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U.S. Officials Dubious of Russia's Statements; Russian Forces Targeted Government Office in Mariupol; U.K. Officials Don't Buy Russia's Lies; Family Survived in Mariupol Theater Bombing; Russia Wants to Depopulate Ukraine. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 30, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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.

We begin with Russia's announcement that it will drastically reduce its military activities in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv. U.S. intelligence officials say that may be true, but they're warning of increased attacks on areas in the south and east, and perhaps this is also they say a repositioning not a drawdown.

Mariupol is one city that has been absolutely devastated by Russian forces. New satellite images show what used to be a neighborhood, with houses and two separate apartment complexes. The homes, you can see there from the skies, completely destroyed. And you can see the streets filled with debris.

This next video, we warn you is very graphic and disturbing. It's one of the first videos in weeks from the Kyiv suburb of Irpin. And you can see that the city looks like an apocalyptic wasteland. Buildings destroyed. Dead bodies in cars. And on the streets, we've obscured the bodies. Ukrainian troops claim they have recaptured the town just a few days ago after weeks of intense Russian attacks.

CNN crews on the ground in Kyiv report the sound of major rocket and artillery fire. The Pentagon says a small number of Russian forces have moved away from the capital in the past few days. But as we mentioned earlier, it is likely more of a repositioning then a withdrawal.

CNN's Alex Marquart has more on the conflict from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): New signs that Russia's war in Ukraine may be entering a different phase. The Russian ministry of defense announced on Tuesday that it intends to drastically reduce hostilities on two fronts. Around the capital Kyiv, and the northern city of Chernihiv which has been battered by the Russian assault.

It's an acknowledgment, a top Ukrainians general said that Russia's effort to take Kyiv has failed so it is focusing elsewhere. But the Biden administration is warning of more violence to come.

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: Nobody should be fooling ourselves by the Kremlin's now recent claim that it will suddenly just reduce military attacks near Kyiv or any reports that it's going to withdraw all its forces.

Has there been some movement by some Russian units away from Kyiv in the last day or so? Yes. We think so. Small numbers. But we believe this is a repositioning not a real withdrawal. And that we all should be prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine.

MARQUARDT: In Turkey, a new round of talks took place between Ukraine and Russia where the Turkish foreign minister announced that they made the most progress to date. A top American diplomat, Secretary of State Tony Blinken expressed skepticism. Saying the U.S. has yet to see a signs of real seriousness by Russia.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're going to focus on what they do, and not on what they say. And what Russia is doing is the continued militarization of Ukraine and its people. And that continues as we speak.

MARQUARDT: An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said enough progress had been made for a possible head-to-head meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin which Zelenskyy has been asking for, and Putin has been rejecting.

But while officials talk, the Russian bombardment continues. The Russian focus now, according to Russian, Ukrainian, and American officials is Ukraine's south and east.

In the southern city of Mykolaiv, an administration building was hit on Tuesday morning. The impact of the blast visibly shaking this camera. At least 12 people were killed, emergency workers say, and more than 30 wounded.

The port city of Mariupol is a shell of its former self. The mayor says over 150,000 residents are still besieged without water, power or heat.

"We had a beautiful life, just beautiful," this woman said. "Now we have nothing. Just nothing."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT (on camera): Ukraine says there can be no peace deal without a full Russian withdrawal from the country. And while Ukraine is now agreeing to remain neutral, and not try to join NATO, they say that other countries now need to guarantee their security and possible future conflicts.

That neutrality, according to an aide to President Zelenskyy, would be voted on by the Ukrainian people in a country wide referendum.

[03:05:04]

Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

GORANI: CNN's international diplomatic Nic Robertson is live this hour in Brussels. But we begin with our Clare Sebastian in London with the very latest on these Russian troop movements, and what's some western officials are saying is really not exactly panning out on the ground. Those promises made at the negotiating table, Clare.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Hala. It's interesting because the Russian deputy defense minister who spoke about this to Russian state media yesterday, said that the stated aim of what he called this radical, sort of, reduction in hostilities around Chernihiv and Kyiv, he said that the ultimate goal was to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations.

Now that is not panning out. One, because we see evidence from our teams on the ground from the bombardment, particularly around Kyiv continues, and two, because the big question here is, is Russia rebranding its perceived failure, actual failure to take key cities in Ukraine as this reduction in hostilities to support the talks?

We're hearing from Ukraine, certainly, that that's part of this, that Russia has failed to meet its target on the ground. We heard this morning from the U.K. ministry of defense, they're saying that Russian units are suffering heavy losses and have been forced to return to Belarus to resupply.

They say that the Russian statement that it wants to refocus, this came last week on Donetsk and Luhansk, the Donbas region, is a sign that they're unable to sustain more than one access of advance. So that is a potential question here. Is Russia simply using this as a way to say they're supporting the talks? But meanwhile, they're having trouble advancing on the ground.

GORANI: And Nic Robertson, where are we in these diplomatic talks? Obviously, there's very, very little trust on the Ukrainian side for anything that the Russians say at this stage.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, I think perhaps the most high-level diplomatic meeting came yesterday by phone call. President Macron of France talking to President Putin at the Kremlin. The Elysee Palace, President Macron's readout of that stated how important it was that the humanitarian situation, the terrible humanitarian situation in Mariupol is relieved.

The Elysee believe that about 170,000 residents in that city are running short of food, of water, and in a desperate situation and need safe humanitarian corridors to be -- to be able to get out of the city. Ukrainian government officials say that they have their security forces in that city, trying to sort of form a ring of defense to protect those civilians. But the Kremlin's readout from that diplomatic phone call, the

Kremlin's readout of the solution for the situation in Mariupol was for the Ukrainian forces there to simply put down their weapons. In essence, surrender. I think that gives an insight into where Russia feels diplomacy is headed at the moment.

The reality is, that Russia is refocusing its forces and effort, it says, on the Donbas region which is one of its stated goals at the beginning, to support the pro- Russian separatists in the east of Ukraine. They're refocusing and re-branding, as Clare was saying, that the military efforts.

But that's in complete contrast to what's President Zelenskyy is calling for. Which is for Russian forces to leave, and for international security guarantees to protect Ukraine when it, or at, if it can become and declare its neutrality after a referendum.

So, I think these positions just tell you how far apart things still stand despite that level of optimism that came from the talks, or following the talks in Istanbul yesterday. The cold light of day reveals a scenario that really hasn't shifted forward meaningfully, diplomatically since yesterday.

GORANI: Interestingly, we saw markets rally a bit. We saw the price of oil go down. So, after these headlines emerge from these talks. When do we meet next, Clare?

SEBASTIAN: Well, the talks are apparently continuing, according to the Ukrainian side, Hala, 24/7. The adviser to the Ukrainian president did say, as Nic pointed out, that this is advancing to the point where there may be a face-to-face meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

We interestingly have not heard from the Russian side on that. They have been much more reticent on that idea from the beginning. But they are, he said continuing to talk remotely 24/7. So we watch the progress on that.

But meanwhile, Hala, it's worth pointing out that if this moment is -- a sign more of Russian military failure than it is of Russian diplomatic commitment, that is a dangerous situation.

[03:09:58]

The U.K. defense ministry pointing out this morning that Russia is likely to continue to compensate for its reduced ground maneuver capability through mass artillery and missile strikes.

So, a dangerous moment for Ukraine. And one that's prompting Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president to continue to call for increased military aid from the west.

GORANI: Clare Sebastian in London, Nic Robertson in Brussels, thanks to both of you.

And a lot more to come on CNN, the harrowing story of a woman and her family who survived that Mariupol theater bombing earlier this month? You'll hear their story coming up.

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[03:15:00]

GORANI: The humanitarian crisis is growing worse by the day in some parts of Ukraine. A city council official in Izyum says no aid has arrived there in more than two weeks. No food, no water, no medicine. And he says there's been no pause in the bombing.

The city in eastern Ukraine remains under a Russian blockade. Across Ukraine, an estimated six and a half million people are internally displaced, almost four million others have fled the country.

A survivor of the Mariupol theater attack is speaking to CNN about her family's terrifying experience. About 300 people were killed when Russian bombed the theater earlier this month according to Ukrainian officials. The theater was being used as a civilian shelter in that besieged city. Housing up to 1,300 people.

Here's CNN's Ivan Watson with one woman's heartbreaking story of survival.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This was the Mariupol Drama Theater before Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. A cultural and architectural symbol of the city. And when the Russian military late its deadly siege of Mariupol, the theater became a safe haven. We

MARIA KUTNYAKOVA, FAMILY SURVIVED MARIUPOL THEATER BOMBING: Six people like with a cat, we go in the street and Russian started shooting us. We were running with craziness. And then we go to the theater, and you know what, in the theater there is a lot of people. There was like, we're OK, we have a food. They gave us a tea and they said you should find a place where you could like a, like a bed.

WATSON: This woman and her family recently escaped from Mariupol.

KUTNYAKOVA: My name is Maria Kutnyakova. I'm from Mariupol. I'm Maria for Mariupol.

WATSON: On the morning of March 16th, Maria, her mother, sister, and cat joined hundreds of other civilians sheltering in the theater. Footage from March 10th shows families huddled there in the dark. Feeling protected, perhaps, by the signs "ditey" children in Russian, that volunteers posted outside the building.

Shortly after arriving, Maria went to check whether an uncle who lived nearby was still alive.

KUTNYAKOVA: Now, I'm hearing the noise of the plane, like bombs plane. We know how it's a -- you know, how it's -- this noise because is bombed every day.

WATSON: She returned to the theater to find it destroyed.

KUTNYAKOVA: So, I understand that my family is in the theater. And everyone screaming their names. You know, like, mama, papa, lola (Ph), Sacha. And I'm started calling like, mom, gala.

WATSON: Footage of the immediate aftermath shows dazed civilians covered in dust while the roof over the main auditorium had completely collapsed.

KUTNYAKOVA: When the theater was bombed my sister was standing with the window, and the window was like blown up. And she's fallen down. And my mom was in another part of the theater and the wall had fallen to her.

WATSON: Maria's mother and sister were wounded, but survived.

Your sister, is she doing all right?

KUTNYAKOVA: No.

WATSON: Really?

KUTNYAKOVA: She's like concussion.

WATSON: She's got a concussion.

KUTNYAKOVA: Yes, yes, yes.

WATSON: Shortly after the initial strike on the theater, Maria says what was left of the building came under a fresh artillery attack.

KUTNYAKOVA: Everyone started screaming that the theater is on fire. So, we should run. And we're running, but Russians bombed it. So, we're running from the theater and bombs was like this, this.

WATSON: It eventually took nine days for Maria and her family to get through Russian checkpoints and reach relative safety in Ukrainian- controlled territory.

You seem very positive in upbeat right now.

KUTNYAKOVA: I understand that I'm very lucky. I'm very -- you understand like thousands and hundreds of people are still in Mariupol and they're bombed. They have no food, no water, they have no medicine, nothing. And I understand I'm very lucky. Like, I have my arms, I have my legs, what else do I need anymore, nothing.

WATSON: And your family.

KUTNYAKOVA: Yes, and my family. My cat is safe.

WATSON: This is little Mushka (Ph), she's a two-year-old cat, and she survived the bombing of the Mariupol theater with her family. And they're now headed to western Ukraine in this bus.

But no one knows how many people may have died under the rubble. Russia has denied that its forces bombed the theater, and Russian state TV recently showed what was left of it after Russian troops moved into this part of the city.

Judging by the damage, the Russian reporter claimed, it was bombed from the inside. He alleges there is information that Ukrainian nationalists organized a terrorist attack here, a claim that people inside the theater strongly reject.

[03:20:02]

Are you angry right now?

KUTNYAKOVA: No. I want that Russians just go away. This is Ukrainian territory. I don't understand why they come in and tell me that it's not my land. They're not fighting with the army. They're fighting with every citizen. You know? They're bombing hospitals, they bombed kindergartens, they bombed the houses of peaceful people, they're not fighting with the armies.

WATSON: Maria and her family rushed to a waiting van. The driver will take them for free to western Ukraine where Maria hopes her sister can safely recover from her injuries.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Interesting that the survivor said that after the initial bombing, the theater was attacked again.

Dr. Ulana Suprun served as Ukraine's acting minister of health from 2016 to 2019. She's also the director of the NGO ArcUA. She joins me now from Kyiv with more. Talk to us about your operation right now with the country essentially at war with Russia, invaded by its much larger neighbor. What is your work centered around the last few weeks?

ULANA SUPRUN, UKRAINE'S FORMER ACTING MINISTER OF HEALTH: Well, the last few weeks we've mostly been helping to supply medical supplies to both the military and civilians, and have been tracking what's been going on with the civilian targeting.

One of the things that's most disturbing now, is that the Russians are specifically targeting civilian targets, civilian infrastructure, including hospitals. The ministry of health has reported that 264 medical facilities have been damaged by bombing or attacks by the Russian army, 13 of which have been completely destroyed.

I spoke to the director of one of the hospitals in the Chernihiv Oblast. He said his hospital had been completely destroyed, and he was looking for a generator, because currently they were just keeping people, any -- anybody who they could find that survived the bombing in the hospital to keep them safe.

These kinds of events are happening all over Ukraine, and it's a horrible experience for the women, like the woman who spoke to you earlier today. Bombing indiscriminately, the city of Mariupol has been destroyed.

A person who I am close with who also left Mariupol told me about the bombing of the hospital there, both as the obstetrical hospital, as well as the emergency hospital. They're no longer even ready to take patients anymore because the hospital is so destroyed that the building cannot have any patients within it.

GORANI: And it's your belief that this is being done deliberately? That the Russian military is deliberately targeting medical facilities in Ukraine?

SUPRUN: Yes, definitely deliberately targeting medical facilities. They've shot up ambulances, and about 60 of them are no longer even functional because they've been damage to the point where the motors don't work anymore. They are deliberately targeting civilians to cause fear and panic. It's a form of ethnic cleansing.

The fear and panic causes people to leave the area, and Russia is depopulating Ukraine of Ukrainians. Their plan is eventually to bring Russian nationals into those areas and repopulate it with Russian nationals and take over the country to have it as their own.

GORANI: So, how do you resist against this type of assault that you see as a deliberate attack on these medical facilities? How do you, I mean, I know that you, your organization resupplies with medicine. I mean, once the building is destroyed, what can you do?

SUPRUN: Well, what we can do is help to have another facility take over the medical care for patients. Have those people who are inside the hospitals get evacuated to safer areas, and also for the physicians and the medical workers to be able to have a place to work.

Mainly, what we can do is continue to fight, continue to regain territory, and control over the territory of Ukraine. And also, to get help from our partners so that we have surface-to-air missiles and airplanes, so that we can protect Ukraine's air space, and Ukraine's cities and keep them safe.

GORANI: So, in terms of medicine and medical equipment, what's the situation like across Ukraine. What is missing, what more is needed, can you give us a kind of big picture look at that?

[03:24:56]

SUPRUN: Well, even in war, chronic diseases continue. And so, there is a lack of medicines like insulin, cardiovascular disease, hypertension medicines, and those types of medicines are being provided now by humanitarian organizations, the World Health Organization.

Sometimes though it's difficult to get those medicines into the cities, because of the blockades, as we heard from the city of Izyum, the blockades from even any humanitarian aid getting in. The volunteer organizations that are working in Ukraine are doing such a massive heroic amount of work. They're actually getting into a lot of the cities that even humanitarian organizations can't get into. We are -- we are gathering as much as we can, in the sense of

humanitarian aid to get it to those people, but unfortunately, those who are left behind are usually the elderly and children. Those that are too sick to be able to be transported out of the cities. So those are really the greatest needs that we see.

GORANI: Dr. Ulana Suprun, thank you very much for joining us from Kyiv, and good luck to you and your teams on the ground.

And still to come --

SUPRUN: Thank you.

GORANI: -- on CNN, why food insecurity in some of the world's most vulnerable countries, but elsewhere as well, is likely to get worse due to the war in Ukraine. Our report on the ground is coming up.

[03:30:00]

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GORANI: There is skepticism about Russia's promise to scale back operations around Ukraine's capital and another city. Take a look.

Well, artillery fire can be heard in the distance around Kyiv. The Pentagon is warning that the movement of a small number of Russian troops there is more of a repositioning than a withdrawal.

We're seeing new satellite images of the destruction after 34 days of war in Mariupol. Entire city blocks have been obliterated. Apartment complexes destroyed. The mayor says 160,000 people remain in the city.

We have to warn you that the next video we're about to show you is graphic. This is from Irpin, it's a western suburb of Kyiv. The destruction is absolutely jaw dropping and tragic. Ukrainian forces say they have pushed Russian troops out but look what it took to do so. Bodies seen lying on the streets and sometimes in cars.

Every day Russians are starting to feel the squeeze of international sanctions from the war that some don't support. It's hard to know exactly how many support it and how many don't. But now even the most basic groceries are hard to come by in that country. And that is something that everyone is noticing.

Anna Stewart has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: People are fighting for sugar. The words of the woman filming this video in a Moscow supermarket. The shop worker asking people to stay calm and to stop fighting. In another video posted to Telegram, you can hear shouting. As sugar just arrived doesn't even make it onto the shelf before shoppers grab it.

Inflation hit more than 14 percent in Russia. And economist Anders Aslund expects it to reach 50 percent by the end of the year. ANDERS ASLUND, ECONOMIST & FORMER SR. FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: The

sanctions hit everybody wanted to cash their rubles from the bank accounts as fast as possible. And then (Inaudible) hard currency and (Inaudible) before the prices had their increase.

STEWART: According to official government statistics in Russia, certain goods have seen huge price increases. Compared to last year, sugar is 37 percent more expensive. The prices for bananas and tomatoes are up by around 50 percent. And rises albeit smaller across a whole range of household staples.

What you see here, empty shelves, is largely the result of panic buying and some supermarkets have placed limits on how much customers can buy of certain products. Like buckwheat, rice, diapers and chicken. There's also the very real risk that some products may become harder to get. Many retailers have closed their doors as western companies exit a country waging an illegal war.

The world's biggest shipping companies will no longer carry non- essential cargo and western countries have also banned selling certain components to Russia.

ASLUND: So probably about half of Russia's foreign trade has ceased. And this means that companies can't get parts. And the Russian economy is basically integrated with the world economy. My guess is that the whole automotive industry will just come to a stop very soon. Because that's an area where you have many of those parts are imported.

STEWART: A new car is already 20 percent more expensive compared to a year ago. The ruble has crashed in value making imports more expensive and sanctions have been in place for little over a month.

[03:35:02]

How long can Russia afford to continue on in this vein?

ASLUND: People can run down an economy extremely badly. As we have seen in Venezuela, and as we saw in Zimbabwe (Ph). The question is when the political forces says, no, this is enough.

STEWART: Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, the head of the U.N. Food Aid Programme says the war in Ukraine could fuel a food crisis impacting 129 -- 25 million people globally.

David Beasley says half of the grain purchased by the World Food Programme comes from right here in Ukraine. And that the war is disrupting grower's efforts to produce crops. Earlier, I spoke with members of the agricultural community here in Ukraine about their view of the crisis. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GORANI: On this farm in western Ukraine and many like it across this country, the future of food security for hundreds of millions of people around the world is being determined. One-third of the world's most fertile soil is in Ukraine according to the U.N. So what doesn't grow here or what this country is unable to export because of the war, local officials tell me will cause ripple effects around the globe.

The repercussions of the war in Ukraine began to impact everything, Volodymyr Remeniak tells me, including all agricultural operations inside and outside the country including the sowing season.

Western Ukraine where this farm is located accounts for a relatively small portion of total wheat and corn farmland. The most productive farms lie in the hottest conflict areas of the country, like Izyum in eastern Ukraine. Satellite photo show the extent of the destruction in and around that city. In one video, Russian artillery positions and Ukrainian counter attacks are visible in a field. And the Ukrainian agriculture minister tells me the impact on this year's crops will be devastating.

MYKOLA SOLSKYI, UKRAINIAN AGRICULTURE MINISTER: Last season we have approximately totally 110 million tons. This year we expect at least 30 percent less than this amount.

It's a very optimistic prognosis.

GORANI: OK.

SOLSKYI: Of course, we understand that the war continues and nobody knows what will be tomorrow.

GORANI: And so far this year, the minister says the country has lost almost $9 billion in agricultural revenue. Wheat is usually planted around March and harvested in the summer. But we're told on this farm near Lviv that most farmers in the conflict zone are writing this year off completely. Because it's simply too dangerous to work the land.

This is already impacting food prices for everyone. But most acutely for people in vulnerable countries. In 2020, 80 percent of Lebanon's wheat imports came from Ukraine alone. Forty percent of Libya's. Thirty percent of Egypt's wheat came from Ukraine last year. And now bakery prices there are jumping as high as 25 percent.

On top of climate change and rising inequality the Russian invasion will deepen poverty and increase instability thousands of miles from where missiles and shells are causing devastation. Back on the farm outside Lviv, we meet Pavlo Kovalchuk who manages the fields and the other crops that grow here like apple, plum, and walnut trees.

Are you ready for the longer terms if this war lasts a long time, are you ready to dig in and keep working?

PAVLO KOVALCHUK, FARM MANAGER (through translator): We have to be ready because we have no other choice. I, and all other farmers who work with me here are ready because we are responsible for providing food not only for Ukraine, but for other countries. GORANI: Beyond production issues there's also a shortage of workers.

Some have joined the fight against the Russian army. Others have moved to safer areas or left the country altogether. A sector that employs hundreds of thousands in Ukraine, hollowing out as the war grinds on. Ukraine is known as the bread basket of Europe. And so, war on this country is also an attack on all those who depend on it for food.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: That's going to do it for me in Lviv, Ukraine. For more, I'm turning it over to Rosemary Church at the CNN center. Hi, Rosemary.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, there, Hala. And thank you so much for your great reporting. Do stay safe.

[03:39:57]

And just ahead on CNN, a deadly shooting near Tel Aviv has left several people including a police officer dead. We will go live to Israel for the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom.

At least five people including a police officer were shot and killed near Tel Aviv on Tuesday. The third attack in Israel in the past eight days.

[03:45:03]

Authorities say at least one shooter used an assault rifle against civilians in several locations before police killed the suspect.

Elliott Gotkine joins me now live from the scene of the shooting near Tel Aviv. So, Elliott, what more are authorities telling you about this latest attack?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Well, Rosemary, I should say that just right now the streets are kind of pretty full with a lot of activity going on. We've just seen and heard the eulogies for the young father, (Inaudible), 30-year-old man who was shot dead while holding his baby last night. Tearful eulogies from the family and rabbis here.

The coffin was just down near the street there. Kind of draped in a (Inaudible). Now he was the last of the Israeli civilians killed last night. As you say, five people were killed, the shooter, the gunman, the police tell us began just kind of at the end of this residential street where there's a main road.

He came down this main road, tried to shoot what appears to be a teenager on an electric bicycle. And then by this corner shop here where you can see a number of people, there were two Ukrainians identified as Ukrainians, age 23 and 32. Just sitting there on the Tuesday night, you know, chewing the fat and then this gunman came up and shot them dead pretty much at point-blank range. He then shot dead a man in a car who was driving home. And then he

shot the father with the baby. The baby was unharmed, I should say. He encountered two Israeli police officers. He shot the driver of the motorcycle in which they were traveling. He shot him in the chest. The -- his partner then got off with his pistol and then shot the gunman dead.

The driver of the motorbike he was then taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. And the police officer, I should say, will be buried later today. He was named as Amir Kori (Ph), a 32-year-old Arab-Israeli from the north of Israel. And as you can imagine, Rosemary, the police are now on their highest level of alert.

CHURCH: Absolutely. Our Elliott Gotkine reporting there from the scene of that shooting near Tel Aviv.

Well, just ahead, more restrictions in Shanghai where 25 million people are coping with a state ordered lock down and mandatory COVID testing.

[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The Omicron sub variant BA2 has now become the dominant strain of COVID-19 here in the United States. Accounting for more than 50 percent of all cases according to the CDC. Now this comes as the FDA expands the emergency use authorization of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which allows adults age 50 and older to get a second booster. Bringing it to a total of four COVID shots. And those eligible are able to get the shot four months after their first booster.

Well, Shanghai, the engine of China's $18 trillion economy is tightening COVID restrictions with the city of 25 million people now in day three of the COVID lockdown. This is happening as the country fights its worse COVID surge since the original outbreak in Wuhan two years ago. Shanghai reported nearly 6,000 new cases on Tuesday. Accounting for almost 70 percent of China's new infections.

And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now live from Hong Kong with more on this. Good to see you, Kristie. So, 25 million people being tested for COVID, which of course means severe lockdown for everyone in Shanghai. How are people coping with this?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the scope is incredible, isn't it? It's day three of the sweeping lock down in Shanghai, China's financial and commercial capital. This megacity it's home to 25 million people. On Tuesday, some 6,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported. And that number is small compared to many other western cities and countries.

But this is China's biggest outbreak of COVID-19 since the early days of the pandemic in Shanghai is now the new epicenter of the outbreak in China. Now what's happening in Shanghai with this lockdown is been described as a two-stage operational lockdown, so millions of residents can get tested for COVID. And so, far nine million residents have been tested since this was

launched on Monday. The first half of the city was shut down, lockdown on Monday, that's to last for four days, and then the second half of the city will be locked down starting from Friday.

And then during this time, we learned that about, you know, six million residents during the first phase of this operation they're not allowed to leave their homes as they await testing. Also, public transportation has been suspended which is why you're seeing empty streets. Empty highways there in Shanghai. This has (Inaudible) a tone on the residents in Shanghai and it's also (Inaudible) economic toll as well. Back to you.

CHURCH: Massive undertaking, isn't it?

LU STOUT: Yes.

CHURCH: And Kristie, you are in Hong Kong, of course, where thousands of COVID positive children have been separated from their parents.

LU STOUT: yes.

CHURCH: But now the government is saying they'll stop the separation. So, what is the latest on that?

LU STOUT: Yes, this is a story that we've been following closely here at CNN. There's a policy that's in place here in Hong Kong where you have COVID positive children even infants being separated from their COVID negative parents in order to seek treatment in hospital.

[03:55:05]

We heard from a Hong Kong based charity called Mind Hong Kong earlier this week, they estimate that some 2,000 children under the age of 10 have been separated from their families because of this policy in recent weeks. They have accused the Hong Kong government of, quote, "child abuse." We have pursued the Hong Kong government for a statement in response. This is what we received from the Hong Kong hospital authority. We'll bring it up for you.

They say, quote, "even for parents are carriers who tested negative for COVID, we will seek the agreement of the Center for Health Protection, so that the public hospitals can also accommodate their request for accompanying the pediatric patient subject to availability of isolation capacities" unquote.

Look, the entire statement is quite convoluted. It appears that they're saying that this policy has been reversed, but we are trying to get clarity. In fact, our producer right now is asking questions to authorities to get clarity on this.

But make no mistake, Rosemary, the damages have been done. Thousands of people have left Hong Kong because many of them cite the fear of family separations. I've also talked to families who have been separated about this policy. And the stories of anguish and trauma, of even PTSD in a toddler are just heartbreaking to hear. Rosemary? CHURCH: Yes, most definitely so draconian, isn't it? Kristie Lu Stout

joining us live from Hong Kong, many thanks.

And that does it for this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Our breaking news coverage continues after a break.

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