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White House Says Biden Not Calling For Regime Change In Russia; On The Scene As Russia Strikes Fuel Storage Facility In Lviv; Volunteer Driver Helps Ukrainian Refugees, Delivers Supplies; Preliminary Toxicology Report Released On Foo Fighters Drummer; Biden Blasts Putin, Says "This Man Cannot Remain In Power; Kharkiv Cellist Brings Beauty To City Amid War. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired March 26, 2022 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRIY, MOTHER KILLED IN BLAST (through translator): I want them to know that my mom was a very beautiful woman. She always liked things to be tidy and clean, and my father and I, we always understood that and supported her. And right now, it's very difficult without mother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Wow. Andriy says he'd like to return to his hometown after the war is over. Just one of so many heartbreaking stories.

Thanks very much for watching. "CNN NEWSROOM" with my good friend Pamela Brown starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Be not afraid, to the brave Ukrainian people showing that their power of many is greater than the will of any one dictator.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It is chaos. We're in a situation, communications aren't great. We're in the middle of a warzone. The mayor is urging people to take shelter. They're urging people to stay in their homes in this neighborhood and to get out of this neighborhood.

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 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.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The notorious Wagner group, a brutal forced believed to be linked to the Kremlin.

What is their objective, do you think, in Ukraine right now?

MARKIYAN LUBKIVSKY, ADVISER TO UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: They wanted to assassinate the leadership of Ukraine, our president and prime minister. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's killing us and our children, and we truly

need help. So we're asking for more weapons in order to be able to save ourselves and the world.

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): We will continue fighting for our land whatever the cost. We will not give up, and we will not lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Hello, and thanks for joining for our continuing special coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I'm Pamela Brown in Washington.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Hello, Pamela. I'm Don Lemon here in western Ukraine live in Lviv.

Near the end of the Cold War, President Reagan called out Russian leader Gorbachev and today in the region of Russia's very real war in Ukraine, President Joe Biden issuing a blistering indictment of Vladimir Putin. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase the people's love for liberty. Brutality will never grind down their will to be free. Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, for free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness. We will have a different future, a brighter future rooted in democracy and principle, hope and light, of decency and dignity, of freedom and possibilities. For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the White House wanted to clarify that, walking back the president's unscripted comment saying that he was not calling for regime change in Russia. President Biden also warning Russia to stay out of Poland and all NATO countries on a day that Russian missiles exploded just an hour's drive from the Polish border.

This is a fuel depot being struck here in Lviv, in western Ukraine. And this is the aftermath. Remarkably, no deaths are reported even though it is in a residential area. I was there on the scene and we'll come back to that in just a few minutes here.

Now a reminder of the heartbreaking toll of Russia's unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation. This afternoon Ukrainian officials say at least 136 children have been killed in the invasion, 199 injured. As of most official reports, the true numbers are almost certainly higher.

We're going to begin our coverage now, this hour, at the White House and CNN's Arlette Saenz.

Arlette, good evening to you. The White House was quick to walk back the president's comments that Putin cannot remain in power. Are they saying he overreached? ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, this marked a

significant escalation in rhetoric from President Biden towards Russian President Vladimir Putin as the Biden administration has been walking a very fine line when it comes to the idea of regime change. Over the past few weeks, top U.S. officials have said that their goal is not to have regime change in Russia. And after the president made those comments, the White House tried to walk it back, saying that he simply meant that Putin should not be able to exert power or control over Ukraine or the region.

But still those comments reverberated, including in Russia, as a top spokesperson for the Kremlin said that that is not a decision that is up to Biden, but it is up to the Russian people themselves. And President Biden's comments came as he delivered a closing speech in Poland, a NATO ally that is a neighbor of Ukraine.

[19:05:04]

And in those comments, the president talked about the commitment to NATO and also issued another warning to Putin. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Yesterday I met with the troops that are serving alongside our Polish allies to bolster NATO's frontline defenses. The reason I wanted to make clear is their movement on Ukraine, don't even think about moving on one single inch of NATO territory. We have a sacred obligation --

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: We have a sacred obligation under Article Five to defend each and every inch of NATO territory with the full force of our collective power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, the president's remarks in Poland capped off a quick last- minute trip to Europe that was really intended to rally Western allies in solidarity with Ukraine and against Russia.

On the ground in Poland today, President Biden also met and saw refugees face to face, just meeting with a few of the four million people who have fled Ukraine since this invasion began. It really brought some emotional moments for the president today.

But bottom line here, as the president is heading back to the United States with those remarks in Poland, he was really trying to lay out the stakes of this battle in Ukraine, also saying that right now that fight between democracies and autocracies is a battle that will go on for years and that Ukraine is the front line of that battle -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Arlette Saenz, beginning our coverage tonight at the White House. Thank you very much.

Now let's get back to that Russian missile strike on the fuel storage facility right here in Lviv where I am. My team and I were among the first news crews to arrive on the scene and bring those images to CNN viewers around the world. Here's what it looked like and sounded like.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: You could hear the flames roaring and what they're concerned about is another one of these tanks exploding. So they're pushing people back until they can get control of this blaze.

You were mentioning how close it is to a neighborhood, it's really close to a neighborhood. It's on the other side. There is a little valley in here, and on the other side of a retention wall.

And, Peter, if you can just go around just a little bit and show them how close this is to a neighborhood real quickly and then we'll get back in the flames. So it's really, really close. This is a neighborhood where everyone has gathered, all of the rescue people, and they've done this on a number of different streets.

So if you'll come back here -- so we're, you know, I guess, within a 10th of a mile or so from where this is happening. But, again, look at those flames. They're just roaring, black smoke coming out of there. And you can see them putting the fire retardant, spraying the fire retardant on this. But, again, as you said it is a chaotic scene. They're running fire hoses through this residential neighborhood, this retention wall and then to the other side of that valley and tanks.

Think of it, as you will, you know, for those of you who live near a chemical plant, you see these large, round storage facilities that carry either fuel or grain, or what have you, that is what is happening here. This is a fuel storage facility northeast of the city. Again, we are told it's not anywhere near where that -- those -- that blast went off just a couple of weeks ago when they hit that airplane repair facility.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And that was just moments ago at the scene. And just remember, just about six weeks ago, Ukraine's emergency responders were handling car accidents and house fires. Today it can be a raging inferno like the fuel depot that we just saw or bullet wounds and shrapnel injuries. The casualties of war, we're talking about. And today's responders are not just Ukrainians answering the call to duty.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is just across the border in Poland for us.

Ed, you rode along with one of the foreign volunteers. Tell us about him.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, you know, today's air strike is a vivid reminder that for tens of thousands of people who have come in here to help Ukrainians, that there is no safe day in that country right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice over): The air raid sirens no longer startle Didrik Gunnestad.

DIDRIK GUNNESTAD, VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE DRIVER: The sirens are telling us it's no danger anymore.

LAVANDERA: With that, he eases the nerves of a mother and her two children he's just picked up at the train station. Tonight, he will drive them to Poland.

Didrik Gunnestad struggles to explain how a 27-year-old from Norway has found himself driving an ambulance through the streets of Lviv.

GUNNESTAD: That's the most difficult question, actually.

LAVANDERA: He's part of a volunteer team evacuating critically ill hospital patients and refugees from Ukraine.

GUNNESTAD: I just wanted to help do something, not sit at home and just look at everything on the TV.

LAVANDERA: Most days, Didrik drives into Lviv from Poland with an ambulance full of medical supplies and distributes the loads to hospitals facing grave shortages.

[19:10:10]

Zoryana Ivanyuk is the medical director of the St. Nicholas Hospital in Lviv. She says since the start of the war, her hospital has been overwhelmed treating every day seriously ill patients.

ZORYANA IVANYUK, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, ST. NICHOLAS HOSPITAL, LVIV: He brings us some medicine, some equipment which we need so much. That's why we are thankful for him and his team. It's really a dream team.

LAVANDERA: Hospitals are struggling to handle all the patients needing critical lifesaving care. That's where Didrik's team comes in.

GUNNESTAD: We have just delivered a lot of equipment to that hospital and to another hospital. We went to the train station and picked up a few refugees as well.

LAVANDERA: He's lost count of how many patients and refugees he's driven out of Ukraine.

GUNNESTAD: I have helped a lot of kids, women and children who needs to go out of the country, and in the places we are getting the people, they don't have anyone else. For right now, they only have us.

LAVANDERA: Didrik and his team of paramedics and nurses have spent almost three weeks crisscrossing the city, answering any call for help that comes in.

(On-camera): How stressful is it to drive around Ukraine right now?

GUNNESTAD: Oh, my God. It's horrific and it's not possible to explain.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): This area of western Ukraine has seen just a few Russian airstrikes since the war started nearly a month ago, but Russian forces have targeted hospitals and civilians in eastern Ukraine. Didrik knows he's driving into potential targets. It's a risk he's willing to take.

(On-camera): Is doing this worth dying for, for you?

GUNNESTAD: Yes, it is.

LAVANDERA: Why?

GUNNESTAD: Because it's so meaningful what I'm doing. When I see these crying children who are really sick and needs to get out, I feel a responsibility.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): For Didrik Gunnestad, it feels like the road to saving Ukrainians goes on forever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: And Don, I spoke with Didrik just a little while after those airstrikes and explosions ripped through Lviv. He told me that he was actually relatively close to that area. He had three patients in the back of his ambulance and that it took him a little while to figure out what this noise was, what those explosions were. But as soon as they figured out, they turned around and just hightailed it for the Polish border.

They made it across safely tonight, and in his view, that's three more Ukrainians who don't have to live in that -- living out the horror of what is unfolding in Ukraine -- Don.

LEMON: Wow. Ed, the volunteers here and beyond, just extraordinary. Ed Lavandera in Przemysl, Poland on the border. Thank you very much, Ed. We appreciate it.

Pam, that's the latest on the region. Now back to you in Washington.

BROWN: All right, thanks. I'll take it from here, Don.

Retired General Larry Spencer joins us now. He served as vice chief of staff in the Air Force.

Hi, General. Nice to have you on the show. So I want to start with these comments by President Biden today when he said that Putin cannot remain in power. Now the White House tried to play cleanup afterward and said he wasn't calling for a regime change, but can the Kremlin hear this as anything other than an escalation in your view?

GEN. LARRY SPENCER (RET.), FORMER VICE CHIEF OF STAFF, U.S. AIR FORCE: Well, perhaps, but, you know, I think the president's comments were clarified. The point is the president was over with our allies trying to shore up that support. So far, the fact that NATO partners have stood shoulder to shoulder throughout this ordeal is something that Mr. Putin does not like. And so as long as we do that and the president knows we're at an inflection point, as long as NATO stays together, the president knows that, you know, we're going to stay ahead of this thing.

BROWN: I want to get your take on what we heard from a top military official in Russia, a top general saying that its military, Russian military, is focusing on the Donbas region, that essentially Russia has been encircling these other cities all to take away the attention of Ukrainian forces so that they can take over the Donbas region. What do you think about that? Is this hinting at a shift in strategy, moving the goalpost? What's your take?

SPENCER: Well, that's the million-dollar question. I mean think about this. You know, the Russian military came in to Ukraine, and I think it was Mike Tyson who said, you know, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. The Russian military got punched in the face. I mean, the equipment, the Javelins, which are anti-tank, shoulder- mounted weapons, the logistics, they didn't work out.

We all saw the lines miles and miles long of equipment and tanks just standing there, not able to move. The fact that they have centralized control so their field commanders aren't very innovative.

[19:15:02]

They don't have the ability to adapt and overcome. And probably the most important is Ukraine has the leadership and the will to fight. The Russian military does not. So whether or not this is a pause to perhaps try to claim some territory and try to have a peace settlement or a cease-fire or an attempt to just pause for a second and sort of get their -- you know, get a second breath and escalate, that's what remains to be seen. But I think that's why it was so important for the president to be forceful today and to make sure that he understood that NATO continues to stand shoulder to shoulder and will not tolerate their entrance into a NATO country.

BROWN: And I want to talk about that because there is concern that something could happen accidentally or that Russia could deploy chemical weapons in Ukraine. You've been hearing a lot that from officials, and the concern is that perhaps a plume from chemical weapons that could be deployed could end up in a NATO country. There's all kinds of scenarios. The Biden administration has warned that there would be severe consequences if Putin deploys chemical weapons.

But the administration has also taken a fair amount off the table, such as saying there is going to be no boots on the ground. There's going to be no -- a no-fly zone. So what could those severe consequences be in your view?

SPENCER: Yes, my personal view is we ought not to be so clear and public about what we're not going to do. That's my personal view. That said, chemical attack, biological attack, tactical nuclear attack would clearly be an escalation. Let's be clear. You know, a chemical attack or a biological attack, those are weapons of mass destruction. And so frankly I think it's OK that we're not telegraphing what we're going to do.

We've been clear that that would be a line that would warrant a response. There's no question about that. And there's options. Obviously, you know, we have our full complement of options ranging from economic to military and everything in between. So I think the fact that they aren't being specific about what the response would be is probably a good thing. But they have been clear there will be a response.

BROWN: All right. General Larry Spencer, thank you so much for coming on and sharing your perspective on this on the show.

SPENCER: Thank you for having me.

BROWN: And still to come, tributes to a rock and roll icon. Fans paying their respects tonight to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, whose life was cut tragically short. We're getting some new details this hour on the circumstances of his death.

Also tonight, Don speaks to a musician in Ukraine who plays amid the ruins.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:22:24]

BROWN: Well, we're getting some breaking news this hour on the death of rock and roll hall of famed drummer Taylor Hawkins. He died Friday at the age of 50. CNN entertainment reporter Chloe Melas joins me now from New York.

So what are you learning about this, Chloe?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Pamela. Well, Colombia's attorney general's office has just released what they're calling a, quote, "forensic medical study" in regards to Taylor Hawkins' death on Saturday. So it states that a preliminary urine toxicology test was carried out and that 10 substances were found, among them including THC, tricyclic antidepressants, and benzodiazepines and opioids.

CNN, we have reached out to Hawkins' representatives for further comment. We have not heard anything back. They also state that they're going to continue to investigate his cause of death in a timely manner and that there will be more information.

But, you know, Pamela, the tributes are pouring out all over the world from artists like Miley Cyrus, saying that she's dedicating her performance tonight to him in his honor. So many musicians are taking to social media, and I spoke to someone who knew him from the beginning. Former VH1 president, well known music executive Tom Calderone, who spoke to me about his legacy. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM CALDERONE, FRIEND OF HAWKINS: My recollection with Taylor is simply one word. It's just joy. You know, there are people smarter than me that can talk about what a great technique drummer he was and everything. But when you're behind the drum kit, it's hard to be a rock star, but he was a rock star. And he was one of those guys that just people 8 to 80 would just smile when they saw him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MELAS: And that's what people are saying all over the world right now. Vigils, you know, they were supposed to take the stage in Bogota, Colombia, at a music festival, Pamela. And fans were standing out there, and just about 10 minutes before they were set to take the stage, the Foo Fighters announced in a statement that they were devastated and that he died.

And the main stage became a vigil with photos, I mean candles and people standing out there crying, and his name put up there saying, "Taylor Hawkins Forever" in Spanish on all of the screens there. And it was incredibly emotional. And then fans gathering outside of his hotel.

BROWN: Wow. I imagine it was such a shock to all the concertgoers who were there to find that out just before it was supposed to start. Tell us about this 9-year-old drummer Hawkins plucked out of a crowd just days before his death, and they took this really sweet photo.

[19:25:09]

MELAS: Yes. Oh, my goodness. So this is just a testament to the tributes and to what Tom was saying. This is who Taylor Hawkins was, a genuine, incredible, kind human being. So while he was in Paraguay for a music festival that ended up being canceled due to really, really bad weather, a 9-year-old girl, she was actually -- she set up her drum kit outside of his hotel.

Even though he didn't perform, she goes down there with her family, and she starts playing. And guess who came down? You know what I'm going to say. Taylor Hawkins, he came down. He listened to her. He spoke to her. He took a photo with her, and people were gathering around, and her name was Emma Sofia, and her father, Julio, he told CNN that she was inspired to play the drums by her uncle, who was a huge Foo Fighters fan and that this was just an incredible moment for her.

That even though they didn't get to see him take the stage with the Foo Fighters to perform because it was canceled, that she got this incredible moment and just days before his untimely and just tragic death.

BROWN: No doubt something that she will cherish for the rest of her life. Wow, Chloe Melas, thank you.

President Biden says Vladimir Putin, quote, "cannot remain in power." How might that be received by Russia's President Putin?

I'll ask former director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:31:04]

LEMON: President Biden declaring Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power. It closed out his fiery speech today in Warsaw, Poland. But less than an hour later, the White House walked back his remarks saying Biden was not referencing regime change in Russia.

BROWN: Let's bring in CNN national security analyst and former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper. Hi there.

So let's first get your reaction to President Biden saying that Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power?

JAMES CLAPPER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I think the President was being President Biden. He was saying out loud what a lot of people actually would hope for and I think I know him well enough from my exposure with him when he was Vice President that I think he had seen and visited with some Ukrainian refugees, and I think that probably affected him emotionally.

And I think that that that statement just came out, because I think he believes it. I think Putin will be very surprised by it. There is no love lost between the two of them personally anyway. So I think President Biden can count on not getting a Christmas card from President Putin.

BROWN: Yes, I think that's safe to say after he has also called him, you know, a butcher and all kinds of other personal insults -- a war criminal and so forth.

But I wanted to hit on something that you said. You said, this is what a lot of people around the world are probably thinking that Putin shouldn't remain in power. But if you would just explain to our viewers what the concern from the White House would have been, why the White House thought it was so important to clean up those comments to say: Oh, he wasn't talking about, you know, Putin's power in Russia. He was talking about his power over neighboring countries. Just why was that so important to do?

CLAPPER: Well, you know, I am not sure, Pamela, I think that perhaps a legal nicety to attend to, and, you know, holding out some hope that Putin will somehow agree to meaningful negotiations, which I think is, you know, personally it is not a lost cause, but I think you have to -- you have to hope for diplomacy. So it really didn't bother me that much.

Witnessing the criminal wanton mindless killing and destruction in Ukraine, to me, it's just logical that we need to get rid of this guy. And I think actually, the President may have -- his intended audience, may well have been the Russian people to the extent that what President Biden said could get through to the Russian people.

BROWN: Right.

CLAPPER: So I kind of think that was the real audience. And I thought the statement from the Russian Kremlin spokesman, you know, it was pretty temperate. You know, this is a decision that is up to the Russian people.

BROWN: Yes, it was not as forceful or fiery as one may have expected from the President's spokesperson in Russia. I want to get your thoughts on this. I interviewed the chief cyber defense official in the U.S. who warned that Russia could soon launch disruptive and/or destructive attacks, cyberattacks based on Intelligence that U.S. officials have.

Do you think this is the moment the Russians have been waiting for, to strike the U.S. hard on the cyber front? Is that a concern for you?

CLAPPER: Well, it has been from the outset. In fact, to be honest, it has been kind of a mystery to me why the Russians haven't been more aggressive with cyberattacks in the United States, against the United States. And I would guess that the basis for the warning which is very appropriate probably is that the Russians have been detected reconnoitering certain networks, and that, obviously would be an indicator that they are contemplating doing something which could be an attack.

[19:35:19]

CLAPPER: So the warning is appropriate. But again, it is somewhat surprising to me they haven't done something already.

BROWN: Yes, a lot of people are saying that there are all kinds of different theories for why that hasn't happened yet, but no one can say for sure. I want to ask you about this, the President warning Putin not to move within a single inch of NATO territory. How concerned are you that this could spill over into a NATO country either intentionally or by accident?

CLAPPER: Well, that's been my concern from the get-go given the potential for a long round or short round or some unintentional, say missile attack, or a missile that lands inadvertently in a NATO state. And then, of course, then the test will be living up to those words, you know, not one inch of NATO territory would be compromised.

But I do -- I am concerned about that, and this a recent attack against the oil depot in Lviv is case and point. Lviv, as you know, pretty close to the Polish border. Had that missile gone long -- whatever was going along, we'd have a sub crisis on our hands, I guess.

BROWN: Yes, that's right. James Clapper, thank you so much.

You mention Lviv, and that is where we find our Don Lemon who actually wasn't so far away from where that happened -- Don.

LEMON: Yes. And by the way, fascinating conversation with the Director there, Pamela.

I want to talk about -- you have to watch this next story. One Ukrainian musician is creating a startling contrast, playing beautiful music at sites of dire destruction and I asked him why he does this and how he feels about seeing beautiful cities destroyed.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:41:47]

LEMON: Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv on the other side of the country from me, it has been really under Russian siege for weeks. It has been left almost unrecognizable, much of the city in ruin, and thousands of its citizens have fled.

One local musician is trying to bring what beauty he can to his home by performing for those who remain.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: Haunting melodies amid the shattered buildings of Kharkiv, one Ukrainian musician using his art to raise support for his besieged hometown, and bring some beauty to his exhausted neighbors in a city that has seen more than a thousand buildings and too many lives destroyed by Russian bombs.

I'm so happy to be joined now from Kharkiv by cellist, Denys Karachevtsev. Denys, thank you so much for joining us.

DENYS KARACHEVTSEV, CELLIST: Thank you.

LEMON: You know, even in the devastation, you're still finding a way to use your art. What made you decide to go outside and do this?

KARACHEVTSEV: It was an idea: How could I help my people? How can I be helpful for my country and for my city? And it was my way to do it. I hope that each other of us can help each other on their places.

I'm a musician, and I want to help my country, but this way.

LEMON: You know, you were born in Kharkiv, but you traveled and performed with orchestras all over the world. Tell me why you decided to stay despite the danger.

KARACHEVTSEV: I decided to stay in my native town because I really love it. And I really love people who live there. And I just want to help people, and I really know that in this place, I can do it well.

LEMON: Yes. This isn't just music. I understand that you're not just doing this musical project. You're also volunteering where you can, helping people evacuate, get access to humanitarian aid. Has that work become more difficult as this siege continues?

KARACHEVTSEV: Well, it was not easy from the first day, but I'm trying to -- I'm trying to do anything I can every minute I can, every minute to remind people.

LEMON: You know, I'm here in Lviv, and the beauty, the architecture, the arts, really important. It plays a big part in the culture and I know that until a month ago, you were teaching and you were performing music.

Your city was a growing hub of Ukrainian culture. What has it been like to see the buildings in the streets that you pass every single day destroyed by this invasion?

[19:45:19]

KARACHEVTSEV: I know the war is a terrible thing and many terrible things happening right now every day. Every day we hear some shelling, some explosions and it was really hard, but I want to say that -- my project, I want to say -- I want to say that we are strong and we are together and together we can build our city and do anything together -- everything.

LEMON: Do you think Kharkiv can come back from this? You said you want to rebuild? Do you think it can come back?

KARACHEVTSEV: Yes, I will hope and I will hope we will win and rebuild everything. And one thing about it, I choose to play Bach's Fifth Suite for cello solo because it is most dramatic works for cello solo by Bach's Suits, and it had spiritual meaning. It's about the crucifixion of Christ and I know that after crucifixion will be a resurrection.

LEMON: I just want to make sure that our viewers understand you chose Bach for this and you said it's a depiction of Christ and resurrection, is that what you just said?

KARACHEVTSEV: I chose Bach's Fifth Suit for solo because it has spiritual meaning. It' symbolizes the crucifixion of Christ and it's the most dramatic works for cello solo by Bach, and I believe that after crucifixion, it will be the resurrection.

LEMON: I want to know your message -- what message you have to people who are listening across the world tonight and what they can do to help?

KARACHEVTSEV: My message, we have to do every moment what we can to help our people and our country.

LEMON: Denys, thank you so much. Best of luck to you, okay. We really appreciate you joining us.

KARACHEVTSEV: Thank you for your attention. Thank you.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: So many artists like Denys trying to help lift the people's spirits and remind people of the beauty of Ukraine, cellists, violinists. My colleagues have been featuring dancers, and many, many artists -- painters who are trying to help the folks here and we appreciate what they're doing.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:53:16]

LEMON: This week's CNN Hero salutes the strength, courage, and resilience of Ukrainian people. We share this tribute to them.

Score to John Legend's "Never Break."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: we came to volunteer because we know that it's our home here.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE speaking in foreign language.).

TRANSLATION: Glory to Ukraine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a full-fledged war, and in a very difficult situation, we all resist and we will continue to resist.

(PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION: We will be defending our country because our weapon is truth and our truth is that this is our land, our country. This is what is what I wanted to tell you.

Glory to Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: CNN's audience has already contributed more than $6.8 million towards humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Find out how you can help and watch the full-length salute to the Ukrainian people at CNNheroes.com.

We'll be right back

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:59:37]

BROWN: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Pamela Brown in Washington.

LEMON: Good to be with you, Pamela. I'm Don Lemon live in Lviv, Ukraine where it's just after 2:00 AM Sunday morning.

This is a night of fire and fury here in Lviv from Russian missile attacks here this afternoon where we heard the explosions and then saw the terrifying results firsthand, to the leader of the free world unleashing his anger of Vladimir Putin, so angry in fact that tonight, the White House walking back the most dramatic words of his speech across the border in Warsaw, words that the President didn't have in his prepared remarks to the world.

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