Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Russian Forces Abandon Positions At Key Airbase; Zelenskyy Removes Two Top Generals; "Impossible" To Determine Russian Exposure To Radiation At Chernobyl; An Estimated 100,000 Civilians Trapped In Mariupol; Bucha Streets Littered With Bodies; Ukraine Won't Confirm Or Deny Attack On Russian Fuel Depot; Moscow Pushes For Trade With India; Dozens Of Historic Sites Damaged In Ukraine; Academy Accepts Will Smith's Resignation. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired April 02, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I want to get straight to our breaking news.

Ukraine's front line fighters appear to be picking up momentum, retaking towns lost in the early days of the Russian invasion. The first five weeks have been unexpectedly costly for Moscow and Russian troops dug in near Kyiv have pulled out.

Russian armor and artillery have abandoned their positions at a key air base in Kyiv. It's not known where they went. Blocked from taking the capital, the Kremlin now appears to be pivoting Russian forces to the east and south while still keeping up shelling and missile strikes in other places.

We have disturbing video out of one of those recently recaptured towns. This is Bucha, a Kyiv suburb. As Ukrainian forces regained control of the town, they encountered gruesome images of dead bodies lying where they fell.

The U.S. on Friday announced another $300 million in military assistance to Ukraine, including suicide drones and night vision equipment. And even with that help, Ukraine's president says he expects tough fighting in the days ahead. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): In the east of our country, the situation remains difficult. The Russian militaries are being accumulated in Donbas, in the Kharkiv direction. They're preparing for new, powerful blows. We're preparing for even more active defense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: With Moscow's assault faltering on many fronts, there are growing questions about an apparent airstrike early Friday on a Russian fuel depot.

Did Ukraine attack Russia on its own soil?

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this on FOX News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): I do not discuss any of my orders as commander in chief, the leader of this state. You need to understand that, on that territory that you mentioned, you have to know that they were placing their shooting systems and firing those missiles themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Ukraine won't confirm or deny whether it was behind that fiery attack.

Belgorod is a Russian city near the Ukrainian border. Russia claims two Ukrainian helicopters flew in at very low altitude early Friday and fired on the storage tanks. Now CNN hasn't verified that claim. The Kremlin is now warning the attack could have a negative impact on the ongoing talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

We have CNN correspondents covering the conflict from multiple angles. Phil Black in Lviv, Fred Pleitgen in Kyiv, Ivan Watson in Zaporizhzhya and Atika Shubert in Valencia, Spain. We'll begin this hour with Phil Black in Lviv.

So, Phil, let's start on that counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces.

What's the latest there?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to President Zelenskyy, from his overnight address, he says the trend we've been talking about for a week now is now clearly noticeable; that is Russian forces pulling back from the ,north essentially as they said they were going to do.

But he said, in some cases, it's because they had been pushed back Ukrainian counteroffenses, they'd been expelled from territory. In other cases they've simply abandoned territory they fought hard to win in the first place.

You can see that, we can see that from satellite images, particularly of territory to the north and northwest of the capital, Kyiv. These are positions that the Russian forces did occupy from the earliest days of the conflict. And you can see these positions, where they were digging in as part of their effort to encircle the capital.

Well, they have now just been abandoned. The point that Zelenskyy makes -- and really all Ukrainian officials make -- is this isn't something to be celebrated at this stage because of their belief that these forces aren't being pulled out to be sent home.

They're being pulled out to be either resupplied and sent back into battle, and sent back into battle, notably in the east. They say that's where Russia is planning to mount new offense operations to try and secure an outright military victory in controlling the Eastern Donbas region, which, for the moment at least, is what President Putin appears to have set as the bare minimum in terms of military goals.

[04:05:00]

BRUNHUBER: Phil, that strike on the fuel depot in Russia, Russia is saying there might be political repercussions here but there's still questions about who was actually behind it.

BLACK: Indeed. Perhaps Russia's talk about repercussions explains why Ukraine, if they did it and assuming they did it, why they're unwilling to talk about it or confirm it publicly.

They will neither confirm nor deny. We've been hearing this literally from the highest levels down, from Zelenskyy himself, who says there are some things he will only discuss with his military commanders.

It's difficult to know, if we assume Ukraine did this, why they would be unwilling to discuss it. It could be the sensitivity of launching an attack like this on Russian Federation soil, because, I guess it is one thing to attack Russians while they're invading your homeland; it's another to attack them on their own territory.

It does risk potential reprisal, potential escalation. There could be other operational security matters we're not aware of. We just can't say for sure.

But if we assume Ukraine did this, then it is undoubtedly a bold strike, showing capability that is impressive and sophisticated in some ways, against a target that they believe is of high value. And by knocking it out, potentially impacting Russia's ability to maintain its military operations.

BRUNHUBER: And finally, Phil, when you and I spoke yesterday, there were hopes Russia would let a humanitarian convoy through from Mariupol but that failed.

Any hope things will be better today?

BLACK: So it's quite a messy picture regarding the humanitarian corridors at the moment but it does appear that there was some success in getting out thousands of people from Russian controlled territory in the -- largely in the south of the country, including people fleeing the besieged city of Mariupol.

Somewhere, at least we believe, in excess of around 6,000 people, possibly more; where the success didn't take place was with the Red Cross' efforts to get aid into Mariupol. They say the circumstances were such it simply became impossible. But they do say they're going to try again today.

BRUNHUBER: We're going to be following that throughout the day. Phil Black, thank you so much.

There are concerns that Russian forces aren't the only enemy President Zelenskyy faces on the battlefield. On Thursday, he announced he had removed two top Ukrainian generals. But listen to how he described the move in an address posted on Facebook.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): And today, another decision was made regarding anti-heroes. Now I do not have time to deal with all the traitors. But gradually they will all be punished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: I want to focus on that last part, where he says, "all the traitors," so that raises the specter of more potential turncoats. In fact, a recent report by the Royal United Services Institute, with the title, "Plot to Destroy Ukraine," addresses that very threat.

It examines how Russia could, through infiltrating Ukrainian politics, bring about regime change, something Russia's military so far has failed to make happen.

Neil Melvin is the director of international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute and joins us from Geneva.

Thanks so much for being here with us.

So when you heard the news that Ukraine's president had fired two top generals for being traitors, were you at all surprised to hear about this betrayal at such a high level?

Or were you more surprised Zelenskyy announced it publicly?

NEIL MELVIN, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Hi, Kim, thanks for inviting me on.

Yes, there's a long backstory, in which Russia has been trying to influence Ukraine from the very creation of independent Ukraine when the Soviet Union collapsed, through various leaders, media, politics, the energy sector and in particular through the national security apparatus, which historically have been close to the Russians and, until 2014, were quite integrated.

So there is a long effort to weed out pro-Russian elements here. And I think this has been a decision Zelenskyy has made to publicize they're continuing with this strategy. I think before the war began, there was a lot of evidence the Russians had a developed plan to try and use their assets in Ukraine for diversion, to try to create a puppet regime.

(CROSSTALK)

BRUNHUBER: Let me ask you about that. I want to quote your report.

[04:10:00] BRUNHUBER: So this report came out just about a week before the invasion. It says meeting with Ukraine security officials, there's a widespread acknowledgment that many of their colleagues, even in some quite senior positions, are working for or are sympathetic to Russia.

That's the question; how extensive is the problem?

MELVIN: Well, I mean, I think it's been put under control quite effectively. And, of course, what we see from the war is the Russian intelligence on Ukraine has been pretty poor. They haven't been that well-informed about what Ukraine is going to do.

So while they have some access to Ukrainian internal thinking, I think it's been rather limited. In fact, what we saw earlier this month, the head of the foreign intelligence directorate in Moscow was placed under house arrest, indicating there was a lot of dissatisfaction from the Kremlin in terms of the intelligence they're getting from Ukraine.

BRUNHUBER: That's, you know, about intelligence getting back from Ukraine.

But these members of the so-called fifth column there also have assets within Ukraine covert and special forces operating in Ukraine.

And the question before the invasion was, what were they going to do when the Russian troops crossed the border in terms of direct action?

I want to quote here from the report. It said senior Ukrainian officials clearly expect and have planned for a decapitation strategy against them.

So now weeks into the war, how do you assess those Russian covert efforts at more direct action?

MELVIN: Well, there's evidence there has been some sabotage activity, blowing up a bridge, trying to destroy railways and so on. But I think that strategy failed and it was linked to a strategy to try to seize Kyiv quickly and put in a puppet regime using these kinds of connections already in place inside Kyiv.

With the Russians now pulling back, that strategy I think has been abandoned and has been very unsuccessful so far. The Ukrainian intelligence service is reported to have shot a member of their delegation in the peace negotiations for being a Russian agent, about to hand over information.

So I think they've also got a strong sense about who these people are now in Ukraine.

BRUNHUBER: Gosh, I -- yes, that's pretty dramatic then. So maybe I can follow up about that negotiating.

How does the question of these questionable allegiances sort of play into negotiating?

I've spoken with some Ukrainian members of parliament, who went to great lengths to say that, even their colleagues who were friendly to Russia are now joining the efforts against the invasion and they're also playing up the sense of unity.

But how real is that?

From what you're saying it's still not -- maybe that might be more of an illusion.

MELVIN: I think there's been an enormous rallying around the flag in Ukraine. Even the pro-Russian party, the opposition, Platform for Life, I think parts of that have very clearly now come over to the Ukrainian side.

And, of course, the way that Russia has approached the war, the brutality, destruction of cities, that's further I think rallied possible elements of Ukraine, who might have been open to working with the Russians. So there's actually I think very little evidence now that the serious parts of Ukraine are collaborating with Russia.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, welcome news, I imagine, for all of those forces there. But I imagine we're only, you know, scratching the surface here, as your report notes.

You know, Ukrainian officials may not want to take action against people suspected of treason because that could, quote, "fracture" Ukrainian politics, creating precisely the conditions to facilitate a Russian takeover.

The result is that Russia has a bureaucracy in waiting. So I'm wondering, given the remarkable resistance, both militarily and among the Ukrainian people, the support for Zelenskyy, the patriotism on display, it sounds like you're less worried about this element sort of coming to the fore.

Is that right?

MELVIN: I think what we're seeing is a refocus by Russia on the Donbas and they're starting to set up territorial administrations for the territory they've occupied since the war began. I think they're starting to pull up on those assets to put in place puppet regimes.

And they are finding people in Mariupol are there to try to set up a parallel administration. But of course, that seems completely illegitimate across Ukraine. So I don't think there's much success for the Russians in that particular track.

[04:15:00]

BRUNHUBER: Listen, it's a fascinating and frightening subject. Really appreciate your insights on this. Neil Melvin, director of the international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

MELVIN: Thanks a lot.

BRUNHUBER: The fighting has already caused a close call at one of Ukraine's nuclear plants. Now the head of the nuclear watchdog talks exclusively to CNN about whether that could happen again.

And after a long difficult bus ride, these displaced Ukrainians still have a journey ahead of them. We'll bring you their story after the break. Stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: The director of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant says it's impossible to determine the level of radiation Russian troops were exposed to there.

In a Telegram message, he said troops may have received significant exposure if they were digging or entrenching in the area and that their activities in the contaminated Red Forest remain unclear.

[04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog says what's happening around Ukraine's nuclear plant is dangerous, uncharted territory. Rafael Grossi just came back from a trip to Russia and Ukraine. CNN's Becky Anderson asked him what condition those nuclear plants are in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL MARIANO GROSSI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, IAEA: The power plants, the reactors are operating as if we were in peacetime, only that we are not in peacetime. And this, of course, creates number of question marks and situations that require attention.

As you were saying, I've just returned barely an hour ago, returned from Ukraine, where I have been talking to my Ukrainian counterparts, on the activities that we buy.

I mean, the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency is going to be performing as of next week, hopefully, to assist Ukraine in preserving the safety of their installations, including Chernobyl. Personally, I was at the closest nuclear reactors to the war zone in the south of the country.

And there, the operations continue in a satisfactory way. But of course, there is a lot of uncertainty that you can imagine.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: And you remain extremely concerned that this infrastructure could become a target during this war, correct. You and I spoke a couple of weeks ago and you expressed significant concern at that point.

GROSSI: Of course, I think that the preserving the physical integrity of a nuclear power plant is of the essence.

I think that the deployment of the IEA the presence of the IEA, the intensity of our work and our attention on this is helpful in averting such a scenario, which is the worst that you could have, you're describing an attack on a nuclear reactor, which is, I think, not a very probable scenario.

But there are other issues that we have, we have been looking at and must be looking at namely the possibility of a nuclear accident, which is something different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Grossi also said Russia fully understands that any attack on nuclear sites would violate international law.

In the coming hours,, the Red Cross will again attempt to help thousands of civilians leave the hard-hit city of Mariupol. About 100,000 people are still trapped in the city, which has been the target of constant bombardment since the five-week invasion began.

The Red Cross says it was unable to get into Mariupol on Friday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the situation there is a humanitarian catastrophe. Some residents have been lucky enough to get out but in much smaller numbers than the Red Cross had planned. Buses took them through Russian controlled territory.

Our Ivan Watson was there when the buses arrived.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The buses have finally arrived from the Russian occupied city of Berdyansk. It's supposed to be a 2.5-hour drive and we were told they left around noon, local time.

It was around noon, local time, and they have come in at just before 11:00 pm. And these buses have red crosses on them and there are dozens and dozens and dozens coming behind them. And they are pulling into this parking lot.

It's all rather dark because the city's blacked out to protect it from the threat of airstrikes and so on. And people here are piled in and exhausted. This has been close to a 12-hour journey, for people who were already trying to flee the besieged city of Mariupol.

So people have already had to endure bombing and weeks without -- weeks without electricity and a connection to the outside world, cell phone signals. And they're finally here, reaching a Ukrainian controlled piece of territory.

But it has been an incredible ordeal to try to help these people. You can just see kind of exhaustion here if you take a look at some of the faces of folks. These are people who didn't have cars to make their own escape. They were waiting for this kind of transport.

Everybody has been forced to leave their homes. Many of the people who arrived earlier today with their own cars said that their homes were destroyed by Russian artillery, by Russian airstrikes. I saw people bruised and bashed up as a result of surviving explosions

and blasts. There are estimated to be more than 100,000 civilians still in Mariupol. The International Committee of the Red Cross, they were trying to reach those people.

[04:25:00]

WATSON: And they publicly announced that their convoy -- just kind of five vehicles -- or three vehicles, nine people -- were not allowed in to the city. And Russia controls the entrance because it encircles it with its troops.

So here you have people coming in, after just an incredibly long day. And what happens is they are brought in by Ukrainian police and then Ukrainian volunteers, who register people, they check their documents.

And then, they're welcomed into a superstore that the city government and volunteers -- they've organized medics, hot meals, clothes for free if they weren't able to get out with their clothes in time and, then, further information about where to go from here, with free transport.

Because then again, everybody -- a lot of these people -- this is all they have left, a bag, a suitcase perhaps and, if they're lucky, their family members with them. So this is a major evacuation.

There are estimates of at least 2,000 people on some 52 buses that have finally made it through many, many Russian checkpoints to Ukrainian controlled territory.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: If you would like to safely and securely help people in Ukraine, who may be in need of shelter, food and water, please go on cnn.com/impact.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. Thanks to our international viewers for watching. "CONNECTING AFRICA" is next. For those of you watching us in North America, I'll be back with more breaking news from Ukraine right after this short break. Please do stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States and Canada. I'm Kim Brunhuber and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

The U.N. special envoy will fly to Moscow Sunday in hope of obtaining a humanitarian cease-fire in Ukraine. Martin Griffiths will then fly to Kyiv. New satellite images show Russian troops, once around the Antonov airport outside Kyiv, are no longer there. Earlier images show military vehicles, artillery positions and protective berms dug into the ground; now just the berms are there.

And new disturbing images from the town of Bucha, also near Kyiv, shows a number of bodies along the roadway, including one person who appears to have been on a bicycle. It's not clear whether the bodies are civilian or military. Bucha is another town Ukrainian forces retook from Russian forces. Just minutes ago,

Russia said it attacked a major oil refinery in Kremenchuk in central Ukraine. It says it was attacked by three Russian airplanes around 6:00 am local time and Russia says it also struck military airfields in Poltava and Dnipro using high precision air-based missiles.

That comes amid questions over the attack on a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod. Russia says two Ukrainian helicopters carried out the attack. Ukraine won't confirm or deny if it played any role in the attack. We have more now from CNN's Fred Pleitgen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It could be a brazen and bold counterattack by the Ukrainians.

This social media video seeming to show two attack helicopters penetrating Russian territory and firing at an oil depot, setting the facility ablaze. The Russian military publicly acknowledging the incident.

On April 1 at around 5:00 am Moscow time, two Ukrainian MI-24 helicopters entered the airspace of the Russian Federation at extremely low altitude, the spokesman says.

Ukrainian helicopters launched a missile attack on a civilian oil storage facility located on the outskirts of Belgorod. As a result of the missile hit, individual tanks were damaged and caught fire.

Video from the aftermath shows the facility engulfed in massive flames, with firefighters struggling to put out the blaze.

Belgorod is a highly militarized city right across the border from Kharkiv in Ukraine. It was from here that Russian forces crossed the border and attacked Kharkiv, moving large amounts of tanks, armored vehicles and trucks towards Ukrainian territory.

But the Russians also have massive military support facilities in this area. But Ukrainians so far have not acknowledged they've hit the depot.

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I can neither confirm nor reject the claim that Ukraine was involved in this simply because I do not possess all the military information.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): The strike comes as Russian forces have been suffering setbacks in their invasion of Ukraine, withdrawing some forces from the area around the capital, Kyiv, after failing to storm the city.

The Russians now saying they want to focus their offensive on the east of the country, which includes Kharkiv, where authorities report a major uptick in shelling in recent days.

All this as talks between Russia and Ukraine to try and end the fighting continue. But Moscow now saying Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the chopper attack and it could have a negative impact on the talks.

Of course, this is not something that can be perceived as creating comfortable conditions for continuing negotiations, the Kremlin spokesman said.

The strike on the oil facility will probably do little to hold up Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But if the Ukrainians are behind it, it would show they are not afraid to strike back at the country that is attacking them -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, for more on this, let's bring in Atika Shubert, who joins us now from Valencia, Spain.

Take us through the reaction from Moscow.

ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: Well, this is very unusual incident and it's the first time Russia has admitted to infrastructure being hit by Ukraine inside Russia. We've always seen it the other way around.

What the Russian military has said is that this fuel depot is only for civilian use, that it does not supply Russian troops in Ukraine. But as you heard in that report, Belgorod is a very highly militarized city.

[04:35:00]

SHUBERT: And it is the main staging ground for a lot of the military activity by Russian troops in eastern Ukraine. And this fuel depot is bound to have a big logistical impact on all that.

According to the Russian news service agency, state news agency, Tass, citing emergency officials there, they have reported that 16,000 cubic meters, more than 3 million gallons of fuel, have been set on fire as a result of this attack.

So that is bound to create quite a big hit on the logistics of the Russian military going into Eastern Ukraine. I think it's also interesting to note, this is actually quite an embarrassing admission by the Russian military because, remember, they have claimed to have air superiority over Ukraine, degrading the Ukrainian air force so much, they said they had virtually destroyed its ability to operate.

And yet they have also admitted that we now have this air attack coming from the Ukrainian side. So I think there seems to be conflicting messages coming out of Russia on this. And again, the fact that we are seeing negotiations continue, this could have an impact on that. But for now, the Russian reaction to this seems to be fairly muted.

BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much, Atika Shubert live in Valencia, Spain. Appreciate it.

Now the White House is being extra careful in its comments about the attack on the Russian fuel depot. A misinterpreted comment could elevate the already dire situation in Ukraine. MJ Lee has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MJ LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The White House is currently not commenting on Russian claims that it was a Ukrainian airstrike that started this fire at a fuel depot in Belgorod, Russia.

And a question that CNN posed to the White House was whether it believes that Ukrainians should go ahead with counterattacks in Russia if it believes that those attacks are justifiable or whether the U.S. would discourage Ukrainians from taking those kinds of actions that would certainly be seen as escalatory.

Here's what White House press secretary Jen Psaki told CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is a war of aggression by the Russian leadership, by President Putin, that has left millions of people displaced, homeless, has targeted civilians, hospitals and other innocent people across Ukraine.

We know who the aggressor is. That is President Putin and Russia. And beyond that, I don't have any comment on military tactics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Now all of this coming as the U.S. has said in recent days that they believe Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by some of his advisers and that he appears to be self-isolated, that he might even be punishing some of his own advisers.

It is notable that the U.S. appears to not want to comment right now on potential Ukrainian counterattacks on Russian soil. The U.S. has so far been very careful to not say anything, to do anything, that might be seen by the Kremlin as being escalatory -- MJ Lee, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now while the people of Ukraine continue their fight against Russian forces, one member of their parliament is in the United States to get more help. Oleksandra Ustinova has been meeting with members of Congress and earlier she spoke with our Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OLEKSANDRA USTINOVA, UKRAINIAN MP: I don't know a Ukrainian who hasn't lost someone they love or know. And I think this war will change us forever, because every fourth Ukrainian was pushed out of his or her home. They had to flee the country.

A lot of women have been raped. A lot of children died. Igor just mentioned that his friend has lost a child because of the bomb.

So unfortunately, this is the tragedy of the 21st century that we're witnessing right now. It's not about just war; it's not about denazification, NATO, demilitarization. This is literally about erasing a nation, just killing as many Ukrainians, raping and destroying as they can.

This is exactly the same what Hitler was doing to Jews. That's exactly what Russians are doing to Ukrainians now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Ustinova also experienced personal loss when a friend, who also serves in parliament, lost her husband this week from Russian shelling near Chernihiv.

Russia is pushing for more trade with India. Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov was in New Delhi Friday. He said Russia is ready to sell India any kind of goods it wants to buy and he also said the two countries will increase use of their own currencies in trade. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): You know our position.

[04:40:00]

LAVROV: We do not fight anything and we appreciate that India is taking the situation in the entirety, not just in a one-sided way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Before his trip to India, Lavrov visited China. Both India and China are refusing to directly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Precisely because of that stance, China took heat from the E.U. during their virtual summit on Friday.

After the talks, E.U. leaders said China cannot look the other way while Russia violates international law. The head of the European Commission said she had an open and frank exchange with China's president.

Her message on sanctions was, quote, "If you are not part of the solution, don't be part of the problem."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: We expect China, as a member of the Security Council of the United Nations, to take its responsibilities. There are few members only and they have a vast responsibility.

And China has an influence on Russia and, therefore, we expect China to take its responsibility to end this war and to come back -- that Russia comes back to a peaceful negotiations solution.

We expect China, if not supporting the sanctions, at least to do everything not to interfere in any kind. Also on that point we were very clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And von der Leyen also told China that no European would understand any support for Russia's war effort.

Well, two Ukrainian filmmakers accidently predicted the war from Russia. We'll look at how their fictional movie turned into an uncanny reality and what they're doing now -- coming up ahead. Stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: The U.N.'s culture agency says at least 53 historical sites have been damaged during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

[04:45:00]

BRUNHUBER: The northeastern city of Kharkiv has suffered the most, with 18 damaged sites, including a Holocaust memorial. So far key landmarks in the capital, Kyiv, have remained largely unscathed and none of the seven World Heritage Sites located in Ukraine have been damaged by hostilities.

When two Ukrainian filmmakers made a movie about war between Ukraine and Russia, they didn't know how eerily accurate their predictions would be. Three years after creating "Atlantis," reality is mirroring their art.

Now they are turning their cameras to document this conflict. But despite the destruction of their homeland, they remain positive and resolute about their future. CNN's Eleni Giokos has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNNMONEY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Russian bombs hit the first Ukrainian cities, it was a shock but not a surprise to Ukrainian filmmakers Valentyn Vasyanovych and Vladimir Yatsenko.

In fact, they spent months of their lives imagining it. Set in 2025, their film, "Atlantis," depicts a desolate Ukraine, ravaged by a brutal Russian invasion. They imagine a remarkable victory but at a huge cost. The Ukraine they knew torn to pieces, graveyards stretching for miles.

VALENTYN VASYANOVYCH, UKRAINIAN FILMMAKER: (Speaking foreign language).

GIOKOS (voice-over): Most of the actors you see on screen are veterans themselves, who know the violence of war all too well.

VASYANOVYCH: (Speaking foreign language).

GIOKOS (voice-over): As cities they know become war zones, Valentyn and Vladimir have been on the ground, documenting the experience of ordinary people.

VLADIMIR YATSENKO, UKRAINIAN FILMMAKER: We shot several days for evacuation of the -- some suburbs nearby Kyiv, which called Irpin. And it was just time when we (INAUDIBLE) the cruelty of the war because the -- while the Russian people bomb shelling us during the -- during this air creation (ph) of the just of (ph) civilians.

And we tried to do it as best as we can because it's going to be kind of historical document, what's happened with all of us.

GIOKOS (voice-over): And if the time comes to fight, both say they'll be ready.

YATSENKO: We still fighting for our right to exist and just to understand that we -- we -- I mean, it's not -- it -- it's not something which we can negotiate. I mean, all we survive and be a separate nation or we going to be enslaved.

Don't be afraid to fight for -- for -- for your own future because we have a common future, all of us. All the world now is connected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: There's more fallout after Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars. The punishment he faces from the Academy -- coming up.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:50:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says it accepts Will Smith's resignation after the actor slapped presenter Chris Rock on stage last weekend during the Oscars.

In a statement, Smith apologized for his actions, saying, "The list of those I've hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance and global audiences at home.

"I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work."

CNN's Chloe Melas has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHLOE MELAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's become one of the most famous and controversial moments in Oscar's history.

CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me.

MELAS: It wasn't just Oscars viewers who initially thought the moment Will Smith slap Chris Rock might have been stage. The men running the entire show, first time Oscar's producer, Will Packer, says in a new interview with ABC's "Good Morning America," that he thought so too.

WILL PACKER, PRODUCER, OSCARS TELECAST: I thought it was a bit. I thought it was a bit like everybody else. Once I saw Will yelling at the stage with such vitriol, my heart dropped.

MELAS: Packer says he rushed over to Rock as he exited the stage.

PACKER: I said, "Did he really hit you?"

And he looked at me and he goes, "Yes," he goes, "yes, I just took a punch from Muhammad Ali," as only Chris can. He was immediately in joke mode but you could tell he was very much still in shock.

MELAS: Smith played the boxer in the 2001 film, "Ali."

CNN has obtained new video from a seat-filler inside the Oscars, showing a new angle of the incident. This time filmed from behind Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Packer says that Los Angeles Police were prepared to arrest Smith that night.

PACKER: And they were saying, "This is battery. We will go get him. You can press charges. We can arrest him."

As they were talking, Chris was -- he was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, "No, I'm fine."

MELAS: The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences released a statement earlier this week, stating that they asked Smith to leave and he refused. A source telling CNN that Academy leaders had told Smith's publicist to deliver the message to the actor.

Now Packer is saying Chris Rock did not want Smith removed from the show.

PACKER: They were about to physically remove Will Smith.

I said, "Rock has made it clear that he does not want to make a bad situation worse." MELAS: Packer praised Rock for how he handled the situation.

[04:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he save the show that night?

PACKER: I think he did. I think he did. He certainly saved what was left of it at that point. Chris handled the moment with such grace and aplomb.

MELAS: Rock told fans during his standup show in Boston this week, that he is still processing what happened.

ROCK: So at some point, I'll talk about that shit and it'll be serious, I'll be funny.

MELAS: Thursday, he faced a heckler who yelled, "Eff Will Smith."

According to "People," Rock repeatedly told the audience member, "No."

The Academy will still have conventions for Will Smith's actions and they are going to announce that around April 18th. It could mean that the Academy bans Will Smith from attending the Oscars ever again.

The fact that Will Smith has resigned means he can no longer be a voting member in the Academy, so he can't vote in upcoming awards shows.

Now could he still be nominated for an Academy Award?

That's left to be seen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And before we go, tip off to this year's men's Final Four basketball tournament is just hours away. Duke will face their bitter rival University of North Carolina before the coach announced he'll be retiring after 42 seasons as the head coach.

All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more news. Please do stay with us.