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Russian Forces Targets Key Buildings; Thousands Died from Russian Forces; President Biden to Warn President Xi; Hospitals Overwhelmed with Patients from Ukraine; Good Begets Good; President Biden to Speak with Xi Jinping; Russia Sends a Message to NATO; Griner's Fate Undetermined in Russia. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 18, 2022 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers around the world and in the United States this hour. I'm Hala Gorani reporting live from Lviv in Ukraine.

The mayor here in Lviv says several Russian missiles hit an aircraft repair plant near the airport earlier this morning. Video from the area shows large clouds of smoke, coming from the direction of the airport. Now the mayor is telling us, there are no reports of casualties right now.

And as many of you know, Lviv has largely been spared from Russian bombs and missiles. But that could be changing as Russia takes aim at supply routes from NATO companies to the west. Again, some pretty loud explosions near the airport here in Lviv, we've certainly heard them around 6.30 a.m. local time about two and a half hours ago.

And throughout the country, Russian strikes have become more frequent and less precise. Often hitting civilian targets. Authorities in the northern city of Chernihiv near the border with Belarus say 53 people were killed in shelling in the past 24 hours. And to the south, in Mariupol, besieged city of Mariupol makeshift rescue crews are digging through the rubble of a theater that was serving as a shelter, sometimes with their bare hands.

Getting information from Mariupol is difficult, but there are reports of survivors emerging from that building that was hit yesterday.

And Russian shells hit a huge market in Kharkiv, causing a raging fire. The mayor reports that one emergency responder was killed, and an attack on a nearby school and arts club claimed 21 lives.

Drone video shows the damage at a 16-story Kyiv apartment building hit by debris from a missile. At least one person was killed there.

The U.S. President, Joe Biden, is set to call the Chinese president, Xi Jinping in the day ahead. He's expected to warn China that it will be held responsible if it supports Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Phil Mattingly has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Putin's brutality and what he is doing and his troops are doing in Ukraine is just inhumane.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As Russia continues to escalate its attacks on Ukraine the U.S. message to allies is clear.

BIDEN: We're meeting at a moment when demands on unity in the world are really accelerating, we have to be united, and we certainly are.

MATTINGLY: But President Biden set to put the unity to the test against the most formidable outliers on Friday.

BIDEN: I'd be speaking to President Xi tomorrow.

MATTINGLY: At a moment that U.S. officials have grown increasingly concerned and explicit about ties between China and Russia.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We are concerned that they are considering directly assisting Russia with military equipment to use in Ukraine.

MATTINGLY: And as the mounting evidence of Russia's targeting of civilians led Biden on Wednesday to this say this of President Vladmir Putin.

BIDEN: I think he is a war criminal.

MATTINGLY: The president's top diplomat today lined up in agreement.

BLINKEN: President Biden said that in his opinion, war crimes have been committed in Ukraine. Personally, I agree. Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime.

MATTINGLY: While laying out this grim assessment.

BLINKEN: President Putin is not relenting, and maybe growing more desperate.

MATTINGLY: All underscoring the urgency with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's progress towards during an urgent and direct Ukrainian request.

JAROSLAV NAD, SLOVAKIAN MINISTER OF DEFENCE: We're willing to do so immediately when we have our proper replacement.

MATTINGLY: Austin's Slovakian counterpart publicly open to providing S-300 air systems to the country with the U.S. planning to backfill any transfer, that transfer process designed to supplement the additional $800 million of military assistance announced this week by Biden, the White House still opposed the transfers of foreign warplanes, and firmly against any no-fly zone proposals. LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: There is no such thing as a no-

fly zone light -- light. A no-fly zone means that you are in a conflict with Russia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: White House press secretary Jen Psaki described the call between Presidents Biden and Xi as an opportunity for Biden to assess where Xi actually stood when it came to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That's an illusion wo what we've heard from White House officials over the course of the several days -- several weeks, where China is essentially is an unsustainable position, attempting to balance at least implicit support for Russia while also attempting to stick to their long-held policy of nonaggression when it comes to sovereign countries.

Those two things don't necessarily mix, and that is in part what President Biden wants to lay out for Xi when they speak by phone. Now Psaki said this is a moment where China needs to decide where it will stand when the history books are written.

Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.

GORANI: U.S. and NATO officials tell CNN thousands of Russian troops have been killed in the invasion of Ukraine, and now Russia is struggling to resupply those forces amid low morale and some pre-stiff Ukrainian resistance.

[03:05:00]

Nada Bashir is live this hour in London with more. On what we're hearing about specifically these Russian casualties.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Hala, we are hearing from various sources in the U.S. and other western allies, including NATO that thousands of Russian troops have been killed. Now the figure varies widely between officials and sources, at its lowest around 3000, at its highest around 10,000. But either way a pretty significant loss and this is having an impact on the Russian troop morale, according to U.S. officials. And this has been recorded anecdotally.

CNN itself in its own investigations looking at that impact on many Russian troops who have said that they didn't expect to be taking part in this sort of conflict, and really believe that they were participating in military exercises.

But we've also seen a significant logistical challenge being faced by these Russian troops. The British ministry of defense saying that the Russian military is now struggling to resupply its armed forces with basic essentials like food and fuel. And that of course, having a knock-on effect on morale.

But despite this, despite the negative facts that we've just pointed out, we've heard from NATO officials and the U.S. that Putin remains determined to carry out what he has described as a military operation, this devastating war in Ukraine, despite the fact that Russia is significantly behind its expected timelines in this attack.

But, you know, we've seen these devastating impacts and they've continued to deny that they are targeting civilians. We heard from the Russian foreign military spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, she denied and said that NATO is fabricating these videos and evidence being provided. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA ZAKHAROVA, SPOKESPERSON, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): The Russian armed forces do not bomb cities, this is well known to everyone. No matter how many videos are edited in NATO. No matter how many clips and fake photos are thrown in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now we know that this is simply not true. CNN and other organizations including the U.S. and NATO have verified that Russia is targeting civilian infrastructure. And we have seen the targeting of humanitarian corridors, although it is worth noting that on Thursday several humanitarian corridors from Mariupol were successfully carried out. But there is still increasing fear, particularly now as we are hearing explosions of in Lviv. Hala?

GORANI: Thank you, Nada Bashir.

Now let's talk about the humanitarian aspect here. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy visited some of the wounded at a hospital in Kyiv on Thursday. Among them was a teenage girl, whose family came under fire as they tried to drive away from Russian forces. She apparently was wounded while trying to shield her younger brother.

Well joining me now here in Lviv is Tomas Bendl of Doctors Without Borders. He is the emergency field coordinator for that organization. How long have you've been in the country now?

TOMAS BENDL, EMERGENCY FIELD COORDINATOR, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: I have only been here for two weeks.

GORANI: OK. And what is the biggest challenge for MSF?

BENDL: Well, right now, our main focus is on trying to make sure that we provide enough emergency medical supplies to local hospitals, so they can treat the increasing number of patients. That seems to be the most dire need at the moment.

GORANI: You have access issues in some part?

BENDL: It very much depends on what kind of region, and what kind of city you're --

(CROSSTALK)

GORANI: Let's talk, for instance, in Mariupol in the south.

BENDL: Well, we do have a team in Mariupol, but it is actually impossible to get any supplies into the city, just as it is impossible to get anyone out of the city. So, the situation there is very difficult. Basically, our team told us that for the past ten days, there has been no drinking water, there has been lack of food, there is no electricity, no mobile reception in the city.

There are people who are dying on the streets, their bodies and our team tells us that basically people have no place where to bury them at this point. So, they are digging graves in their gardens, sometimes they have to put more bodies than one into one of those graves. So, the situation is really extremely difficult there.

GORANI: Can you explain to viewers who may be wondering why did they not have access, why are these roads closed to resupply and medical -- desperately needed medical supplies.

BENDL: Well, the city is encircled. There is still very much bombardment, there are still attacks, the fights are very much ongoing. There has been discussion about allowing safe passage to people, for people to get out. But so far, those promises have fallen short. I mean, there was one humanitarian corridor opened at the beginning of the week, some people did manage to leave, thanks to that, but it is not enough.

GORANI: Yes.

BENDL: I mean, there is still a lot of people trapped in the city, and it is still difficult to get anything in.

GORANI: And talk to us about other parts of the country.

BENDL: Well, right now, I mean, in Lviv where we have our coronation, the situation is still relatively peaceful. I mean, compared to some of the other parts of the country. In Kyiv, we are trying to very much supply the hospitals there. We are doing that very much in cooperation with the ministry of health, so we are sending cargo trains with medical supplies, mainly surgical kits and drugs.

[03:10:03]

When the train arrives it is taken over by the ministry of health, and then it is actually distributed to the local hospitals in Kyiv based on what their needs are.

We are doing the same things for hospitals in the lower eastern parts of the country, because obviously the situation, the security situation there is extremely dire.

GORANI: What do they need most?

BENDL: Mainly surgical kits. Mainly surgical kids, generic drugs, I mean, those are the needs that we see on the ground at this moment.

GORANI: OK. And that suggests that there are people who are obviously injured by rocket attacks, by missile attacks, by aerial bombardments and artillery. BENDL: Yes. Obviously for the last three weeks, there has been a

large influx of these kinds of patients, but they are not the only ones who need help. I mean, there are a lot of people who have chronic diseases. These people who are here, as they're in every country, before the conflict started.

And right now, it is even more difficult for them to access treatment than it was for them before this happened. So, we are trying to make sure they have some continuity of care as well.

GORANI: So, people, for instance, who have -- who need cancer care --

BENDL: Exactly.

GORANI: -- issues with long-standing illnesses. Do they have the staff that they need, these hospitals, or is that something that they might need more of as well?

BENDL: It seems based on what we are seeing that the supplies are in greater demand than actually more medical staff. But the medical staff that is working right now in Ukraine is extremely tired --

GORANI: Yes.

BENDL: -- because the situation is difficult. So, I mean, more is needed, but still, even more, medicine is needed.

GORANI: And, so you mentioned surgical kits, but is there also a need for certain types of medicine, or what else is Doctors Without Borders looking at in terms of supplying hospitals and doctors?

BENDL: Well, we've actually had projects in Ukraine since 1999.

GORANI: Yes.

BENDL: And some of the most problematic diseases that we have seen here are hepatitis-C, HIV, and tuberculosis. So, these patients are very much here, it was very difficult for them to access treatment before this war, and it is even more difficult for them now. So, we are trying to also support these kinds of drugs.

GORANI: So, you depend on -- can you tell us a little bit about your fundraising, how does that work, for people wondering if, you know, it's -- a lot of people text, e-mail, and contact us on social media asking how can I help.

BENDL: Yes. So, we don't actually accept much funds from governments of from international institutions or organizations. It is precisely so that we can function in these kinds of security difficult contexts. Because for instance, just to give an example, if you're an organization that is financed by NATO, then obviously your neutrality comes into question in these conflicts --

GORANI: True.

BENDL: -- when you have to negotiate with the war in parties. So, we rely heavily just on individual donors, that way we can maintain our neutrality and it doesn't come into question then. So private donation is basically what our entire business structure is based on, if I can put that.

(CROSSTALK)

GORANI: You -- and I understand you talk about maintaining neutrality, but we've seen so many hospitals targeted. I mean, it just -- I mean, does it appear to you, based on what people are telling on the ground, that medical facilities are being targeted intentionally here.

BENDL: Yes. Just to make things clear, none of our medical staff was actually injured in this war so far.

GORANI: Yes.

BENDL: Luckily, but obviously, based for instance, on the testimony of our team in Mariupol, residential as well as medical infrastructure has been targeted. I mean, obviously, this is very much in violation of the rules of war of the Geneva Convention of the basic principles of international humanitarian law. So, we very much urge all the war in parties to abide by these principles, and to abstain from these kind of attacks.

GORANI: But none of your staff, thankfully.

BENDL: No.

GORANI: Tomas Bendl of Doctors Without Borders, thanks very much for joining us. For that, we're going to take a quick break.

Coming up on CNN, millions have crossed European borders in recent days. And just ahead, we'll find out where they are putting the blame -- you can probably guess.

Plus, Israel welcomes the Ukrainian family in their time of need, decades after their ancestors helped save the life of a young Jewish woman during the Holocaust. Stay with us.

[03:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Refugee numbers are growing as more Ukrainians flee to safety. According to the U.N., nearly half a million have arrived in Romania which along with Poland has been one of the biggest recipients of the displaced. Some of those forced to flee are putting the blame squarely on the Russian president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EKATERINA HERMAN, POLTAVA REGION REFUGEE (through translator): I think that if all countries woke up and help us, then some solution would be found. Otherwise, I think if Russian President Vladimir Putin is sick, nothing will stop him. Neither peace negotiations, nor anything else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Well, according to the U.N. more than 3.1 million people have fled Ukraine to other countries. And some people who risked their lives to help Jewish people survive the Holocaust are designated righteous among the nations by Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.

Today, a family from Kharkiv, descendants of righteous couple who saved a Jewish man during the Holocaust, has found refuge in Israel.

Here's CNN's Hadas Gold.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For hours, Katya Gusarov waited anxiously. For two Ukrainian refugees to emerge from Tel Aviv's airport. Finally, she spots them. Alla Misiuk and her daughter Liza. It's a warm embrace. But before today, they had never met.

[03:19:57]

Katya is a researcher at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and Museum. Alla is the great granddaughter of a couple deemed righteous among the nations by Yad Vashem for helping save the life of a Jew during the Holocaust. That act of salvation now paid forward.

Katya is hosting Alla and Liza after their terrifying journey out of Ukraine. They grow emotional, recalling the last three weeks, including nearly 24 hours on a train that came under fire near Kyiv.

ALLA MISIUK, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE (through translator): We were told to turn off our phones and turn off the lights. So, you understand how scary it all lies? That even small children, two or three years old, they understood that something terrible was going on and even they were silent. They were afraid. We lay like that for an hour and a half, each on top of each other.

GOLD: Their family, ripped apart by war. Liza and her mom forced to leave dad Arthur behind.

Liza, you're only 12 years old, do you feel like you've grown up very quickly in the last few weeks?

LIZA MISIUK, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE (through translator): I may look the same on the outside, but my character has changed. Because I'm ready for war at all times. The sirens start to blow off and you realize that your life is in danger. You realize that you may never see your family again. That's what changed my character.

GOLD: Inside Katya's home, a chance to look over why Alla and Liza ended up in Israel. More than 80 years ago, in 1941, Alla's great- grandparents, Ivan and Tatyana saved the life of a young Jewish man and Soviet soldier named Viktor Rudnik (Ph). Documents detail how they sheltered Rudnik (Ph) after he escaped from a prisoner of war camp. At one point, risking their own lives by pretending Rudnik was their

own son. Even while they were forced to host German soldiers in the same house. A letter in the file, written by Ivan Paramount (Ph) describes how their town near Kharkiv was bombed 1943. The similarities, down to the dates, haunting.

A. MISIUK (through translator): The dumb Germans bomb us from March 2nd to march 19th. Every day from morning to evening, for three days, we were hiding in our cellar. On March 5th, a bomb hit our barn.

GORANI: Alla grows emotional over the parallels to what the Russian army is doing now.

A. MISIUK (through translator): They destroyed them deliberately. Destroyed them ruthlessly. Because well, because it's genocide. It's just genocide of the Ukrainian people.

GOLD: Katya and Alla's bond started when Alla reached out to museum a year ago via e-mail. Simply seeking more information about her family. Then the war started and Alla wrote again, asking for help. And after days traveling by train, car and on foot, they made it to Poland and soon onto the plane to Tel Aviv. For now, Alla and Liza say they feel safe. Taken in by Katya's family, like Alla's did for Viktor so many years ago.

KATYA GUSAROV, RESEARCHER, YAD VASHEM: This bonding, this bond of helping people, it's just normal it should be. Because if you do a good thing, it will be back to you in one way or another.

Hadas Gold, CNN, Modi'in, Israel.

GORANI: Well, stay with us. Our breaking news coverage continues after this quick break from Ukraine.

[03:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Hala Gorani live in Lviv, Ukraine.

Earlier this morning we heard some pretty loud explosions and saw black smoke on the horizon. According to Ukraine's armed forces, six Russian missiles were launched toward Lviv. Two of the six were intercepted by air defenses systems. City officials say several of the missiles struck an aircraft repair facility near the airport, but did not hit the airport itself. And no casualties have been reported by authorities here.

Now, Ukrainian authorities say Russian forces are stepping up their attacks against civilians throughout the country. A huge fire broke out at this market in Kharkiv, when it was hit by a Russian shell. A rescue worker reportedly died battling the blaze. At least 21 people were killed in other attacks in the city.

And in Mariupol, we are hearing stories of survivors emerging from the devastation of a bombed-out theater. Authorities say more than 1,000 people had taken shelter inside, it's not clear how many survived.

The United Nations now estimates that nearly 2,000 Ukrainians have been killed or wounded since hostilities broke out three weeks ago. Many of them have been children. The U.N. says it knows of 726 people killed, but warns the actual number is likely higher. Here is what the U.N.'s undersecretary general had to say about the unit humanitarian crisis here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:29:54]

ROSEMARY DICARLO, U.N. UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL: International humanitarian law is crystal clear. Civilians are entitled to protection against the dangers arriving from military operations. Direct attacks on civilians are prohibited.

Yet, the magnitude of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine cannot be denied. This demands a thorough investigation and accountability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: I want to bring in Stuart Crawford, he's a defense analyst joining us from Edinburgh, Scotland.

What's your take on what Russians have been doing the last 48 hours or so. First, let me get your analysis on the fact that, just a few hours ago, we heard some pretty loud explosions in Lviv. We understand, I'm just reading this, that six missiles were fired towards a Lviv target, two intercepted, and that they hit some sort of hangar, an aircraft repair hangar. So this is very deep into western Ukraine now, Stewart.

STUART CRAWFORD, DEFENSE ANALYST: Yes, indeed. I mean, most of the war has been confined to the eastern part of the country with the occasional attack farther west. I think this has got maybe two purposes to it actually. The first is obviously to target the aircraft, air facility which will be a strategic target for what I presume are Russian cruise missiles.

But secondly, because it's closer to the Pol, the Poland border, the Polish border, it also sends a message to NATO in the west just to be careful not to get involved too much and interfere with what Russia is trying to do in Ukraine.

GORANI: Right, they did that with the -- I mean, there is an attack as you know on the Yavoriv Military Training Institute. That was just a few kilometers from the Polish border. But what about these increasing civilian casualties in eastern and southeastern parts of the country. Does it appear to you as though Russians are using more crude weaponry because they're frustrated in their ground advances?

CRAWFORD: Yes, indeed, I think that there is no doubt, I think every analyst would now agree that the Russian attack has stalled and stalled pretty badly. And they didn't expect to be stopped when they entered what is now the fourth week of this war. Accordingly, we are now looking at some sort of modern equivalent of

siege tactics where they decide what they are going to do about the cities. And as I said many times previously, the best hope for Ukrainian success is to defend from the cities, where the Russian overwhelming superiority of men and material is negated to a certain extent.

But just to be clear, everybody will agree that targeting civilian facilities deliberately is a war crime and should be seen as such.

GORANI: Yes. Of course, the Russians are denying that they're targeting civilians, but clearly, civilians are dying, they're dying every single day, and civilian targets are being bombs, for instance, that theater that was used as a shelter in Mariupol. I mean, does that hold any water? This Russian denial that they are targeting civilians?

CRAWFORD: No. No, I don't think it does actually, because it's happening too often. Even in this day of modern smart, super-accurate weapon systems, things do occasionally go wrong, and there's always collateral damage to civilian property, and sadly to civilian lives in any conflict of this nature.

But the number of occasions in which civilian targets such as hospitals and the theater you mentioned have been hit by the Russians would indicate that some of it, at least, is being done deliberately. Whether of course it's been done on orders from the Kremlin, or under the orders of some local commander is difficult to fathom. Bearing in mind that Russian communications today haven't proved to be particularly good as they move further into Ukraine.

GORANI: Also, they've really lost some high-level commanders. Generals, colonels, lieutenant colonels. I mean, this invasion is not even a month old and they're taking some heavy, heavy losses at very high levels of their military. Why do you think that is? What's going on there?

CRAWFORD: Well, part of military leadership in every country and every nation is leading from the front. And inevitably, when things become slightly stuck and slow down, leaders do move to the front to try and get matters moving again. The classic British example of that is during the Falklands War when one of our lieutenant colonels was killed trying to restart a stalled attack against the Argentinian forces there.

[03:35:00]

So, and even historically when you go back to things even like the First World War, you find that there's quite a higher proportion of senior official casualties.

GORANI: Yes, got it. Stuart Crawford, thanks very much for joining us from Edinburgh.

CRAWFORD: Great pleasure.

GORANI: Now, we were talking about with Stuart and we reported on these explosions here in Lviv that the city's mayor says are from Russian missiles. He says it happened near the Lviv airport.

Now CNN's Scott McLean joins me now from near the scene with more on what he's seeing. Scott?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Hala. Yes, so let me just tell you where we are now. So we're just in western Lviv. This is sort of a major choke point out of the city, we're just going to walk up a little bit because this bridge here is not a place that we're trying to spend a lot of time on, because previously, we have been told weeks ago that this would be a potential target for any Russian missiles.

It's sort of an obvious spot because those train tracks that run into it, we're right at the end of the airport runway, and it's a choke point in and out of the city. On the other side of this, there's a checkpoint where the checking people coming in and out over here.

This is a bus depot in the area, people there obviously would've heard the explosions very nearby. You can't -- we were able to get to the top of this bridge earlier, obviously authorities don't want to standing on it for too much time. But just about an hour ago or so, you are able to see smoke in the distance, it's possible you can still see sort of remnants of smoke over there from where this explosion would've hit.

This is part of a pattern, undoubtedly of what we've seen in other cities in western Ukraine of sites near the airport. We understand this one in particular with some kind of aircraft repair plant, we understand from the mayor's office that there were no immediate reports of anyone who is hurt or injured.

You can imagine, if the sirens are going off around 6 o'clock in the morning. A, you hope that no one is at work to begin with, and b, you hope that if you're near the airport, this is the most obvious target for anyone to be at. So, you would hope that people would have known enough to get to a bomb shelter and get underground, or get away from the cite if they possibly could.

And so, you have to imagine that that's people would do, because in other cities in western Ukraine places like Ivano-Frankivsk, places like Lutsk, they've gone straight after the -- after the airport infrastructure right away and sort of left civilian sites intact.

So, this is part of a pattern here, it's not surprising that they've hit near the airport, not at the airport. The airport runway, I saw it just when I was just up on the bridge is still very much intact. What's not clear is whether the Russians hit their intended target, or what they were aiming out at all. Hala?

GORANI: Yes, absolutely, because while I have you, the news update that is coming to us from the mayor's office, Scott, is that six missiles were fired towards this Lviv target. Two were intercepted by Ukrainian armed forces. So, the Ukrainian armed forces do have the ability to intercept missiles, even though one has fallen as you -- and damaged what appears to be an airport hangar, an aircraft repair facility. Talk to us a little bit about that aspect of things. Because, as you

mentioned, this would not be a completely surprising target for the Russians.

MCLEAN: No, absolutely not, and we've seen those air defense systems working in other cities, we've certainly seen them working in Kyiv, thankfully because a lot of what's been hit in Kyiv has been civilian sites, apartment buildings, things like that.

We did talk to a couple people when we first got here who heard the explosions. One man said that he was working at a plant about two kilometers this way, and he was actually at work at the time. He said he heard several explosions, he looked over, he saw the smoke. I asked him about his own safety in the city whether he still felt safe. And de said frankly, where else would I go?

Obviously, men are not allowed to leave the country, so he just has to do what he can, and this is the situation with many people in the city. Also keep in mind, Hala, that as we know, Lviv is a place where displaced people from across the country have been coming to, to seek shelter. And so, the fact that this now the very first time that we've had an explosion in the city is very much likely to spook a lot of people. Perhaps send a new wave of people headed for the borders.

GORANI: Scott McLean, thanks very much.

And if you like to assist people in Ukraine who may be a need of shelter, food, or water, go to cnn.com slash impact. Our breaking news coverage continues with Kim Brunhuber at CNN center after a quick break.

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber live in Atlanta.

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping later today. Now Chinese state media says the two will exchange views on issues of common interest, the war in Ukraine will likely top the agenda.

Kristie Lu Stout is in Hong Kong with a look at what we can expect in the coming hours. So, Kristie, the two leaders will speak for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine. So, how is the upcoming call being framed in China?

[03:45:00]

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, according to Chinese state media, both leaders will exchange views on areas of common interest. But according to the White House, they will discuss how to manage competition. They will also discuss bushes war against Ukraine. But those are two issues that are not being discussed in Chinese state media. Look, in the run up to this much anticipated phone call between Xi

Jinping and Joe Biden, the Biden administration officials have been making the assertion that Russia is seeking help from China, economic help and military help. This is a charge that both Russia and China deny.

The Biden administration is also trying to seek clarity. What is China's position in all of this? And it's easy to see why. You just look back to events in February. The summit in Beijing between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Both leaders sitting side by side, declaring that their relationship had, quote, "no limits."

And then fast forward to a meeting that took place just this last week. Monday in Lviv. Where you have China's top diplomat in Ukraine meeting with Ukrainian officials, saying that China would never attack Ukraine. And China will help Ukraine economically.

And then yesterday, an additional meeting. You had a Chinese ministry of foreign affairs official meeting with the Russian ambassador in China. All of this painting a picture of China playing both sides. So, where does China stand in the run up in going into this phone call?

Well, according to one analyst I spoke to, China wants to continue to play the role of being a neutral third party. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YUN SUN, DIRECTOR, CHINA PROGRAM, STIMSON CENTER: So, neither leaning towards Russia or leaning towards Ukraine. And instead, trying to present itself as a neutral third party. And communicating with the United States about China's position. And also, the injustice if the U.S. decides to pursue secondary sanctions on China, because of its economic relationship with Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: So, is China on the side of Russian or Ukraine? According to the analyst I spoke to, she said both in an exercise of balanced diplomacy. Back to you.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll continue following this story throughout the day. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. Thanks so much.

Well, she's been detained in Russia since last month. Now a Moscow court is extending the arrest of basketball star Brittney Griner. The details of her confinement when we come. Back stay with us.

[03:50:00]

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BRUNHUBER: An American basketball star is stuck in jail in Moscow and likely won't be going anywhere soon. Russian state media says a court in Moscow extended the arrest of all-star Brittney Griner for two more months. No trial date has been set for the two-time Olympic champ.

CNN's Brian Todd has the latest.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Her whereabouts inside Russia are unclear. And now, it appears American basketball star, Brittney Griner will be held by Vladimir Putin's regime for at least two more months. A court in Moscow has extended Griner's arrest until May 19th, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

We asked a former top U.S. official about the chances of Griner actually being released that day.

EVELYN FARKAS, FORMER U.S. DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I'm afraid that on May 19th, they'll issue another delay. Maybe they'll have her appear, if they want to make a bigger deal out of it and get the media to take some pictures and elevate this issue further. Clearly, it's not in the interest of her loved ones to have this elevated. But this is how the Russians operate.

TODD: Griner has been in custody since being arrested after her arrival at a Moscow airport a few days before the war in Ukraine began. Russian authorities say she had cannabis oil in her luggage, discovered by a K-9. They've accused Griner of smuggling significant amounts of narcotic substances, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

TASS cites are Russian prisoner advocates as saying Griner shares a cell with two other women. And that at 6'9", her bed is too short for her. The timing of the Ukraine conflict, the sanctions, and America's tensions with Putin, analyst say are likely working against Griner.

ANDREW HAMMOND, FORMER BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE OPERATIVE: It complicates enormously. Because the whole relationship has broken down across the board diplomatically, economically, culturally, politically, even militarily.

TODD: Biden administration officials say Griner's case is a top priority that they're working diligently to secure her release. We asked a former White House hostage advisor what could be going on behind the scenes.

UNKNOWN: You try and grab something that you have to work with them on, some avenue to start a conversation. Beginning with, you know, proof of life, proof of condition, location, anything to increase our hope and keep the dialogue going.

TODD: While a prisoner swap for Griner with the U.S. remains possible, one analyst says, Putin could also be overplaying his hand.

UNKNOWN: This could backfire with the rest of the world being against Russia is not enough. They could now have the global basketball community against them. If I was Vladimir Putin, I'll be careful about how I play this.

TODD: As worrisome as Brittney Griner's case is, there are two are other Americans also being held in Russia whose cases are very high on the agendas of U.S. officials. Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, former U.S. marines, have been in Russian custody since 2018 and 2019 respectively. Both arrested and convicted for crimes they have emphatically denied. And both, we're told recently, have suffered serious health issues there.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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BRUNHUBER: And that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Our breaking news coverage continues after a break. Stay with us.

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[03:59:58]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Max Foster in London, following breaking news about the war in Ukraine.

Just ahead.

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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We believe that Moscow may be setting.