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Ukrainian Women Volunteer as Loved Ones Head into Combat; International Criminal Court Investigating Russia War Crimes in Ukraine; Verdict Reached in First Jan. 6th Jury Trial. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired March 08, 2022 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:33:22]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: I'm Anderson Cooper in Lviv on this International Women's Day.
We are shining a spotlight on Ukrainian moms and wives and daughters, some of whom are in the armed services, some of whom are not. Yet, all are, in their own way, battling this Russian invasion.
I visited a volunteer center in Lviv where a lot of moms are doing their part as their loved ones head into combat. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): In a volunteer center in Lviv, moms whose husbands and children have taken up arms gather supplies for those fighting for their East.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): We understand we need to hold strong like a fist like this. And we have very strong faith. We believe that we will win and this will hold us together.
COOPER: Alina (ph) works for a group called "Angel on Your Shoulder." She's recruited more than 100 women to pack boxes around the clock.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Non-stop, non-stop.
COOPER: Everything is donated, medicine, and toiletries, all kinds of pre-packaged food.
(on-camera): They're looking for things which are easy to prepare which you can add water to for troops at the front or families.
(voice-over): Nothing stays here for long. The work is hard. The war is harder.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
COOPER: Angela's husband left for the front yesterday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband yesterday --
COOPER: He's a doctor, a veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
(on-camera): Does it helps to work here to stay busy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): We are doing what we can. We keep on praying. People ask how you're not crying but, you know, crying doesn't help. Each person does what they can.
[13:35:07]
COOPER (voice-over): Angela is in the reserves as well. But for now, she's taking care of her family and volunteering.
(on-camera): Thank you for your strength. You give me and everybody strength.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Thank you very much.
COOPER (voice-over): In another building, more mothers, more volunteers making camouflage netting to hide tanks and artillery.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): Let me teach you. Do you see? Just like this.
COOPER: Alina's (ph) son is already in the fight.
(on-camera): What made you want to come here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): We need to protect our country. It is difficult to speak.
My son is in the army since 2015. I did not want to let him go and he said, who will go if not me? How will I be able to say to people that I hid and sheltered?
So he left and it was it extremely difficult for me.
COOPER (voice-over): Many in this room have had to flee their homes in Kharkiv and Kyiv. They wonder when the bombs will fall here.
(on-camera): If you could talk to mothers in Russia, what would you tell them?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): I would tell them to take their sons back. We're also sorry for them. They're also humans.
Human life was created by God. How can it be taken away just like that? They will be judged and faced punishment for this. You cannot do this. Let them take their kids. COOPER (voice-over): This war has many fronts. And for mothers, there are many ways to fight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Wow, Anderson, that piece really shows once again just how strong and resilient the Ukrainian spirit there is.
What else stood out to you at that volunteer center?
COOPER: Yes, I mean, the common goal, the common bond that so many people here feel is -- it's palpable in a place like that.
It's people from all different backgrounds who just want to do something and see this as part of who they are. And are determined and united in this fight against Russia, whatever may come.
CABRERA: It was lovely to see you hug that mom. I'm sure that provided an ounce of comfort in such a trying time.
Anderson, great reporting. We'll check back with you.
And we have this just in. McDonald's says that it's temporarily closing its locations in Russia. The fast-food chain had 847 locations in Russia, most operated by the company, and employed 62,000 people as of December.
McDonald's Russian locations along with 100 stores in Ukraine accounted for nearly 10 percent of the company's revenue in 2021.
We're back right after this.
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IGOR TEREKHOV, MAYOR, KHARKIV, UKRAINE (through translation): I cannot regard this as anything but genocide because the strikes are on residential districts. What else can it be?
There are no -- there's no military infrastructure, no military facilities in these areas. Strikes are happening on kindergartens, schools, maternity hospitals, clinics.
I cannot -- this isn't an accident.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: That's Kharkiv's mayor describing the horror he has seen. Moments later, he insists that life in this once-bustling, now- battered city, will, quote, "withstand."
And in devastated Irpin, near Kyiv, the mayor had this impassioned message as Russian forces demand he surrender the city. The mayor writing on Telegram, "I'm surprised that these monsters
still haven't understood, Irpin doesn't give up. Irpin can't be bought. Irpin fights."
That spirit, that resiliency of the people of Ukraine still so incredibly strong.
Take a look at this moment when civilian protesters confront armed Russian troops. This is in southern Ukraine.
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(SHOUTING)
(CHANTING)
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CABRERA: That group is chanting, "Go home." They're talking directly to the Russian soldiers.
Shots are fired and the crowd still keeps chanting, "Go home, boys. Go back home. No one needs you here, go home. Glory to Ukraine."
Glory for a country gripped by the compounding crises of war. And snow is blanketing once-smoldering neighborhoods.
This destroyed bridge is now the only way out for some refugees with overturned, burned-out cars lining the evacuation route.
We're also seeing this video today of orphans arriving in Poland. Officers carried them off the buses there.
The youngest victims who arrived with nothing but the jackets on their backs. We are told about 150 orphaned children arrived today from Kyiv.
[13:45:05]
CABRERA: So far, more than two million people have fled the country.
Russia's attacks know no bounds. They have hit apartment blocks, schools, hospitals, churches, innocent families just trying to escape through designated corridors, nuclear plants.
And now the international court is looking into possible war crimes. The U.S. says it is gathering evidence to support any investigation.
Let's bring in David Scheffer. He is the former U.S. ambassador-at- large for war crimes issues. And he's a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Ambassador, is it clear to you that war crimes have been committed here?
DAVID SCHEFFER, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS & FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR WAR CRIMES: Oh, yes, certainly. I would refer to them basically as atrocity crimes, because there's a mix here of war crimes, of crimes against humanity, of aggression.
And it might be a stretch to accuse the Russian military of committing genocide. We'll have to see as that actually plays out in the future.
But I think it's totally accurate to say in a generic way that atrocity crimes are being committed.
And as we see the examples that come through on the media every single day, you see clear examples that I'm certain will stand up in terms of documentary evidence for trials in the future.
CABRERA: So what do you see as the biggest challenge facing investigators?
SCHEFFER: Oh, the biggest challenge will be able to sustain their presence on the ground in the coming days and weeks in order to collect this evidence on the ground.
And to be able to interview the citizens of Ukraine who have been victimized by these crimes. That will be a huge challenge.
I don't think it's as much of a challenge anymore of what we usually face in war crimes investigations, which is to work up the ladder of command to the top levels to establish their command responsibility for the commission of these crimes.
That's a very, very tough pull in an international criminal tribunal.
However, in this case, Vladimir Putin himself keeps incriminating himself every day. He leaves footprints all over the place as to his leadership and command of this entire operation.
He also is showing no evidence whatsoever of trying to prevent this criminal conduct or of punishing any Russian military who do commit these crimes.
And that is very indicative of liability under command and superior responsibility.
So I think that's going to be demonstrated quite a bit easier in this case than in prior conflicts.
CABRERA: And given that, then, why the hesitancy on behalf of the Biden administration to even label these attacks on civilians, the targeting of nuclear plants, et cetera, as war crimes?
SCHEFFER: Well, I have always recommended that they simply say atrocity crimes. It will be sorted out whether it's a war crime or a crime against humanity.
It's pretty clear that there's criminal content to this reckless and indiscriminate shelling and killing of civilians. It's a self-evident reality on the ground. Governments are usually somewhat hesitant to immediately say war
crimes, just because it's the exceptionally responsible thing to investigate first and then declare.
But of course, in the reality of world politics and of military operations, you have to call a spade a spade as quickly as possible, reasonably as possible, in order to try to prevent further such commission of crimes.
So I think it's -- it will come.
You know, President Biden even today from the White House spoke of the Russian aggression. He used the word "aggression." Secretary of State Blinken has talked about documenting war crimes.
So they're almost there, but it's not surprising that they're being a little more conservative than the media and academics and NGOs would be at this point.
CABRERA: This is just the beginning of this discussion.
David Scheffer, I appreciate you taking the time today. And I look forward to having you back soon. Thanks for joining us.
SCHEFFER: Thanks, Ana.
[13:49:18]
CABRERA: Now to some other breaking news. A verdict has just been reached in the first jury trial for a January 6th rioter. We'll bring that to you, next.
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CABRERA: We're back with breaking news. A verdict has just been reached in the first January 6th related jury trial.
I want to get right to CNN's Whitney Wild.
Whitney, the verdict here is, guilty.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: And this is a huge win for the Justice Department. This was really testing their ability to tie one person's actions in the crowd with the attack that happened at the capitol.
So, a huge hurdle, the Justice Department clearing that hurdle. Especially important, Ana, as we know there are a list of other cases sets cases set to go to trial.
Today, a jury here in Washington, D.C., found January 6th rioter, Guy Reffitt, guilty of all five charges he faced related to the U.S. capitol attack.
This was, again, a pivotal outcome for this first federal trial related to the riot. Reffitt was charged with five counts, wanting to obstruct the
congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election, transporting guns into Washington, D.C., carrying a Smith & Wesson handgun on to the restricted grounds of the capitol to name a few.
Also included in those charges, interfering with Capitol Police who were protecting the upper west terrace and obstructing justice by threatening his son and his daughter when he returned to Texas.
[13:55:00]
This was a highly emotional trial. It began with searing audio, emotional testimony from the U.S. Capitol Police. It was a cornerstone of the evidence that was presented in that trial.
Prosecutors made very clear that the evidence here was emotional.
And also, Ana, highlighted, broadly, how much this disinformation, this Big Lie that the election was stolen, not only tore apart people here across the United States, by party, by ideology, but also, Ana, tore apart families.
Key to this trial was his son testifying against him. Key to this trial, also, the evidence his own son collected against him and then turned over to the FBI -- Ana?
CABRERA: Whitney Wild, thank you so much for that update.
That does it for us today. See you back here tomorrow, same time, same place.
Our breaking news coverage continues right after this.
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