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Ukraine Officials Report Intensified Shelling in East and South of Ukraine; Civilian Bodies Found in Kyiv Region; Russian Protest Shows Growing Worry; Rescued from Front Lines; Somber Good Friday; Expert Argues Against Ukraine Ceasefire; Jerusalem on Edge as Violence Flares at Holy Site; Sri Lanka's Worst Economic Crisis in Decades; Coronavirus pandemic in South Korea; Twitter's Poison Pill. Aired 11p- 12a ET

Aired April 15, 2022 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is "CNN Breaking News."

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. Thanks for being with us.

Now, the Ukrainian authorities reporting a dramatic increase in Russian shelling along Ukraine's eastern and southern fronts. The governor of Mykolaiv in Southern Ukraine is accusing Russia of using cluster munitions on the city on Friday. At least five civilians reported killed there.

After failing to capture the capital in their initial invasion, the Russians now expected to launch a renewed offensive in the east. That attack could come at any time. Ukrainian military officials claim recent Russian attempts to break through the lines though have been repelled.

U.S. officials now confirmed that the pride of Russia's Black Sea fleet, the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, was sunk by two Ukrainian missiles. Moscow denies that, claims the ship sank after catching fire and setting off ammunition. There are conflicting reports about the fate of the 500 or so crew on board.

Now, ghastly scenes being uncovered around Kyiv where the Russians laid waste to many surrounding villages and towns as they retreated. More than 900 bodies of civilians have been reported recovered so far. A warning, the images in Phil Black's report are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The operation to recover and investigate Bucha's dead is now industrial in its scale. Teams of people are working to empty the town's mass grave and many smaller ones. The victims of Russia's occupation are being retrieved from the earth. There are so many bodies. Rarely do those doing the digging know the stories of how each person lived and died.

Here, two men are being exhumed from the grounds of a small church. The priest, who oversaw their first burial, didn't know them.

He says he thinks one was a scientist. The other a school bus driver. He thinks they were shot and killed in the street.

Among the now notorious images from Bucha's road of death, Yablonska Street, was this man lying beneath his bike. His name was Vladimir Borochenka (ph). Svetlana (ph) is his widow.

She says she told her husband, don't go, they're shooting, the tanks are already on Yablonska Street. But he insisted on leaving the house. She says the 68-year-old grandfather was killed as soon as he reached the road. His bike is still there.

And this building stands near Bucha in village of Volso (ph). Among those killed here were Yulia's (ph) parents, Natalia (ph) and Viktor Mosoha (ph). She says her mother was helping a young, injured woman who have been discarded by a Russian soldier when more soldiers suddenly entered their home.

She says, they came in, shot the woman, shot my mother, and then my father ran out when he heard something was wrong and they shot him. The young woman was Karina Yorshova (ph). She was 23 years old. Karina's (ph) mother says, police told her, her daughter was raped before she was shot.

It's more than two weeks since the Russians withdrew and the operation to account for all the bodies that they left behind isn't finished. Mourning each victim, remembering how they lived, understanding why they died will take much longer.

Phil Black, CNN, Bucha, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: With Russia's war losses mounting, Ukraine's president is warning that Moscow might resort to tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine. He spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: Not only me. I think all of the world, all the countries have to be worried because you know that it can be not real information. But it can be truth because when they begin to speak about one or other battles or involved enemies or nuclear weapons or some chemical, you know, issues, chemistry weapons, they should do it, they could do it.

[23:05:06]

I mean, they can. For them, life of the people is nothing. That's why we should think not be afraid. I mean, not be afraid. Be ready. But that is not the question for -- to Ukraine, and not only for the Ukraine, for all the -- for all the world. I think so. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: President Zelenskyy's warning follows a similar concern expressed by America's CIA director, but U.S. officials say they have seen no evidence so far that the Kremlin is planning or preparing to use nuclear weapons.

Two sources within the Biden administration told CNN protests by Russia over military aid to Ukraine proved that that aid is working. Moscow sent an official communication to the U.S. protesting the latest $800 million package. Russia warns of what they describe as unpredictable consequences if that aid continues.

The White House believes that shows the Russians are hurting and that they would not send that message if they were indeed dominating the battlefield, as they say.

That new batch of U.S. weapons to Ukraine will start arriving in the region in less than 24 hours, according to a U.S. defense official. But if you see what's on the list, it becomes clear why Russia wants those shipments to stop.

As Alex Marquardt reports for us now, Ukraine is about to receive more sophisticated weapons than Washington ever gave it before.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With Russia's war against Ukraine about to enter its third month, the battlefield has changed significantly. The region around the capital Kyiv is quieter for now. But U.S. and NATO officials warn that a dramatic escalation by Russia in Eastern Ukraine is coming.

With that shift and escalation, Ukraine's needs for weapons are changing and growing. This week, the Biden administration announced a weapons package worth $800 million with new and more sophisticated systems.

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY, ASSISTANT TO THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Some of them are reinforcing capabilities that we have already been providing Ukraine, and some of them are new capabilities that we have not provided to Ukraine.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Among the bigger items are MI-17 helicopters, 11 of them, which the U.S. redirected from Afghanistan to Ukraine. Small drones called Switchblade, 300 of them, also called Kamikaze killer drones that can target Russ4ian soldiers and armored vehicles. And for the first time, Howitzer, which fire artillery shells at long- range targets. Ukraine is being sent 18 with 40,000 rounds of ammunition.

The list goes on and includes coastal sea drones to defend against Russia's ships in the Black Sea, 200 armored personnel carriers, counter-artillery radars, equipment for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks, and thousands more javelin and stinger missiles to use against Russian tanks and aircraft. Countless Russian-armored vehicles have been destroyed by weapons provided by NATO countries. Ukrainian forces have been able to repel Russian advances, thanks to them.

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I think the yield that Ukraine is offering is fair. You give us weapons, we sacrifice our lives, and the war is contained in Ukraine.

MARQAURDT (voice-over): But Ukraine says it needs more.

OLEKSIY DANILOV, UKRAINIAN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR (through translator): We are grateful for what we have already been given. We need helicopters, planes, powerful weapons, howitzers. We need a lot.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): A point of contention with the U.S. is over fighter jets. Ukraine wants them while the Biden administration is worried Russia will take that as too much of a provocation.

Moscow has warned it would target weapons heading into Ukraine and this week sent a protest letter to Washington over the growing weaponry being sent. But the State Department said Friday that nothing will dissuade the U.S. from continuing its support.

Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Jill Dougherty is adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law School of Foreign Service. She is also a CNN's former Moscow bureau chief. Good to see you, Jill.

Okay, to start with, what is your read on Russia's warning to the U.S. on those western arms being shipped? I mean, calling unpredictable consequences and so on. What are the risks that the Russians might bomb convoys of western arms inside Ukraine?

JILL DOUGHERTY, FORMER CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL OF FOREIGN SERVICE: Oh, I think they might. I mean, as Alex pointed out, they are already threatening to do that, and they could. I mean, they made the case. I think it was a couple of days ago where they actually said, you know, all -- it's according to the rules of war. We can do this because it's, you know, materially can be used offensively.

[23:10:01]

Therefore, we can hit it. Now, whether they will do that, I don't know, but you would have to think that if it's being used by the Ukrainian military, then they would think that it is fair game.

HOLMES: I wanted to ask you, too, because I know you have been talking about this. Tell us how embarrassing is the loss of the Russian flagship, the Moskva. How embarrassing is that for Putin? How is it being seen in Russia? I know you monitor such things.

DOUGHERTY: Right. Well, I mean, let's look at it militarily. It's very significant militarily. And the fact that it took, you know, a little while and the government continued -- the Russian government continued to say it was a fire aboard and then decimated armaments and then it was towed and then it sank. If you watch Russian media, there are -- there have been talk shows, and these are used for particular purposes of kind of -- often kind of putting up a trial balloon for an idea.

So, at one of these talk shows I was watching, they said, well, actually, they didn't go along with the party line. They said, well, actually, the Ukrainians were trying to hunt that ship and take it down, the attack was planned in advance. So that, to me, was very strange because that is not what the government is saying.

But if you look at that argument, then it is embarrassing to the Russian government to have the Ukrainians kill a ship like that. So, immediately then the argument becomes, on the show, in fact, it had to be NATO, it had to be the United States.

And I think in most of what Russian propaganda is saying right now, everything really does boil down to the United States because when you get into details about Ukraine, it gets very confused. You know, are they our Slavic brothers? Are they the enemy? Are they all Nazis? Is it just the government? It gets very confusing.

So -- and also, the only country that really means something in a sense of big power competition to Russia is the United States.

HOLMES: When it comes to what's being seen inside Russia -- I mean, funerals are happening. Thousands of young men can't just disappear without it being noticed. What is your read on if ordinary Russians are hearing more about the facts rather than state media's take on events?

DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, I think, Michael, that they are going to have to hear that in the sense from their own friends, from their own families. And if they have lost a boy, they are going to have to hear it, you know, when the body comes back, because there is very little information about how many people have been killed. The military rarely releases any concrete figures.

In fact, in the sinking of the Moskva, we still don't know, according to the Russians, how many people actually survived that, how many sailors survived, how many were killed. That is not public information yet.

And then you add that to the fact that the media have been absolutely, any independent media have been absolutely decimated, and then the control over the central media, the government media. So, there is very little information coming to anybody unless you get it firsthand.

HOLMES: Well, if thousands and thousands of Russian troops have died, they are going to notice at some point back in Russia. The U.S. and its allies now are starting to say this could drag on for a year or indeed years. I mean, could Putin be looking to, you know -- quote, unquote -- "succeed" by just waiting out the west testing its resolve? You know, perhaps a stalemate ends up as being something of a win for him or that he could claim as a win. DOUGHERTY: You know, it felt that way earlier when, let's say, sanctions, would all of the western allies with the United States come on board with the sanctions? And in the beginning, the great fear was, no, a lot of them might not because they have their own economic interests. But so far, they are sticking together.

So, this idea is, I think, waning a little bit. It doesn't mean that it's going to go away because if the war drags on, people get used to conflicts. That is a problem. And there could be war weariness where people just say -- you know, they don't pay as much attention.

But I don't know. I think the question for President Putin would be, does he have the weaponry to really do this? Because if you look at the sophisticated weapons, really, really sophisticated ones, they need microprocessors and things that are covered under sanctions and that Russia does not have or manufacture itself.

[23:15:02]

DOUGHERTY: So, that could be a real problem if they begin to run out of these very, you know, high-tech components for their weapons.

HOLMES: Yeah. Good point. Always good to see you, Jill. Jill Dougherty there. Thanks so much.

DOUGHERTY: Okay.

HOLMES: Well, from heartbreak to relief, just ahead, an update on that elderly woman trapped in one of Ukraine's war zones we reported on yesterday.

Also, the war in Ukraine weighing heavily over this year's holy week. Details on the pope's solemn service. That's also still to come.

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[23:20:00]

HOLMES: Welcome back. In recent days, we brought you the heartbreaking story of an elderly woman unable to evacuate the war-torn area in Eastern Ukraine and it provoked a passionate response from people all around the world who saw that story and wanted to know what happened to the woman known as Lidia.

CNN's Clarissa Ward was able to track her down and brings us the update.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lydia Mikailov (ph) thought this day would never come. After weeks of horror, she waits outside her apartment to be evacuated.

(On camera): So, we're here at the Big Heart Living Facility and we're just waiting for Lydia (ph) to arrive. She has been driving for some hours and we're excited to see her. Here she is.

UNKNOWN: Good to see you, man. We got her out.

WARD (voice-over): Lidia greets cameraman Scott McWhinnie.

SCOTT MCWHINNIE, CNN CAMERAMAN (voice-over): Hey.

WARD (voice-over): It's our old friend, she says. I'm so glad to see you again.

After we left Lidia Thursday, there was an outpouring from people who wanted to help. We managed to connect volunteers to a care home in the relative safety of Dnipro. Leaving Lidia alone in her apartment was incredibly tough. To see her safe is a huge relief.

Today, I will finally feel calm, she says. This is so important. Thank you.

Her journey out of (INAUDIBLE) was far from easy.

(On camera): She is saying that there was a lot of shelling this morning and it was terrifying.

(Voice-over): It took six long hours to get here, but she made it.

I'm so lucky, she says. Safe and comfortable at long last.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Clarissa Ward there. What a nice update to see.

Now, the war in Ukraine is casting a shadow over holy week activities. Pope Francis leading a somber service at St. Peter's Basilica on Good Friday which recalls when Jesus died on the cross. But the event didn't go exactly as planned.

CNN's John Allen with more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Friday night, Good Friday, Pope Francis presided over the traditional way of the cross ceremony at Rome's coliseum. It's a ritual that commemorates the steps of Jesus on his way to crucifixion.

An estimated 10,000 people or more turned out at the coliseum, making this the largest religious ceremony in Rome presided over by the pope since the COVID pandemic began.

This year, it came wrapped in controversy because at one moment during the ritual, Pope Francis invited a Ukrainian woman and a Russian woman to carry the cross together. Now, the pope, obviously, intended this as a gesture of reconciliation and of peace, but many Ukrainians objected.

The head of the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, the largest Catholic community, called it incoherent and offensive, the Ukrainian ambassador to the Vatican launched a formal protest, and a consortium of Catholic broadcasters in Ukraine refused to carry the way of the cross ceremony because of that moment.

Their argument was that this implied a kind of moral equivalence between the aggressor, that is Russia, and the victim of that aggression, Ukraine, and said that it is premature to talk about reconciliation until Russia repents, that is, discontinues the present war.

So, as is so often the case in the Vatican, tonight, once again, faith and politics were intertwined.

For CNN, this is John Allen in Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And you are looking there at images of solidarity for Ukraine. In its neighbor, Poland, hundreds of Polish Catholics as well as Ukrainians praying for peace at a way of the cross procession in Warsaw. Nearly five million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the war, the majority of them going to Poland.

Ceasefire is not always a good word for one war expert to hear. She believes a ceasefire in Ukraine could be a bad idea. Depending on how it's negotiated, it could create more problems than it solves. She'll join me to discuss when we come back.

[23:25:00]

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HOLMES: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I am Michael Holmes.

Let's get you caught up now with the latest developments in Ukraine. Russian troops trying to wear down Ukrainian defenses in the east ahead of an expected offensive there.

[23:29:56]

Ukraine says shelling is picking up across the region, including a rocket launcher attack that killed 10 people in Kharkiv on Friday. A local prosecutor says 35 others were injured.

The U.S. now says it was Ukrainian missiles that sank the pride of Russia's Black Sea fleet. That's what Ukraine said from the get-go, but Russian claimed the missile cruiser Moskva suffered an accidental explosion. A Russian news agency says at least some of the surviving crew members arrived in the port of Sebastopol on Friday.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian police say the remains of more than 900 civilians have been recovered near Kyiv since Russian troops pulled out. Russia facing accusations of atrocities there. The brother of Kyiv's mayor told CNN earlier Russians may try again to take the capital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO, BROTHER OF KYIV MAYOR: We do expect that Russians are going to be back, and we are preparing for that. And past 51 days have been shown that they might use anything possible to come back. So, we need to be prepared for everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Refugees continue to flee the fighting as Russia steps up its attacks in Eastern Ukraine. The U.N. says nearly more than 4.7 million people have now escaped the country, another seven million more are internally displaced.

The increase in Russian attacks making it difficult for civilians to leave war-torn areas. According to the Ukrainian government, nine humanitarian corridors were opened on Friday and more than 2,800 people were evacuated.

Now, given such a high humanitarian cost of this war, you'd think a ceasefire would be a good thing. My next guest says a ceasefire could, though, create its own problems down the line.

Nataliya Bugayova is a non-resident security research fellow at the Institute for the Study of War. She joins me now from Washington. Thanks for doing so. Your piece on the institute's website about this issue is fascinating and people should read it. You write that a Russian ceasefire offer, will one to come, could be a threat. How so?

NATALIYA BUGAYOVA, NATIONAL SECURITY RESEARCH FELLOW, INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR: I think there are several risks associated with any Russian ceasefire offer, but all of them fundamentally come from one fact, that the Kremlin's intent with regard to Ukraine hasn't really changed for many years, and Vladimir Putin made it very clear he will take nothing less than control over Ukraine and sovereignty.

So, any Russian ceasefire offer will be likely used to adjust and adopt the ways in which the Kremlin tries to do so rather than scale down.

I will also say that in the next couple of weeks, we are unlikely to see serious conversations about ceasefire. However, if the Russian offensive in the east is going poorly, Putin may offer such as ceasefire in order to freeze the front lines in the best possible way he can hope for in this war.

HOLMES: Yeah. I want to get to frozen front lines in a minute, but first, you know, concession, I guess, they are normal in peace negotiations, you give, you take, but it's true, isn't it, that Putin's personality makes him see concessions as weakness or failure? What then are the risks of concession that leave the door open so that in a couple of years, 10 years, Putin could do this all over again?

BUGAYOVA: Sure. I think for Ukraine, the risk is actually existential because the way Putin framed this war leaves very little room for the middle ground. As you recall, in his speech on the eve of the invasion, he stated openly that he doesn't believe in Ukraine's statehood. So, essentially, he leaves Ukraine with a choice of either obliteration or existence.

And I think our planning assumption should be whether it's Putin or even his successor who will keep coming back for Ukraine sovereignty. The only way forward is for Ukraine to keep continuing fighting. And fortunately, Ukraine won the first round in this war and has a chance to win this next phase.

HOLMES: So, if Putin, okay, suddenly says, all right, we'll stop with Donbas and Crimea, perhaps part of the land corridor between the two, let's make a deal -- as you were just saying earlier, you also write that frozen front line, which that would be, can set the conditions for future conflict, that while some ceasefires lead to peace, others lead to more war. Explain that more for us in the context of this conflict.

BUGAYOVA: Sure. I think first, it is really important to elaborate on the implications of any Russian forces staying on the occupied territories. Russia is conducting a deliberate terror campaign against civilians in the occupied territories. And it is the only way Russia can govern because there is significant pushback to their presence even from the Russian speakers.

[23:35:02]

BUGAYOVA: So, even stopping fighting will not necessarily stop the killing and actually can make those trapped behind the enemy lines unable to defend themselves. So, that's risk number one.

And number two, make no mistake, if Russia is allowed to dig in, especially in Ukraine's south, the only place where it truly made military gains, it will establish permanent military foothold that it will then use in perpetuity to both threaten Ukraine but also actually Europe and more.

HOLMES: And the thing is, of course, Putin has many, many times, including in the build-up to this war, used -- quote, unquote -- "talks" as a tactic. As you say, delaying, so that he can regroup or reposition. So, obviously, he shouldn't be trusted when it eventually comes to peace talks. Is that right? And if he can't be trusted, what should Ukraine and the west's tactics be if it comes to talks?

BUGAYOVA: I think Russia had eight years of opportunities to make peace and it never chose to in part because peace was never a goal, the control was, and so far, we have no indication that that has changed.

I think the center of gravity in this war is Ukraine's will to fight. And long as Ukrainians are willing to defend themselves, the west should do everything to support that.

One change of tactic that should happen in the west is actually ramping up the scale and speed of the military aid so it matches Ukraine's requirements on the ground.

HOLMES: You know, it's a terrific article, a fascinating article. I hope people have a look at it. Nataliya Bugayova, thanks so much.

BUGAYOVA: Thank you.

HOLMES: All right, we are going to take a break here on the program. When we come back, tensions are high in Jerusalem after violence broke out at the al-Aqsa mosque compound. And also, struggling to buy basic goods for survival. Sri Lanka begins a new year mired in its worst economic crisis in decades.

We'll be right back.

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[23:40:00]

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HOLMES: You're looking there at images from South Africa's eastern coast ravaged by severe storms and flooding earlier this week. Nearly 400 people have been killed. More than 40,000 have been affected in some way.

The government says it was one of the worst storms in South Africa's history. Forecasters warning more rain and damaging winds are expected in the region through Saturday evening.

Jerusalem on edge after clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces at the al-Aqsa mosque compound. Palestinians say more than 150 people were injured by Israeli security forces on Friday. Israeli police say they have made more than 300 arrests in the compound and in the mosque. They only entered, they say, because those throwing rocks were jeopardizing safe worship.

All of this happening during a holy period for Muslims, Christians and Jews. CNN's Hadas Gold picks up the story from here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA AND GLOBAL BUSINESS REPORTER (voice-over): The sounds of violence as dawn broke on Friday over the old city of Jerusalem. Hundreds of Palestinians clashing with Israeli forces around the mosque compound also known as the Temple Mount, holy to both Muslims and Jews.

(GUNSHOTS)

Israeli police say they were responding to violent rioters throwing rocks and launching fireworks. Surveillance footage released by police appeared to show masked men smashing rocks overnight in preparation. By midmorning, the Palestinian Red Crescent said more than 150 people had been injured by rubber bullets and stun grenades.

Among those injured was a Palestinian cameraman. Video showed him being kicked and beaten by police. Three Israeli officers were also injured, hit by rocks, police said.

At one point, the Israeli police entering the mosque itself, a move seen as a major provocation by Muslims. Police said they arrested more than 300 inside. Israel's foreign minister defended police actions, saying rock throwers were jeopardizing free worship.

(On camera): Even Before Friday's unrest, there had been a sense of a city holding its breath in anticipation as an in a rarity the holidays of Ramadan, Good Friday and Passover all overlap on the same day.

(Voice-over): In the middle of the night before the violence, the old city's Muslim residents gathered for the suhur, the traditional meal before the sun rises and the daily fast begins.

Later, as the sound of stun grenades and fireworks echoed in the background, pilgrims and locals from western churches made their way along the stations of the cross, tracing the path Jesus made before ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which the Christians revere as the site of the crucifixion.

If the religious calendar had brought tensions, so too had recent events in Israel and the West Bank. The Israeli stepping up raids and operations in Palestinian towns and cities in response to a series of attacks in Israel that killed 14 people in less than three weeks.

And though by early evening, it seemed like a lid had been placed on the city's tensions, it may only be a matter of time before it boils over once again.

[23:45:04]

Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: In Sri Lanka, festivities that were supposed to celebrate the start of the new year were instead marked by protests. The nation is suffering through its worst economic crisis in decades. People are struggling to buy essentials as food and petrol. There are also fears that the health system could collapse.

Protesters gathered at a camp to pray with monks to welcome the Sri Lankan new year as well as call for the president to resign.

Officials say Sri Lanka's economy which relies heavily on tourism has been hard hit by both the Easter bombings back in 2019 and the ongoing pandemic.

According to the ministry of health, the government has received $10 million from the World Bank to purchase medicine, but it's unclear when it is due to arrive. More details now from CNN's Vedika Sud.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Behind these smiles is a story of pain and struggle. Three-year-old Myru suffers from a malignant brain tumor. His parents, Upul and Onoma (ph), have temporarily moved from South Sri Lanka to Colombo for Myru's medical treatment.

UPUL CHANDANA, MYRU'S FATHER (through translator): I worked in my paddy fields in (INAUDIBLE), but now I look for odd jobs to make ends meet.

SUD (voice-over): They live in this damp 10 by 10 feet room where their son often suffers from epileptic seizures. It leaves him unconscious for several minutes.

CHANDANA (through translator): My child suffers from a medical condition which he suddenly falls unconscious. This medicine is given to him to prevent the seizures.

SUD (voice-over): Upul has been desperately searching for valparin, an anti-convulsant medicine that helps stabilize his son's condition.

CHANDANA (through translator): This is not available in the hospital anymore. Even nearby pharmacies have run out of stock.

SUD (voice-over): It's only a matter of time before Myrus's next seizure. Upul fears. They want to know how to stop it without valparin.

Sri Lanka's health care system has been hit hard by its unprecedented economic crisis, forcing it to dip into its dwindling foreign exchange reserves. It has forced the Rajapaksa government to cut back on basic supplies, including medicines, which are now unaffordable to import.

Athula Amarasena, the secretary of the State Pharmaceutical Association, says the government was aware of an impending medical crisis.

ATHULA AMARASENA, SECRETARY, STATE PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION OF SRI LANKA (through translator): We have been alerting the ministry of health of this impending crisis for two to three months now. We are heading into further crisis.

SUD (voice-over): After an initial denial, the Sri Lankan government acknowledged its health care crisis and assured measures are being taken to ensure continuous supply of medicines.

But for caregivers like Wasantha, time is running out. He has visited almost every pharmacy in an outer suburb of Colombo. His seven-year- old daughter, a cancer patient, is currently in hospital.

WASANTHA SENEVIRTANE, FATHER OF CANCER PATIENT (through translator): For the last six days, my daughter has not been given her medicines. No government hospital has it. No pharmacy has it.

SUD (voice-over): Desperate for his daughter's medication, Wasantha is slowly losing hope.

SENEVIRTANE (through translator): We are holding in a lot of pain and sorrow. We don't have the money to take our daughter overseas for her medical treatment.

SUD (voice-over): The Sri Lankan government is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package, a lease of life that 22 million people are now depending on.

But for now, the helplessness, the endless search for life-saving drugs across the debt-ridden country continues.

Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: South Korea plans to lift most of its COVID restrictions on Monday. This as cases continue to decline and hospital capacity remains stable. First, curfews and caps on gatherings will be lifted. Then on the 25th, bans on eating in public places will end. And then in two weeks, if cases stay low, the indoor and outdoor mask mandates will be lifted as well. However, the measures will stay in place for high-risk facilities like hospitals.

In the U.S., Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is the latest U.S. public official to be diagnosed with COVID-19. According to a statement, DeWine is in quarantine and is being treated. He is reportedly only feeling mild symptoms. The governor is vaccinated and boosted.

Still to come here on the program, the bord of Twitter doesn't appear to be keen on having Elon Musk as a boss.

[23:50:00]

We got details of the poison pill that could keep him at bay. We'll be right back.

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[23:54:57]

HOLMES: Twitter's board of directors has adopted a poison pill that might thwart Elon Musk. He's offering more than $41 billion to buy the company, but the board is making that harder and more expensive. They are preserving the right of other shareholders to acquire more shares of the company at a relatively inexpensive price. Thursday, the Tesla CEO says the takeover move is about more than business.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA MOTORS AND SPACEX: This is not a way to sort of make money. You know, I think this is -- It is just that I think this is -- this could -- my strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Musk says Twitter needs to be, in his view, transformed, saying there is a lack of free speech on the social media platform.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. We will be live from Lvin with John Vause in Ukraine after a break. I'll see you a little later in that hour.

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