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Russia Continues to Attack Ukraine Despite Claims; Award- Winning Ukrainian Filmmaker Flees Kyiv; Leaving Destruction Behind; Ukrainian Refugees Deliver Babies After Tough Evacuation; Kamikaze Drones Hunting Down Enemy Assets in Ukraine; Stepped-Up Diplomacy Over Ukraine; Russia-India Talks Set To Get Underway In New Delhi; China And E.U. To Hold Virtual Summit As Fighting Rages; Italy Phasing Out COVID Restrictions. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired April 01, 2022 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Around the world, I'm John Vause live in Lviv, Ukraine. We begin with new signs that Russia is shifting its focus in Ukraine to the Donbas region in the east without letting up on the capital of Kyiv. Authorities in Luhansk and Donetsk reported attacks from aircraft, artillery, heavy-caliber weapons, and (INAUDIBLE).
To the north, Ukraine's second biggest city, Kharkiv, continues to be a major target as well. The region's military governor says Russian forces have launched dozens of strikes in the past day, hitting residential area.
Meantime, British military intelligence reports Russia redeploying some of its forces from Georgia to reinforce its invasion of Ukraine. U.K. defense ministry says it's highly unlikely Moscow planned this move but it's indicative of how Russia is suffering from heavy losses. All of this adding to the defiance of Ukraine's president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): They said three to five days. They thought that this would be enough for them to seize our entire state, and it is already 36. And we are standing, and we will continue to fight until the end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE (on camera): And according to Ukrainian officials, Russian troops have now left the Chernobyl nuclear power plant north of Kyiv. The site of the world's worst nuclear disaster has been under Russian control since the first week of this invasion in late February.
The governor of Belgorod, Russia says two low-flying Ukrainian helicopters attacked a fuel depot in his city, setting it on fire. CNN cannot confirm that claim, but Belgorod is just across the border from Kharkiv, Ukraine. The governor said two employees were injured in the fire, but are not in any kind of serious danger.
The Russian news agency service, TASS, says the fire engulfed fuel reserve. Fighters are on the scene and an area nearby is being evacuated. The government says there is no threat to the local population.
Ukraine continuing to fight back against Russian forces, now reclaiming the city of Irpin west of Kyiv. From there, CNN's Fred Pleitgen filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): There is no safe way to get into Irpin. The only feasible route is on the back of a police special forces pickup truck on dirt paths. But even here, the earth is scorched after Russian troops shelled the trail.
(On camera): Ukrainian forces are taking us into this area on back roads because they say taking the main roads is simply much too dangerous. They want to show us the damage done when Russian forces tried to enter Kyiv.
(Voice-over): Ukrainian authorities say this is still one of the most dangerous places in this war-torn country. And we immediately see why. We are driving right towards an area engulfed in smoke from artillery shelling.
(EXPLOSION)
PLEITGEN (voice-over): This is where Russian forces tried to push into Ukraine's capital but were stopped and beaten back by the underdog Ukrainians. The battles here are fierce. Authorities say 50% of the city has been destroyed. To us, that number seems like an understatement.
(On camera): We have to keep moving quickly because this place can get shelled any time.
(Voice-over): Ukraine's national police now patrols Irpin again, but their forces frequently come under fire, the chief tells me.
ANDRII NEBYTOV, HEAD OF KYIV REGION POLICE (through translator): Just yesterday, our officers who were searching for dead bodies, they were shot at with mortars, he says. They had to lay under the bridge and wait for it to stop.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): But the grim task of finding and taking out the many dead continues. More than two dozen on this day alone. Some have been laying in the streets for weeks and can only now be removed.
When Russian forces invaded Ukraine, they quickly advanced on the capital, Kyiv, all the way to Irpin. Here, the Ukrainians stood and fought back. Vladimir Putin's army controlled large parts of Irpin and the battle laid waste to much of this formerly wealthy suburb. And this was the epicenter where we find burned-out Russian trucks and armored vehicles.
(On camera): So, this is the area where some of the heaviest fighting took place in Irpin. And as you can see, that there was a Russian- armored vehicle which was completely annihilated. We do have to be very careful around here because there still could be unexploded munitions laying around.
(Voice-over): We meet Volodymir Rudenko, a local resident who says he stayed and took up arms when the Russians invaded.
VOLODYMIR RUDENKO, IRPIN RESIDENT (through translator): Always, there was not a single day when I left town, he says, even during the heaviest fighting. It must have been difficult, I ask.
[02:04:58]
RUDENKO (through translator): Just so you understand, he says, once, there were 348 impacts in one area in one single hour.
PLEITGEN (Voice-over): And the battle here is not over. Suddenly, Irpin's mayor shows up with a group of special forces, saying they're looking for Russians possibly still hiding here.
I ask him how it's going. We're working, he says. There's information that there are two Russian soldiers dressed in civilian clothes. With our group, we're going to clean them up.
Ukrainian forces say they will continue the fight and further push Russian forces away from their capital. The deputy interior minister saying they needed the U.S.'s support to succeed.
(On camera): What do you need from the United States?
YEVHEN YENIN, UKRAINIAN DEPUTY INTERIOR MINISTER: Everything. Military support, first of all.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Weapons to help the Ukrainians expel the invading army, they hope, and finally bring this suburb out of the reach of Vladimir Putin's cannons.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Irpin, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE (on camera): Joining me here in Lviv is Ukrainian filmmaker and writer Iryna Tsilyk. She fled the capital with her son, her cat, and a handful of clothes. Iryna, thank you for coming in. Good to see you, good to speak with you.
IRYNA TSILYK, UKRAINIAN FILMMAKER AND WRITER: That was a pleasure. And I like the location.
VAUSE: It is a beautiful view, isn't it? Let's hope it stays that way. Can you explain to us what it's been like for you over the last couple days, last couple weeks? Because like so many families, yours has been split apart. Your husband is in the capital Kyiv. There is constant anxiety of not knowing what's happened. How do you deal with that?
TSILYK: You know, this Russia's war against Ukraine is going on for eight years. So, we got used to everything. And I was focused on this war during all these years, but I never expected that this Russian full-scale invasion could come to my city, too. So, this month was probably the longest month of my life, and I went through all five stages of grief. At the moment, I am -- I accept it, that we are at war.
VAUSE: Yeah. And you said -- I think I read somewhere you said it is a bit like a movie, and you are a filmmaker. So, you feel it is a bit like a movie. Almost surreal, I guess?
TSILYK: Yeah, but that is our reality.
VAUSE: Yeah.
TSILYK: And we should face it, and we should resist. And, you know, all people I know, most of them are artists, filmmakers, writers, they defend Ukraine on different fields. Right now, some people defend Ukraine
with weapons in their hands and others use other tools and weapons like cultural diplomacy or info field.
VAUSE: There are a lot of people who are opposed to war, who don't want to fight here in Ukraine, and they are forced to. It's against sort of their nature, but they have no other choice. They are sort of being forced into fighting a war which is Putin's choice. How does that change people's character in a way?
TSILYK: That is true. I think that Ukrainians, they did not want to fight, but what can we do? Because if the enemy comes to your home, to your country, you should defend it. For example, my husband, he is a writer. He is the author of 10 novels. Come on. He is not a military- type of people.
VAUSE: He is carrying a gun now?
TSILYK: Yeah, and he used to serve in the Ukrainian armed forces before, in 2015, and he needs to do it now. So --
VAUSE: It's just what you have to do. Um, tell me what was your journey like when you left Kyiv and you managed to finally get here to Lviv. About three days or something?
TSILYK: I didn't really want to flee from my city because Kyiv is my place of power, right? I am also the mother. I am responsible for our child. So, I had to go to safe Lviv. But at the same time, no one knows what is that safe place in Ukraine now.
VAUSE: Do you feel safe here?
TSILYK: I feel quite safe. And actually, you know, I've been shooting in Donbas area for many years, also in the red zone, so I feel quite well in Lviv, but I still worry about all Ukrainian cities because we see that they are trying to aim everything and everyone, which is -- and who is dear for us.
VAUSE: Before the Russian invasion, maybe go back a month or a couple of months, what was your biggest concern? I mean, what was your life like before that?
TSILYK: I felt so happy. I mean, I had my family. I had my home. And I was trying to do my best. I had so many plans. I was developing the new idea of the film. But now, I feel that everything which is happening around me is only about this war situation. And we have only one aim, to resist, and so that is the most important struggle for all of us.
VAUSE: Putin has taken your future from you in a way with this war?
[02:10:00]
TSILYK: Yeah, that is true. And the most painful thing, that the brightest Ukrainian people --
VAUSE: Yeah.
TSILYK: -- suffer right now.
VAUSE: How does this conflict end? How do you think? How do you see it ending? What happens?
TSILYK: Well, we'll go to the end because the Russians try to destroy everything. I mean, Ukrainian identity, our future, our language, our culture, and most important, our people. So, as to my opinion, we have this strong people to fight, but we still need powerful weapons as well. So, what can I --
VAUSE: Fight to the death in many ways.
TSILYK: Yeah. But we still ask the whole world to help us.
VAUSE: Are they doing enough? What would you like to see?
TSILYK: We feel the huge support of ordinary people. But at the same time, we still need more help. And as to my opinion, we still need really powerful weapons to defend us because they kill our people every single day and -- come on.
VAUSE: Talking about weapons -- defensive weapons essentially to defend yourselves against an aggressor.
TSILYK: Absolutely.
VAUSE: Yeah. We wish you all the very best. You are a mom and you are a filmmaker and, you know, obviously, there are some difficult days ahead, but you will get through this, I hope.
TSILYK: Thank you.
VAUSE: Thank you, Iryna. Take care. Well, we will take a short break here. When we come back, Russia
expected to open a humanitarian corridor out of Mariupol. Today, we will take a look at what the refugees are leaving behind in that city.
Also ahead, the mothers fled the bloodshed to keep them safe. Now, these smallest refugees begin life with an uncertain future. That story also after the break.
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[02:15:00]
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VAUSE: Well, about 90% of the buildings in Mariupol have either been damaged or destroyed by the Russian military onslaught. That is according to the mayor, and the bombing continues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXPLOSIONS)
VAUSE (voice-over): These images were recorded by a man running away from those explosions. This is just part of everyday life, it seems, these days in Mariupol. But there is a glimmer of hope. After a request from the leaders of France and Germany, Russia is expected to re-open a humanitarian corridor out of Mariupol. Buses apparently on their way to the city at his hour, but no word on when they will arrive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE (on camera): Many of those picked up in Mariupol will be taken out of the country to one of Ukraine's neighbors like Moldova. This tiny country is now struggling to handle an influx of refugees. Most of them hoping to return home. They just don't know when.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELENA, REFUGEE FROM MYKOLAIV, UKRAINE (through translator): We have apartments, we have houses, we have places in the countryside. Well, everything is there. It's not like we left Ukraine because we wanted to. We want to go home. I'm already crying to drop everything and just leave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE (on camera): Well, Moldova has accepted nearly 400,000 refugees. More than half of the four million people fleeing this war have actually arrived in Poland. And most of the people fleeing Ukraine are women and children, and many are women about to have children, making a hard and difficult journey even tougher.
CNN's Kyung Lah has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Born just hours ago in Poland, baby Adelina (ph) is already a survivor of the war in Ukraine.
Is it -- is it hard to be happy?
KHRYSTYNA PAVLUCHENKO, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE (through translator): It is, she says.
LAH (voice-over): Adelina (ph) is Khrystyna Pavluchenko's first child. You feel guilty? Why?
PAVLUCHENKO (through translator): Because I left, she says.
LAH (voice-over): Left her home in Western Ukraine.
(EXPLOSION)
LAH (voice-over): The war had begun. The bombing neared their city. Pavluchenko escaped by bus, then walked on foot across the border. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital. She delivered Adelina (ph) a month early, separated from her family.
PAVLUCHENKO (through translator): My mother, sister, grandparents, still in Ukraine. He is killing our people, she says, of Vladimir Putin. How could anyone be so cruel?
MAGDA DUTSCH, INFLANCKA SPECIALIST HOSPITAL: I am terrified. I'm terrified that something like this can happen. That you can live your everyday life and all the sudden, because of decisions that you have no influence upon, there is a war and you have to flee. It's -- it's unbelievable. It's terrifying.
LAH (voice-over): Dr. Magda Dutsch is a psychiatrist at Inflancka Specialist Hospital in Warsaw. The hospital focused on treating women has seen 80 Ukrainian patients this month, delivered 11 babies, and treating cancer patients like 58-year-old Tatiana Mikhailuk.
TATIANA MIKHAILUK, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE (through translator): I ran with my granddaughter in my arms, she says.
LAH (voice-over): Missiles had already blown up the windows in their building. As they fled, something exploded next to their car. Her city is now occupied by Russians. She is grateful for her doctors at the hospital and the free healthcare in Poland that is treating her cervical cancer.
Khrystyna is one of the doctors. We are not using her last name because she herself is also a refugee from Ukraine. A mother of a five-year-old and the wife of a Ukrainian military man.
(On camera): Your husband?
KHRYSTYNA, DOCTOR (through translator): My husband has been in the military since 2014. At the moment, he's in Lviv.
LAH (on camera): You had to leave your husband behind?
KHRYSTYNA (through translator): Yes, she says. Now, in Warsaw, I can't sit and do nothing, she says. I have this opportunity here to help women who fled the country.
LAH (voice-over): With each breath, baby Adelina (ph) offers her mother a respite from the war.
(On camera): What will you tell your daughter about her birth?
PAVLUCHENKO (through translator): The truth, she says. We will tell her everything as it was. She should know the truth.
(On camera): All the Ukrainian patients you've seen in this story, that health care is being covered by the government of Poland, including all the care once they leave the hospital.
[02:20:00]
LAH (on camera): And they're not the only ones. The ministry of health here in Poland says 197 Ukrainian children have been born in Poland since this war began.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Warsaw, Poland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE (on camera): For information about how you can help humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, please go to cnn.com/impact. Help impact your world.
Putin's (ph) defense secretary says the U.K. and its allies will send Ukraine more lethal aid, including long-range artillery and weapons to defend the coastline. This comes as Ukraine has asked the U.S. for more reconnaissance and attack drones, including what are known as kamikaze drones.
CNN's Tom Foreman has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(EXPLOSION)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Beneath the roar of missile strikes and artillery blasts, evidence of another deadly threat has appeared, so-called loitering munitions or kamikaze drones, brought by the Russians to hit hard behind Ukrainian lines.
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST, RETIRED AIR FORCE COLONEL: The terror (ph) aspect of these weapons is a significant psychological factor on the battlefield.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Unlike massive military drones, which fly hundreds of miles an hour over vast distances often to drop missiles and return home, loitering munition drones are small, slow, and disposable. The Switchblade 300, for example, weighs less than six pounds and can be carried in a backpack. Launched quickly and easily, it will cruise at about 60 miles an hour for 15 minutes while on-board cameras and GPS hunt for nearby enemy assets. Once a target is spotted and the command is given, the drone can sprint up to 100 miles an hour, dive, and explode on impact.
But as the battle has raged, military analysts say the Ukrainians, who have such drones, too, have turned the tables on the Russians, using them to much more deadly effect.
LEIGHTON: My personal guess is that probably about 20 to 30% of the kills that the Ukrainians are registering against Russian armor and against, you know, other Russian entities is probably due to their very successful employment of these drones.
FOREMAN (voice-over): According to analysts, kamikaze drones fit perfectly with the small, fast-moving squads favored by the Ukrainians. The weapons are hard to detect and can penetrate positions miles away. Several systems of varying size, speed, and capability appear to be in use. And the United States is committing to boost the Ukrainian effort with 100 of those switchblade systems.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Which demonstrates our commitment to sending our most cutting-edge systems to Ukraine for its defense.
FOREMAN (on camera): These drones aren't big but their impact is growing by the day. If only because, in the very noisy space of war, these tiny, killer drones can strike suddenly and quietly like a bolt from a clear-blue sky.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE (on camera): With that, we will take a short break here on CNN. When we come back, diplomacy shifting into high gear. Two countries refusing to directly denounce the Russian invasion. India holds face- to-face talks with Moscow's top diplomat, while China will come under pressure from the E.U. later today. That is all coming up here on CNN.
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[02:25:00]
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VAUSE (on camera): Welcome back, everybody. I'm John Vause reporting live from Lviv in Ukraine. We have this just in, a large fire is underway at a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod. Local officials claim that it was targeted by two Ukrainian helicopters flying in at low altitude. At this stage, CNN cannot confirm that claim. Belgorod is just across the border from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Elsewhere, the U.S. says Russian military fire now appears to be concentrated on four areas in Ukraine, including the capital. According to a senior U.S. defense official, Russian air attacks have stepped up significantly over the past 24 hours. As many as 300 (INAUDIBLE) have been flown.
Ukraine's president says Russian forces appear to be shifting focus to the Donbas region. And U.K.'s military intelligence says Moscow is bringing in reinforcements from Georgia. Here is President Zelenskyy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): The situation in the southern direction and in the Donbas remains extremely difficult. Russian troops are accumulating the potential for strikes, powerful blows.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE (on camera): At this hour, the Russian foreign minister is set to begin talks with officials in India. Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose government has so far refused to directly condemn the invasion of Ukraine. But that stance is now being put to the test. India is facing growing pressure to take a much harder line against Moscow.
CNN's Vedika Sud live in New Delhi. It's very hard to take a harder line with Moscow when you're getting all that cheap oil, at least according to Bloomberg, 35 bucks a barrel from Russia.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: That is true, but the Indian government then says that India imports less than one percent of crude oil from Russia, whereas European countries have ramped it up by 15%. So, that is what the Indian government stand really is on more imports of crude oil from Russia.
[02:30:00]
SUD: But this is a very important meeting, John. And it's got to start in about 30 minutes from now. That's when Lavrov is going to meet his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar, India's foreign minister after which he will be meeting with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now, we all know that India has so far stained at the UNSE and UNGA from condemning Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
There are reasons for this. Firstly, India and Russia share historic and very close ties. Secondly, India massively depends on Russia for its arms imports. More than 50 percent of India's supply comes from Russia. And thirdly, we all know China is an adversary of India as well as the U.S. But in this case, India's worried about a possible proximity for the proximity between Russia and China. So, let us listen into what an analysts had to say about India's situation at this point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HAPPYMON JACOB, FOREIGN POLICY ANALYST: If the Russians managed to come out of this strongly, then you are looking at a new world order in which Russia and China would lead a non-western sort of coalition of powers. If indeed, Russia loses, Russia is going to be dependent on China even more. Both these scenarios are actually going to be, you know, not palatable to India.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUD: Now, Lavrov's visit comes at a time when the U.S. deputy national security adviser was in India as well as the British Foreign Secretary. Of course, both raised the issue of Ukraine and Russia with India, but India remains to have a neutral stand. Also, America understands the compulsions that India has with its geographical location when it comes to China and its close ties with Russia.
Now, a source, an Indian government source, an official from the Indian government rather has said that the Prime Minister while talking to Lavrov today will once again reiterate India stand and request for cessation of violence in that region. So, clearly India is remaining neutral for now. But there's been a whole string of top leaders from different countries who've been coming into India in the last two weeks to three weeks trying to pile pressure on India. But for now, India is holding its port, John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Vedika Sud in New Delhi with the very latest there. We appreciate that. Thank you. India not the only player as Vedika mentioned, refusing to announce the Russian invasion. China expected to take some fire from the E.U. during a virtual summit but also said to begin about an hour and a half from now. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout live for us in Hong Kong following these developments.
And I guess the situation now comes down to between the E.U. and China. Who needs each other the most, or who has the most to lose out of all of this, I guess, when it comes to, you know, pressuring one or the other?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And how can the you get China to use its leverage on Russia? Look, this is going to be a very difficult meeting when it kicks off. Already we have strained relations between the E.U. and China. But today's the big meeting. A high-level virtual summit between the E.U. and China. We know just under two hours from now there'll be a working summit.
A session between top E.U. leaders and the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and then four hours after that around 8:00 p.m. local time. The working session with the Chinese President Xi Jinping. On the table they will discuss trade, climate change health, but E.U. officials have indicated and made it clear that they want the focus to be on Ukraine and namely, China's relationship with Russia after the invasion.
In fact, in the run up to today's meeting, E.U. officials have been sounding some pretty strong statements in this regard, including from one top E.U. official who is the head of the delegation for relations with China who accused China of giving political support to Russia and its assault on Ukraine. Let's bring up the statement for you. And the top E.U. official said this to journalists earlier this week.
"The veil is threadbare. It fools no one. The way in which China handles this conflict will have bearing on the future overall E.U.- China relationship. A breakthrough is not expected to come out of today's high-level virtual Summit. And that is due in part to the nature of the relationship between Russia and China. They've been doubling down on their pre-war relationship that was made clear and earlier this week.
You had those meetings between the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Tunxi, that's in China's Anhui province. And Wang Yi gave no indication that China was going to join the chorus of Western condemnation against Russia and its assault on Ukraine. In fact, just a day into those meetings we heard this from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that there was "no ceiling for China-Russia cooperation."
No ceiling for us to strive for peace, no ceiling for us to safeguard security and new ceiling for us to oppose hegemony." And John, it's true, China's economy relies significantly more on the U.S. and significantly more on the E.U. then on Russia.
[02:35:03]
STOUT: So, that gives E.U. leaders some leverage going into these talks. Back to you.
VAUSE: Yes. It was a relationship that knew no limits I think around the Winter Olympics. Then has no ceiling. Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout there live fort us in Hong Kong. We appreciate that.
I will have a lot more from Lviv at the top of the hour. But first, let's get back to Michael Holmes standing by in Atlanta. Michael?
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: All right. Good to see you, John. Thanks for that. We will take a quick break here on the program. When we come back. Some of the measures President Vladimir Putin is taking to bolster Russian troops in Ukraine with the conflict now in its fifth week. Plus, a standoff over gas between Russia and Europe. How the E.U. is responding to Moscow's demand for payment in rubles. We'll be right back.
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[02:40:05]
HOLMES: Now there are signs that Russia's invasion of Ukraine isn't going well. New signs. British military intelligence says Russia is redeploying some of its forces from Georgia to reinforce its invasion of Ukraine. This coming just days after Moscow announced it will be scaling back its military assault on Kiev and Chernihiv. The president of the country, Vladimir Putin also signing a decree authorizing more than 130,000 people to be drafted into the Russian military, part of a biannual call up. But Mr. Putin had originally claimed that Russian conscripts would not take part in the Ukraine conflict. The U.S. believes Mr. Putin has been misinformed by his advisors about the Russian military's performance in Ukraine. That's according to a U.S. official. Here's what U.S. President Joe Biden had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a lot of speculation. But he seems to be -- I'm not saying this with a certainty. He seems to be self-isolated. And there's some indication that he has fired or put under house arrest some of his advisors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, I want to bring in Douglas London. He's a retired senior CIA operations officer. He's also the author of The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence. It's great to have you back on the program. Always enjoy the conversation. What is your assessment of the chances of Putin being removed from within if you like? Are there forces within the power structure who might have both the inclination and the opportunity to affect his removal? And what might persuade them to do so? Or do you think he's secure for now?
DOUGLAS LONDON, RETIRED SENIOR CIA OPERATIONS OFFICER: There's always that potential. It's hard to see in the minds of those around him. But Russian leaders have generally been opportunist at best as opposed to idealize. The question is, is that what we need? What we're seeking strategically is to change Russian behavior, whether it's Putin or someone else, I don't really think other than some grassroots revolution that brings forth democracy is really going to make Russia a friend of the West.
Not based on those who are in the circles of power. But what we do want to find is a way to change their behavior to adjust certainly the malign behavior, and to make it more compatible with our interest. Certainly, removal of a regime is a tactic but usually comes with a lot bigger consequences. Particularly when you don't know what's going to come in the place of what you've already known.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes. As we said, you worked in the Intel well, the spy world for decades. How difficult do you think it has been to get accurate intel on Putin given his apparent predilection for staying isolated, even from his own people?
LONDON: Well, it's interesting because General Walters, the supreme NATO commander made a comment the other day about, well, our miscalculations on the capabilities of the Russian army was perhaps due to a collection gap. I mean, inherently, intelligence is always incomplete. So, it's imperfect. There's always a collection gap. But let's say the CIA, which is a strategic collector did its job to the utmost.
And it had eyes and ears all around Putin. And we were hearing and seeing everything Putin heard. Well, if we're getting the same intelligence on which Putin made his miscalculations, we'd be coming up with the same assessments. So, I think there is something to be said, for what the United States has recently declassified, that Putin has been getting bad intelligence. I think that's been evident from the beginning.
But that's a culture that he has created that (INAUDIBLE) said sort of Emperor with no clothes persona that nobody really wants to tell him bad news. No one wants to argue against his predetermined conclusions.
HOLMES: Yes. Fascinating. I was going to ask you another question, but you just answered it. So, we'll leave it there. Always good to have you on, Douglas London. We'll get you back real soon.
LONDON: Thanks, Michael.
HOLMES: Now, the International Energy Agency is planning to hold an emergency meeting in the coming hours after the U.S. president announced a record release of 118 million barrels of oil from America's strategic reserves. The agency says it plans to discuss what steps to take to provide stability to oil markets. As American -- Americans move sets the stage for other nations to release oil as well.
Here's Joe Biden's reason for this historic move.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Our family budgets, your family budgets to fill a tank, none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war. So today, I'm laying out a two-part plan. Not only to ease the pain that families are feeling right now, but to end this era of dependence and uncertainty, and lay a new foundation for true and lasting American energy independence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Now let's take a look at what the oil market looked like in the wake of Mr. Biden's announcement. Brent Crude down over five percent, about $105 a barrel. Last month swings from under $100 to $130 and back.
[02:45:09]
HOLMES: Moscow is threatening to cut off its gas supply to European countries unless they pay in rubles. I will show you the pipelines here that run from Russia to Europe. President Vladimir Putin says "Unfriendly nations must pay in rubles or contracts will be suspended." With the new rules set to take effect today. France and Germany say they will stick to existing agreements with Russia on making payments in Euros only.
And the U.K. says it will not accept Mr. Putin's demands either. Here's what the E.U. commissioner for the -- for economy told CNN's Richard Quest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PAOLO GENTILONI, EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR ECONOMY: We have contracts to be respected. I understand the maneuver which is behind this, because of course, the Russian economy was severely hit by the sanctions. The rubles need to be reinforced by Putin. All this is part of the game. But our reaction was a reaction justified by this war. So, at the end, final point, we will not be blackmailed.
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HOLMES: Paolo Gentiloni there. The E.U. commissioner for economy on Russia's demand to get paid in rubles. Well, it is the end of an era in Italy where the government is starting to phase out some COVID restrictions. How life is changing. That's when we come back.
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[02:50:59]
HOLMES: After more than two years, Italy's coronavirus state of emergency has finally expired. And beginning in May, people will no longer need to provide proof of vaccination or recent recovery from COVID to eat at restaurants or go to the gym or access other public places. Italy was of course one of the hardest hit countries during the pandemic. Nearly 160,000 deaths. More than 80 percent of Italians have received two COVID vaccines, about two-thirds have received a booster.
Now we've got new developments on the COVID lockdown in Shanghai, western parts of the city and now under lockdown. It will last until April the 5th and residents are not allowed to leave their homes. Meanwhile, parts of eastern Shanghai are still under lockdown for up to nine more days. Officials planned on lifting that lockdown earlier on Friday, but a surge of infections changed those plans.
In addition, the city announced you must have a negative COVID test to leave Shanghai. The aim is to keep the virus from spreading to nearby towns. Now scientists have made a major step forward in unraveling the mysteries of human life. A team of nearly 100 Scientists say they have finished decoding the entire human genome. The genetic blueprint for human life. Almost 20 years ago, scientists sequence 92 percent of the genome but they finally deciphered the remaining eight percent.
The full genome will allow scientists to analyze how DNA differs between people and whether these genetic variations play a role in disease. It is hoped that it will lead to more medical discoveries in areas such as aging, cancer, and heart disease.
Now the draw for this year's World Cup is now just hours away. 32 nations split into eight groups will compete in Qatar. And there will be some newcomers to this year's tournament. CNN World Sports Anchor Amanda Davies has a preview from Doha.
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AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: As hosts Qatar prepare for their debut at a World Cup finals, they're guaranteed a place in group A and find themselves alongside some of the biggest names in the game in part one. Doesn't get much bigger than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and their respective sides Portugal and Argentina as well as defending champions. France, Belgium, England, Brazil, and Spain.
European Champions, Italy are missing after failing to qualify for the Second World Cup in a row. But the Netherlands are back and aside that many will be looking to avoid from pot two. Alongside Germany, the 2014 champions very much looking to make amends for that disastrous defense of their title in Russia. The 2018 runners up Croatia are also in this pot alongside Denmark buoyed by the return of Christian Eriksen.
The U.S. back in this part two alongside their co-host for the next World Cup, Mexico and the talent tap squad of Uruguay. Sadio Mane and Africa Cup of Nations champions Senegal will lead the way in part three, but he's not the only superstar striker in this one. There's Robert Lewandowski in Poland, Son Heung-Min and South Korea. Alongside Iran, Japan, Serbia, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Part four is where things get complicated with unusually three teams yet to be decided but they will still be in the draw alongside Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Cameroon and the Canadian side on the crest of a wave having qualified for their first World Cup finals since 1986. Amanda Davis, CNN, Doha, Qatar
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[02:55:04]
HOLMES: Well, there is new fallout from the Will Smith a slap at the Oscars.
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CHRIS ROCK, AMERICAN COMEDIAN: Will Smith just smack the (BLEEP) at me.
HOLMES (voice over): Now the award shows producer says Los Angeles police officers were prepared to arrest Smith right then and there telling Chris Rock this is battery. But the comedian was adamant. He did not want to press charges. A source telling CNN that Smith apologized to the academy leadership during a 30-minute Zoom call. The Academy telling Smith his actions though would have consequences.
The actor has maintained a low profile on social media since the slap, except a public statement admitting he was out of line.
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HOLMES: That'll do it for this hour. I'm Michael Holmes, thanks for spending part of your day with me. Our coverage live from Lviv, Ukraine continues after a break.
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