Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Biden Warns Russia Will Pay Severe Price If It Uses Chemical Weapons; Two People Stabbed At New York's Museum Of Modern Art; Interview With Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL); Defiant Ukrainians Dig In As Russians Inch Closer To Capital; Surprise Water Spout Chases Florida Beachgoers. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired March 12, 2022 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:32]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): I don't want to get used to it.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ukraine, it seems, is being overrun.
PETRO POROSHENKO, FORMER UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We have less and less ammunition.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are in a bad situation. We like heard these guns shooting very close to us.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A daughter desperately trying to track down her mother.
I can see there's some damage up there presumably from artillery.
CHANCE: Russia appears to be widening its assault. The fighters from Syria said to be volunteering to join the fight.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): They're using terror to break us.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Heavily pregnant and escaping from the wreckage of recently bombed Mariupol maternity hospital. A day later in a new hospital and the proud mother of a daughter, Veronika.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): I can only describe it as a terrorist act that is happening daily.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday.
Russian forces continue to bear down on Kyiv and crush cities to the west and south. A Russian barrage terrorized these strategic port city of Mykolaiv in
the south. Local officials say the bombardment indiscriminately attacked civilians. In west of the capital, the rubble of buildings fill the streets. Fills, rather. At least two hospitals have been hit there.
And in the top right corner of your screen democracy under attack. Armed men drag away the mayor of a southern Ukrainian city. His fate is still unknown. Ukraine's president is calling for his immediate release. And generators are providing the needed electricity at the Chernobyl nuclear plant. But the atomic watchdog group say staffers have been living and working there since Russians captured it, and that is adding to fears the exhausted workers could make catastrophic mistakes in a crisis.
Ukraine's government says around 13,000 civilians were evacuated today but no one was able to escape the besieged city of Mariupol which is encircled by Russian troops and Russian-backed fighters. Ukraine and Russia blaming each other for the growing humanitarian crisis there where people are trapped without heat, running water and food, just the basics to live. Seven civilians were killed trying to evacuate the Kyiv region. That includes a woman and a child.
The White House is turning the economic screws on Russian President Vladimir Putin and on the people who enable him.
CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House for us tonight. Arlette, what is the latest from the administration?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, President Biden has vowed to provide Ukraine with the weapons needed to defend themselves in the face of this aggression from Russia. And today he made good on that promise authorizing a new, fresh round of security assistance as the U.S. is hoping to help the resistance as Russia's campaign in Ukraine appears to be intensifying.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAENZ (voice-over): With the war in Ukraine in its third week, U.S. President Joe Biden ramping up the pressure on Russia.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Putin is an aggressor. He is the aggressor. And Putin must pay the price.
SAENZ: Today the president directing the State Department to draw down $200 million in the defense services for Ukraine. And an administration official saying this will include anti-armor, anti- aircraft systems and small arms. As Russia warns the U.S. that convoys of foreign weapons would be considered legitimate targets, Biden sending a warning of his own to Russia.
BIDEN: I'm not going to speak about the intelligence, but Russia would pay a severe price if they use chemicals.
SAENZ: But the president remains adamant American troops will not fight in Ukraine on the ground or in the skies. BIDEN: We will not fight a third world war in Ukraine.
SAENZ: The leaders of France and Germany today speaking with Russia's Vladimir Putin, urging an immediate cease-fire. But Russia's bombardment of Ukraine is not letting up. Russian forces are closing in on Kyiv, with the British intelligence assessment finding the bulk of Russian ground forces located about 15 miles from the capital.
[19:05:06]
Thirty miles west of Kyiv the village of Makariv sustaining wide damage, a gaping hole in this apartment building from apparent Russian airstrikes. Several hundred feet away the roof of a kindergarten caved in, smoke seen billowing from the building. Russia also intensifying its attack. Heavy shelling around the southern city of Mykolaiv. Here a man seen staring at the sky as explosions are seen nearby.
Up north the head of Chernihiv Region Administration showing the destruction in his city. But the resolve of Ukrainian leaders including the country's former president remains strong.
POROSHENKO: We are not giving up. We are not forgive the Putin these type of things, and I am absolutely confident that we will fight in every single house, every single street and every single quarter.
SAENZ: Ukraine's current president still pushing NATO to impose a no- fly zone over his country while warning his entire nation has become the front line of the war.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): This war, a difficult war, has truly united our nation. If you're asking me how's the situation on the front line, there's a front line everywhere.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAENZ: The U.S. is also looking to keep that economic pressure on Russia. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will vote next week on a bill that would revoke Russia's most favored nation status, a move that has wide bipartisan support -- Pamela.
BROWN: Arlette Saenz from the White House tonight, thank you.
And joining me now retired Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, a CNN military analyst who was the commanding general of Europe and the Seventh Army.
General, Russia has relied heavily on these so-called dumb bombs which can be brutally imprecise in civilian areas. What does that tell you?
LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, it tells me, Pamela, that they're attempting to cause -- excuse me -- as much terror and chaos and fear as they can within the civilian population. What's interesting to me is we have seen reports of Russian troops using smart weapons, the kind that are precision against Ukrainian troops. So they are looking to hit Ukrainian troops with preciseness and
destroy as many Ukrainian armor pieces or troop locations as they can while at the same time using these dumb bombs or aerial fire missiles and rockets to further terrorize the citizens of the city. And we're seeing that in every major city they go to.
You mentioned a minute ago about Mykolaiv. That's been a fight for the last -- excuse me, I'm sorry -- for the last several days in the southern part of the country. It is a very tough city on the Bug River. The Russians have seen real difficulties in crossing that river in an attempt to get to Odesa, which is one of their major objectives. They are now bombing that city indiscriminately and affecting the civilians in that town of about 300,000 people.
It will be very difficult for them to bypass that area just like it has been for them to continue their assault on Kyiv.
BROWN: You know, in the lead up to this war you said that this could end up potentially being worse than anything we saw in World War II because of the lethality of war now in a conventional sense. I'm wondering, is this playing out the way that you thought it would? What has surprised you so far about Russia's invasion?
HERTLING: Yes, it's playing much like I thought it would. The lethality of the weapon systems, the size of the forces meeting each other. You know, Pamela, for the last 20 years we've been watching fights in Afghanistan and Iraq, which is an insurgency, talking about small groups, patrols of soldiers. Every once in a while a patrol would get hit by a suicide bomb or an IED and they would take a few casualties, maybe a couple of individuals killed.
But you're talking now about heavy weapons systems, tanks, artillery pieces, anti-tank weapons with large forces, 190,000 on the Russian side, close to 200,000 on the Ukrainian side. And they're going at it with each other to include aerial fires in these artillery barrages.
So you're seeing massive amounts of casualties. I don't want to go into the numbers because whereas that's important to get a feel for the battle, it's just -- we're just seeing a lot of death on the battlefield, and it's going to be in the tens of thousands.
So it's playing out the way I thought it would in terms of a large conventional force playing against each other, but what has been challenging for me is to see how well the Ukrainians have performed. I thought they were going to perform very well at the beginning of this fight.
[19:10:02]
They have performed beyond my expectations, and at the same time I knew the Russians would perform poorly. They have performed even more poorly than I thought. They have just not done well across the board in several areas.
BROWN: I mean, you have to look at Kyiv as symbolic of that, right? I mean, here we are more than two weeks and Russian forces are continuing to advance on Kyiv but have not taken control of it. They're also stepping up their offensive in the west and to the north. What will you be looking for in the coming days?
HERTLING: Well, I'm going to look for a couple of things. First of all, the three columns that are attempting to surround Kyiv, one from the northwest, one directly from the north and one coming in -- attempting to come in in Chernihiv and Sumy. Those two towns have been heavily contested by the Ukrainian forces and the Territorial Army of Ukraine. They have not -- the Russians have not broken through.
It's been heavy fighting. They have not been able to reach Kyiv. You know, we've been reporting on CNN the last several days that the forces of Russia are poised outside of Kyiv ready to make attack. We've been saying that for now the last now 72 to 96 hours. We have seen zero movement. That tells me they're either in a very long operational pause, which is something the military does, or they are very confused in their command and control.
Their commanders are trying to get control of them and their logistics chain have not caught up. Now all those things can be unscrewed, but not very easily quite frankly. And while it's all -- while the commanders are attempting to do that, the soldiers are suffering in very harsh weather, harsh conditions without a lot of food. We're seeing looting. We're seeing the killing of Russian commanders.
And if you go down south in that Mykolaiv battle, the Ukrainian commander down there says the temperature is 10 below zero. And they have really tough conditions there, and they have been fighting hard against the Russians trying to cross that river. So across the battle space in all four of the axis that Russia has been attempting to push they have not seized the kinds of objectives that they wanted from the beginning.
They do not have the force to continue the attack. Their logistics are somewhat dysfunctional and their commanders are not doing a good job. On the other hand, the Ukrainians are performing superbly not only from an army perspective but from their territorial defenses.
BROWN: All right, General Mark Hertling, thank you as always. Good to see you.
HERTLING: Thanks, Pam.
BROWN: And I want to take a moment now to introduce you to the new face of the Ukrainian resistance. A newborn baby girl by the name of Veronika. You see her right here with her mom. Images of her heavily pregnant mother Mariana fleeing from the wreckage of a maternity hospital have been seen all around the world. It was a miracle that she ever made it out alive after the hospital was hit by a Russian airstrike.
Seventeen people were injured including children, women, and doctors. Three people including a child tragically lost their lives. Well, Mariana somehow made it out and gave birth to Veronika at another hospital just a day later. Her aunt tells CNN that Veronika is healthy, weighing a little over 6 1/2 pounds, but she also said there is no electricity in the hospital and that temperatures are well below freezing.
A beautiful new life emerging from the death and destruction of Putin's bloody invasion. We hope Mariana and Veronika make it to a safer place soon.
And remember, if you want to help humanitarian efforts in Ukraine all you have to do is go to CNN.com/impact. At last check CNN viewers like you have helped raise more than $4.6 million. That is according to Public Good, the online donation platform partnering with CNN. The help is desperately needed and greatly appreciated. Incredible. Millions of dollars have been raised thanks to people like you.
And ahead this hour Congressman Mike Quigley says it is time to enforce a no-fly zone and send fighter jets to Ukraine. He joins me live.
Also tonight, the moment New York's Museum of Modern Art was evacuated after a double stabbing.
And a waterspout sends beach goers scrambling in Florida.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:18:46]
BROWN: New York Police say two people were injured after a stabbing at the Museum of Modern Art.
Videos on social media show dozens of people evacuating the museum as police sirens blare outside. You see one of those videos right here.
CNN's Polo Sandoval joins me now. So what is the latest on the investigation, Polo?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, the NYPD believes that it was a 60-year-old man who was believed to be a regular at the museum that actually is responsible here, and investigators are working to track him down as we speak right now. As far as what led to this initially was investigators believe that this 60-year-old man actually had a membership to the museum but had been revoked just yesterday due to two separate and previous incidents that involves what investigators are only describing as disorderly conduct.
Well, he went back today to try to access the museum. But when he was refused that's when investigators say he jumped over-the-counter and then proceeded to attack two MoMA employees that were behind the counter.
Now some good news to share with you, according to investigators, those two employees are going to be OK. They survived the attack. And investigators say that they know exactly who this individual is but they have not publicly identified him, only saying that he's a 60- year-old white male. So they're working to track him down.
[19:20:01]
But nonetheless when you see these videos that had been shared by multiple witnesses with CNN it really does show some very scary moments that took place at one of the most iconic museums in New York City. Every year we see millions of visitors from around the world visit the Museum of Modern Art, and today it was evacuated at least for a few moments until the situation was taken under control.
But at this point again we can report those two MoMA employees that were stabbed multiple times survived the attack and now the NYPD working to track down this individual. They know who he is and they expect an arrest soon.
BROWN: I'm glad that those two employees are OK. Wow.
SANDOVAL: Right.
BROWN: Polo, thank you.
SANDOVAL: Thank you.
BROWN: Ukraine's president is pushing NATO to impose a no-fly zone over his country. Should the U.S. help make it happen? I'll ask Mike Quigley from the House Intelligence Committee up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:25:20]
BROWN: Ukraine's president this week issued a new call for the West to create a no-fly zone over his country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Ukraine has been saying this to its partners from the first day of the war. If you don't close the skies, you will also be responsible for this catastrophe, a massive humanitarian catastrophe.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to protect Ukraine from Russian fighter jets and bombers like these. And he says Russia is targeting civilian locations. On Wednesday this children's and maternity hospital was bombed. It has been widely denounced as a war crime.
Well, the U.S. has enforced no-fly zones in the past during the First Gulf War, the wars in the Balkans and the Libyan civil war. A no-fly zone is a designated area where a certain aircraft cannot fly. It's enforced by a military power to prevent enemy air attacks or surveillance, but a no-fly zone over Ukraine could lead to U.S. or NATO forces shooting down Russian jets, and some fear that could lead to a much wider war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: The only way to actually implement something like a no-fly zone is to send NATO planes into Ukrainian airspace and to shoot down Russian planes, and that could lead to a full-fledged war in Europe. President Biden has been clear that we are not going to get into a war with Russia.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Instead the U.S. and NATO are supplying Ukraine with weapons that its soldiers can use against Russian planes, weapons like the Stinger and Javelin surface-to-air missiles. The shoulder-fired Stinger can hit targets up to 12,500 feet in the air and has a range of five miles. The Javelin is similar to the Stinger but has a shorter range. But there is still a push for a no-fly zone even among American military and political leaders.
This letter was signed by 27 U.S. foreign policy experts including former top officials with the State Department and the military. And it calls for a limited no-fly zone surrounding humanitarian corridors. It reads in part, "It is time for the United States and NATO to step up their help for Ukrainians before more innocent civilians fall victim to Putin's murderous madness."
And then there's the issue of sending planes to Ukraine. Poland, a NATO member, has offered to provide MiG-29s to Ukraine, if the U.S. gets Poland replacement planes. The Pentagon has said Russia might perceive that as an act of war, but some Senate Republicans and Democrats support it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): I believe there's a sentiment that we're fearful about what Putin might do and what he might consider as an escalation. It's time for him to be fearful of what we might do. This is war. People are dying. We need to get this aircraft immediately to the people of Ukraine.
SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ): They do not have the wherewithal to compete in the sky, and so I understand why NATO and the United States are not engaged in a no-fly zone. That has potential direct conflict with Russia, but I don't understand why we are not working expeditiously to facilitate planes to Ukraine.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: My next guest is a U.S. lawmaker in favor of enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, Congressman Mike Quigley, he's a Democrat and the co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. He joins us now from his district in Chicago.
Thank you so much for joining the show.
REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): Thank you. Glad to be here.
BROWN: So as you well know many worry that a no-fly zone would effectively be the same as launching a shooting war between the U.S. and Russia, further escalating the conflict and potentially sparking a nuclear war. In fact, one viewer of the show put it this way. "Why should we risk World War III by sending planes?" What do you say to that?
QUIGLEY: Well, first of all, we've already said that we will defend every inch of NATO to that extent, so clearly we are willing to go to that conflict, that level of conflict if it's 30 other countries that happen to belong in NATO. The first argument I would make is, hasn't Ukraine earned the right to be defended by NATO? Clearly their fight embodies all the reasons that we form NATO in the first place.
You can't help but hear Churchill in the words of Zelenskyy when he asked Congress last week not to let them exterminate us. He and Churchill weren't just talking about their own country.
[19:30:02]
They were talking about an ideal.
I think the second thing to remember is, I think we give Zelenskyy what they need. So we agree that it's not troops on the ground, but we're clearly willing to send, as you say, javelins and stingers, which are very effectively killing Russians now.
And today, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia said those are legitimate targets. So, if anyone imagines that what we have done already isn't seen by Putin as an act of war, they're not paying attention.
Having said that, I think he give Ukraine what they need now. Is that closing off the skies? What he said was, if you don't give us that, give us the planes. And it wasn't that long ago that we were quote, "very, very actively" considering that.
There was a very public discussion between the NATO countries about doing just that. Now that talk has turned to practically nil. So obviously, air supremacy is important. You're not going to shoot down bombers with stingers and javelins and it is very hard to watch the evacuation routes be blocked, and hospitals be pancaked with babies in them.
BROWN: No doubt, no doubt. I mean, that is, it is just horrifying for anyone with a heart and a soul to watch that. That is that is for sure.
But a couple of things, just putting out the counterpoints here. You're dealing with a country that has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world. And with that, as the backdrop here, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency says that a no-fly zone over Ukraine would not protect against many of the weapons Russian forces are using in Ukraine right now, arguing Russian forces are using mostly ground-based weapons like missiles, artillery, and rocket launchers.
So if that is the case, does the risk outweigh the potential benefit of a no-fly zone? QUIGLEY: Look, we could have said that for any of the things we've
done so far, including sanctions, and the fact is that sanctions are working, but they're going to take a very long time, and I don't think Putin cares how much his own people suffer as a result.
So as we weigh this show, we can talk about other military experts, including the former NATO Commander, General Breedlove, who said, are we just going to watch this happen? And again, the words of President Zelenskyy, "Don't let them exterminate us."
So sure, there's short of us being in there ourselves. There is no magic weapon that we can send that will solve all the problems, but as we've learned since the Second World War, air supremacy is critical.
So I just -- I think I would argue, if we're not going to close the skies, give them the weapons they need. That's been our philosophy all along and finally, for those who don't think they're already engaged in this, let's remember what we're talking about beyond just the horrors in Ukraine.
This is a President, President Putin who was willing to shell and bomb a nuclear power plant with six units -- six times more than Chernobyl. And the threats that come out of Chernobyl are equally scary for all of Europe.
BROWN: I want to ask you, before we let you go, Congressman, President Biden said on Friday that Russia would pay, quote, "severe price" if chemical weapons are used. What more can you tell us about the concern of Russia using chemical weapons in Ukraine? And what do you think the severe price should be if those chemical weapons are deployed?
QUIGLEY: I mean, first of all, this is a gross violation of international law. No one could have imagined that Putin would come to the country and start obeying the speed limit. He is targeting civilians and calling for foreign fighters to come to the country.
So he is capable of anything because, again, these war crimes were committed in Chechnya, in Georgia, and other countries, but by this same country, so it's back to my point.
BROWN: But have you seen Intelligence? Have you seen actual Intelligence indicating that that is going to happen in Ukraine, that Russia will use chemical weapons?
QUIGLEY: Look, as you know, I can't talk about specific Intelligence I may be receiving. I will tell you that Putin is capable of anything. This is a different Putin than from 10 years ago. He is scarier.
And the fact that he is saber rattling with such things, such as nuclear weapons, is extremely scary, and we have to take him at his word and be very cautious.
But the opposite reaction is well, because he has got such a dramatic stockpile, we can't do anything.
What I'm saying is, we've already put the risk out there. We have to make them work otherwise we're going to see a sovereign democratic country buried under his army.
BROWN: So what should the severe price be then, if it comes to that?
[19:35:14]
QUIGLEY: I think it's a continuation of the lethal weapons and going past what we've already talked about.
Remember, I may seem like I'm at the cutting edge of this, but the fact is, a month ago, we imagined NATO being there with the pipeline, shutting off Russian oil, with the lethal weapons with Switzerland, doing what they're doing for the first time, Germany the first time.
So I commend the Biden administration for moving NATO relative light years in a short period of time. All I'm saying is that those concerns are real. But what we're watching in real time with Putin in his enhance threats dictate a greater use of lethal force, and that we give again, Ukraine what they need to defend against this.
BROWN: All right, Congressman Mike Quigley. We'll leave it there. Thank you for joining the show for your time tonight.
QUIGLEY: Thank you.
BROWN: And when we come back, a Ukrainian filmmaker describes her escape from Kyiv and the dilemma she now faces about leaving her home for good.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:40:50]
BROWN: Right now, many civilians in Ukraine are being forced to choose between their country and their safety. One filmmaker had to make the choice for herself and her 11-year-old son, while her husband stays behind to defend Kyiv.
She told me this last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IRYNA TSILYK, UKRAINIAN FILMMAKER, EVACUATED KYIV: That is such a terrible word "refugee." I don't want to be a refugee, but at the same time, I feel that we need to go to the west because outskirts of Kyiv are probably even more dangerous than the center of Kyiv now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Iryna Tsilyk has recently moved from Kyiv to Lviv about 350 miles west of Kyiv, and we have been following her story every step of the way.
Iryna, great to see you again. We spoke to you last weekend and the weekend before. We want to check back in with you because when we spoke last weekend, you were just about to take off on your journey west. Tell us about that and how you're doing now. TSILYK: Hello, Pamela, and all the other viewers. So yes, last week,
right after our conversation, we moved. I mean, me and my son because my husband stayed in Kyiv, he takes part in Territory Defense Unit, and he fights there, but we decided to move to some safe place.
And that was some kind of tough trip. But you know, I had my personal help, because I was trying to decide what should I do? My friends were trying to convince me that we should go to the Central or Western Europe. But I just felt that I can't leave Ukraine. So, I made my spontaneous decision to stay in Lviv together with my son and we are here now.
BROWN: Wow. So tell us a little bit more about that decision to stay in Ukraine rather than flee to Central Europe, as you're being encouraged to do. Why do you feel it's so important to stay?
TSILYK: It's difficult to explain, but I feel that the place of my power is here and I need to be connected with my country, and I don't want to be a refugee, because it's something else. At the moment I feel as a person who had to go to some other place, to some other city, but I'm still here in my country.
And yes, that is a huge problem because now, thousands or even millions of people, they try to protect their families, their children, and they go somewhere else. And in fact, that is a huge problem for all these western Ukrainian cities, and also European countries, our neighbors who try to help all these people. Because you know, it's not that easy.
There are so many of them, and it is kind of a problem despite all of these beautiful things that people do to help each other. And regarding Lviv, it's not that safe, too, because during the day, it looks like a peaceful city because cafes and restaurants work and food stores are full of food and people walk with children.
But the sirens wake us up almost every night, and we still have to wake up and to react somehow to hide. But anyway, I feel that it's much more safe here and I want to stay here as long as it is possible.
BROWN: So you're saying, we, you're talking about your 11-year-old son. Two weeks ago, you watched a Russian missile hit an oil terminal near the place in Kyiv where you were staying with him, and this is what you told me then.
[19:45:09]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TSILYK: My son is trying to be brave, at least he is pretending. But when we were sitting in our corridor in the Kyiv apartment and he was listening to sounds of that, it was so scary, and our children are traumatized now. I understand this, and when the war will be ended, we will have a lot of work to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: How is your son doing now?
TSILYK: At the moment, he is sleeping, but he is always ready to wake up fast and to hide in the corridor or toilet or the shelter. And of course, that is frustrating and painful for all the parents, but at the same time, I was discussing with him also this issue, this question: Should we leave Ukraine or not? And he told me, "Mama, I want to stay as close to Kyiv as it is possible, because we should return fast when it could be possible for us."
But, I should tell that anyway, I'm so thankful to many people who proposed to me the homes all around the world. And even last week, when we talked to you on CNN, I've got so many kind messages from different people, predominantly from Americans. And some people proposed me real help and their houses to stay.
I was really impressed by all this wave of reactions and sincere reactions.
BROWN: I was receiving a lot of those messages, people reaching out to me trying to connect with you to offer up their homes. It's been incredible to see people are really tracking your story. They want to see you and your son, you two, doing okay.
And also, of course, you had to say goodbye to your husband, when you left Kyiv. What was that like for you and your son? I imagine it was very emotional.
TSILYK: Once we had that experience, I mean before because my husband, he used to serve in the Ukrainian Army in 2015-2016, and of course, it was some kind of surreal experience for my family, because I am the modern woman of 21st Century who has to wait for her husband from war, and it's really difficult.
But, compared to many other Ukrainian people now, we are fine because so many terrifying things happen every single day. And I don't know, I feel such a big pain for all these cities like Mariupol, Volnovakha because they are completely destroyed now. They look like Aleppo.
And we have so many different tragedies. For example, yesterday 300 orphans from Mariupol arrived to Western city, Ivano-Frankivsk and as far as I understood, most of them lost their parents during this last 16 days and we have many stories like that.
And you know, Russian Army, they attack everyone and everything, like maternity houses, hospitals, churches. I don't know everything --
BROWN: It is indiscriminate from what we are seeing.
Well, thank you so much for giving us this update. Iryna, congratulations, I understand that an American distributor picked up your film "The Earth is Blue as an Orange," so congratulations on that and please continue to keep us posted on your wellbeing.
TSILYK: Sorry, I didn't get --
BROWN: I said just keep us posted on your wellbeing and get some sleep because I see it is 3:48 AM there where you are, so you must be exhausted. Hopefully you can get some rest now. Thank you so much Iryna. We will be in touch.
TSILYK: Thank you.
BROWN: And remember, if you want to help humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, go to cnn.com/impact.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:54:01]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here comes the centrifuge. This is crazy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God. It's going to turn into a tornado. I am like sure, it could right now.
Oh my God. Oh my God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: From excitement to terror in just a few seconds. This is Fort Myers Beach in Florida earlier today, a water spout formed over the ocean and raced onto land. No major damage reported, but people on the beach say the waterspout picked up chairs and trash cans before it lost strength.
And that is not the only unusual weather we saw today. I want to bring in meteorologist, Gene Norman.
Gene, temperatures plummeted across the East Coast and millions of Americans were under winter weather alerts. Just how bad were these storms?
GENE NORMAN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Pamela, this could be the real March Madness. The same storm system that produced that waterspout earlier this morning produced a tornado near Ocala, take a look at some of the damage that was seen there.
[19:55:08]
NORMAN: An apartment was severely damaged along with a lot of downed trees. This one was rated EF1 with 110 mile an hour winds. The entire storm system then raced across the rest of Florida and there were some places that picked up anywhere from 65 to 75 mile an hour winds as these storms howled on through.
On the backside of this, of course, we have the snow anywhere from eight to 10 inches in the states to see indicated here from Kentucky all the way up into Pennsylvania and New York, even sections of Northern Alabama woke up to a little bit of snow.
It's all pushing away to the north and east right now. But in its wake, get set up for a cold morning. Temperatures in the low 20s, freeze warnings all the way down to Florida -- Pam.
BROWN: All right. Thanks so much, Gene.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:00:00]
