least a million refugees who have crossed into Poland. We don't know anything else about his circumstances. But if we've learned anything else, we will let you know. I've gotten a lot of viewer messages about this little boy right here.

And minutes ago senior U.S. Defense officials estimated that Russia has fired 600 missiles and 95 percent of its amassed combat power is now in Ukraine. Ukrainian fighters both military and civilian are claiming their victories. In southern Ukraine the government has released this video of Russian artillery and equipment abandoned.

CNN has been unable to geolocate the videos or verify their authenticity. But every day Russia's shelling takes a greater toll on the civilian population.

CNN's Alex Marquardt visited the ruins of a village south of the capital.

MARQUARDT: Pam, every day, seemingly every hour, we're getting new reports of Russian strikes on civilian areas, on schools, on residential buildings, on civilian government offices. Today we went to a small village just south of Kyiv, called Markhalivka, had been hit by a Russian airstrike and there we met a man digging in the rubble who lost five of his family members. Some of the latest in the civilian Ukrainian death toll that is quickly growing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT (voice-over): The small country road is now lined by piles of rubble, burned out cars, collapsed homes, and a deep crater where a Russian missile struck. [18:05:06]

The attack caught on a village security camera hit the home of Igor Mozharev in the small village of Markhalivka about 15 miles south of Kyiv where he lived with his family. Now they're gone, killed in an instant. Five family members and a friend, including his 12-year-old daughter who was disabled in an accident with a drunk driver, his wife just 46 years old, and his son-in-law, the father of his grandchildren.

IGOR MOZHAREV, RESIDENT OF MARKHALIVKA (through text translation): There was a massive explosion, and we all (INAUDIBLE) under rubble. My daughter has died in her wheelchair. Me and my grandchildren were rescued from under the rubble.

MARQUARDT: Today, Mozharev, black eye and face bruised, picked through the debris trying to find belongings and documents. There was a brief moment of happiness when he found one of his missing cats. But the reality of how his life is forever changed has not yet sunk in.

MOZHAREV (through text translation): I have no thoughts now. What thoughts can I possibly have? It's terrible. Terrible. I just want peace for Ukraine, just leave Ukraine alone already. God help this to end as soon as possible. I will bury my relatives tomorrow. That's it. I don't know what will happen then.

MARQUARDT (on-camera): There is simply no explanation for all of this destruction, for the deaths that happened right here. There is no military target around for miles. This isn't strategic village or town that needs taking. So as the Kremlin continues to deny that they are targeting civilians it is indiscriminate attacks like this one that show the reality of what is going on here.

(Voice-over): Olga lives down the street. She points to a mat that was used to carry the children out of the rubble.

OLGA, RESIDENT OF MARKHALIVKA (through text translation): The main thing is for this to hell to end as soon as possible. How is it possible that a brother goes against a brother. This is unthinkable. Everybody used to go to Russia, and back, relatives everywhere. And now --

MARQUARDT: It's too much for Olga and for millions across Ukraine who are in utter disbelief about what is happening to their home. Praying and pleading for the violence to end.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT: As more and more of these attacks on civilians happen every Ukrainian is asking him or herself, do I stay or do I go? Do I become part of the more than 1.5 million Ukrainians who have now fled the country and become refugees or do I stay? And that's what Olga is doing, who you met right there. She told us this is our land. We will sit in the basement but we are not going anywhere. This is our home. We will rebuild -- Pam.

BROWN: All right, thanks to Alex.

And there is a lot to unfold here. Joining us now to walk us through it is Colonel Cedric Leighton.

So tell us, Colonel, from a strategic military point of view, what are the big areas of concern right now for Ukraine?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Pamela, one of the big things to look at here is the overall map and this is probably the easiest way to see what's going on from a strategic perspective. I draw your attention to what's happening around Kyiv right now. I'll circle it right now but I'm going to take it off just because I want people to see that the Russian forces are really close to Kyiv here and here.

And this becomes a very big issue because right now it gives them the possibility to encircle Kyiv as a primary target. It is basically the center of gravity as the military folks would say. That means it's the most important point to go after. Other cities, of course, are Kharkiv right here and Kherson which, of course, reports are that it has fallen, but one of the key things to note is that in a broad strategic sense the Russians seem to be trying to go this way and this way and then to the town of Dnipro, and then from there potentially link up with their forces that are around Kyiv as well. So these are all possibilities that could happen with the Russian military but that's the big strategic look at the moment.

BROWN: You talk about Kyiv being the center of gravity. It's interesting because last week we were thinking Kyiv could fall to the Russians.

LEIGHTON: That's right.

BROWN: That still hasn't happened. Ukrainians have been able to keep them at bay. But how long do you think that that will last?

LEIGHTON: So Kyiv is a very interesting city. First of all, this gives you a bigger idea of what's happening actually in the city itself. Kyiv can probably last for another several days if it's not resupplied. If it is resupplied, it could be a completely different issue where you could go anywhere from 10 days to several weeks unless there are some other significant changes. But one of the big things here is note how close the Russians are to the outskirts of the city.

[18:10:10]

BROWN: And we heard Ukraine's President Zelenskyy say that the Russians plan to bomb Odessa. Tell us a little bit more about the significance of the south to the Russians.

LEIGHTON: Sure. So this is, the south is a very key part right here because it is basically Ukraine's coastline. The city of Odessa is Ukraine's major port. It is in the western part of the coastline, right close to Romania. That's Romania right over there. And this is an area that the Russians have controlled since 2014. This is Crimea and this right here where Mariupol is, that will provide the land bridge as the Russians move this way and this way.

That provides them the land bridge that they've always wanted to get from the Donbas region, which they've occupied with their separatists all the way to right here into Crimea. So this gives them a resupply route and it also allows them to in essence do part of the stranglehold that they have on Ukraine. This prevents Ukraine from having access to the Black Sea, and that's their only coastline.

BROWN: That's a key goal for the Russians. So earlier today Russian president, I'm sorry, Ukrainian president -- key distinction there -- Zelenskyy said a Russian rocket destroyed the Vinnytsia Airport. How does that impact the possibility of bringing in the jets from Poland?

LEIGHTON: So this is a very big issue because Vinnytsia is right here in the middle of west central Poland. It is the point where the Ukrainian Air Force has their headquarters for their air force command. When this airport is destroyed it is not a fighter base at the moment. It used to be in the old days. But what happens here, if they can't control the aircraft that come in, it's symptomatic of them not being able to control all the other airfields that they have.

So the fall of -- the destruction of Vinnytsia Airport is a key issue, a key problem for the Ukrainian Air Force at this point and it could limit their ability to take possession of any aircraft that come from Poland or other countries in NATO.

BROWN: But it is worth noting, if they do, these are Soviet-era jets, right, that the Ukrainians would know how to operate but also of course the irony is they're Soviet era.

LEIGHTON: That's right. So here's an example of what they would be getting. This is Polish MiG-29. This is the type of aircraft that they would get, the Poles would get F-16 as a replacement for that based on what we're hearing right now, what the reports are.

So this Polish MiG-29 built by the Soviets is a basically an air-to- air multipurpose aircraft and what it can do is it can cause a lot of damage but it is not of the same generation so the latest Russian aircraft are, so there are still some issues that the Ukrainians would have to contend with but it would definitely help them achieve some degree of parity in the air that they don't have right now.

BROWN: OK. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much.

And a senior U.S. Defense official tells CNN today that Russia has fired 600 missiles since invading Ukraine. Oren Liebermann, live at the Pentagon with more.

So, Oren, there's also an estimate of how much Russian combat power has amassed inside Ukraine. Update us on the latest if you would.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So from all the forces they amassed around Ukraine before this invasion, they've now moved into Ukraine some 95 percent of the amassed combat power. So not only the vast majority but nearly all of it at this point, very little remains outside of Ukraine that is in Belarus and eastern Ukraine, and perhaps some in Crimea as well.

But really what we heard from the senior Defense official is over the last couple of days the movement has been more or less incremental. Yes, there is an increase in the number of missiles that have been fired, that includes both ballistic and cruise, that's now up to more than 600 missiles fired by the Russians.

There is fighting around a number of different cities, Kherson in particular where the U.S. still believes there is fighting there, even though the Russians say they've taken control of the city and the mayor there says he has ceded control to the Russian military.

The Russians are still trying to encircle a number of major population centers including like Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine as well as Kyiv itself, the capital of Ukraine, but they have not succeeded in doing so taking much longer than was originally anticipated.

And of course, the convoy we've been watching that spans some 40 miles of road just north of Kyiv, that also hasn't really moved. Now there was no update on exactly how far away it is from Kyiv. But as of the last couple of days, it was about 25 kilometers, so 16 miles away from the city center of Kyiv. Notably it has not moved in days now.

It's not just the Ukrainian resistance that continues. It is the logistical problems, the fuel problems, they continue to have morale issues we're hearing about. But again, Pamela, they still retain a massive force there, the Russians.

BROWN: All right, Oren Liebermann, thank you so much for that.

Well, should the United States consider even tougher sanctions against Russia? I'll ask Congressman John Garamendi of California next.

[18:15:04]

Plus, helping Ukrainian soldiers survive battlefield injuries from more than 6,000 miles away. And Bethenny Frankel from "The Real Housewives of New York" is on a new mission to raise millions of dollars in emergency aid to help the people of Ukraine. She joins me live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Secretary of State Tony Blinken says the U.S. is in talks with Poland about the possibility of Poland sending fighter jets to Ukraine. Fighter jets are just one of the fools that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy requested during a meeting with U.S. lawmakers yesterday.

Joining me now is Congressman John Garamendi who was on that call. He is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

[18:20:01]

Congressman, you were on that call. You said it was really remarkable to see Zelenskyy at that point 10 days into the invasion and how sort of resolute he was. Tell us more about that and about how helpful you think these jets could be.

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): Well, first, he is an extraordinary individual. He has risen to the occasion. He's become a leader with enormous courage, enormous strength. He's at the top of the kill list. He is the one person that they want to eliminate, decapitate the government.

That means him. But yet he didn't display any fear at all. Just courage, strength of conviction and determination. He's rallying the Ukrainian people and really rallying the world. There are a series of issues that he put forward to us, but the thing that I found so compelling was the man himself.

BROWN: Yes. He's really won the hearts of the world. I've said that before, I'll say it again.

GARAMENDI: Indeed.

BROWN: I mean, he really has. It's been remarkable to watch. How soon do you think that these jets from Poland could potentially get into Ukraine and how helpful do you think they could be for the Ukrainian resistance?

GARAMENDI: Well, we do know that the Ukrainian Air Force was trained on these jets so they're familiar with it, they know how to operate them. There are some serious difficulties. First of all, they're going to have to be transferred and that's some sort of a deal worked out between Poland and Ukraine. For example, Ukraine could buy them. Used jets available on the market, OK, we'll take them.

But then you have to be able to service those jets. What airport would they be located on? All of the issues of fueling, munitions, all the other issues that go with maintaining these jets. I'm sure they'll be able to work their way through that. In the meantime, the Stinger missiles are extremely useful. Those missiles are a very serious threat to every low-flying helicopter or jet that may be -- and you've seen the photos of the jets flying low.

The Stinger missiles as they are deployed, and they are in the country, they're going to be a first line of defense on the no-fly zone. The airplanes, the MiGs will come along. When? Soon. Soon, like right away. Cut the deal, get it done. We can back fill, we can back fill the jets that Poland and possibly Romania and Bulgaria, they have the same. And they want more modern jets, we can supply those either the United States or European.

BROWN: So there's talks with Romania and Bulgaria as well.

GARAMENDI: Yes.

BROWN: About this. You heard Zelenskyy talk about the fact that he believes Putin will move to, quote, "bombard cities into submission." How bad do you think it could get in the next few days?

GARAMENDI: Every day it gets worse. You've seen the photos that you just displayed a few moments ago. It is a scorched earth policy that they're pursuing and the result of that is hundreds and thousands of people are going to die, homes are going to be destroyed. Simultaneously Russia is facing the most serious sanctions ever put forward. The one thing that remains is the Russian oil and gas. And I believe before too long the world will figure out how to supplement, back fill, as the Russian gas and oil is embargoed.

That's being worked out. I know the diplomats and the Energy Department are working on that. When that is in place we're going to see step-by-step Russia's oil and gas being strangled.

BROWN: You think both, because right now we're hearing about they'll demand the import of all Russian oil. You think it'll be --

GARAMENDI: Well, we already know that the Nord Stream pipeline isn't going to happen. Interesting, there is the possibility of the liquefied natural gas that is being shipped around the world being diverted to Germany. The intake facility on that pipeline is in place. All they need to do is to figure out how to unload the gas from the LNG tankers.

BROWN: I want to talk about this "New York Times" reporting that some White House officials are concerned that cornering Putin could cause him to lash out. I mean, he's already ratcheting up the rhetoric in a very alarming way. We know Putin has ordered Russia's strategic nuclear weapons to be combat ready.

You were recently briefed on all of this. How concerned should we be about the prospect of a nuclear attack in this conflict?

GARAMENDI: We should always be concerned not only about Russia, but about China, every country that has a nuclear weapon is a concern. Putin right now has taken that to another level. And he knows as well as we know that the United States' nuclear arsenal is always ready. Always available. And so the question here is what would trigger a nuclear war? We want to stay away from that. We don't want to go that far. But we were seriously pushing, on the sanctions, a very serious threat to the Russian economy.

[18:25:00]

One thing we need to figure out and that is how to inform the Russian people about what is actually happening in Ukraine. The photos, the videos. If the Russian people saw that, they would be on the street, and I've said from the very beginning the Russian street is the ultimate decider.

It is Putin's jeopardy, the Russian street. 7,000 or so have already been arrested. Those videos, if they could be seen, if those photos could be seen by the Russian people, they will not stand for it. Their brothers and sisters are being annihilated by Putin.

BROWN: What do you do about that then? If Facebook and other, you know, other means of communication are being cut off to the Russian people and if the Russian government is putting out propaganda saying the Ukrainians are attacking us, we're trying to protect our people, what do you do? GARAMENDI: Well, tomorrow I'm going to be asking the Pentagon that

question. Is it possible? What mechanisms are available to get the information to the Russian people to overcome the total blackout, the total censorship that Putin has put in place?

I would suspect that there may be mechanisms, there may be technologies that could be used to get that information. But when that information arrives, our hearts are broken, the world's hearts are broken. Russians will not stand for it, the Russian people will not stand for it. Putin knows that. That's why he's shut everything down.

BROWN: All right. Congressman John Garamendi, thank you for your time tonight and for coming on set.

GARAMENDI: Thank you.

BROWN: Americans in many parts of the country are coming together to show support for Ukraine from holding rallies to making medical kits. Their stories are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:31:03]

BROWN: Russians living in New York have been stunned by Russia's ongoing attacks on Ukraine. Owners of Brighton Beach's iconic Taste of Russia Restaurant removed their sign this week as an act of solidarity with Ukraine. This area of New York City is home to both Ukrainian and Russian ex-pats and many are attending today's Ukrainian solidarity rally.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joins me now from New York. What are you seeing there, Polo?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Pamela, for the last several weeks the events of what's happening in Ukraine have really reverberated through this community, and we saw that today but really just about everywhere you look from the language, to the Cyrillic language, Russian dominates almost every aspect of life. But it's that support for Ukraine that really has been evident on many street corners and on windows as well.

And we saw it on the nearby boardwalk, too, on the seaside community here as many gathering in support of Ukraine. I want you to hear directly from one of the participants, actually several participants at today's demonstration. One of them actually born in Russia but raised in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTON KOBRIN, RUSSIAN-AMERICAN: Russian people as a whole have family everywhere. Like in Ukraine, in Belarus, in Kazakhstan. And so this is kind of impacting everyone who's both in Russia, here in Ukraine, everyone has some connection to it so I think us speaking out against this brings an awareness about this issue. SOPHIA ZHUKOVSKY, RUSSIAN-AMERICAN: I hope they know that we support

them and we don't support what he's doing and we especially don't support what he's doing in the name of Russian people, and in the name of denazification of Ukraine. As a Russian-American and as a Russian- Jewish American especially, you know, I see what's happening and it's not -- it's not denazification. It's horror.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Little Odessa, they nicknamed after its Ukrainian counterpart. We've also heard from some business owners including the one that you see behind me, actually the business that you see behind me taking down its Taste of Russia sign, taking that down and in the process -- in a show of solidarity with Ukrainians as they work to rename that business. Well, they've gone ahead and hung that Ukrainian. So it's really what you hear people talking about as that subway line roars overhead -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

And in Los Angeles right now volunteers are putting together medical kits to be sent to Ukraine. Such kits are among the list of most- needed supplies that the Ukrainian government says it needs as the country struggles to repel the Russian invasion there.

CNN's Camila Bernal joins us from the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles where the volunteers are assembling the kits. They look awfully busy there -- Camila.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They absolutely are so busy. These are volunteers who are giving their money and their time and really doing it with love. What I'm hearing from volunteers is the people of Ukraine need help and those of us here in the U.S. have the means to help. But what they're focusing on is medical supplies. So things like surgical dressings, band-aids, wipes, really anything and everything that volunteers tare bringing, and what they're doing is putting them into little bags.

And I want to show you exactly what the work here looks like. You're seeing an assembly line essentially of people who are putting together those band-aids. You're seeing so many things here. And what they say is every kit is about $10. So what they say is you can either make it at home or come here and make it with them. But they believe that those $10 of kits will make a huge difference.

They're telling me, look, we don't need clothes. What we really need is these medical kits because they could be used not just by people on the frontlines who were fighting for their country but also the everyday Ukrainian who is still there and who maybe will be in need of these medical kits as well.

So what they're telling me is that they've already made about 500 of them. They plan to continue making them throughout the day and they believe that they're going to make at least 1,000 of these kits today.

[18:35:05] They say that this is what will make a difference and they say they will stay here until every kit is made and they're asking people for prayers because a lot of these volunteers have family members in Ukraine and what they say is, look, we haven't been able to sleep. We can't do anything at home. So instead they rather come out here and do everything they can to put these kits together so that eventually this gets to Ukraine and helps people who are in need -- Pam.

BROWN: All right, Camila Bernal, from Los Angeles for us on this Sunday, thank you.

Another American working to help people in Ukraine may be a familiar face. You may just recognize Bethenny Frankel from "The Real Housewives of New York City" or "Shark Tank." Now she is sending millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, and she joins me live up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:29]

BROWN: Reality TV star Bethenny Frankel is using her celebrity to raise funds for Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETHENNY FRANKEL, PHILANTHROPIST, ENTREPRENEUR, AUTHOR, PRODUCER: It is thousands of people coming in through these borders now. It is a family every few seconds. We will need money to really have the man and woman power to process these people properly and get refugees to a safe haven.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Her disaster relief initiative "Be Strong," a partner of the Global Empowerment Mission, is sending crisis kits to those in need. $25 million in blankets, sleeping bags, toiletry kits, water, even generators are on the way. Financial donations are also going to individuals and families via cash, cards and plane tickets.

And joining me now is Bethenny Frankel herself.

Hi, Bethenny. Nice to see you. I know that you have been working around the clock on this. You have said that prayers are not enough for Ukraine right now. Tell us more about your efforts.

FRANKEL: So we will have two massive warehouses, one approximately 17,000 square feet each, one in -- sorry if I say it wrong, Rzeszow and Tatabanya. So we're going to be in Poland and Hungary. We are amassing aid as we did during Hurricane Maria and we are organizing it and distributing it and other orgs will be able to come to us to get what they need. We will be spending $1 million on medical, for example.

But our motto is refugees out and aid in, I mean, from Ukraine, to and from Ukraine, so the refugees out, we've contracted multiple buses, we have volunteers, we get their information and we get them to other countries. You have to get people out. This is by train, by air and you get these people out and then you get them lodging so it could be, you know, $10 million to get 60,000 people to where they need to get to properly.

Tickets can range from $250 to $800 to some people we've sent to Africa. So the $25 million is aid, now it's $10 million in cash donations for mostly relocation or largely relocation, and then the $25 million in aid will be in various warehouses to allocate to medical, daily needs, other orgs, et cetera.

So it will end up looking like you're an Amazon or Costco where people can get the aid that they need, and we can distribute to far-reaching places, to trusted officials, churches, schools, et cetera. So we'll be able to reach Romania and Hungary, from the Hungarian warehouse and we also have a presence in Poland.

BROWN: So it sounds like a big part of your efforts are focused on helping people relocate and get to safety. This woman is only one of many of those who you have helped. Let's listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're grateful that (INAUDIBLE) can find me because now I have a possibility to leave Poland and to meet my family in Spain and be safe there with them.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: How does it make you feel that you've been able to help families like this one?

FRANKEL: It's amazing. It's funny because my team today, and we'll post some of the videos, was saying my on-the-ground team Global Empowerment Mission, they were saying that they've met people that they'll be connected to for life. They're getting hundreds of people out of there every day. So if we really keep raising money, we can make a dent.

My daughter made 25 limited pieces of art to auction off for people to donate. Everybody is trying. I mean, the truth is it's been amazing the outreach. And the thing is helping people there is great and helping people at the border is great. It's very temporary. You've got to be business minded about it. We've got to get their information, get where they want to get to, and get them out to where they need to be so they can live lives after this traumatic experience.

That's the most important thing and then for the people that are there and people who desperately need medical and other aid, get them what they need. So that's why it's a combined effort and it's now more than $35 million. It was reported $25 million yesterday. But it's now more than $35 million. But people are donating around the clock.

Thank you. Thank you to just average wage Americans, just paying $5, $10 to help somebody get a train ticket, get out of there.

[18:45:02] BROWN: Yes. We can all play a part. No part is too small at a time like this if we all come together. It ends up leading to a big thing. You mentioned something interesting, you have to be business-minded and you make a good point that this isn't going to end anytime soon. This is a massive humanitarian crisis that is going to impact these innocent civilians' lives for days, months, years to come. So what is the plan helping them long term exactly?

FRANKEL: OK, so let's say that we can raise another $10 million, which I believe that we can because every day we're raising a lot of money. I mean, it's been about a week and it's $10 million in cash. That could be 120,000 people, that could be 10 percent of the problem right now. So it's lodging. It's a ticket. It's, you know, faith in humanity that people actually care that it takes a village. So, and also, it's helping -- I mean, Poland has been so incredible.

These bordering countries have been so amazing. But this will overrun Europe. So if we can, you know, make our mark in helping the circulation move the population and help the people that are there. It's a two-pronged effort, we're helping with medical supplies to those who need them, aerial recovery group is a group of 20 retired Green Berets that help us with different information and figuring out medical needs.

So we are just very organized. 100 percent goes to this effort and we're just -- yes, we're being business-minded because we've got to get people to where they need to get to, to help the people, and the people in the country that is being bombarded with people every day. I mean, where are they going to the bathroom? They have no -- they feel filthy, they feel exhausted. There are kids, there are people who have wounds. I mean, this is -- it's cold.

Like no one is talking about how freezing it is. Think about when you're just outside and you don't want to walk five more blocks, but think about you've walked miles with a baby who say mommy, I don't want to do this anymore. Your kid is dirty, you have to pee outside. I mean, it's just an absolute horrible situation. And there are so many aspects to it that people can't really touch and feel and imagine what this is like, literally, physically being there.

BROWN: Yes. Most people cannot imagine the horrors that they are experiencing. What an incredible massive operation that you are overseeing.

Bethenny Frankel, thank you for coming on the show and telling us more about it. So many people have been reaching out wondering how they can help. So it's great to hear more about your efforts.

FRANKEL: Thank you. I appreciate it.

BROWN: Thank you.

And there are organizations around the world, on the ground in Ukraine trying to help those who need food, shelter, water, and other aid. For more information about how you can help, go to CNN.com/impact. Well, more than a million people have fled Ukraine and it's creating a

refugee crisis in nearby countries. We were just talking about that there with Bethenny Frankel. Up next, Moldova's prime minister tells CNN what is being done to help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATALIA GAVRILITA, PRIME MINISTER OF MOLDOVA: We are seeing an extraordinary humanitarian crisis. Every eighth child in Moldova is now a refugee.

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[18:57:34]

BROWN: The number of refugee fleeing Ukraine has topped 1.5 million in the past 10 days, at least. The U.N. is calling it the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. One of the countries getting hit the hardest is neighboring Moldova. Roughly the size of Maryland, Moldova has suddenly seen an influx of more than 230,000 refugees. That's nearly 10 percent of their entire population.

In an exclusive interview, Moldova's Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita spoke with CNN about how she's managing the crisis and shared her thoughts on Russia's unprovoked invasion next door.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GAVRILITA: We strongly condemn this military attack on Ukraine. And we have called for peace ever since the beginning of the war. We are seeing an extraordinary humanitarian crisis. So already 230,000 people have crossed the Moldovan border from Ukraine, so every eighth child in Moldova is now a refugee, so about three-fourths of the refugees are actually staying with families.

A lot of Ukrainians have friends or relatives in Moldova but also regular people have just taken in Ukrainian families into, and invited them into their homes.

WATSON: Complete strangers.

GAVRILITA: Yes. Absolutely.

WATSON: Do you think the refugee exodus will get worse in the days and weeks ahead?

GAVRILITA: I'm afraid so.

WATSON: On the first day of the invasion, your government closed Moldova's air space so there is no commercial air travel right now. Why did you take that decision?

GAVRILITA: We took that decision to protect civilian air space. So we received request that indicated that there may be military operations in the vicinity of the Moldovan air space.

WATSON: Who sent the request to restrict your air traffic?

GAVRILITA: This was a request from the Russian federation.

WATSON: Wow. Many people may not know that there are actually Russian troops on Moldovan territory. Has there been any communication with those forces?

GAVRILITA: Indeed. We have a separatist region on the eastern border of Moldova, on the border with Ukraine.

[18:55:01]

This separatist region, the Transnistrian region, has Russian troops on its territory. We have called continuously for the withdrawal of the troops and we have negotiating format with the separatist region. We are currently seeing no signs of involvement in the military conflict and we expect this to remain so. Moldova is a neutral state. Its military neutrality is enshrined in the constitution and we expect everyone to respect this status.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: That was Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita speaking with CNN's Ivan Watson.

Well, people still inside Ukraine are facing the brutal and deadly reality of the Russian invasion. We're just getting a new video of a family being killed by a Russian military strike on the outskirts of Kyiv. The video is very difficult to watch but important to understand what is going on there.

We're going to show you, up next.

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