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Satellite Images Show Military Convoy In Eastern Ukraine; Ukraine Prepares For Escalation Of Fighting In Donbas; Ukrainian Evacuation Routes Adjusted After Deadly Missile Strike; Escaping Ukraine With Disabled Children; Putin Names New General; Odessa Marking Liberation Day Under Curfew; First Round Of Voting In French Presidential Election; Pope's First Mass In St. Peter's Square Since Pandemic. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired April 10, 2022 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello. I'm John Vause, live in Lviv, Ukraine. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world.
This now day 46 of Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine. And we begin with new evidence that Russia's war in Ukraine is moving in a different direction.
Satellite images taken Friday show a military convoy nearly 13 kilometers long moving south through Eastern Ukraine. This is just east of Kharkiv, not far from the Russian border.
More evidence Russian troops appear to be regrouping and preparing to launch a renewed assault on Eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.
We've also learned that Russian president Vladimir Putin has named a general to direct this war. Until now, it's believed Russia has not had a theaterwide commander in Ukraine.
Those developments coming as we have new video, showing one of the most horrific attacks on civilians in Ukraine to date. And a warning: the video you're about to see, it is graphic, it is hard to watch.
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VAUSE (voice-over): This was the moment Russian missiles hit a train station, where thousands of civilians -- mums, dads and kids -- had gathered to evacuate. Ukrainian officials say more than 50 people were killed. Nearly 100 others were injured.
Many of them remain in serious condition right now. Ukraine's president says the attack is yet another Russian atrocity.
Meantime, we have new images of the destruction left behind near the capital. This is the town of Hostomel, northwest of Kyiv. It's not far from Irpin and Bucha, where horrific images have emerged following weeks of Russian occupation.
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VAUSE: CNN correspondents are across the region right now, covering this conflict from every angle. Nima Elbagir is in Kyiv, Ed Lavandera is in Odessa, Salma Abdelaziz is in Poland with the latest on the refugee situation.
But we begin with CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman, with the latest on Friday's deadly attack on that railway station.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All the injured from Friday's missile strike on the railway station in Kramatorsk in Eastern Ukraine have been evacuated to the city of Dnipro and the capital, Kyiv, according to a local hospital official.
At least 52 people were killed in this strike, which took place at a time when there were around 4,000 people waiting outside to be evacuated. Local officials in Eastern Ukraine have urged all civilians, particularly women, children and the elderly, to leave the area as quickly as possible in anticipation of a major Russian offensive.
The Kramatorsk railway station was an important hub in that evacuation effort, handling about 8,000 people a day.
Russian artillery has been relentlessly pounding Ukrainian positions to the east of the city. Now most residents of Kramatorsk and surrounding towns and villages have already left the region, fleeing to safer ground further west -- I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from the Donetsk region, Eastern Ukraine.
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VAUSE: Earlier I spoke with military analyst Malcolm Davis. We talked about Russia's next phase of this war, focused on Ukraine's eastern flank.
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MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: The Russians may have the ability to impose quite a significant victory over Ukrainians.
The Ukrainians are operating, at the moment, very much in lightly- armed forces that are well suited for urban areas and narrow roads, where they have been able to isolate and attack Russian forces.
Out on Ukrainian plains of the east, in the Donbas, there is no such cover. So the Russians will have a clear advantage in terms of long- range firepower, of artillery and rocket systems, as well as their armored warfare capabilities.
Providing they can reconstitute and rebuild their logistics support; if they can't do that, then it is a much more uncertain prospect for the Russians.
VAUSE: With that in mind, Russians will have shorter supply lines, right?
Because they have territory already under their control in the east, so that would be, again, a distinct advantage that they didn't have when this invasion began, especially in the north.
DAVIS: Yes, that's correct. So I think that the Russians probably are in the stronger position in the east in general.
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DAVIS: And particularly, in terms of their potential to ensure adequate logistic supplies.
I don't think they will make the same mistake they made in the first phase of the war, whereby they tried to do these -- what's known as thunder runs, where they try to launch rapid attacks into urban areas.
I think what you will see is more classical, combined-arm operations by the Russians, using tanks, armored-fighting vehicles, supported by artillery and long-range fires and airpower.
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VAUSE: As Russia's offensive shifts to the south and to the east, NATO members and other nations are ramping up military support for Ukraine. On Saturday, the British prime minister made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Along with increased financial assistance and tougher sanctions on Russia, Boris Johnson promised to send dozens of armored vehicles and new anti-ship missiles. The visit also carried symbolic importance, a show of support for Ukraine's fight against Russia.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I'm very grateful, Boris, for the visit. It's very important at this very difficult and turbulent times for our country and the same time you came here.
And we are especially grateful for this to happen. This is a true reflection of the decisive and significant support to Ukraine from the United Kingdom. And we are always grateful for that. We shall always remember that.
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VAUSE: Well, for more now on Boris Johnson's trip to the capital, here's CNN's Nima Elbagir, reporting from Kyiv. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This evening in Kyiv, the city is somber and almost silent as it dims its lights for curfews. But during the day it was very different scenes, as British prime minister Boris Johnson became just the latest world leader to make a pilgrimage to the Ukrainian capital.
He brought with him much of what was expected, a raising of Britain's guarantee of Ukraine's debt ceiling at the IMF to almost $1.5 billion in total. More, much of the same defensive military aid; probably not exactly what the Ukrainians were hoping for or that they needed.
But he brought, as other world leaders had also done, something that Ukrainians tell us is almost more important. He brought a sense of respite because they know that when prime minister Boris Johnson or others like him come here, then, for that short space of time, they are safe.
For that short space of time, they feel a little less isolated by this conflict, from the rest of the world. Prime minister Johnson has gone and, with it, has gone the safety that he brought.
But for many Ukrainians, they hope that the visits will continue as well as the defensive aid, as the Russian offensive in the east of the country continues to build up steam. Eventually, they're hoping more than just visits and respite will come with these global leaders -- Nima Elbagir, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.
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VAUSE: The Kyiv suburb of Bucha is just one example of where the horrors inflicted on Ukrainians by Russia's invading army. Prime minister Johnson said the atrocities there and elsewhere have poisoned Vladimir Putin's standing as a global leader.
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BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: What Putin has done in places like Bucha and in Irpin -- his war crimes have permanently polluted his reputation and the reputation of his -- of his government.
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VAUSE: Well, the Russian armor, the tanks, the armored personnel carriers, the Howitzers which were in Bucha have now been reduced to tons of rusting scrap metal. Much of the town was damaged or destroyed by Russian shelling and airstrikes. The Ukrainians have now begun the difficult task of cleaning up that debris.
Joining me now, Arseniy Yatsenyuk is the former Ukrainian prime minister. He served from 2014 to 2016.
So thank you for being with us.
I want to know, how difficult is it for you to look at the aftermath of what happened at that train station in Kramatorsk, knowing that the Russians are more than likely to carry out similar attacks over and over again until this war is done?
ARSENIY YATSENYUK, FORMER UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER: It's completely inconceivable. This is not just the tragedy of Ukraine; this is the global tragedy.
How could this happen in Europe after the Second World War?
How could this happen actually at the order of the president of P-5 member, which is Russian Federation?
And how could this happen in Ukraine, which is a completely independent and free country and never posed any threat to Russia or anyone else?
So here is my take, John.
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YATSENYUK: Putin and his cronies and every single soldier, everyone in the chain of command, have to be brought to justice. Otherwise, we will have a repetition of these tragedies and dramas. So he has to sit behind the bars.
VAUSE: How important is it for you to get that message out, not just to Vladimir Putin, that he will be held accountable, but also to the Russian soldiers on the front lines, the ones who pull the trigger, the ones who fire the missiles, that they will be held responsible, too?
It's not just all about Vladimir Putin.
YATSENYUK: You know, I'm just wondering what has happened to these so-called human beings. I mean, half of Ukrainians, they speak Russian language. I'm not sure whether Russians understand Ukrainians.
But right now we are living in a completely different period. So they are no longer humans. This is an inhumane behavior. These are inhumane actions of these Russian soldiers.
And every Russian soldier, their relatives and an entire Russian nation, I want to be very clear about this, because some folks are actually focused just on Putin, on his regime. No, that is not true. Those who support Putin -- and it's around 80 percent of the Russian population -- everyone is to bear the brunt.
Everyone responsible for these crimes and atrocities committed in Ukraine. In terms of legal basis, how to bring to justice Putin and his cronies and his soldiers, there are very complicated legal issues.
We have this International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice and the rest of the stuff. But all these legal mechanisms are not valid right now. So I believe the G7 member states and Ukraine have to facilitate a new, strong mechanism of legal persuasion and prosecution of Russian crimes in Ukraine. VAUSE: Because we cannot forget, it is the Russian soldiers on the
ground, who have raped the women, who have raped the girls, who have burnt their bodies alive, who have done this to these people.
It's not just all about Vladimir Putin. And I think that's something that people tend to forget. It is the hundreds of thousands -- or 100,000 or so Russian troops on the ground, that are systematically carrying out these atrocities.
YATSENYUK: John, we will never forget this, never, never, ever. So this is the darkest not hours but days and years of Ukrainian history. But we will prevail. I know it for sure. And we will never forget this.
In terms of how to stop Putin -- yes, go ahead.
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VAUSE: I was going to say in terms of stopping Putin, there's increased military support, now at least. There are tanks from the Czech Republic. There are anti-ship missiles, armored vehicles from the U.K., defense systems from Slovakia, a show of support by the British prime minister and E.U. leaders also.
Does this represent a significant shift in support for Ukraine?
YATSENYUK: Absolutely. This is not just a significant shift of support for Ukraine. This is a significant shift of actually understanding what Russia is really about.
And the West already realized Ukraine is fighting not just for Ukraine but Ukraine is fighting for the entire free world.
So there are three dimensions, John, which are needed in order to win this war against Nazi-style Russian aggression.
The first one is military. And we do commend the efforts of the entire free world to supply defensive weapons to Ukraine. But I want to focus not only on defensive but actually offensive weapon, because we need to recapture a number of territories in Ukraine.
So the world have to be bold and strong in deciding to supply both offensive weapon to Ukrainians.
The third I'll mention is an economic one. Look, Europeans have to realize that this overdependence on the Russian gas and oil is just a disaster for the European economy and for the European security.
An expert, in an interview just an hour ago, she said less than $1 billion Russia gets out of oil and gas sales.
Here is the thing: more than $1 billion. Every single day, Russian -- Russia's war machine is feeded (sic) with more than $1 billion received from the E.U. and other states, who are purchasing Russian oil and gas. So an energy embargo and very tough sanctions have to be imposed and
to erase any kind of chance for Russia to circumvent sanctions. And the third issue which is economic -- for Ukraine.
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YATSENYUK: We ask for economic support. We are in a very dire economic situation. I expect Ukrainians to lose more than 50 percent of its GDP since the end of this year.
And last but not least, John, geopolitical dimension. Look, we still have a number of countries, who are very vocal, explicitly or implicitly, support Russia. Mainly it's China, it's India, it's Brazil.
So the free world is to press these countries just to realize that they are responsible for the war crimes committed by Russians by Ukraine, similar as the Russian regime if they don't take the right side.
VAUSE: Arseniy Yatsenyuk, we'll have to leave it there. But your points are valid and important and we hope the right people hear them. Thank you for your time.
YATSENYUK: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: We'll take a short break here on CNN NEWSROOM. When we come back:
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "It was so scary but we had to go for the children," she says.
VAUSE (voice-over): In Poland, shelters are providing refugee families with hope, even as resources in that country are being stretched thin.
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VAUSE: Also, leaving Ukraine, challenging for any refugee. But one mother managed to get herself and her son with special needs across the border to safety. Her story when we come back.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Evacuation from our region is only possible by buses and mini buses. It is impossible to live in the city because the water supply is intermittent. Electricity is intermittent. Shops are closed. Communications do not work. It is like Armageddon.
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VAUSE: One man explaining why they need to leave where their homes are, after Friday's deadly strike on civilians at the Kramatorsk train station. Ukrainian officials are now adjusting evacuation routes and urgently telling people to leave ahead of a renewed Russian military offensive in the east.
Ukraine says more than 4,500 people were evacuated through humanitarian corridors on Saturday. That is far fewer than the 6,600 who managed to escape a day earlier.
Global donors, including Canada and the E.U., have now pledged nearly $10 billion to help Ukrainian refugees. That happened Saturday at an event in Warsaw, raising money for both internally displaced and those who have fled the country.
According to the United Nations, more than 4.4 million people have left Ukraine since the fighting began. More than 7 million are internally displaced.
More than half of those refugees have fled and stayed in Poland. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has more now on those doing everything they can to help women and children on the run from the war.
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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): What does it take to care for just a few dozen refugee families?
Storerooms packed with food, endless hot meals, hundreds of bunk beds and lots and lots of love, says volunteer Kamil Prusinowski.
KAMIL PRUSINOWSKI, VOLUNTEER: As you saw, this women with the child on hands and they simply have nowhere to go.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): This abandoned school dormitory was in disrepair, unused for over a decade but in just three days, Kamil and his best friends turned it into a shelter for women and children fleeing Ukraine.
PRUSINOWSKI: I need to use my skills, everything what I've got, to help these people.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Now the challenge is to keep these place up and running, the organizers say.
PRUSINOWSKI: Until now, we received zero USD, zloty, pound or whatever from any NGO or government. And there are huge bills which we need to pay.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Behind each of these doors is a story of trauma. Victoria and her grandkids arrived here only yesterday. They still
feel so raw.
"It was so scary but we had to go for the children," she says.
ABDELAZIZ: I'm very, very sorry.
Do you finally feel safe?
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): "It will come," she says.
"Every time we hear a loud sound, we flinch and look up at the sky. We still feel fear."
Irina and her son, Kriyal (ph), fled from Chernihiv after spending days hiding in a cellar.
"It's getting easier," she says, "but he flinches in his sleep."
"Mom, I have nightmares," he tells her.
ABDELAZIZ: Does he still feel scared?
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): "Yes, sometimes. But I try to calm him. We go outside and breathe fresh air," she says.
And that's what is most needed here, a sense of security, stability. But Kamil doesn't know how much longer he can provide it.
ABDELAZIZ: You have zero money.
How does this work?
PRUSINOWSKI: The friends who are helping, some volunteers who are helping. But there is no sustainable support for us.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): These helpers need help to keep their doors open for the many forced out of their homes -- Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, Radymno, Poland.
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VAUSE: Leaving behind all that you know and all that you own is never easy. But for some Ukrainians, it is harder than for others. CNN spoke to the mother of a teenager with cerebral palsy. And she told us the tough choices she had to make in deciding to leave this country with both of her children.
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IRYNA SKRYPNYK, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE: To stay, it was very difficult decision. But to stay in Kyiv it was already very dangerous, especially when you have a child with disability.
So our decision was to leave because my child has a very difficult form of disability and also epilepsy. He needs every time, every time medical supporting and doctor supporting.
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SKRYPNYK: And in Kyiv it was already not good, not in good condition. Just maybe a week ago Sasha become a little bit better. We already visited doctor. We got the medicine what we need finally.
And I know that my kid will not die from pain or from epilepsy attack. He already feel a little bit better. But he very miss home. He asked me, where is cousin, where is grandmother. He want go home.
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VAUSE: There's now so many people in need. And if you would like to help provide some kind of financial aid to Ukraine, please log on to cnn.com/impact. CNN viewers have donated millions of dollars and more help is desperately needed.
Many Ukrainians who evacuated had to leave their four-legged family members behind. They had no choice in many cases. One Kharkiv shelter for animal has become a safe haven for many pets, whose owners fled ahead of the fighting. Many pets were found in the streets, others were rescued from apartments.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): According to my estimation, every second fleeing family leaves pets behind. These are mainly either big dogs or cats. Cats which have lived in the apartments were either locked inside or owners did not lock the apartment so that the animal can be released.
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VAUSE: Shelter volunteers say they now expect a large number of dogs and cats and abandoned animals on city streets when the war is over.
Well, thank you for watching. I'm John Vause live in Lviv, Ukraine. For our international viewers, up next is "CONNECTING AFRICA." For those of you watching from North America, I'll be back with breaking news from Ukraine after a very short break.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody, 30 minutes past the hour. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
New satellite images appear to show a Russian military convoy near Kharkiv. Photos apparently show armored vehicles, trucks towing artillery, support equipment and vehicles, stretching for eight miles. Russia is believed to be preparing a renewed assault on Eastern
Ukraine. Western officials say a single commander will take over the entire offensive now in country. General Alexander Dvornikov had led Russian forces in their bombing of Syria back in 2015.
Britain's former ambassador to Russia says his track record in that conflict was, quote, "savage."
Some Western military analysts believe Russian losses may be greater than Moscow is willing to admit. A European official says a quarter of the Russian army may no longer be in operation.
Meantime, British prime minister Boris Johnson became the latest European leader to make the journey to Kyiv. He promised to increase financial and military aid, including armored vehicles and anti-ship missiles.
The southern port city of Odessa is under curfew now until Monday morning. The reason: officials are playing it safe after the horrific attack on civilians in the city of Kramatorsk. Ed Lavandera explains the curfew is in effect while Odessa marks an important day in its history.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These women are leaving flowers at a memorial in Odessa. It is a tradition usually reserved for April 10th, which marks this city's Liberation Day from the Nazis.
This memorial plaza would usually be filled with people but not this year. The entire city will be under an extended 36-hour curfew.
Sergey Bratchuk is the spokesperson for the Odessa military administration. He says the curfew is necessary because of the deadly attack at the train station in Kramatorsk in Eastern Ukraine.
He says, "When this treacherous missile attack on civilians took place -- and we know that there is a high probability that such missile strikes are possible in Odessa -- the main reason is to protect people's lives."
In the last week, there's been an increase in the number of airstrikes in Odessa. Most of the attacks have targeted strategic locations around the city, like a fuel storage facility and a military installation, where several people were killed and injured, according to Ukrainian military officials.
But just hours before the curfew went into effect, the head of the Odessa administration office said the latest explosion targeted this office building. It is not described as an attack by the Russian military.
"The cause of the explosion is under investigation," he says, "the information about possible act of sabotage is under consideration." This kind of explosion heightens concern that pro-Russian saboteurs
could be working in the city. Odessa is a city with a history of pro- Russian sentiment among some politicians and residents. It's a mood that lives just below the surface and it's difficult to get anyone to talk about it, especially during this time of war.
The usual buzz of this vibrant port city is now far more subdued. Many businesses are closed.
City officials estimate about 20 percent of the city has evacuated since the start of the Russian invasion in late February.
The chess players gathered in this park aren't reflecting on the recent attacks or the looming curfew. They were relaxed, more interested in chess strategies, not war strategies.
We did meet 70-year-old Yulia (ph), who sells paintings in this park. She poured me a cup of wine while we talked about the curfew on Odessa's Liberation Day. And if she is worried, it could mean her city is facing imminent attack.
She tells us she thinks the curfew was called to keep people from public gatherings on Odessa's Liberation Day.
LAVANDERA: Is there ever a moment where you think you would leave Odessa to save your life?
YULIA (PH), ODESSA RESIDENT: No. No.
LAVANDERA: "No, no," she says, "I won't leave Odessa, even to save my life" -- Ed Lavandera, CNN, Odessa, Ukraine.
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VAUSE: Earlier I spoke with journalist Lawrence Sheets. He's one of many who actually did leave Odessa. I asked him what life is like in the region at the moment.
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LAWRENCE SHEETS, MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF, U.S. NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: What they're really worried about and what they stated is that there will be some sort of provocation, they say, or attack. Today is the commemoration of the liberation of the city of Odessa, the Odessa region, from pro-Nazi troops in World War II. So a lot of people got the message that bombing of the city was imminent.
Things like this; I can't call it a panic but there was a mass exodus of people from the city. Roads were absolutely jam-packed. As you know, Odessa is blocked from two of three sides. Many came last night, there was a barge between the Romanian and the Odessa region of Ukraine.
Unexpectedly high numbers and, I like the others around here, you can see the background, spent the night in a one-room church on bunk beds and so on, because they naturally are on edge. And they took this martial law warning to mean that the city was in danger.
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VAUSE: That does it for me from Ukraine. Let's go back now to Lynda Kinkade at CNN's World Headquarters in Atlanta.
Lynda, one of the situations there in Odessa, it is just essentially a martial law lockdown until 6:00 am
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: You and your team take care there in Lviv. And we will touch base with you very soon. Thanks so much for your coverage, John.
John Vause there.
Still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, Pope Francis holding Palm Sunday mass at St. Peter's Square for the first time since 2019. I'll have the details just ahead.
Plus Russia's war in Ukraine one of the issues looming over today's presidential election in France. Votes being cast right now with a dozen candidates on the ballot. We'll go to Paris for the latest on what is expected to be a close race.
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KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade, live in Atlanta.
Polls opened less than two hours ago in the French presidential election.
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KINKADE (voice-over): These images are from Paris. Incumbent Emmanuel Macron is hoping to win a second term, something no French president has done for 20 years. CNN's Melissa Bell is in Paris with the latest on what's expected to be a close election.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Voting's now underway in France's presidential election, a first round that's being held this Sunday and that will see 49 million eligible French citizens given the opportunity to choose between 12 candidates.
A vast array of political opinion represented, not just, for instance, the traditional far right as represented by Marine Le Pen but someone who outflanks her to the Right, Eric Zemmour, a television personality and author, who is also standing.
Those candidates go all the way to the far left. It is, of course, an important test for Emmanuel Macron five years in and after what was a political experiment back in 2017, standing as he did, creating his own party, brushing aside the political forces that had essentially shared power here in France since 1958.
Five years on, having so transformed France's political landscape, can he convince enough of the French electorate to get out to vote for him?
There will be a second round of voting on April 24th if none of the candidates reaches an absolute majority this time -- Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
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KINKADE: Australian voters will go to the polls on May 21st. That announcement today from prime minister Scott Morrison. It marks the kickoff of a six-week campaign period. The entire Australian House of Representatives and half the Senate will be on the ballot.
Among the top issues expected to take center stage in the election, the economy and climate change.
Well, the number of COVID infections from an elite Washington, D.C., event has jumped to 67. That's according to the Gridiron Club, which held the dinner last weekend. Among them, members of Congress and three Biden cabinet members. The latest is Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. He recently traveled to Mexico and was at that dinner.
Vilsack says he's vaccinated, boosted and he only has minor symptoms. But the concern now is how many of those infected with COVID came in close proximity to President Biden without masks.
That's exactly what's happening in this picture, from Tuesday's bill signing at the White House. Mr. Biden is vaccinated and double boosted. But his top COVID adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says it's possible it reaches the president but precautions are in place.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF COVID-19 MEDICAL ADVISER: It is conceivable that the president will get infected, given the fact that the people who are on one-to-one close contacts with him are all tested before they are with the president.
Number two, that about 99 percent of the White House complex staff are vaccinated. And the president himself is vaccinated and double boosted.
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KINKADE: Well, a very special day at the Vatican. In just a few moments Pope Francis will celebrate mass in St. Peter's Square for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. He will also hold the Way of the Cross in the Colosseum.
This couldn't come at a more significant time. Today is Palm Sunday, setting up the Easter Sunday celebrations next week. Joining me now from Rome is CNN's senior Vatican analyst John Allen. John is also editor of Crux, the independent website covering Catholicism.
Good to see you, John.
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JOHN ALLEN, CNN SR. VATICAN ANALYST: Hi, there, Lynda. Happy Palm Sunday to you.
KINKADE: Yes, happy Palm Sunday to you. So this is the first time Pope Francis will hold a mass in St. Peter's Square since the start of the pandemic. It's hard to believe it's been three years since the last one.
What sort of measures are being taken to ensure it's safe?
ALLEN: Well, Lynda, as you probably know, all the people around the pope, much like in your last package, the people around the president, they're all tested for COVID. They've all been vaccinated.
Beyond that, however, there's relatively little in terms of screening of the kinds of people who are going to be in the St. Peter's Basilica. I think the theory is that the people who were admitted to the basilica, who will be in proximity to the pope, are responsible enough to make sure they're not exposing the pope to harm, Lynda.
KINKADE: And of course, the pope has met with Ukrainian refugee children in recent days.
How will he use the mass today to potentially call for peace?
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ALLEN: Well, remember, Lynda, that Palm Sunday is an introduction to Holy Week, which recalls the death of Christ on the cross and then his rising from the dead three days later.
In other words, this is the Christian celebration of the victory of life over death. Now that's a universal message. But it probably will be felt most keenly these days in Ukraine, which is facing death on a massive scale because of Russia's war of aggression.
We would expect that the pope, at least indirectly, will have Ukraine in his thoughts and prayers during his homily -- that's the talk he gives during the mass this morning -- and will probably address the crisis explicitly during his noontime angeles address.
As you probably know, that the pope was recently photographed during his Wednesday general audience, holding a Ukrainian flag from Bucha, the site of the massacres. And even as we speak, Lynda, the pope's top aide for charitable activity is driving another ambulance donated by the Vatican to Ukraine.
So this is sort of a full-court diplomatic and moral press by the Vatican and by Pope Francis, to try to bring an end to this horrific war, Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. We'll leave it there for now. CNN's senior Vatican analyst, John Allen, good to have you with us. Thanks so much.
Well, Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan is following in the footsteps of his predecessors by not finishing his full term. It marks the latest chapter in a political crisis, which has been playing out in Pakistan for weeks. Sophia Saifi has details.
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SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan has been ousted in a vote of no confidence in the early hours of Sunday, after a marathon session that started at 10:30 am on Saturday and went on to past midnight on Sunday morning.
The vote had been due to take place last week on Sunday. However, the deputy speaker of the assembly had blocked the vote on the grounds of it being a foreign conspiracy linked to the United States.
We've then seen a long week of deliberations by the supreme court of Pakistan, which had then ruled that this attempt to block the vote of no confidence was actually unconstitutional.
Imran Khan has a large following here in Pakistan. And he's called for protesters to come out in Lahore in large numbers, to come out and protest what's happened. He said that the sovereignty of Pakistan has been threatened.
He is now going to be in the opposition. And it just remains to be seen what happens next in the weeks and days to come here in Pakistan. One thing is for sure, that Pakistan has never had a prime minister who has completed a term in office. And Imran Khan is now just another name added to that list -- Sophia Saifi, CNN, Islamabad.
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KINKADE: Thousands gathered in Sri Lanka's capital in the biggest protest over the worsening economic crisis. Many protesters waving national flags, shouting anti-presidential slogans, pressuring him to step down.
It comes as Sri Lanka faces one of the worst financial crises in its history. Residents have been hit by prolonged power cuts and shortages, which has drawn protesters out onto the streets in defiance.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: By choice or by fate, we decided to stay in Sri Lanka. And again see the frustration. I have never stepped out on the streets. But today I needed to come to the streets. They have robbed us of a country. And they continue to do so. And as you can see, they must step down. So you see the power hunger they have.
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KINKADE: According to the country's finance minister Sri Lanka needs about $3 billion in external assistance in the next six months to stop the crisis from getting worse.
Well, still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, Tiger Woods didn't play yesterday's round at the Masters tournament like the Tiger of old. Yet he is still savoring a big personal success. I'll have the details when we come back.
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KINKADE: Well, the NFL is mourning after the death of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins. The U.S. football player was just 24 years old.
The Steelers sent this tweet saying, "May he rest in peace."
Police say Haskins was trying to walk across an interstate in south Florida when he was hit by a dump truck. It's not clear why Haskins was walking on the highway. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says Haskins was a great teammate and a tremendous friend.
Well, it was moving day at the Masters tournament Saturday when the world's top golfers tried to get into position to win in Sunday's final round. Tiger Woods appears out of the running.
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KINKADE: And before we go, here is a Hollywood headline that may give you deja vu. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are engaged again. The first time was 20 years ago in 2002. This will be the second marriage for Affleck and the fourth for J. Lo.
And don't be fooled by the giant green rock that she's got. She says she's still Jenny from the block.
Congratulations to both of them.
I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me. Our breaking news coverage of Russia's war with Ukraine continues in just a moment. Stay with us.
