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NYPD Identifies Person Of Interest In Subway Shooting; Biden Accuses Russia Of Genocide In Ukraine; Blinken: U.S. Can't Confirm Use Of Chemical Weapons; Putin: Talks With Ukraine Are At A "Dead End"; Ukraine: Six People Found Dead In Basement Outside Kyiv; Zelenskyy: Russian Army Suffered Irreparable Losses; U.N.: More Than 2.6M People Entered Poland From Ukraine; Official: No Corridors For Civilian Evacuations Today. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired April 13, 2022 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, live at CNN headquarters in Atlanta.
A manhunt is underway right now after a gunman opened fire in a busy New York Subway Station. And investigators have named a person of interest in the case.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm John Vause, live in Lviv, Ukraine.
As its country braces for a new offensive by Russia troops in the East, the U.S. President, Joe Biden says what Vladimir Putin is doing in Ukraine amounts to Genocide.
CHURCH: New York City Police are urgently searching for a gunman who opened fire in a crowded subway station in Brooklyn, Tuesday morning. Authorities say the shooter set of smoke grenades before firing 33 shots. At least 10 people were hit. No one was killed.
There were chaotic scenes as people fled the train once the doors opened at the next station. Law enforcement officials tell CNN they believe the shooters gun jammed during that attack. Police want to speak with the man you see here, 62-year-old, Frank James he described as a person of interest and not a suspect. James is believed to have rented a U-Haul van possibly linked to the shooting. It's been towed away for further investigation. And we will have much more on this story in just a moment. But first, we want to bring you the latest on Russia's war in Ukraine.
VAUSE: For the first time, U.S. President Joe Biden accusing Russia of committing genocide in Ukraine. Joe Biden made those comments while talking about inflation and increasing gasoline prices and then double-down on the accusation while speaking with reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I called it genocide. The evidence is mounting, it's different than it was last week, the more evidence is coming out of the literally the horrible things that the Russians have done in Ukraine. And we're going to only learn more and more about the devastation. And we'll let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not it qualifies, but it sure seems that way to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Those comments by Joe Biden were welcomed by the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called them, "The true words of a true leader." The U.S. is expected to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars and new security assistance to Ukraine soon as a new Russian offensive is expected in Eastern Ukraine.
And the presidents of Poland and Baltic States are on their way to Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said the U.S. could not confirm the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine in particular in the port city of Mariupol. But he warned it is a tactic that the Russians could use.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think I pointed to the possibility that these kinds of weapons would be used, and it's something that we're very, very focused on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Meantime, new satellite images have revealed military equipment deployed on Russian soil not far from Ukraine's border. Military convoys have also been seen moving through Eastern Ukraine near the Donbas.
We are also hearing now from the Russian President, Vladimir Putin during a news conference Tuesday, he said peace negotiations with Ukraine a quote, "At a dead end." He also said the war will go on until Moscow achieves its original goals.
The bodies of six civilians with gunshot wounds were found in the basement of a home outside the capital city of Kyiv. The discovery was made by-- it was announced rather by the Ukrainian prosecutor, who then had earlier spoken with CNN's Fred Pleitgen. A warning now to our viewers, Fred's report contains some graphic images.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Even as Russian troops mass in Eastern Ukraine for what the U.S. believes will be a huge offensive. Authorities in Kyiv continued digging up bodies. Painstaking work that goes hand-in-hand with investigating Russia's attack on Kyiv and possible crimes committed by Vladimir Putin's invading troops.
Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova is leading the charge. She spoke to me at the edge of a mass grave in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha.
IRYNA VENEDIKTOVA, PROSECUTOR GENERAL, UKRAINE: For us the best motivation is justice. And of course, we understand that all Ukrainian want fast justice, true and fast justice. That's why we do everything to document all evidence, all facts of war crimes that we have here in Ukraine.
PLEITGEN: French forensic investigators are now also on the scene, not because Ukraine lacks expertise, but because Kyiv wants to be as transparent as possible in the face of Russian disinformation efforts.
VENEDIKTOVA: We want to do our job absolutely open with standards of International Humanitarian Law. It's very high standards.
[02:05:08]
VENEDIKTOVA: That's why in here we have our international colleagues, we understand that they can see everything. They can see real situation here, real graves, real dead bodies.
PLEITGEN: After Ukrainian forces managed to expel Russian troops from around Kyiv of and some other areas they'd occupied in Ukraine, authorities have discovered scores of dead bodies. Today, another six found in just one basement outside Kyiv. The prosecutor tells me they are collecting evidence in thousands of cases.
VENEDIKTOVA: Now, we started more than 6,000 cases. It's cases, it's crimes, war crimes, crimes against humanity, aggression crimes. And we started on the first day so far, we started the case about genocide.
PLEITGEN: All this as Russia still claims its forces that invaded Ukraine have not harmed any civilians. On a visit to a spaceport with Belarusian strong man, Alexander Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, again claimed his forces are fighting against would be Ukrainian Nazis, in what he called a quote, "Special operation."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): The goals are absolutely clear and they are noble, he said. I said it from the beginning and want to draw your attention to that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: There are some in the U.S. at the top level who have spoken about a possible war crimes trial against Vladimir Putin. Is that something you think could ever be possible and it's something that you're working towards to provide evidence for?
VENEDIKTOVA: Of course. I think that everyone understand who is responsible for this war. That's why we do everything to fix, to document evidences. But we are here in Ukraine and actually understand who is responsible for all of this.
PLEITGEN: The investigators work is complicated by the fact that the war is still going on. And they can't reach many devastated areas like the encircled city of Mariupol, where Ukraine's president says tens of thousands have been killed. But Iryna Venediktova says no matter how long it takes, she will press on.
VENEDIKTOVA: It's actually extremely important because if we will be successful as a prosecutor, I assure that we can stop such aggressions in the future.
PLEITGEN: Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Bucha, Ukraine.
VAUSE: Well, Tuesday, marked day 48 since the Russian invasion began, a point not lost on the Ukrainian president. In a speech posted online, Zelenskyy made reference to Moscow's plan to encircle and capture the Capital Kyiv in just 48 hours. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): In 48 hours, which stretched for 48 days, the Russian army has reached a level of irreparable losses higher than that of the Soviet Union in 10 years of war in Afghanistan. Higher than that of Russia in the two wars in Chechnya.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Meantime, Zelenskyy has proposed a prisoner swap with Russia. Offering to hand over this captured ally, the Russian President Vladimir Putin in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war. His Pro- Moscow Ukrainian politician and oligarchy victim, Medvedchuk was detained by the country's security service in what Zelenskyy called a special operation.
Prior to Russia's invasion, Medvedchuk was accused of treason in Ukraine. He was under house arrest. His whereabouts have been unknown in the weeks following the invasion. Some observers speculated he or his allies may be the Kremlin's preference to lead a puppet government if Ukraine was actually taken over by the Russians. He could-- this man could have been the one to succeed Zelenskyy.
CHURCH: More now, on the manhunt in New York City for the gunman who opened fire on a crowded Brooklyn subway car, Tuesday. Police say 10 people were shot and 13 others injured in the scramble to get off that train. Everyone survived though, thankfully. Police have identified the man you see here as a person of interest, because he's believed to have rented a U-Haul van, whose keys were found at the scene. He has not been named as a suspect though.
Meantime, a survivor who says he was sitting next to the shooter is hospitalized with a gunshot wound. He spoke with CNN earlier from his hospital bed and described what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOURARI BENKADA, SURVIVOR, SUBWAY SHOOTING: What I see was a-- just black smoke. And that's when I got hit. I didn't think, you know, it was serious until I got off the train. I put my pants down and the size of a quarter just gushing out blood. I lost so much blood. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And it was your knee. Where did the bullet
hit?
BENKADA: So if you see right here, I'm wearing a cane, but I'll demonstrate on my other leg. Right here, so the bullet went through the back of the knee and it came out over here. And that's the size of a quarter over here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:10:13]
CHURCH: Juliette Kayyem, is a CNN National Security Analyst. And she joins me now from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Always good to have you with us.
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Thank you for having me tonight.
CHURCH: So Juliette, a manhunt is underway for 62-year-old Frank James, who police call a person of interest, not a suspect. Despite his photograph fitting the exact description of the Brooklyn subway shooting suspect and police are asking for help from the public. So what does all this tell you?
KAYYEM: Right. It does seem complicated. So let me try to explain it, the sort of, the police talk that you-- that most Americans saw happening today. There is a reason why they did not call Mr. James a suspect is they might have a reason to believe that there might be others involved, possibly a third party, or a third person. But also that they want to protect the prosecution which is going to follow.
So, if they call him a suspect already, that case, say, might fall apart, then they find someone different. They're going to muddy up what should be a clear cut case. So it seemed really confusing that they said, we have a person of interest and a suspect, and we don't know whether they're the same person, that is very purposeful to protect the prosecution.
So, long story short, within, you know, 20 hours of the incident, they-- they've got a name, they've got a person of interest, they're on a manhunt, they've got the truck. This thing will end relatively soon. This is not going to be a long term investigation.
CHURCH: Interesting. And of course, what we know so far is after putting on a gas mask--
KAYYEM: Yes.
CHURCH: -- and throwing gas canisters, or smoke canisters inside the train. The subway shooter then fired 33 times, hitting 10 people. Thankfully, his gun jammed. Security cameras at the station were not functioning.
KAYYEM: No.
CHURCH: But of course, there is an abundance of smartphone video available to police to help them find the shooter.
KAYYEM: Right.
CHURCH: They have linked to Frank James to the U-Haul vehicle, you mentioned that was rented under the credit card that was dropped near the scene of the shooting. What procedure will they need to follow to ensure that they do actually get the person, the shooter at the subway?
KAYYEM: So, this is where extraordinary events can seem sort of normal, this is going to seem like a normal criminal investigation, especially if there is no allegations of a foreign terrorism tie, which the NYPD has been pretty clear, they're not viewing this as terrorism, nor if they thought that there was an ongoing threat.
So, this will be putting the pieces of the physical evidence together. It is clear that this-- that the police have a sense of who he is because they have ruled out what we would call, you know, a terrorism investigation, which would be one that was motivated for political purposes. This may be someone that was dealing with mental health issues or other issues related to why the police would rule out terrorism this quickly.
So, as I said, extraordinary events, scary events, events that terrorize there's no question about that. Our-- well, look pretty familiar through just the criminal justice process. And then there'll be a prosecution, and then ultimately, a determination if there's a conviction. This is a case that I think will not reach sort of epic proportions in terms of how we think about safety and security in this country, because it's unlikely to be politically motivated, and because of all the investments that New York has made in its safety and security, and most importantly, its response capacity.
This really was a situation that could've gone, you know, from-- you know, horrible to catastrophic, and actually resulted in (INAUDIBLE) and that's a-- in my rule, that's a success story. It really is.
CHURCH: Yes. I absolutely agree. Juliette Kayyem, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your analysis with us. We appreciate it always.
KAYYEM: Thank you.
CHURCH: More refugees are pouring out of Ukraine. Many bring with them stories of fear and trauma. We will have the latest on the Exodus and the humanitarian aid effort. Back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:18:25]
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. I'm John Vause, live in Lviv. It is just gone 18 minutes past the hour. Russia's war on Ukraine has uprooted millions of lives and people are now just living in limbo (ph). According to the U.N., the number of people who fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began has now risen to 4.6 million. The vast majority of those refugees have crossed the border into Poland, some moving on from there to other parts of Europe.
Inside Ukraine more than 7 million people have left their homes to escape the worst of the fighting. A deputy prime minister says nearly 3,000 were evacuated from parts of southern and eastern Ukraine on Tuesday. All up, the U.N. now puts the total death toll at close to 1,900 since the invasion began. But the actual real numbers are expected to be much higher as many as 20,000 people killed in Mariupol, according to Ukrainian officials.
Well, Zhanna Galeyeva is the founder of humanitarian aid organization, Bird of Light Ukraine. She's with us now from Chernivtsi in Western Ukraine, not far from the border with Romania. So Zhanna, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us. I'm just wondering, how are you holding up right now? Because this has been such a difficult time for everyone and you're dealing with people who've gone through some incredible hardships. So how are you coping?
ZHANNA GALEYEVA, FOUNDER, BIRD OF LIGHT UKRAINE: Well, hello everyone. How do I do? It's a difficult time as you said. And every day I wake up and I read the news, and I go on with my day. We deliver so much aid, food, medical supplies. And now that everything is on pretty much automatic flow, I wake up and ask myself every day how-- what else can I do? How else can I help?
[02:20:10]
GALEYEVA: And particularly yesterday, I learned about this group of kids who were collected from the battlefield next to their parents who were shot dead. And I now put my energy and forces into trying to help these kids and as tomorrow, I'm going to go to these orphanages. They were brought from all over the country, and they will be residing here in the west part of Ukraine.
So, this is my focus right now to be helping these kids in any way possible. I know that many of them are not able to speak, they're still traumatized. And it's very difficult. But as I said, every day I do my best. But every day, I just try to understand what else can I do, how else can I help to women and men, and kids who are first-- firsthand suffering from this?
VAUSE: How many children are you talking about here? What are their ages? And how long have they been without their parents?
GALEYEVA: Well, so there are three facilities that I'm going to be overlooking. And one of them I'm overlooking already. There are three 300 kids that left the orphanages in Donetsk, Yuzhnoukrainsk, and Dnipro. They left those cities as those who are under attack. And on the way to the West, it took them 2-1/2 days on the way to the West, they're at the bus with their teachers and educators were shot. So they came here pretty much along with just few teachers.
And it's 300 kids of different age groups. Some of them are pretty tiny, so like up until seven, and then there is a big group of seven plus. So it's all range of ages there. So we're talking about one group of 300 that currently residing in a summer camp that is not equipped for hosting that many kids, especially during colder time of the year. And then another group that I haven't visited yet, but I'm planning to go there on Thursday. It's another group of 300 kids and 150 of them are age from one to seven.
VAUSE: Wow. I mean, you came to Ukraine, at the end of last year, you came to reconnect with your dad, then the war started.
GALEYEV: Yes.
VAUSE: And you decided to stay. You had no intention of starting a humanitarian aid group. You had no intention of heading out and repairing ambulances and giving orphan children a home. How did it happen?
GALEYEVA: Yes. I came back to Ukraine to visit my dad whom I was not in touch with-- for 32 years. So in my 37th birthday, I decided to pay a visit and just knocked on the door and I said, "Hello, I'm Zhanna. I'm your daughter. I would like to meet you." And that was a whole transformative experience for me to get to know him, to get to talk to him, to understand how much alike we are. And it was the most beautiful time of my life, to be honest. It was the most difficult time of my life in terms of emotional roller coaster.
But it was also the most beautiful time of connecting to myself and learning more about myself--
VAUSE: Yes. Yes.
GALEYEVA: -- through connecting to him. And then all this was happening on the background of the work coming closer and closer, and all my friends and family were asking me to leave. And on this-- on the February 24th, I woke up in Kyiv to the sounds of sirens and warnings from all over. And I saw people leaving the city. So I had few rounds to the bunker where I understood how real it is. It's happening although-- and nobody could believe that this time 21st century, a big city like Kyiv will be invaded so brutally.
So, I got into a car and I started to go West. And it took me two days without sleeping, without stopping to get to the border, Moldovan border. And when I was about to cross, I-- something inside of me told me that I cannot just leave it all behind, and perhaps there is something I can do. So I stayed and I ended up in the city of Chernivtsi which I have never been to before. I didn't know anybody here. I stayed at the place was--
VAUSE: And--
[02:25:03]
GALEYEVA: Yes? I stayed on the place--
VAUSE: Because you said you wanted to do something, and you've done something which is incredible.
GALEYEVA: Yes, I've done some--
VAUSE: What you did is that you started up a charity from nothing. It's called Bird of Light Ukraine, right?
GALEYEVA: yes.
VAUSE: And you've done some incredible work.
GALEYEVA: Thank you so much. Thank you. It all started as initiative. I just looked around, I talked to people and I just started to collect to buy food, I was going across the border to Bucharest, and I would buy a bunch of food just wholesale-- not wholesale, sorry, retail, for retail prices. I started to buy food, Pampers, hygiene products, baby food, which was at that moment very difficult to get here considering how many newcomers were coming, new refugees with little kids.
So, I started to come to Bucharest buying it and coming back, and distributing it around the centers who are hosting refugees. And from there, the team grew, the support crew, friends and family helped me to go and collect money. And then we started a campaign. And then here we are, we have delivered tons of food at this point, tons of medical supplies. I made the trip to Kyiv. I met medical hospital that host about 165 wounded people in it. And that's where we are, Bird of Light. We just-- every day we're discovering how else can we help, how else can we support those in need, those who-- whose life changed forever.
So, to be honest, I never thought I will be doing this kind of work. But I just felt that this is a time for me to put together the resources, the sources, the human resource, the friends, and family, and extended friends and family--
VAUSE: Yes. Yes.
GALEYEVA: -- to just create something that will be helpful in this time.
VAUSE: And that website is-- its birdoflightukraine.com. It's very easy website to find, you can donate very easily if you would like to give you some assistance. I'm sure you would greatly appreciate that. You've received a lot already. Zhanna, thank you so much for being with us. You are an inspiring story. And thank you for everything you're doing. And stay safe.
GALEYEVA: Thank you so much. Thank you.
VAUSE: Well, ahead. Just in at the CNN, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister announced there'll be no humanitarian corridors today. They used to evacuate civilians from areas of fighting. She says Russia blocked the evacuation buses in Zaporizhzhia Region whose Russian forces are violating a ceasefire in the Luhansk.
Well, when we come back. In New York, the search is ongoing for the gunman who opened fire at City Subway during morning Russia, and update on the shooting in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:30:00] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Recapping the New York shooting story now, and police are on an urgent manhunt for a gunman who reportedly setoff two smoke bombs, then opened fire on a subway. The gunman fired at least 33 times, hitting 10 people, all are expected to survive. A credit card and keys to a U-Haul van were found at the scene. Police named Frank James, a person of interest, they say he rented the van, which was later discovered in Brooklyn. Police say, they don't know if James has any connection to the subway attack and they have not called him a suspect. One witness was in the train, heading to work, when smoke filled the car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF YAV MONTANO, WITNESS: During all this time, I'm thinking it's firecrackers. And it's not until I raised my head up and I've seen that there's a lot of blood on the floor then I realized firecrackers can't do this much damage. It has to be -- it has to be somebody with a gun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Across the country and in New York, violence has increased during the pandemic. Over the last two years, shootings in the city are up more than 72 percent. Randi Kaye reports this was the latest in a series of attacks in the city subways.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): January this year, a mentally ill man shoved a woman onto the subway train track in Times Square. Police say, 40-year-old Michelle Eliza Go, was pushed onto the tracks of an oncoming train around 9:40 am. Investigators say, the attack was unprovoked. Police identified a 61-year-old man is the attacker and charged with second degree murder. He later turned himself in.
ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK MAYOR: Our battle is in the subway system is fighting the perception of fear that cases like this can happen.
KAYE (voiceover): Stay away from the subway platforms edge, said New York City subway chief after yet another January incident. In that case, police say, a 62-year-old man suffered injuries after being pushed onto the subway tracks at the Fulton Street Subway Station in Lower Manhattan. He was treated at a hospital for a cut to his leg.
JANNO LIEBER, MTA CHAIR AND CEO: I don't want to tell people that they should stand on subway platforms and feel like they're, you know, they're in threat of their lives. But everybody should stand away from the edge of the platform.
[02:35:00]
KAYE (voiceover): And look at this terrifying assault from February. Watch as a suspect repeatedly hits a 57-year-old woman in the head with a hammer as she makes her way down the stairs to a Queen Subway Station. Police say, she was struck as many as 13 times and left with a fractured skull in critical condition. Investigators say, the suspect stole her purse.
Also, in February, soon after New York City's mayor unveiled a new safety initiative to combat subway crime, there were at least six stabbings or slashings in the subway. Police say, those included two stabbings at Queens Subway Stations, a man stabbed in the back on a train in Manhattan, and another assault involving a hatchet. And as terrifying as those attacks are, experts say, a rider's chance of attack is close to one in a million. And that transit is no less safe than the rest of the city.
MICHAEL ALCAZAR, JOHN JAY COLLEGE OR CRIMINAL JUSTICE: People are afraid to walk in the streets. Crime is happening. The subway is a disaster.
KAYE (voiceover): Surveillance cameras captured this violent attack last month in the middle of the afternoon on the A train at West 190th Street. Police say, the suspect spit at the 22-year-old victim before attacking him and ripping his hair out, all the while making anti-gay remarks. Some incidents are being classified as hate crimes.
Just last month, the Manhattan DA filed two hate crime charges against an individual for allegedly assaulting a 29-year-old Asian man at a New York City subway station. The suspect allegedly possessed multiple weapons, including a dagger, knife, machete, and razor, according to the criminal complaint. The suspect allegedly attacked the victim with a hammer, causing injuries to his head.
ADAMS: We're going to make sure New York is -- feel safe in our subway system, and they don't feel that way now.
KAYE (voiceover): Randi Kaye, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, a defiant Russian President, Vladimir Putin, defending his brutal war in Ukraine, vowing to press on until its mission accomplished. During a news conference with the Belarusian president, Mr. Putin said talks with Ukraine have reached a dead end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The military operation will continue until it's fully completed and the objectives that were set at the beginning of this operation are achieved.
We are helping people. We are saving them from Nazism in the first place. And on the other hand, we're protecting Russia, taking measures to protect Russia's security. It's obvious that we had no choice. It was the right thing to do, and I have no doubt the objectives will be achieved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Let's bring in CNN's Clare Sebastian live in London. Let's just be clear, they did have a choice. There is no denazification going on here. It's absolutely ridiculous. And why is he now saying that peace talks are at dead end?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, that is something that, actually, on both sides more or less agree on. The Ukrainian side saying, that they are ongoing but they are very difficult. The reason for this is something that they don't 100 percent agree on.
Putin says that, Ukraine has essentially reneged on some elements that were agreed in the Istanbul peace talks that were held last month. He said they had discussed security guarantees but they wouldn't cover Crimea or the Donbas regions, that would be decided later once their statuses were agreed. He said, Ukraine has gone back on that.
As for the Ukrainian side, well an advisor to the president, he's also the lead negotiator said that the emotional background to these talks were very heavy, as he put it. That is clearly a reference to the atrocities that have come to light in recent weeks in the towns that were previously occupied by Russia. He said that they are ongoing but in smaller subgroups online.
So that is the sense we get here. So, accused Russia of piling pressure on the talks by instead of talking about them publicly. I think that we do get the sense that President Putin was doing that yesterday. But, John, you've been reporting on this, if you look at the situation militarily on the ground, it's clear that this is not laying the groundwork for talks. Just a news out in the last hour that no humanitarian corridors would be open today. It clearly shows that the offensive is ramping up.
And Russia even, you know, gave the sense out there in the week. President Putin meeting with the Austrian Chancellor, didn't even respond, according to an Austrian official. To the Austrian Chancellor suggesting that Zelenskyy would be willing to meet face to face. So, it's clear that he is really not in the mood for negotiations at the moment.
VAUSE: And it's also clear that when he says he's helping people, he is not. This -- this is helping nobody. Clare, thank you. Clare Sebastian live in London.
We will take a short break. When we come back, the British Prime Minister fined for breaking those COVID lockdown rules. But the political cost could be much higher, "The Partygate", the fallout, and the reaction, in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:40:00]
Church: welcome back, everyone. Well, the British Prime Minister has apologized for breaking COVID lockdown rules but he denies doing it on purpose. Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, received some of the dozens of fines issued by London's Metropolitan Police for attending illegal parties in government buildings during lockdowns.
One of those gatherings was held on the Prime Minister's birthday. He and his wife say they have both paid their fines and the amounts have not been revealed. Boris Johnson has so far deflected demands for his resignations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And amongst all these engagements on the day that happened to be my birthday, there was a brief gathering in the cabinet room shortly after 2:00 p.m. lasting for less than 10 minutes, during which people I worked with kindly passed on their good wishes. And I have to say, in all frankness, at that time, it did not occur to me that this might have been a breach of the rules.
[02:45:00]
But, of course, the police have found otherwise and I fully respect the outcome of their investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The scandal known as, "Partygate", has sparked the most serious threat yet to the Prime Minister's leadership. CNN's Nada Bashir is covering this story for us live from London. She joins us now.
Good to see you, Nada. So, what is the latest on all of this? And does it bring the "Partygate Scandal" to an end or is there more to come?
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, Rosemary, I'm sure Boris Johnson would like to draw a line onto this scandal but according to the Metropolitan Police, the investigation is still ongoing into these alleged parties and gatherings which took place at Downing Street and other government offices during the times when the country was either under lockdown or on a strict COVID regulation. So, they could still be more fines to come.
But really, the focus for Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, now is of course on managing that reputational damage. The Prime Minister went from denying that any parties, any gatherings took place at Downing Street and other government buildings. Then over the Christmas period, it was revealed that he took part in several gatherings, it seems. We heard that he took part in that birthday gathering that he has now been fined over in June 2020. There is of course, the Christmas quiz, which took place at Downing Street.
And of course, those photos of the Prime Minister taking part in what appear to have been a social cheese and wine gathering outside in the gardens of Downing Street. He says, these were strictly work gatherings. And that is the key there, because you heard the -- from the Prime Minister, he says that, at the time, he wasn't aware that he was breaching those COVID regulations. Those regulations put in place by the Prime Minister's own government. He believed that it was simply a work gathering.
He said that the birthday gathering, which took place in the cabinet office lasted less than 10 minutes. But the rules at the time stipulated that they couldn't be indoor gatherings of more than two people, unless reasonably necessary for work purposes. So clearly, the Metropolitan Police has found that the Prime Minister, that hose who has taken part in that gathering were in breach of those COVID regulations.
And the Prime Minister, yesterday, said that he wanted to move forward. He wants to focus on his policy priorities, to draw a line under the scandal. He has, of course, paid the fine. But with local elections just around the corner, the government will be waiting to see how this translates at the ballot box.
CHURCH: All right. Nada Bashir joining us live from London. Many thanks.
And coming up, the latest on Shanghai's COVID lockdown. Parts of the city are having their restrictions eased. While a city health official expressed skepticism at efforts to contain the virus. We will have a live report after this short break. Stay with us.
RICHARD GELFOND, CEO, IMAX: The world is changing. The industry is changing. The windows are changing. Things going to streaming our changing. And I think if you're a company that just sits around and says, I'm going to do the things the same way I've done them for the past 20 years, you're going to be left in the dust. So, IMAX has been looking to move into other areas.
We did a live stream with Kanye and Drake, and that was really successful. People dancing in the theaters. We also, in a related way, did a deal with Disney+ where we're now on that service.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least we have front row seats.
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GELFOND And for a number of the big Marvel titles, you could see them with IMAX aspect ratio. So, the core movie business is doing extremely well. But I think we have to lead the way to a transition to the new world and look at new ways of doing things.
JEANNIE MAI-JENKINS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, SURVIVING SEX TRAFFICKING: Everywhere that there are people, they can be exploited. And it is the most profitable form of business today. In my opinion, the most evil from. My name is Jeannie Mai-Jenkins, I'm a television personality and the executive producer of Surviving Sex Trafficking. And I'm talking to you from Atlanta.
Surviving Sex Trafficking is a documentary that follows the lives of five survivors who are able to tell us about their traumatizing situations with sex trafficking. The dangerous thing is trafficking doesn't happen instantaneously, it's a process. It's a process of building a relationship with somebody, building trust. And trafficking preys on people's dreams. Every single one of us have dreams. And trafficking finds a way to learn what your dreams are and that trafficker preys on what your dreams is and then it gives you an exchange or some type of promise to either relationship, or love, or affection, or money, in order to make your dreams come true.
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And that's why our film is intended to educate you. To inspire you through the lives of these survivors. But more than anything, tell you the stories of these five women who were trafficked in very different ways and how it could happen to anybody you know as well.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. We have a tornado on the ground right now, just to the Southwest -- get -- let's go, go. Go. Go. Punch it.
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CHURCH: A meteorologist in Iowa there speeding away from a tornado as it fully forms. Extensive property damage has been reported in nearby counties and hundreds of customers lost power in at least one city. Further South, in Texas, at least 23 people were injured by a tornado which knocked down power lines and destroyed a number of buildings. So far, no deaths have been reported.
The deputy director of China's National Health Commission warns Shanghai's COVID-19 outbreak has, "Not been effectively contained." Meanwhile, Shanghai police say, residents who violate the lockdown order will be punished. And this comes as the city has partially lifted the lockdown for almost 20 percent of the population. The city reported more than 26,000 new locally transmitted cases on Tuesday with more than 240,000 infections since March 1st.
And CNN's Anna Coren joins us now live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Anna. So, a health official warns that Shanghai's COVID outbreak isn't over yet. What is the latest on that? And of course, this partial the easing of some restrictions?
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's certainly not over, Rosemary. Today's case is 26,000, it's up a few thousand from yesterday. And look, I mean, as you heard from the National Health Commission saying that, this has not been effectively contained. They know that the worst is still ahead. They don't think that cases have yet peaked. And they're making contingency plans.
They've turned the convention and exhibition hall into a makeshift hospital with 40,000 beds. You mentioned the 20 percent of the population that is now allowed to roam around their neighborhood, that's just than five million people. Shanghai is a city of 25 million, as we know, the economic engine of China. So, for 20 million other people, they're not allowed to leave their homes. They're not allowed to leave their compounds. If there have not been a COVID case in their neighborhood in the last seven days, if that is the case, they can go outside their door, into the compound, but not beyond there.
There are so many people still stuck inside their homes, and has been the case, Rosemary, since the end of last year. We've talked about the scarcity of food and medicine. And obviously, authorities have listened to those pleas for help by easing these restrictions, because authorities know this is not yet been contained.
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We should also stress, Rosemary, that the Shanghai outbreak has spread to other provinces around the country. Officials are not saying how many. But we do know that there are 12 cities and 11 provinces that are also in lockdown. Now, I want to show you some footage that is incredibly disturbing. It's of a mother who is clearly distressed. It's gone viral on social media, but this happened at 2:00 in the morning, when she was looking for medicine for her baby who had a fever. Take a listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I am from room 305. Do you have medicines for a fever? My child has a fever. Is anyone home?
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COREN: And Rosemary, she had already called the ambulance services about her baby who'd reached a temperature 40 degrees Celsius. They said there are 300 people in front of you, we cannot attend to your baby. The good news is, the baby's fever has calmed down. But it just shows the level desperation of so many people.
CHURCH: Yes. That is so distressing. Anna Coren joining us live from Hong Kong, many thanks.
And thank you for watching. I'll be back next hour. CNN's breaking news coverage continues with John Vause, joining us live from Lviv in Ukraine.
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For the first time, U.S. President Joe Biden accusing Russia of committing genocide in Ukraine>
