Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Russia Intensifies Bombardment Of Cities Across Ukraine; French, German Leaders Urge Ceasefire In Call With Putin; Dozens Of U.S. Businesses Cut Ties With Russia Over War In Ukraine; Shelters Rescue Injured Animals From War-Torn Ukraine; Premier League Disqualifies Roman Abramovich As Director Of Chelsea; Ukraine Currently Second In Gold Medal Haul For Winter Paralympic Games. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired March 12, 2022 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:21]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us on this special CNN breaking news coverage.

I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York alongside my colleague Anderson Cooper in Lviv, Ukraine.

Right now, Russian forces are setting their sights on the capital city of Kyiv, advancing to the doorstep of that city.

Sirens warning civilians in Kyiv as air strikes approached overnight. Russian bombs destroying infrastructure north and south of the city causing a massive fire at a warehouse. Satellite images show Russian artillery bombarding Kyiv.

British defense officials say that the bulk of Russia's forces are now just 15 miles from the city's center.

Fierce fighting also under way in many other parts of the country. Cities in Ukraine's east and south are under a sustained Russian onslaught.

And new today, the leaders of Germany and France calling for an immediate cease-fire during a phone call this morning with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine civilians desperate to escape. Today at least 13 humanitarian corridors are open for evacuations. The U.N. says more than 2.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country.

I want to turn now to Anderson Cooper anchoring our live coverage in Lviv, that's western Ukraine.

And Anderson, as we are watching Russian troops encroach upon the capital city of Kyiv, it was chilling to hear Garry Kasparov in the last hour say that what we saw happen in Mariupol is just a preview, in his opinion, of what's going to happen in Kyiv. ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and certainly a lot of people

throughout Ukraine are watching what is happening in Mariupol, the siege on that city, the flattening of neighborhoods in some parts of that city, a city which is, according to officials there, has really run out of supplies, drinking water.

It is really a miserable scene. And again, a harbinger perhaps of what might happen in other cities.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is here with me in Lviv.

Let's talk about it a little bit. We heard this call from Macron and German Chancellor Scholz to Vladimir Putin calling for a cease-fire. President Zelenskyy has recently spoken about something like this.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Yes, some very positive signs from President Zelenskyy who says we've stopped exchanging ultimatums with the Russian delegation and we've started actually talking.

I mean, that's a pretty key indication when you're looking at the last several days in Turkey where it seemed like talks were stalling, where it seemed like there was no middle ground between the two sides.

But here's the key thing, the same thing we're hearing from European leaders which is that any negotiations must start with a cease-fire and that's going to mean the guns have to fall silent.

Is the Russian military willing to do that? Is President Vladimir Putin willing to do that? Especially when we're looking at humanitarian evacuations even being targets of attacks.

COOPER: Yes. When the two foreign ministers met in Turkey on Thursday, I believe it was really nothing came out of that, and in fact, it seemed almost like a step back with the Russian foreign minister kind of going back to talking points that Vladimir Putin had been giving early on about denazification about a neutral Ukraine.

ABDELAZIZ: I mean what's going to be key here is what does President Putin want out of this, right? I think this is obviously an offensive that's astounded all of us. Even in its scope and scale, I mean one of the towns that was attacked yesterday is just 70 miles from the border with Poland.

So we are talking about an offensive that has really reached far into Ukraine, that of course, has its capital, Kyiv, under major concern, under intense attack. So what is the end goal here for President Putin? What is enough to end this?

We know from President Zelenskyy's side what he's offered, his olive branch is the promise that Ukraine would remain a neutral country, that it would not join NATO, which is not on the table anyways.

But there's going to have to be some back and forth. And look, the Russian president does have a strategic goal here, and that is access to a warm water port. What does that access look like territorially when you're looking at the east of the country? COOPER: Yes. And whether that's acceptable to Ukrainians at all. It's

obviously one of the major issues.

Salma Abdelaziz -- I'm sorry -- thank you so much.

We're witnessing a brutal onslaught of cities across the country and that includes areas that had been largely spared from the bloodshed thus far.

CNN's Matthew Chance has more.

[11:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a new front in Russia's Ukrainian war. Emergency workers battling flames caused by air strikes on the central city of Dnipro. Ukrainian officials say an apartment building, a kindergarten and a two-story shoe factory were targeted and destroyed, causing casualties.

To the west in the Ukrainian city of Lutsk, just 70 miles from NATO ally Poland, a strategic airfield also came under attack.

With the invasion now in its third week, Russia appears to be widening its assault.

There are concerns of escalation too. Russian state television has been broadcasting these images, the fighters from Syria said to be volunteering to join the fight on Russia's side. The Kremlin backs the Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad, and the scenes appeared shortly after Putin told his security council that foreign fighters should be invited to join in.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): So if you see people who want voluntarily without payment to come and help people living in Donbas, well, we need to meet their efforts and help them to reach the combat zone.

CHANCE: "These are thugs from Syria," said President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, "the country destroyed in the same way the occupiers are destroying us," he said.

Later at a Kremlin meeting with his Belarusian ally, President Putin struck a different upbeat tone saying he had been informed of certain positive shifts in recent negotiations with Ukraine, though it remains unclear what those positive shifts could be.

But they don't seem to be diverting Russia from its invasion course. New satellite images suggest a massive Russian military column north of the capital Kyiv has now dispersed with some elements repositioned into forests and countryside around the capital.

And these are the latest images from the besieged Ukrainian town of Volnovakha, in the country's southeast. Russian troops moving through the streets which are now reported to be under their full control. Bit by bit, Ukraine it seems, is being overrun.

Matthew Chance, CNN -- Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: With us now is Halyna Yanchenko. She is deputy majority leader in Ukraine's parliament. She is in western Ukraine. Thanks so much for being with us.

Russian forces have been widening their strikes now to western Ukraine, with bombs and missiles. Why do you think they have hit the airfield in Lutsk?

HALYNA YANCHENKO, DEPUTY MAJORITY LEADER, UKRAINE'S PARLIAMENT: I think this is (INAUDIBLE). They are trying to shell the infrastructure (INAUDIBLE) while air related to infrastructure so Ukraine has less infrastructure to fight back. But we still have airports and we can use planes and we desperately need more military planes to actually fight back with -- fight back with Russians in air. And we -- like we really hope that we will receive more military aid, including air defense, antimissile and military plane to protect our people.

I should say that actually Russian troops did not receive any major military successes and that's why they have started a real terror in the land of Ukraine. They have started to kill innocent civilians and to shell just neighborhoods -- residential neighborhoods, hospitals, kindergartens and school massively. What they are doing in Mariupol is a crime against humanity.

Also, you mentioned previously in your program that we have managed to negotiate the humanitarian corridors. That's true. It happened a week ago. But we see that in the number of cities around Kyiv and also in the east of Ukraine, we still can't -- we still can't let people out of this city. We can't help them to -- themselves because Russian troops are shooting at innocent civilians. They are shooting at families with children in their arms.

In Mariupol a couple days ago, Russians have shooted at maternity house. And these are all the horrible things that Ukrainian civilians and Ukrainian cities are going through.

[11:09:54]

COOPER: Yes. Let me ask you, President Zelenskyy yesterday in a press conference talked about the need for a cease-fire before any substantive talks can really take place, before any real negotiations can take place.

Do you see any signs from the Russian Federation -- President Zelenskyy in that press conference said he was pleased with some of the signals coming from the Russian federation, but do you -- are you at all hopeful that Russia would agree to a cease-fire in order to conduct serious talks? YANCHENKO: Well, you know, hope for -- died the last one so we do hope

for the better. But currently, we see that Russians do not follow their own agreements.

So the promise to Ukrainian side that they will let civilians to evacuate themselves and they don't. They promise that they will let some food and water in the cities, but they don't.

In Mariupol, a number of people, including children, have died of dehydration. So this is the kind of things that you don't expect to happen in the modern world on the European continent. But this is what is happening.

And I think -- this nightmare that Ukraine goes through, we did not deserve. A country of 42 million people who lived peacefully, who have chosen western values and western civilization, does not deserve to stand alone without major aid and major help.

So we do continue negotiations with Putin although we don't have a lot of hope for diplomatic resolve. But we also -- our President Volodymyr Zelenskyy keep for negotiations with the leaders of western countries to receive more military aid and to receive -- to receive more weapon, so Ukraine can defend its own people and to protect our sky from Russian missiles.

COOPER: How concerned are you about the increasing attacks, the intensity of the attacks now happening in Kyiv? We saw overnight significant shelling going on. There are obviously reports that Russia would like to try to encircle Kyiv, whether or not they would be able to actually fully encircle it is unclear.

There is also a growing humanitarian concern about the -- if Kyiv itself was encircled, it's ability to sustain itself in terms of medicine and food.

YANCHENKO: There is such a problem. The problem of supplies of food and medicine. So far, we are trying to deal with it, but the situation might worsen.

Regarding the risk of encircling Kyiv, this risk takes place for two weeks already because Russians are crossing the border, the Belarus- Ukrainian border, and they are sending more troops and their weapons here but we are trying to fight back.

We are now preparing some more of, like, Ukrainian soldiers to join the regular army and to come to both -- to the regions near Kyiv and to the south of Ukraine to help those Ukrainian soldiers who are fighting for two weeks already.

COOPER: Yes. Halyna Yanchenko, I appreciate your time tonight and I wish you and your family the best.

Still ahead, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron in a call with Vladimir Putin, as we mentioned, urged him to call for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine.

We'll have details on that ahead.

[11:14:02]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: French president Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to call an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine and come to a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The plea came during a 75-minute phone call the two European leaders held with Putin this morning.

For more on these developments, let's bring in Melissa Bell in Paris.

And Melissa, some mixed signals we're hearing. French sources saying that Putin seems determined to achieve his objective. But today you have Ukrainian President Zelenskyy saying that Putin has adopted a fundamentally different approach instead of issuing ultimatums. That he was happy to have a signal shift from Russia that he views as positive. So what do we make of this?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Bianna. We've seen those encouraging signals coming from President Zelenskyy, or certainly what he'd interpreted as positive signals that negotiators from the Russian and Ukrainian side have stopped just exchanging ultimatums but has begun actually being able to speak to one another.

Now, earlier this morning, President Zelenskyy also spoke to the French president. He also had a phone conversation with the German chancellor ahead of their phone call with the Russian president, and he urged them when they spoke to Vladimir Putin, to press for that cease-fire.

Now, that is what the two leaders did. A source at Elysees Palace says that President Macron and Chancellor Scholz both pressed Vladimir Putin on that point emphasizing the growing cost of the war to Russia and urging him therefore to change his calculation.

[11:19:50]

BELL: Now, when I asked the source what the feeling had been about the state of mind of Vladimir Putin, the answer came that he seemed as determined as ever. The last time Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz had spoken it was on Thursday.

That determination to carry on and get his objectives in Ukraine seemed, said the source, undimmed. So on that front, not much hope and yet the Elysees source was keen to point out that if President Macron continues to have these regular phone calls with Putin and since Vladimir Putin continues to engage, the reading of that from the French presidency is that the Russian president must believe that a diplomatic solution may at some point be possible.

So it's not entirely a grim picture. Vladimir Putin seems determined, but the French continue to believe that there's still some point in talking. Now because for the time being there's been no agreement on that cease-fire and what the French say is that they pressed him on the question of the cease-fire, they also pressed him on the siege of Mariupol. They said they were going to press ahead with those further sanctions that the European Union is looking at. Leaders of the European Union, representatives, will be meeting in Brussels next week to look at what those sanctions might be.

And a source said that absolutely nothing was on the table, off the table. There were no taboos. I asked specifically about that question of whether the European Union might go so far as to sanction Russian exports of energy, which would be a huge blow to the Russian economy, very difficult for Europe to swallow the answer came that nothing was off the table and they would continue to press on.

So a clear determination on the part of Europeans to carry on putting pressure on Vladimir Putin so that he may change his mind. But for the time being, no sign, at least according to the readout from this phone call, that that's the case for the time being, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Interesting that the German Chancellor also participated in this phone call as well.

Melissa Bell, thank you, as always.

Well, it has been more than three weeks since Russia attacked Ukraine and the invasion hasn't gone the way the Kremlin had expected. But it now appears that Russian troops are regrouping and widening their assault on towns and cities across Ukraine and once again, attempting to close in on the capital city of Kyiv.

Joining me now to talk about this is retired U.S. Army Colonel Peter Mansoor. He served as an aide to Army General David Petraeus during the Iraq war and now serves as the chair of military history at Ohio State University.

Colonel, what do you make of this new Russian offensive?

COL. PETER MANSOOR, CHAIR OF MILITARY HISTORY, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: Well, the Russians failed in their blitzkrieg-style assault to get to Kyiv and Kharkiv quickly. And they misjudged the Ukrainian resistance and they also misjudged the capabilities of their own army. So what they've done is they've taken a page out of their playbook in Syria and have decided to turn Ukraine's urban centers into dust.

And then by occupying the broken shells of Ukrainian cities, they'll try to declare victory.

I don't think it will work, but I think that's the only option they have going forward if they want to achieve any sort of victory in a military sense.

GRIFFIN: Yes, people are describing it as not indiscriminate but specific attacks, deliberate attacks causing humanitarian suffering there. I want to get your response to questions as to whether Belarus will now enter this war. Ukraine has accused Russia of staging false flag attacks on the Ukraine-Belarusian border there to bring Belarusian troops into the mix. Lukashenko was just in Moscow, obviously. He is very beholden to Vladimir Putin. would that change the calculus if Belarusian troops enter this war?

MANSOOR: Only by a matter of degree. Clearly, Putin doesn't have enough troops in Ukraine to occupy the country. Fewer than 200,000 reportedly and that's simply not enough to stabilize Ukraine even if the Ukrainian military is defeated. And so he would like Belarusian troops to assist in the operation.

Now Belarus for its, you know -- for its national security objectives would not like to see the same sorts of sanctions imposed on it that have been imposed on Russia. So I think the Belarusian leader will try to give Vladimir Putin the stiff arm on this one.

But even with the Belarusian troops in the mix, I don't think it will change the overall calculus of the war.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, it is worth noting that Belarus changed its nonnuclear status just recently, though.

Let me get you to respond to what we heard today from Russia's deputy foreign minister, basically threatening to attack any western shipments of aid to Ukraine, saying that pumping up Ukraine with weapons from a whole range of countries was not just a dangerous move, it's something that turns these convoys into legitimate military targets.

Clearly that is a threat. If we do see them and the Russians act upon that, what would then the U.S. response be?

[11:24:49]

MANSOOR: Well, it depends where the Russians attack the air lifts and the convoys. If it's inside the borders of Ukraine, they're fair game. But if they attack into NATO territory, then it's an attack on NATO and the Washington Treaty, Article Five, will be invoked.

So I think this is saber-rattling by Russia. Clearly, they don't want weapons given to the Ukrainian armed forces, but the west has every right to do that. And provided Russian attacks are limited to the borders of Ukraine, then it's part of that war and not part of a broader conflict.

GOLODRYGA: How long do you see this battle ensuing? Clearly it hasn't gone the way that Vladimir Putin and his generals had predicted that it would. Ukrainians haven't welcomed Russian soldiers with open arms.

Predictions now that what we're seeing playing out, this siege surrounding Mariupol could very well happen in Kyiv. What could things look like in the days and weeks ahead?

MANSOOR: I believe this is going to be a very long war. The Ukrainians are not going to give up their sovereignty to Russia. And Vladimir Putin shows no signs of backing down with lesser demands than a complete surrender of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian armed forces can combine with a growing -- a guerrilla movement to create what's called a hybrid conflict and really trap the Russian army in a vice between a conventional-style attacks and guerrilla operations. And the Russians simply don't have the troop numbers to overcome that sort of resistance.

So I think this is going to get really bloody and the Ukrainian cities are going to take the brunt of the Russian firepower in the days and weeks to come. But this war could go on for months and even years if the diplomatic and political situation does not change.

GOLODRYGA: Let me ask you finally about President Zelenskyy and his safety for the time being and in the weeks ahead. Clearly he has galvanized support around the world by showing his heroism and patriotism for the country and releasing videos on a daily basis showing that he remains there in Kyiv and defiant.

I'm curious from a military perspective, is it at some point safer for him to leave the country and set up a government in exile somewhere else? Or do you think that he's sending a clear and better message by remaining in Ukraine?

MANSOOR: I think it's -- he's doing exactly the right thing. Galvanizing resistance by remaining with his people first in Kyiv. And then once that city is untenable, I think he will move his government to the western city of Lviv.

I think setting up a government in exile would be the last resort because I actually think the Ukrainian armed forces can keep a hold over the western portion of the country.

I don't think the Russian army is big enough to subdue both the eastern part of Ukraine and go all the way to the borders of Poland and Moldova. So I would expect him to stay in Kyiv and then to move to Lviv when the time comes.

GOLODRYGA: He's proven to be a valiant foe against Vladimir Putin, that is for sure.

Colonel Peter Mansoor, thank you so much. We appreciate your insights.

MANSOOR: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: And up next, President Biden moments ago giving new guidance to the U.S. Defense Department on Ukraine.

[11:28:13]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Russia has accused the United States of having biological weapons labs and chemical weapons in Ukraine. But as White House press secretary Jen Psaki pointed out, Russia has a track record of accusing the west of the very violations Russia itself is perpetrating.

Here's what President Biden told CNN's Arlette Saenz, Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Your White House has said that Russia may use chemical weapons or create a false flag operation to use them. What evidence have you seen showing that? And would the U.S. Have a military response if Putin does launch a chemical weapons attack?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not going to speak about the intelligence. But Russia would pay a severe price if they use chemical weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Joining me now, CNN White House reporter Jasmine Wright. What would Russia be paying if in fact, they do use chemical weapons?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, that's a great question, Bianna.

I asked a senior administration official just hours after the president offered that warning, exactly what that price would be. And they declined to go into it further.

But they said that the president's words stand here after President Biden really drew a red line, saying that Russia would pay a severe price if they use chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Now this comes after the White House has really been leaning in this past week on that warning, both the president and other officials afterwards would not talk about what U.S. intelligence they have that really allows them to form this kind of consensus.

And now, Bianna, just a few hours later, the president also drew another red line when he said once again that he would not send in U.S. troops to fight on the ground in Ukraine, basically saying that would create another world war.

Take a listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: The idea that we're going to send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews, just understand and don't kid yourself. No matter what you all say, that's called World War III, ok?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:34:45]

WRIGHT: So strong words there from the president and we know, Bianna, that he offered those remarks just a few hours after he spoke to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in about an hour-long phone call, officials told CNN later.

And they talked about a multitude of things as that call went a little bit longer than what we typically expect from these type of calls. But they talked about a bevy of things including the battle situation on the ground, Zelenskyy tweeted later on.

And now we know just today, a day later, that the president offered those remarks and that the two spoke, that he authorized from the State Department, he really ordered a release of an additional $200 million in security assistance to Ukraine and now an official told me today that that amounts to about $1.2 billion in the past year that the U.S. has authorized in this manner of security assistance to Ukraine as it really looks to shore up Ukraine's position as it fights for its sovereignty, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, Jasmine. I'm looking at comments made real-time now by the Ukrainian foreign minister. And event where he's saying that more needs to be done to hit the Russian economy and more sanctions from the west. And also more needs to be done to help Ukraine, both economically and militarily as well. More money, even though as you mentioned, some $13 billion has now been appropriated to help Ukraine fight this war.

Jasmine Wright, thank you. We appreciate it.

Well meanwhile, companies continue to squeeze Russia over its bloody invasion of Ukraine. Dozens of U.S. businesses have now either left or scaled back operations in Russia.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is following that side of the story.

And Polo, we're also now hearing that Deutsche Bank has decided to shut down its businesses in Russia. This, of course, on the heels of Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan doing the same. What more are you learning?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was a sharp reversal that we heard just yesterday, Bianna. As you point out, Deutsche Bank really just becoming the latest major financial institution to announce their plans to basically close up business in Russia, just the latest one. You mentioned Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan.

And President Biden said just yesterday from the White House that the list of international corporations and also of companies pulling out of Russia seems to be growing by the day. And when you just look at this graphic alone, it really -- it says a lot.

As you continue to see here, some of the world's largest and most recognizable companies and brands, airlines, retailers, you name it. BP, you see there, one of the first to make these announcements last month amid pressure from consumers and investors.

And then you see obviously McDonalds, one that has certainly been a big part of the conversation. You know, it was in 1990 that it opened up its first restaurant in Moscow, basically signaling that the economy in Russia was opening up. And yet we now are here with a sharp reversal. And McDonalds announcing that it was closing its over 850 locations, making plans to continue to pay its customers.

But you know, customers are certainly being affected in Russia. But Bianna, what is yet to be seen is whether or not this financial curtain and this corporate exodus will do actually anything for Vladimir Putin to rethink his position on the invasion on Ukraine.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, no doubt a huge shock to the Russian economy virtually overnight.

Polo Sandoval, thank you.

SANDOVAL: Thanks, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And still ahead, how animal shelters in Poland are rescuing and looking after injured animals that managed to escape from war in Ukraine.

[11:38:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: As millions of Ukrainians flee from their homes to safety, many have been forced to leave their pets behind. Shelters in neighboring countries are now working to try to rescue and actually evacuate defenseless animals injured in Russia's invasion.

CNN's Sara Sidner has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is Moon. She is a survivor of war.

(on camera): Medically, what is wrong with her? Is she sick?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, she's sick. She's in bad condition.

SIDNER (voice over): She's dehydrated. She's scared.

(on camera): She has lots of problems, pancreatitis, maybe worms.

(voice over): She also has a tumor that needs to be removed. But at least she's alive. Rescued from a shelter in Ukraine after the war began.

(on camera): She's not aggressive or --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

SIDNER: -- she's just letting you do what she needs you to do. It's ok, sweetie.

(voice over): This veterinarian most poke and prod her to find out just how sick she really is.

(voice over): Everything is in this dog's ear -- dirt, wax. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We must clean this ear for seven days.

SIDNER: Seven days you have to keep doing this?

(voice over): The staff at the ADA Foundation treats these dogs as their own. It is a no-kill animal shelter in Przemysl, Poland. Hundreds of animals from war torn Ukraine are being cared for here.

The humans have not slept much since the war began in neighboring Ukraine. They are just a few miles from the Polish/Ukrainian border. The staff has been driving into war-torn Ukraine to save truckloads of shelter animals and pets people simply couldn't carry across the border.

In another room, more animals, different war stories.

(on camera): This is Sacha. Oh. And she's from Ukraine.

(voice over): A baby goat brought from Ukraine with legs that needed mending.

DR. RADOSLAW FEDACZYNSKI, VETERINARIAN AT ADA: We made this and we are feeding her (INAUDIBLE) and we must keep him warm and peace and a lot of love.

[11:44:57]

SIDNER: Here you go, boy. Sleepy baby.

(voice over): Sasha is a newborn, just seven days old.

(on camera): You can tell, because he tries to nurse on my earlobe --

(voice over): biting down when no milk comes out. The doctors say without the care he got here, he would have starved to death if left alone in Ukraine.

(on camera): He would die if he wasn't here, basically. He would die. He would die if he wasn't here.

The son of ADA Foundation's founder tells us Sacha was dropped off here by a woman after she escaped from Ukraine into Poland but had nowhere to take him.

But she left one instruction, she will be back to get him. She loves him. He's family.

FEDACZYNSKI: And I think owner, this lady, loves so much this animal. This animal is --

SIDNER: Family.

FEDACZYNSKI: Yes.

SIDNER: Part of the family, no?

FEDACZYNSKI: Yes, a part of the family, and we want him back when war will end.

SIDNER: This is a family affair. His daughter has been giving Sacha the love and warmth he needs.

These are just two animal war stories of hundreds, and more arrive every week. And every week, these animals get top-notch care. To the staff here, these war refugees are as important to care for as the humankind.

Sarah Sidner, CNN, Przemysl, Poland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Four-legged refugees from the war.

Officials in Lithuania are taking change to the streets by renaming a section of road where the Russian embassy is located. It's now called Ukrainian Heroes Street as an act of support for the people of Ukraine, according to the mayor.

This follows a similar move by Latvia, whose capital changed the address of the Russian embassy there to Independent Ukraine Street in support of Ukrainians' heroic struggle against Russian hostilities.

For more information about how you may be able to help humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, you can go to CNN.com/impact. We have a list of a lot of organizations there.

We'll be right back.

[11:47:09]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: In sports today, the Premier League board has disqualified Roman Abramovich as a director of Chelsea Football Club. This comes after the British government recently imposed sanctions on the club owner, who is Russian.

CNN World Sport anchor Patrick Snell joins me live for more. And Patrick, we know Abramovich intended to sell Chelsea FC. So where do things stand now?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Yes. Hi, Bianna. Yes, yes. The huge durable browns (ph) that is Chelsea, we're watching to see what happens. You know, he's been at the helm of the club for 19 years. Remember, when he took over, the blues hadn't won a top-flight title in half a century. He's transformed their fortunes. That's just a worldwide context for you.

Forbes valuing Chelsea at over $3 billion last year. 21 major trophies in total on his watch. But what happens next regarding the potential sale of the reigning European champions?

Look despite Abramovich having his assets including Chelsea frozen by the United Kingdom, the club has been granted a special license to continue paying staff and players but buying and selling new players and selling tickets for matches beyond those already sold to fans is not permitted.

Let's be honest. It's been a week of turmoil for the London club. And we've learned now, Bianna, within the last few days that the U.K. government is open to Chelsea's sale and would consider (INAUDIBLE) a new license to allow for a sale to take place.

And today's line specifically you mentioned the top, regarding the Premier League's board disqualifying Abramovich as a director of the club, I think safe to say normally disqualification of an owner would trigger the sale of the actual share holding though in the case of Abramovich, we already knew he had intended to sell the club.

By the way, both Chelsea's men's and women's teams playing Sunday in their first home league fixture since the sanctions were imposed.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, no doubt a lot of football fans are watching the developments here very closely.

Let's turn to the Paralympic Games because Ukraine is dominating in the gold-medal haul, currently second only to host country of China. A lot of symbolism there, a lot of emotion there from these athletes.

Tell us more about the performances.

SNELL: Yes. They really have been so, so impressive on so many levels, Bianna, on so many levels. The mental fortitude of the Ukrainian athletes in question, just incomprehensible. So inspiring. Imagine what they're going through.

They're not just chasing medals are they. There's so much more in play here. In the words of Oksana Shyskova, she's won three golds for team Ukraine in Beijing, they're out to glorify their country and tell the world that Ukraine exists.

As you've just shown there, currently second in the medal count with 28 medals overall, 10 of them -- 10 of them gold now. It's already Ukraine's best-ever medal haul at a paralympic winter games.

Oleksandra Kononova winning gold as well today. This was in the cross- country skiing and after winning biathlon silver earlier, she said all my thoughts, heart and my soul are with my family and with my child.

Just let those words resonate for a moment.

[11:54:55]

SNELL: Ukrainian coach Andriy Nesterenko saying some of their athletes don't even have a home to return to because they've been destroyed.

Ukrainian athletes are using their stage, their platform, if you like, to strengthen cries to stop this war. They've trained for years for this moment, but their thoughts inevitably are going to be on events in their homeland.

And it goes without saying, of course, Bianna that our prayers and thoughts are very much with them all at this time.

Back to you.

GOLODRYGA: Of course. These games carry so much meaning, so much more meaning for them now than ever before. Congratulations to all of them.

Patrick Snell, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

[11:55:30]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)