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Blasts And Smoke In Lviv As President Biden Visits Refugees In Nearby Poland; Ukraine Official: Forces Are Going On The Counter Attack Around Kyiv; 2 Million Plus People Flee Ukraine To Poland; Mercy Chefs Providing Hot Meals For Refugees In Romania; Ukrainian Wedding Gown Company Supplies Attire For Soldiers; Ukrainian Teen Describes Horrific Attack While Escaping Chernihiv. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired March 26, 2022 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:01:22]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me for this special CNN coverage.

I'm Frederica Whitfield in Atlanta, alongside my colleague John Berman in Lviv, Ukraine.

Right now, major developments in western Ukraine. Just moments ago, CNN crews hearing explosions and seeing large plumes of smoke in Lviv where our John Berman is.

John, let me talk to you because we have been -- we heard the sirens in the middle of your live shot. You heard the booms later. And now we're seeing this billowing smoke. About how far does it appear that smoke is coming from, you know, where you are, your backdrop?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We think a few kilometers at this point. It's a few kilometers to the northeast of us, the smoke rising from behind that hill.

There's a lot of different possible things back there. We know there's a fuel depot. We know there's a rail junction back there. Three explosions, trying to get more information about what might have been hit there.

Lviv, which is in the far western part of the country, is a city of about 800,000 people. The population has swelled in recent weeks because this is where refugees have been coming to safety. They've been coming here to get safe and then maybe move on to other European nations, Poland and whatnot.

There haven't been any strikes in the downtown area at all over the last month. This would be the third strike in the general area, certainly the closest to the city. And perhaps significant today in broad daylight, mind you.

Look, you can hit a target at night when you know there might not be people around. But an attack in broad daylight within the few hours when President Biden is set to speak to deliver a major address just over the border in Poland, 400 kilometers away, but only an hour to the Polish border from the city of Lviv right now. So it would seem something like a message, perhaps, from the Russians as we, again, continue to look at this smoke billowing behind us.

And we are trying to get more information. We'll bring that to you as soon as it comes.

In the meantime, as I said, President Biden just over the border in Poland right now. So far, he's been meeting with Ukrainian refugees and aid workers who are there. In a couple of hours, the president will deliver what the White House is billing as a major speech at Warsaw's historic royal castle.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins, our chief White House correspondent, is in Warsaw for us.

And Kaitlan, the president has already had an emotional day with much more to come.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, John. This is the first time President Biden came face to face with these Ukrainian refugees. You know, as these air raid sirens are going off and these blasts where you are yourself, 200 miles away from us here in Warsaw, the president has been focused on this humanitarian aspect of this invasion and the people who have been forced to flee from their homes, sometimes without their fathers, their brothers, their grandfathers who are still in Ukraine, of course, fighting the Russian forces that are causing this invasion, attempting to invade and take over cities.

And President Biden is coming face to face with them today, meeting with these women and these children who have been forced to flee with very little, more than the clothes on their backs.

And you saw, they're at this football stadium here in Warsaw. It's been turned into a processing center for these refugees.

And you could see Jose Andres in the background there. They brought the World Central Kitchen here. They've been helping feed a lot of these refugees. They've been in other places in Ukraine as well.

And President Biden was talking earlier to reporters about his view of President Putin after meeting with the people that Putin has forced from where they lived.

[11:04:56]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You see this and you're -- you know, you're dealing every day with Vladimir Putin. Look at what he's done to these people. What does it make you think?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's a butcher.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: So John, now the president has called Putin a war criminal, a killer, a pure thug, and now calling him a butcher for what has happened.

And President Biden was saying, you were watching him go through the crowds, he picked up a little girl at one point. He clasped hands with another woman. Put his hands on her shoulder, was just hearing their stories and telling them how brave they were.

He was saying that some of the little kids, they just wanted a hug. And a lot of them are asking them to pray for their fathers, and their brothers and their uncles who are still in Ukraine, of course, with that mandate in place that if you're between 18 and 60, of the fighting age, you must stay in Ukraine.

They were not allowed to leave Ukraine, as many of the others did, the millions that did and came here.

And John, I just want you to listen to what some of the Ukrainian refugees were telling President Biden about their experiences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here with my daughter. My husband and my sons are in service over there.

BIDEN: It's frightening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're trapped. And we're just afraid he's going to keep moving. He's going to keep moving.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, Ukrainian mothers, are ready to strangle him with our bare hands, to be honest. If we only knew where he was hiding.

BIDEN: I don't speak Ukrainian, but tell her I want to take her home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: let's go home to Ukraine.

BIDEN: I have four little girls at home, granddaughters. And you know what, they love their grandpa. I'm crazy about them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This way, Mr. President.

BIDEN: Well, you all are brave, brave, brave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And John, you could hear President Biden there. He's saying he doesn't speak Ukrainian, but we wanted to tell that little girl that he wanted to be able to take her home.

And something when he was speaking with reporters later, when he called President Putin a butcher, he's saying that, you know, he's always surprised by just how strong the human spirit is. And was saying looking at these people who have had everything taken from them, including some of their family members, and just meeting with them and talking with them here and talking about how brave they are.

And it just is a remarkable moment, really, on this trip where the president is focused on diplomacy. He's been focused on what they were doing for our forces in Ukraine but here coming face to face with the refugees who have been forced to leave their homes because of this invasion.

BERMAN: One in two Ukrainian children. We're talking half of Ukrainian children have been displaced from the Russian invasion. And you can see President Biden there holding one in his arms. It is very emotional. These children's lives will never be the same again.

Kaitlan Collins, our thanks to you.

I do want to read a statement from the mayor of Lviv who did just post this on his official Twitter site. He said quote, "The Russian army struck at Lviv. We are waiting for information from the military administration. Stay in shelters."

So an official statement from the mayor of Lviv that the Russian military has struck here. That would appear to be confirmation that what we're looking at right now, the smoke billowing behind us, is from a Russian strike.

I want to bring in Major General Dana Pittard. He's a retired two-star Major General, CNN military analyst. General, thank you so much for being with us.

Look, we don't know what was hit behind me. What we do know is it wasn't the downtown area.

What are the types of targets that the Russians have been hitting from the air?

MAJ. GEN. DANA PITTARD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well good afternoon, John.

They've been hitting a number of types of targets, whether it's fuel depots, whether it's electrical plants, whether it's command and control kind of buildings. But this is going to continue until at some point under the auspices of the United Nations or NATO, led by the United States in coordination with President Zelenskyy in Ukraine, that western Ukraine is declared a humanitarian assistance zone or HAZ, which will require U.S. troops as well as NATO troops to enforce that on the ground and peace enforcement mission be prepared for combat if necessary, and also a no-fly zone over western Ukraine.

[11:09:53]

PITTARD: This is preventable. To allow the refugees and civilians to be able to depart as necessary.

BERMAN: General, a daylight attack near a city which is just a few miles from the Polish border, President Biden in Poland, about to deliver a major address, can that be a coincidence?

PITTARD: Probably not. I mean the Russians know that many media outlets are using Lviv as a hub and it is close to the Polish border of Ukraine.

It may, in fact, be a message. But it is clear that something needs to be done with western Ukraine and that would be a humanitarian assistance zone or HAZ.

BERMAN: And if people look at the map, they can tell. I'm in Lviv. The smoke you're seeing behind me is in Lviv, really just an hour's drive from the Polish border.

What the Russian generals said yesterday was that they're shifting their focus all the way to the other side of the country. All the way to the other side of the country was the claim. If that was the claim, what we're seeing behind me really seems to suggest that he wasn't being completely straight, General.

PITTARD: Well again, what we're told by the Russian military is one thing. What's happening on the ground is another. Russia never did have the fore structure to be able to take over all of Ukraine, even the capital of Kyiv or even the second largest city Kharkiv.

And Russia has had some reverses. They've been -- they've been surprised by the tenacity and the courageous fighting of the Ukrainians. So they've had to take a tactical and operational pause outside of Kyiv with their forces there. They're going to have to consolidate their forces in the Donbas region, continue to fight to keep that land bridge between the Donbas region and the Crimean Peninsula.

But I don't think that this is over in the least -- at all. This war is going to take place for a while. They're waiting for reinforcements -- whether it's from Belarus, whether it's from Russia, or other Russian forces from Georgia, so they can continue to attack, I believe, Kyiv and other key sites in the future.

BERMAN: Well look, I can tell you, it's not over. I can see it's not over behind me with the smoke billowing there.

You bring up a really interesting point though. Given that the Ukrainians now are claiming some success in their counter offensive efforts north of Kyiv, and now today -- just today, they said they launched some counter offensive efforts in Kharkiv, it may be that the Russians just want to send a message to the world when they know that the media is in this city, as you said, to send a message that, hey, they're still here.

Maybe the message not just to the west, but maybe a message to the people inside Russia as well who may be starting to doubt the possibility of success in this mission.

PITTARD: And that's a possibility. Again, the fact that the Ukrainians are conducting counter offensive operations is a good thing. But that can only last so long. They only have so many munitions, so many weapons, so many Javelin missiles, so many Stinger antiaircraft missiles. They need assistance. And it would be very helpful to have some NATO troops helping with the humanitarian assistance zone in western Ukraine, if that is in fact declared.

BERMAN: Retired Major General Dana Pittard, it's an honor to get to speak to you. Thank you so much for helping us understand what we're seeing here behind us in Lviv. Appreciate it, sir.

PITTARD: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Again, what we are seeing is smoke billowing into the sky after we heard three blasts. The mayor of Lviv, this city, says the Russian army struck at Lviv.

We're getting more information. Stay with us. Our special live coverage continues right after this.

[11:13:51]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Welcome back. I'm John Berman in Lviv, in western Ukraine.

The mayor of this city just put out a statement that reads, "The Russian army struck at Lviv. We're waiting for information. Stay in shelters."

We have another statement as well. This comes from the head of the Regional Military Administration who says, "There were three powerful explosions near Lviv. Now there's an air alarm. Keep calm and stay in shelter."

We heard the three bangs, the three explosions. They came from just where you're looking right now. Northeast of where I'm sitting, you know, a couple kilometers from where we are.

I don't know if it's exactly within the city or outside the city walls, but not far. Not far. We're seeing the smoke and we're waiting for information about what was hit.

In the meantime, it comes as Ukrainian officials say forces are now going on the counterattack around the capital region, around Kyiv. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports from Kyiv where a new curfew will kick in in just a few hours.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Ukrainian capital Kyiv is still very much on a war footing. We're right in the city center. And as you can see, there's a tank barrier that was set up here with sandbags, obviously, a defensive position.

And this is something that you really see throughout the entire city, with a lot of checkpoints, a lot of soldiers on the ground, defense forces as well.

And just to give you an idea, we are literally in the city center. Over there, you see the Maidan, of course, right in the middle of the Ukrainian capital. At the same time, though, you do get the sense here right now that the people here have a little more room to breathe. That they feel a little more secure because of some of the gains that the Ukrainian forces have been making.

For instance, at a checkpoint like this one, you do see a lot more vehicle traffic that, for instance, we have been seeing over the past couple of days. There's more cars going through here.

[11:19:54]

PLEITGEN: Nevertheless, of course, the situation still remains very dangerous with Russians saying that they hit a fuel depot just south of the Ukrainian capital and, in general of course, fighting still going on not very far from where we are.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Frederik Pleitgen, in capital of Kyiv. I should also say that we have heard of people heading back to Kyiv, maybe people who have left the country, who fled here to the west, heading back to Kyiv because they think it may be safer to go back there. We will see. We will see over the next few days.

Again, you can still see the smoke rising behind me. The attack on this city in Lviv in western Ukraine comes as President Biden is just over the border in Poland where more than two million refugees from Ukraine have fled.

The United Nations says Russia's invasion here has displaced almost a quarter of Ukraine's population -- displaced more than a quarter of the population here. More than 3.7 million have left the country and nearly half of those going to Poland.

CNN's Melissa Bell is at the Polish border where refugees, mostly women and children, are still arriving. Melissa, what are you seeing?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, this is Przemysl station where so many of those refugees that have moved on to Warsaw and that President Biden has just been speaking to come through.

And I'll just give you an idea of what this platform looks like. Day and night, people arrive, day and night care, aid is given. And I think it's pretty telling what is given at places like this. Basic necessities, toothbrushes, diapers, whatever a fleeing woman and children could need.

This is one of the big crossings into Poland, John. The other is just down the road at Medyka and that is where people arrive, either by car or on foot. Again carrying precious little, but the stories of what they've left behind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BELL: For a month now, they've arrived day and night at Medyka crossing. Mothers and their children carrying little, burdened only by the images of what they've fled.

Tatiana spent more than two weeks getting to Medyka with her niece, nephew and daughter, traveling by day and sheltering in basements at night in fear of the sound of constant shelling. But she says worst of all, the sound of planes at night dropping bombs.

"They drop them on the hospitals where the sick are," she says. "On the bakeries where they make bread so we don't have anything to eat. On the water facilities, so we don't have anything to drink."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The most scared was when the plane --

BELL: For Daria as well, it was the sound of the planes at night that scared her the most on her three-day journey from Kharkiv. It was that sound, she says, that forced her and her son from their first underground shelter.

"As a mom," she says, "I was scared. My son handled it better. It's harder for the mother."

And for a grandmother, perhaps, hardest of all. Larissa (ph) and her daughter Elisabetta (ph) This family escaped from Irpin more than a week ago.

"A shell hit our house," says Elisabetta. "That's it on the fifth floor. We had a Ukrainian flag hanging on the balcony, so they targeted it."

That was when the family decided to flee, heading from Irpin through other occupied towns like Hostomel and Bucha. "People can't get out," says Larissa. "It's too dangerous. Because even if a woman walks out with a white flag and a child, they don't look. They just shoot, kill, they spare no one. Any way, we can't go home now," she says, "because there is no home."

So like millions of others, they head into Europe, after crossing a border they never wanted to have to cross.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELL: John, it is those individual stories of heartbreak, of trauma, of fear and uncertainty about what lies ahead, of worry for their partners, their fathers, their husbands that they've had to leave behind to do the fighting and there is, of course, as you pointed out a moment ago, the extraordinary scale of this. The sheer numbers of women and children who continue to cross these borders day and night.

BERMAN: Yes. they leave their lives behind and they often just don't know where they will go next. It is such a big decision, especially when you have so much concern for what's still happening here in Ukraine.

Melissa Bell, thank you so much for that report. The breaking news here from Lviv in western Ukraine -- explosions,

three explosions. The mayor of this city says the Russian military has attacked this city. We're getting more information about what was hit.

We're also waiting for President Biden who will speak just over the border in Poland in a couple of hours.

Our special live coverage continues right after this.

[11:24:50]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Welcome back.

I'm John Berman in Lviv in western Ukraine where the smoke continues to rise behind me northeast of central Lviv, this city of some 800,000 people in the western part of this country.

The mayor here put out a statement that says the Russian military has struck Lviv. I want to play for you the moment when we heard three explosions. What you'll see is the camera -- a camera on this site right here. You won't see the smoke yet. But if you listen carefully, you will hear three blasts.

Let's listen.

[11:29:52]

BERMAN: So you can hear those three blasts. It followed an air raid siren, air raid warning here. So the people in the city did have warning to go seek shelter before the blasts themselves. And then a few minutes after we heard those explosions, we did see the smoke beginning to rise.

We're waiting for confirmation about what was struck. It doesn't appear to be in the downtown area, it doesn't appear to be I should say. But we're waiting to figure out what exactly the targets were. We'll bring you that information, absolutely, as soon as we get it.

The humanitarian crisis in Europe as millions flee this country is growing greater by the day. The United Nations says more than 3.7 million people have now left Ukraine and gone into the neighboring countries exhausted, hungry. These families in desperate need.

And that's where our next guests come in to help. Joining me now, the co-founders of Mercy Chefs, Gary and Ann LeBlanc. They're serving thousands of meals to refugees in Romania. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

Look, it's truly amazing what a hot meal can do to help people through something like this. What kinds of things are you providing?

GARY LEBLANC, CO-FOUNDER, MERCY CHEFS: Well, we've actually been on the ground since the first of the month. And as we got here, we knew that the need was greater than just hot meals here in Romania. The Romanians have been incredibly open and hospitable.

So we turned our attention toward providing food supplies into Ukraine. So for the last three and a half weeks, Mercy Chefs has moved over a million pounds of food into Sumy, into Kharkiv, Kyiv, even down into Odessa.

And so we've been sending food into the eastern part of the country just as much as we can as quick as we can over the last three weeks.

BERMAN: Mercy Chefs began after the devastation that we all saw during Hurricane Katrina. You know, how did you branch out into going to places worldwide?

LEBLANC: Well, you answer the call. You find the need and you meet the need. And you do whatever you have to do to get the job done. So our first overseas trip was after the Haiti earthquake. And we just began to see that there's a space for us to fill as we move quickly and as we move to the forefront of the need.

BERMAN: You've been on the ground as you said about a month now. What have been some of the unique challenges of this crisis?

ANN LEBLANC, CO-FOUNDER, MERCY CHEFS: Well, we find that there's a little bit of a language barrier. So we've had to find folks that could decipher our list. We're trying to make sure we have complete meal boxes that go in and supply -- you know, we can't reach everyone with a hot meal. But they're able to cook for themselves.

So finding truck drivers that are willing to face the perils of driving across Ukraine and taking these supplies in and finding the right products to send. So it's -- it's been amazing to get a million pounds of food into Ukraine.

BERMAN: Wow. That really is amazing. And you bring up the language barrier. I mean you speak English. You're in Romania and you're helping Ukrainians. So a lot of different languages at play there.

A. LEBLANC: Right.

BERMAN: When you do get a chance to communicate with the people and the refugees and the people you're helping, what are they telling you?

A. LEBLANC: Well, it's JUST heartbreaking when you look into a mom's eyes who has come -- you know, they've left their city, they've left their home. They have a suitcase, and you watch their children clutching their one little stuffed animal that's precious to them. You can take -- they said, you can take one toy with you.

And then they come across not knowing what to expect. There are many that are right across the border in southern Ukraine. So there are multiple refugee centers there that were helping.

But the moms just talk about they're so thankful to be safe and how the Romanian people have reached out and made them feel welcome and have helped them moved on to other parts of Europe where they have jobs and housing and that kind of thing. So it's the hospitality has been second to none.

BERMAN: Gary and Ann LeBlanc really, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for the work you're doing. I know it's so appreciated here. There's so much need and it's because of people like you that these millions of people are finding some of the love that they'll need to get through these coming days. So thank you.

[11:34:59]

G. LEBLANC: Thank you. And you stay safe.

A. LEBLANC: Stay safe.

BERMAN: I want to bring people -- I will. I promise.

Just to bring people up to speed on what is happening here, we did hear three explosions in Lviv in western Ukraine where I am in this city, which has been bustling. This has been the city where people have been coming to safety from the rest of the country.

You know, you walk through the city this morning, we saw booksellers on the streets. We saw, you know, people out for long walks getting coffee in open markets. I even saw a wedding party taking pictures outdoors.

And then hours later from that, you see this, smoke rising to the sky, three explosions. We're waiting for details as to what was hit.

We're also waiting for what is being billed as a major speech by President Biden. Notable, that this strike in Lviv is very close to the Polish border.

President Biden is in Poland, in Warsaw for what the White House is calling a major speech there. He's already met with refugees, an emotional meeting with Ukrainian refugees there.

We're going to bring you that speech live. A lot going on.

CNN's special live coverage continues. Stay with us.

[11:31:04]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Across Ukraine, people are stepping up in the fight against the Russian invasion and that includes one of the country's premier fashion brands. Milla Nova is known for making stunning bridal gowns in Ukraine but know they're using their skills to tailor make attire for the battlefield.

The company is supplying soldiers and medical workers with much-needed assistance during this critical time.

And joining me right now from their workshop, now set up in Poland, the CEO of Milla Nova, Ulyana Kyrychuk. Ulyana, so good to see you. There you are in Warsaw. But home is Lviv, and that's exactly the city where today at this hour we're watching this billowing black smoke and the Ukrainian military confirms that that is the result of some Russian strikes.

You still have family and friends there in Lviv. So tell me what you're thinking and feeling right now as you're looking at this smoke coming from your home.

ULYANA KYRYCHUK, CEO, MILLA NOVA: Actually, I can -- that's kind of the most difficult interview in my life because just 30 minutes ago I have heard that my city was bombed and thanks God I have managed prior to this interview to call my mom just to check on her, if she's ok. So she's fine.

But you know, the city is my heart. And everything I have is there. So it's quite emotional and I'm feeling like -- I'm ready to do everything I can to stop this war because it's impossible to have this feeling on a daily basis.

Honestly think last period of time I cannot feel the difference between feeling about Mariupol or Kyiv or Lviv, so I'm feeling all of those cities the same because that's my country.

But you know, when you know that you have loved all you have there. The biggest wish is to jump into the car and to go back.

WHITFIELD: And Ulyana, I'm so happy that you did reach your mom and your mother and she seems to be ok. At the same time, does hope in a way keep slipping away from you, that you're going to get a chance to go back to Lviv, Ukraine, as this -- these assaults now get closer and closer to home. Or do you still feel very confident that you will get a chance and your fellow Ukrainians will find home there again?

KYRYCHUK: Honestly think I don't have any other opinions. So that's what I am looking forward the most, to go back home. I have been home a week ago. So now I'm leaving, like, for two places partly for Lviv, partly for Warsaw because as you may know we have relocated part of our team of Milla Nova here to Warsaw.

So I'm trying to restore the processes, the business processes to be able to provide the job for the people and ensure that they will have a tomorrow and they will be paid in this month and coming months, and ensure that what they are doing for our -- what we have promised to our customers will be done.

But I have this back from Lviv last weekend. And I was planning to go there in coming days.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

So Ulyana, Tell me about your business. Here you are a fashion designer of one of the more joyful parts of your life, of any woman's life, making beautiful bridal dresses. And now you all have shifted and you're making garments for battle.

What is it that you are creating and how is it you have been able to do that and who is involved in creating these items?

KYRYCHUK: Actually we took this decision from the first day of the war. So we had to visit the plant for official relocation and part of management team has decided to manage this relocation, like implementation of (INAUDIBLE) plant to Warsaw.

[11:44:54]

KYRYCHUK: And on the other hand, we took the decision from the first day to start making those things which was needed for armies.

So actually, we just -- a few people just jumped to the supermarkets to buy materials and we have started from military nets and then we were starting to get a lot of requests from Territory Defenders, from army, from hospitals to help them with the Things they need.

And we cannot do super special things because we don't need a professional equipment for that. But we are doing the best what we can do because we have a super professional team and we have got, like -- we have made all of that overnight and the people were so inspired and so motivated to join these -- this project that we had no question from no one that we should do that.

WHITFIELD: It looks like that we're looking at some video of maybe vests that are created to hold armor and supplies in these images. And we're also looking at your workforce that looks like it's mostly women.

And now are these mostly women who have also left Ukraine and left their brothers, sons, husbands in Ukraine to fight?

KYRYCHUK: Yes. Actually, that's the -- that's the situation for now. So as I have already mentioned, we have left all we have there, their nearest and dearest people. But we have to ensure the security -- at least, you know, we have to ensure the security of children because we have relocated the people with the children together and we are trying to restore work to help -- to help the people, like to get money and also to pay those who remain in Lviv. So that's like --

WHITFIELD: Ulyana Kyrychuk, I wish you and your family the best and do hope that you do ultimately get a chance to return back to your home of Ukraine safely and resume your life.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: You do not feel like you'll ever be able to return home?

KYRYCHUK: No, we are just counting days and hours to get back. So home is home, you know. Our country has no place today to feel secure. At all. Maybe (INAUDIBLE) for woman, for nobody. But that's all we wish (ph) all of us have to return back home.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ulyana, wishing you the best. Thank you so much.

KYRYCHUK: Thank you so much.

For more information about how you can help humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, go to CNN.com/impact.

[11:47:44]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Welcome back. I'm John Berman in Lviv in western Ukraine just an hour's drive from the Polish border.

President Biden speaking over that Polish border very shortly in what the White House is calling a major address. And as that's happening, in broad daylight, you can see behind me smoke rising, three explosions. The mayor of Lviv says the Russian military has struck his city. Three blasts.

We're waiting for information to find out what was hit, but the smoke still very much rising, you know, many minutes, about an hour after we first heard the explosions. So fires must be burning fairly fiercely at that point.

Again, we are waiting for more information. And we'll bring it to you as soon as it comes in.

Since the war began now over one month ago, a full half, half of Ukraine's children have been forced to leave their homes, that's according to UNICEF. Every day there is more destruction, more devastation, more suffering from Russian attacks. And it affects everyday people.

In Chernihiv, new video shows the destruction left after weeks of Russian shelling.

Now, this week, I spoke with a 15-year-old boy from that city. He was forced from his home at gunpoint and barely escaped the city with his life, driving over what he believes was a land mine, an explosion that injured him and took his mother's life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRIY, ESCAPED CHERNIHIV: One second and I see a yellow explosion, sound in ears, and I just remember, like I woke up in road, I see the broken car, and I see my mother in the fire. My mother was --

my mother was still alive while she was on fire. I started crawling from away from the road and then I felt a pain in my left clavicle.

Yes. I had a broken -- I feel blood in my left ear. Then I hear shooting, not from weapons, rockets or something.

[11:54:51]

ANDRIY: And now I cling to stairs and hide here. I screaming one time for two minutes and three. It was very cold. I just being soaked.

BERMAN: You can't walk.

ANDRIY: Can't walk. And some peoples village hear The explosion and those people take us to his house.

They wrapped us in blankets.

BERMAN: and your mother during this, where is --

ANDRIY: She died. She died at that location. And she was still alive when she caught the fire and like was on fire and she just burned.

And when doctors drive me to hospital, I looking for some people from the defense or police to find my father.

BERMAN: You and your father, are you ok in your hearts?

ANDRIY: Father is hard. You understand your wife is dead and you look to your son. I can just end without -- you understand. Now I think I --

-- and myself, I think I haven't realized everything to its full extent.

BERMAN: What do you want the world to know about your mother?

ANDRIY: Sorry.

BERMAN: I'm sorry.

ANDRIY: I want to tell that my mother was a very beautiful woman. She always liked things to be tidy and clean and my father and I, we always (INAUDIBLE) supported her. And right now it's very difficult without mother.

BERMAN: She has a beautiful and brave son.

ANDRIY: Thank you.

BERMAN: And I'm so sorry you've gone through this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: His mother would be so proud. He is so brave. And he is getting through this. He is recovering in a hospital. He's playing music again. He loves to play the guitar.

And he couldn't hear at first after the explosions, but he is now hearing well enough to play the guitar, which he did play for us.

But I just can't imagine what he went through. I can't imagine what he went through, what he saw, telling us that when he left his mother, when he last saw his mother, she was alive but on fire.

Andriy says he plans to return to his hometown once this is over. And when you think of Andriy, remember, he's not the only child who's gone through this. He's not the only person here that's suffering.

We'll be right back.

[11:58:42]

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