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Ukraine Appeals for Weapons as Russians Attack Donbas; Zelenskyy: Russia Changing Tactics After Bucha Killings; U.S. Announces New Sanctions on Russia; NATO Foreign Ministers Gather for High-States Meeting; New U.S. Sanctions Hit Putin's Family Circle; Russian Oligarchs Stay Silent Despite Sanctions; Inside a Refugee Center at Poland-Ukraine Border. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired April 07, 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]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Max Foster in London. We're following the breaking news coverage of Russia's war on Ukraine just ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Civilians executed in cold blood, bodies dumped into mass graves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Putin has achieved exactly zero of his strategic objectives inside Ukraine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I really want to go home. But I think we can't go back yet. And my husband is still there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you do every day standing up against Russian aggression is something that inspires the whole world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My agenda is very simple. It has only three items in it. It's weapons, weapons and weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

FOSTER: It's Thursday, April 7th. It's 11 a.m. in Ukraine, 10 a.m. in Brussels where Ukraine's foreign minister is pleading with NATO leaders for more weapons as Russia shifts its attacks to the Donbas region in the east. The goal is to capture a large chunk of the country controlled by Russian-backed separatists. Already we're hearing reports heavy shelling in the residential districts of Luhansk. And a local official in Donetsk claims Russian forces attacked a humanitarian aid distribution center killing two people and wounding five others.

Busloads of civilians are evacuating from Kharkiv where Russia says it attacked a fuel depot and the railway station used to supply Ukraine with weapons. But a Ukrainian official claims Russia is aiming at civilians targets. The mayor of mayor Mariupol says Russian attacks have devastated at least 40 percent of his city and destroyed most of its infrastructure. Thousands of civilians are trapped there without basic necessities. Take a listen to a survivor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETRO ANDRIUSHCHENKO, ADVISER TO THE MAYOR MARIUPOL, UKRAINE: Russian troops are staying hold. And they keeps our people inside the city like hostage. They make everything that our people can't escape from the city to other part of Ukraine and now we are absolutely sure we know at about two deportation camps near Mariupol. In reality it's like more of a concentration camps what they built the Nazis like Auschwitz, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Now the latest U.S. assessment shows Russian forces have completely withdrawn now from areas near Kyiv and Chernihiv. And Ukraine's president says Moscow is shifting course now that the atrocities like those in the town of Bucha have been exposed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It seems the Russian leadership really got scared of the world's wrath. That what we saw in Bucha may repeat because of what we may see in other cities where we will inevitably kick out the occupiers. We have the information that the Russian military has changed its tactics and is trying to hide, kill people from the streets and basements in the occupied territory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: New drone video released by Ukraine shows where Russian forces dug trenches in highly radioactive areas in the forest around the Chernobyl nuclear plant -- powerplant. Russian troops took over the site of the world's worst nuclear accident in late February but have since left that site.

Now Ukraine's foreign minister says the best way to help the country is to fight Russia -- help this country fight Russia is to provide more weapons. That comment, just a short time ago as Dmytro Kuleba arrived for NATO's foreign minister's meeting -- now underway in Brussels. Kuleba has already met with NATO Secretary General and is also set for a sit down with the U.S. Secretary of State later today.

Russia's ambassador to the U.S. is reacting to new U.S. sanctions claiming they are a direct blow to ordinary citizens. His remarks follow the announcement of fresh U.S. actions to punish Russia for the brutality on the ground in Ukraine. They include freezing all U.S. assets of Russia's Sberbank and Alfa-Bank, and sanctions on the Russian president's two adult daughters as well. U.S. President Joe Biden had this to say about this decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's nothing less happening than a major war crime. Responsible nations have to come together to hold the perpetrators accountable.

[04:05:00]

And together with our allies and our partners we're going to keep raising the economic costs and ratchet up the pain for Putin and further increase Russia's economic isolation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN's Nina dos Santos has more on the sanctions against Russia. Nic Robertson is at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Salma Abdelaziz is in Poland following the refugee crisis. We begin though this hour with Phil Black. He's in Lviv, Ukraine, with the latest on overnight developments -- Phil.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, as you've touched on, with the confirmation that Russian forces have pulled back from the north of the country, from the areas around Kyiv, that they have left Ukrainian territory, the focus now focuses on the east of the country.

The battle to come -- although Ukrainian officials in the east would say that battle is very much underway. It is expected to take some time for the forces that have pulled out of the north to be refitted, resupplied before they are then repositioned for Russia's new expected offensive more focused operations in that Donbas region.

But what we're hearing from officials in the east is that, again, as we've touched on, the fight is very much already underway. That there has been a noticeable escalation in Russia's assault across three key regions, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk. Notable assaults on residential areas. And so, the call has gone out for civilians there to get out and get out while they can.

Firstly, because it's dangerous to be caught in the cross fire. They're in the way of a huge ongoing military operation but this new call for civilians to evacuate, those that haven't already, now has additional force, additional power given the revelations of the atrocities that have been committed in Bucha and other areas where Russian forces have recently withdrawn from. Because the concern here is that those were not isolated cases and indeed any territory behind enemy or behind Russian lines, I should say, has the potential to reveal and the potential to provide Russian forces with opportunities to carry out similar crimes -- Max.

FOSTER: And Nic, we're saying the shape of this war, the strategy perhaps change and shift over to the east. It's very clear that the Ukrainians need more weapons to do that. They say they do. They're at this meeting hoping to bring them home.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, that real sense of urgency that is really pervading Ukraine at the moment as the battle shifts. As these other towns in the east of the country begin to be hit and the Ukrainian government advises its citizens in some of the outlying places to literally leave. Whereas previously east and west of Kyiv they stood and fought their ground, tackled those Russian convoys that were essentially beyond or at the limit of their supply lines picking them off quite easily.

It is expected -- and NATO officials fear -- it is expected the battle in the east and south of the country is going to be different. That is, I think at the heart of what we're hearing from the foreign minister this morning. He needs these weapon systems now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): The more weapons we get and the sooner they arrive in Ukraine, the more human lives will be saved. The more cities and villages will not be destructed and there will be no more Bucha. This is my message to the allies. It's very simple. And I call on all allies to put aside their hesitations, their reluctance to provide Ukraine with everything it needs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Yes, he said it comes with three messages -- weapons, weapons, weapons. What NATO wants to make sure is that the Ukrainian forces have the capacity now to fight a longer war, that their supply lines and ability to get enough fuel to the front lines, enough flak jackets, enough helmets, enough medical equipment is also taken care of, but it does seem that they're going to get -- Ukrainians are going to get some harder and tougher armor.

It seems as if there will be a commitment to giving tanks. That is very much expected. And we've heard from the Australians say they're going to give their armored fighting vehicles, the bushmasters, they're preparing some of those right now to deliver to the Ukrainians. These are sort of fighting platforms but they'll allow their fighters to get closer to the frontlines with less risk of injury and essentially fight this different phase of the war. Where the Russians may not be extended, have long frontlines where they're able to stand behind defensive positions and pound Ukrainians with heavy rockets, with artillery in a way that really wasn't effective or the Ukrainians didn't have to withstand as much around Kyiv.

[04:10:00]

FOSTER: Nic in Brussels, thank you. That's the military front. The economic front -- the new rounds of U.S. sanctions against Russia bring punishment into President Putin's family circle. Specifically, to his two adult daughters who may be hiding some of his wealth. The move follows a wave of sanctions snapped on a long list of Russian oligarchs. CNN's Nina dos Santos reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another week, another sanctioned asset seized. On Monday Spain took possession of this superyacht, the Tango owned by Viktor Vekselberg. The seizure follows others in France, Italy and the U.K. But now in the invasion's second month, experts acknowledge that pressure on Moscow's once omnipotent oligarchs is having a limited effect.

TOM KEATINGE, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR FINANCIAL CRIME AND SECURITY STUDIES, RUSI: And I for one, would certainly like to see a much more vocal community of oligarchs using what little leverage they have with Putin to at least make him understand the misery he's inflicting on Ukraine.

DOS SANTOS: Do you think you'll see that?

KEATINGE: I think it's pretty unlikely. We've seen what happens if people cross Vladimir Putin. And these individuals who have been sanctioned won't want to go the same way.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): Last month, Russia's president -- a man accused of poisoning his adversaries, which he denies -- says traitors will be spat out like flies. The U.S., the U.K. and the EU have together sanctioned over 1,000 Russian elites and defense firms making it illegal for Westerners to provide them with cash or services.

Yet only a handful have so far spoken out against the invasion. Bank boss Mikhail Fridman and the aluminum magnet Oleg Deripaska, both under sanctions, have broken ranks with the Kremlin and called for the bloodshed to end. Fridman born in Ukraine says he has limited sway these days.

MIKHAIL FRIDMAN, CO-FOUNDER, ALFA GROUP: It just creates enormous pressure for us personally but we do not have any impact for political decision.

KEATINGE: Their line has been they have no influence and they're innocent in all of this. I don't think many people believe that.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): Former government officials like Anatoly Chubais and Arkady Dvorkovich have let it be known that they are against the events in Ukraine. Neither agreed to speak to CNN on camera.

Roman Abramovich's attempts to mediate in peace talks haven't stopped his prized Chelsea football club and a fleet of boats from being hit either -- as he now tries to sell the team. He's denied links to Putin saying none of his activities merited sanctions.

DOS SANTOS: Public opinion is certainly souring against Kremlin connected cash especially here in Hyde Park in central London. This mansion behind me was broken into by squatters who made their way up onto the balcony and unfelled a sign in protest of the war in Ukraine. The reason they said they targeted this particular edifice was because they believed it to be owned by a Russian oligarch.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): That oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, recently said, quote, all sides would lose out with tragic consequences for the entire world.

KEATINGE: Even when it comes to sanctions on oligarchs, they are frankly symbolic. They are totemic. They of course keep the issue in the public eye. DOS SANTOS: So, in essence this is a PR exercise?

KEATINGE: It's definitely a PR exercise.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): Authorities appear to be aware of this. On Wednesday the U.S. said it will now target the assets of Putin's two adult daughters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Yes, and a lot of interest in the daughters. A lot of people didn't know much about his children. There can be more as well.

DOS SANTOS (on camera): Yes, these are the two eldest daughters. One of them is a doctor, Maria Vorontsova and the other one runs a technology firm and is affiliated with one of the Universities --

FOSTER: And they're in Russia, are they?

DOS SANTOS: In Russia. Vladimir Putin has always claimed that they're in Russia. He says that they're educated in Russia. One of them, Maria Vorontsova is actually married to a Dutchman as well. Which raises, again, this prospect of this with clashes citizenships, if you like, when it comes CDU sanctions. Although I should point out, that the EU hasn't voted introducing sanctions, so on people who have dual Russian citizenship and EU citizenship. So, even countries like Finland before -- thinking about a couple of big oligarchs for instance.

But very little is known about these two girls. Vladimir Putin has always tried to make sure he kept them away from the public eye. The Kremlin has never really referred to them by surname. Only just recently their birth names. But as you pointed out, they're not the only children Vladimir Putin is believed to have. He is believed to have a daughter here in the United Kingdom who owns property and he's also believed to have at least four children with Alina Kabaeva, a gymnast who lives in Switzerland.

So, this may be the start of a sort of personal project, if you like, to try and punish people who are direct descendants of Vladimir Putin. Because the United States and other partners believe that they could be harboring some of his wealth. But so far, as you can see there, when it comes to getting to any of the oligarchs, this is having a very limited effect at this point -- Max.

FOSTER: And what effect are the sanctions having? Because there's the narrative in the U.K., for example, where we're told it's having a huge impact. But probably a very different story coming out from Moscow.

[04:15:00]

DOS SANTOS: Yes, that's right. In the reality is, is that authorities can't really figure out what impact it is having apart from seizing big trophy assets and yachts and so on and so forth. But now because they're going to set up huge task forces to try and track down some of these assets. Many of them are in anonymous shell companies. Some of them are actually in parts of the world which are actually have a legal jurisdictional background with the United Kingdom, like offshore tax havens and so on and so forth. That's going to be drawn into focus. That's the international side of it.

But when it comes to the Russian domestic side of it, the United States say that they believe the latest round of sanctions imposed upon Sberbank, the biggest commercial bank in Russia, Alpha-Bank, the biggest private bank and the ban on investments from U.S. investors into Russia is probably going to shrink the Russian economy by 15 percent and push up inflation by a similar amount in the double digits.

FOSTER: But why isn't the ruble moving?

DOS SANTOS: Well, this is interesting. Obviously, Russia is going to do what it can to try and shore up its own currency and that includes interest rate hikes and other maneuvers. But further down the line there's a position that they're going to run out of financial ammunition to try and cover the bases here. Russia has got a huge a multibillion-dollar bond payment, re-payment scheme that's coming up -- one of those bonds is due. It also earlier in this month couldn't pay another bond back in dollars. So, risks the real prospect of being back in default territory like in 1998. That had huge implications for Russian citizens.

Having said that though, Max, this also plays into the Kremlin's narrative and playbook because they can also claim the West has essentially unleashed economic warfare on Russia --

FOSTER: On the population.

DOS SANTOS: And ordinary Russians.

FOSTER: Nina, thank you.

Still to come, we'll go live to the Polish Ukrainian border to speak with Ukrainians staying at a refugee center there. How they're fairing as they try to escape the war when we return.

And later this hour I'll speak live with a lead singer of a Ukrainian pop band -- rock band rather -- who put down their instruments to support frontline troops backing the Russians

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Pope Francis got that big round of applause for a symbolic step to condemn what he called atrocities in the martyred Ukrainian city of Bucha. He unfurled and kissed the Ukrainian flag that he said came from the city in the site of the mass killing. The Pope spoke during his general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday. He also invited a group of Ukrainian children who are now refugees to join him on stage.

The U.N. says that more than 10 million people have been displaced both in and outside Ukraine, including more than 4 million who have fled the country. Of those, Poland has taken in the maximum number of refugees. More than 2 million since the war started. Salma joins us from the Poland/Ukraine border. I read somewhere that that means that one in ten people in Poland currently is Ukrainian.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: It's a huge number of people, Max. And as you know, we've been reporting along the border for a few days now. And the first question oftentimes people ask when they cross, when they fled violence is, where am I going to sleep tonight? So, we want to see where people go. You might be wondering why I'm coming to you from a funky little hallway here. This is an abandoned dormitory 12 years ago. That was the last time it was used to house students.

So, when a group of friends volunteers, who were trying to find a place for these refugees. The local government said take this abandoned building. I'm just going to show you students used to live here, 12 years ago again. This group of friends took this building from the local government and in the matter of three days they got electricity running, water running, they built bunk beds. And now they're housing over 160 people here. Dozens of families that are so grateful to get that peace, to get a place where they can make a warm meal and lay their heads down.

One of the volunteers, director of this organization is Kamil. Just tell me about this place, how many families you're taking care of and what the needs are that you're taking care of.

KAMIL PRUSINOWSKI, POLANDWELCOMES.ORG: So, we've got probably like 70 families. Because women here, they've got plenty of children and they are coming with their children here. The needs are enormous because we do not have -- we have zero government support or any institutional support. So, we need to do everything starting from the housing, hot meals, preparing breakfast, preparing suppers but also education, private kindergarten and it is all what we were able to do in last 45 days.

ABDELAZIZ: And did you have any experience before this? I mean, how did you start running a refugee center?

PRUSINOWSKI: We built the plan on the flight and we also learning quickly. So, we are not professionals but we are doing whatever we can. And whatever feedback we receive from our guests from Ukraine, we are trying to answer this and now we are trying to be less reactive but a bit more proactive to their needs.

ABDELAZIZ: So, you're not just though providing food, hot meals and a bed, you're also providing doctors, mental support. Tell me more about how you can even fund this operation as a volunteer.

PRUSINOWSKI: There are so many people who want to help out of their hearts. So, just minutes ago, I said good-bye to our Portuguese doctors who are here with us for two weeks. Another group just arrived. And the psychologist they are also coming offering their help. Because as I say, it is a group of friends engaged to want to host as many people as we can host.

ABDELAZIZ: How long can these families stay here?

PRUSINOWSKI: They can stay as long as they want. That's why we are organizing the school, the kindergarten and the jobs, legal jobs for our Ukrainian ladies.

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much. And, Max, this is what you see everywhere you go in Poland. It's just the kindness of strangers. It's just average people stepping up trying to find ways they can help. But what you're going to hear from them more and more, is they need help to help these refugees.

FOSTER: In different ways as welcoming from different parts of the country as the conflict moves. Salma, thank you very much indeed, for that very heartening story coming out from Poland right now.

We do have this just in to CNN. Ukrainian authorities say they have shot down three Russian cruise missiles near Zaporizhzhia.

[04:25:00]

The city council made the announcement on telegram. The CNN team in Zaporizhzhia reports hearing what sounded like an aircraft followed by a loud explosion.

Still ahead this hour, it started as a hobby and now flying drones has become a vital part of Ukraine's fight against Russian forces.

Plus, a popular Ukrainian band puts their music on hold to join up with their country's troops. I'll speak with the front man Taras Topolia just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, many civilians have volunteered to join the fight. One of them is the lead singer of a popular Ukrainian band. Taras Topolia and his group Antytida have numerous albums and have had concerts across Ukraine as well as North America. He's now with an army unit supporting frontline Ukrainian troops. In here he is entering an area shortly after an intensifier fire fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARAS TOPOLIA, UKRAINIAN SINGER TURNED SOLDIER: 24 hours before there was a battle here so you can see now the smells of the war is strong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Taras Topolia joins us now from near the capital Kyiv. We're seeing your social media videos there. You're big on TikTok. You've been a real face for this conflict for many people. What sort of feedback are you getting from people outside the country?

Hello, everybody. Nice to talk with you.

[04:30:00]