Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Ukrainian Forces Defy Russia's Ultimatum; There Is Concern Over Ukraine's Inventory Of Ammunition; Concern Over Detained Americans In Russia; Multiple Shootings In Easter Weekend. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 17, 2022 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAULA REID, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Reid in Washington in for Jim Acosta. We begin with what could be the final stand in Mariupol. The last Ukrainian forces there rejecting Russia's demands to surrender despite Russia's threat eliminate all resistance. The unrelenting assault has levelled Mariupol, the fate of the people trapped there, mostly unclear.

But Ukraine's president believes about 5,000 children have been deported to Russian territory. Their whereabouts still unknown. Now, you may find these next images disturbing, but they show exactly what is happening. Russia is now gearing up to launch a major ground assault in eastern Ukraine where intense shelling is already under way. Five people have died in renewed rocket and artillery attacks against Kharkiv.

Today, of course a holy day in Ukraine, Russian shelling hit this church. And we are also gaining new insight into Vladimir Putin's state of mind. The Russian president is, in his own world, and is believed to be thinking that he is winning this war. That's according to the Austrian chancellor who met with Putin face to face.

And in an exclusive interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Ukraine's president says the entire world should be concerned about what Putin may be capable of.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: The director of the CIA warned that he's worried Putin might use a tactical nuclear weapon in this fight. Are you worried?

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 the truth -- true, because when they begin to speak about one or another battles or involve enemies or nuclear weapons or some chemical, you know, issues, chemical weapons, they should do it, they could do it.

I mean, they can. For them, life of the people is nothing. That's why with truth think, not be afraid. I mean, don't be afraid. Be ready, but that is not a question to Ukraine, and not only for the Ukraine. For all the world, I think so.

(Through translation): There is a possibility of them using these weapons. Nobody expected there to be a full-scale invasion of Ukraine from the Russian federation. No one expected there to be a war in 2014. And now that there will be a full-scale invasion and killing of civilians, nobody expected them to invade the areas where there is no military equipment and just kill and shoot dead a civilian population.

Nobody expected that, but this is a fact and it happened. And that is when Russia gives information and says, if something goes not according to plan, they can use chemical weapons, and then nuclear potential. And that is why I believe these are dangerous claims of untrustworthy people, and if we believe some are already untrustworthy then they can use nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Dangerous indeed. Now, Putin's war has left deep scars for many families including that of a 12-year-old girl who could be sent to a Russian orphanage after her dad was killed. Now, CNN's Phil Black joins us now from Kyiv. Now, Phil, you spoke with this girl's grandfather. Is there any chance that they could be reunited?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, here's the context. The Ukrainian government says that tens of thousands of people have been forcibly sent into Russian-controlled territory. These are civilians caught up in fighting and they say it includes thousands of children.

Russia doesn't dispute that it is moving vast numbers of people, but says there's nothing forced about it. It's just helping those who want to be helped. This story strongly suggests otherwise. It is the story of a young girl who has been taken by Russian forces beyond the reach of her remaining family, and they fear they will never see her again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLACK (voice-over): It's almost hard to comprehend. This was Mariupol not long ago when its people knew safety and happiness. The girl in pink is Kira Obedinsky. Joyful, loved, 12 years old. This is Kira after the Russians came. Orphaned, injured, alone in a Russian- controlled hospital.

[17:05:05]

Russian media released this video showing Kira in Donetsk, capital of a Moscow-backed separatist region in Ukraine's east. It shows her telling some of her story, why she fled Mariupol. There was a lot of shooting, she says. Our building was hit. So was her father. Yevhen Obedinsky, a former captain of Ukraine's national water polo team was shot from a distance and killed as Russian forces fought their way into Mariupol on March 17.

Days later, Kira, some neighbors, her father's girlfriend tried to flee the city on foot, but someone stepped on a mine and Kira was injured in the blast. Russian soldiers then took her to Donetsk.

(On camera): The Russian military which killed your son, now has your granddaughter?

Kira's grandfather, Oleksander, tells me her mother died when she was a baby. Now she's watched her father die. She misses her remaining family and she wants to return to him.

Alexander is scared he may never see Kira again. He says an official from the break-away government in Donetsk found and invited him to travel there to claim her. That is impossible because of the war. And when Alexander spoke to the hospital he says he was told Kira will eventually be sent to an orphanage in Russia.

They took her documents, he says, and said they'll provide new ones when they send her into Russia. The Russian government has said its helped moved at least 60,000 Ukrainian people to safety across the Russian border. The Ukrainian government has said around 40,000 have been relocated against their will describing it as abduction and forced deportation.

The Russian media video shows Kira talking happily about how she sometimes allowed to call her grandfather.

I called him today, she says. I'll also call him in the evening. A Russian TV presenter called the video proof Kira wasn't abducted. Proof of yet another Ukrainian fake. Kira also sometimes sends her grandfather audio messages like this one.

TEXT: You just don't cry or get nervous, okay?

BLACK (voice-over): She first tells him not to cry, but she can't stop her own tears.

TEXT: I want to cry for some reason, I haven't seen you for so long that I want to cry.

BLACK: I haven't seen you for so long, I want to cry, she says. The voice of a young girl who has lost her family, her home, her freedom, all to Russia's war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACK (on camera): Just today, a senior Ukrainian official in the east of the country said that Ukrainian citizens are being deported into Russia and sent to remote Russian towns and villages to help meet the need for cheap labor in these places. We can't confirm that specific allegation, but a separate CNN investigation into deportations spoke to 10 people, 10 other people, who all told very similar stories that once they fell behind Russian lines they weren't given any choice.

They were told to move or deliberately moved into Russian-controlled territory. Five of them were then moved into the Russian federation itself. Kira's family hopes that through publicity, through international awareness of her case, the same fate can be prevented for this 12-year-old girl. Paula?

REID: Phil Black, incredible reporting. Thank you so much for that. And the dire humanitarian situation in Ukraine continues to worsen.

More than 4.8 million people have fled the country since the war began. And for those still in Ukraine, many are struggling to get everyday essentials and volunteers are trying to help out, working to get people food, water, clothing and other necessities in the war-torn country.

Now, joining me now is professional dancer and "Dancing with the Stars" alum Max Chmerkovskiy. Max, now you were, of course, in Ukraine for work when the war broke out. You were trapped there. Tell us a little but about what it was like trying to get out of the country?

MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY, UKRAINIAN-AMERICAN DANCER: Well, thanks for having me. But, yes. I was shooting a TV show. I was a -- I'm a judge on "Dancing with the Stars" in Ukraine. One at work, and also shooting "World of Dance" when the war started, and I found myself in a hotel. Smack in the middle of Kyiv.

Luckily for me the hotel became a little bit of, like a Switzerland if you will, because it hosted all kinds of international news media teams, and I felt safe at the moment.

[17:10:00]

But about a week later, I realized that I was in probably the least safest place because I was blocks away from Zelenskyy and the government, and I felt like that's where Russian forces were going to. So, it got really scary.

REID: I can imagine. And of course, your parents emigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine. What was it like when they found out that you were stuck in Ukraine as war was breaking out?

CHMERKOVSKIY: Well, I mean, the crazy irony of this situation is that in 1994, my family, my dad, my mom and myself, I was 14 and my brother, he was 8, we immigrated into U.S. and we did so for many reasons. A few of which, the biggest one is my mom and my dad were worried about the mandatory army that USSR where I was born in 1980, and afterwards kind of the situation was such that those constant conflict that this region was involved in and it felt like my parents were saving me from possibility of that kind of fate.

And the irony is that 20 years, 28-plus years later, I end up in Ukraine where we left during a conflict that the war that my mom and dad were trying to escape from. And so, it was very crazy. It affected my family in the ways that we didn't expect. It forced the situation with, you know, everyone around us to try and help.

We kind of like stepped in into the area we weren't familiar with, but the -- my organization, Baranova 27, was born through the efforts of my family, my dad, my brother, and hundreds of volunteers that stepped up. And so six weeks later, we are actively continuing humanitarian aid collection and delivery into Ukraine. And up to now, you know, between shipment and air, we've sent about 230,000 tons of humanitarian aid. So, we're doing our best doing our part. That's how this affected us. REID: And so your family started this organization to help out

Ukrainians. I understand your father is in Poland right now. What are you hearing from him on the ground?

CHMERKOVSKIY: My father actually just flew back last night, but he spent time in Poland, the same place where I went to right after I came out of Ukraine, continuing our work to setup Baranova 27 to help even more. We are working on a project that is, you know, something we're going to focus on moving forward, which is beginning of the settlement.

We're trying to build a settlement in Ukraine, in western Ukraine, for people that have migrated, that have been relocated, which is most of the country, if not all of the country. A lot of people are not sure, you know? A lot of people have no idea where to go. So, just because they cross the border from Ukraine doesn't mean that they're safe. It doesn't mean that this is the most ideal situation.

So, we're trying to figure out a way to build mobile homes quite fast in the place that are remote and sort of safe if there's such a thing at this point. But allowing people to stay in Ukraine and create these settlements.

REID: And even though the future is obviously incredibly uncertain, what are you hoping the future of the organization holds? For example, would you go back to Ukraine at any point?

CHMERKOVSKIY: Soon as the war is over, I think that everybody's going to want to be back and I will definitely be one of the first. I would -- like I said, for me the war has faces and names. A lot of my friends, a lot of people that I've reconnected with and met anew over the last, you know, year or so that I've been actively back and forth with Ukraine. And so a lot of friends of mine.

I'm going to give you quick example. I was judging a dance competition when the war started and couple of days later the people I judged at dance that presented themselves to me as dancers were holding weapons and were on the front lines.

So, for me it was a very crazy realization. And today we understand that it's a long period. It's not going to end tomorrow. And I just want to say that Baranova 27, me and my family, we're in it for the long haul, as long as Ukrainians are in the fight and need help, we're here to help.

I just want to take a second to thank hundreds of volunteers that came to Baranova 27 in New Jersey and helped out every single day. Every single day, seven days a week, people come and help us. And I just want to say that that's appreciated beyond words.

REID: Certainly. Now, if you could speak directly to Russian president, Vladimir Putin, what would you tell him?

[17:15:01]

Based on your experience in Ukraine and this important work that you're doing with refugees, what would you say to him?

CHMERKOVSKIY: I think that history changes, and I think that the plan, which is so basic and historically had been the same plan of Hitler and Napoleon and whoever else that wants to occupy and, you know, own territory globally, history changes. Today the warfare isn't the same as it used to be and, you know, the fact we're seeing this with Ukraine defending what was meant to be one of the biggest armies in the world.

I just want to say that maybe historically history needs changed and in this war, there's not a victory or loss, but maybe he just needs to step down, you know? And I would love to see a historic event where someone like Putin makes a different historical choice than his predecessors like Hitler who didn't end well.

These are not fighting words. This is just me being human realizing that you can't achieve peace through what's happening in Mariupol. And the nation of Ukrainians, the Ukrainian person today is going to carry the hate and the animosity towards the Russian person for generations. I don't think anybody wins in that situation. I just wanted the fight to be over and for the peace to start so that me and my family can lead the way amongst others to rebuild this country.

REID: A sentiment shared by many. Max, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your important work.

CHMERKOVSKIY: Appreciate it.

REID: And up next, as the U.S. sends aid to Ukraine, there is concern that Ukrainian forces may run out of ammunition as Russia shifts its military strategy to heavy ground combat in the coming days. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:00]

REID: The first shipments of U.S. heavy weapons to Ukraine has started to arrive in the region according to a White House official. Included in the overall $800 million package are helicopters, Howitzer plus hundreds more Switchblade drones. But even before the aid started arriving, a U.S. official told CNN it may not be enough.

There is concern that once heavy ground combat starts up in the east, Ukraine could use up to 40,000 artillery rounds in just a master of days. Now, CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House. All right, Arlette, how concerned is the White House about Ukraine's ammunition inventory ahead of this Russian offensive?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, the White House is constantly evaluating what Ukraine needs as they continue to fight this war against Russia. And what you've seen this week over the course of this weekend, really, the first shipments have started to arrive of that new $800 million worth of aid that President Biden approved earlier in the week. This includes much more sophisticated and heavy-duty weaponry than the

U.S. had previously been supplying to Ukraine. Those things that you mentioned like the Howitzers, Switchblade drones, as well as radar systems that are capable of detecting incoming fire and pinpointing their origin.

Now, these -- White House and the Biden administration have said that they have tailored this request specifically to what the Ukrainians have asked for, but a U.S. official did say that there were concerns about the inventory of ammunition that Ukrainians have. And one official said that those Howitzers and also that 40,000 artillery rounds that are heading to Ukraine over the course of the next few days, that that could be used up in a matter of days.

It is expected there would be more heavy combat between Russians and Ukrainians in the eastern part of the country. So the U.S. is still evaluating what more could possibly be offered to Ukraine at this moment. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy today welcomes this $800 million of security assistance that the U.S. is sending, but he insisted that more is still needed at this moment.

REID: And even told, I think, our Jake Tapper that it will never be enough. So just as this military assistance is arriving, is there a sense the White House is already thinking about the next round of aid? Especially because they seemed reluctant to send this first round initially?

SAENZ: Well, really, the White House is constantly evaluating what exactly the Ukrainians need as the battle continues to evolve. One thing that the Pentagon is also doing is holding daily calls with their counterparts in other allied countries urging them to also send more equipment into Ukraine.

And for the time being, they haven't outlined what more equipment might be sent there, but that is something that is always on the table as they are further trying to assist the Ukrainians in their fight against Russia.

Now, Russia has protested the U.S. sending more supplies into Ukraine, recently sending a diplomatic note to the State Department warning of unpredictable consequences if the U.S. continues with more aid. But so far, the U.S. really has remained undeterred in providing this aid for Ukraine. So, we will see as the battles in the east are expected to intensify whether the U.S. might be sending more weaponry in especially as there are concerns about that ammunition.

REID: Arlette Saenz, thank you for that reporting.

And retired Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt joins me now. He's a former Assistant Secretary of State for political military affairs. All right, general, we've seen the turn-around time on this U.S. military getting approval and then getting these materials into the hands of Ukrainian troops.

[17:25:03] It's been cut down to just days, but it looks like that still may not be fast enough. Is there anything that the U.S. can still do to expedite this process any further?

MARK KIMMITT, RETIRED, U.S. ARMY: Well, I think the answer was already given by the White House, which is let's go to our NATO allies. This 40,000 rounds of ammunition are only good for U.S. weapon systems. Our NATO allies not only have U.S. weapon systems, but they also have old Russian weapon systems as well. The majority of artillery inside Ukraine is Russian. They use a different caliber and this is the time when our NATO allies should be pumping as much of their spare artillery ammunition in as possible.

REID: And the high-powered equipment that's being provided by the U.S. for the first time, it's going to be new, like you said. How much time do Ukraine forces need to get acclimated to new systems? I mean, it's clearly not something that's going to happen in a minute -- in a matter of minutes or hours?

KIMMITT: Well, that's true. And I think that that is why we've been very careful about what we send. The Switchblades are fairly user friendly. The artillery is artillery that they already have. The trucks and the armored personnel carriers and helicopters are very easy for them to operate. They are old Russian helicopters.

It's those other pieces of equipment that we haven't sent because of political decisions like perhaps Patriot missiles and other jet fighters where we ought to be pulling Ukrainian officers out of country now and training them in anticipation of a decision being made to bring them in.

REID: Now, the city of Mariupol refused a Russian surrender ultimatum. So looking at the full context of what's going on here, what would be the impact of the loss of that port city for Ukraine?

KIMMITT: Well, first of all it would be a victory for Vladimir Putin. More importantly, it would allow Russia to connect Russia down directly to the Crimea over the land and over the sea. But I think the bravery and the heroism of the Ukrainians demonstrates that the unintended consequence is this is going to be a remember the Alamo moment for the Ukrainian forces outside of Mariupol.

The bravery shown by these defenders in the long fight is simply going to inspire the Ukrainians to fight the Russians harder. So the Russians may get Mariupol, but they're going to pay in blood and treasure as I suspect in their next battle the Ukrainians are going to be screaming, remember Mariupol.

REID: Now, President Zelenskyy says the world needs to be ready for Putin to use nuclear weapons, but many experts say this is going to likely look a lot different than what many people envisioned when they think of nuclear conflict. They think of the cold war. So, how exactly do you see this potentially playing out if Putin were to take that step?

KIMMITT: Well, first of all, I think there's a slim possibility that he will do that, but I would suspect that in the low probability that he did use tactical nuclear weapons which had a very small yield, he will be attacking either logistics depots or perhaps command centers, or even perhaps the capital of Kyiv.

They don't really have a lot of military value these days. They're meant as a terror weapon. They can easily replicate of effect of that artillery round that they would use with other artillery, other missiles. So, if he does that, the low chance he will, but if he does, it's meant to be a weapon of terror. Not a weapon of military utility.

REID: I take your point that Putin can get what he wants without resorting to nukes or chemical weapons, but in your mind, in your assessment, is he still a rational actor or is everything really truly, really still on the table?

KIMMITT: Oh, I don't see any reason right now to suggest he is not a rational actor. We are horrified at the way the Russians are fighting this war. Their brutality. Their callousness. They're shooting of incident civilians. But they've been doing that for years. They've done this in Chechnya. They've done this in Aleppo. This is the Russian way of war and in Vladimir Putin's mind and the new, General Dvornikov's mind, this is the way they're going to fight this.

REID: All right, Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, thank you so much.

KIMMITT: Sure

REID: And a quick programming note. The unbelievable true story of the man who took on Putin and lived to expose the truth. The Sundance award-winning CNN film "Navalny" airs next Sunday at 9:00 p.m. here on CNN.

And coming up, CNN goes inside the besieged city of Mariupol as officials there reject a Russian surrender ultimatum.

[17:30:01]

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REID: A Mariupol official says Russian forces announced they will close down the besieged city for entry and exit on Monday and warned that the men who remain will be "filtered out." Now, CNN cannot independently verify the claims, but they come after Ukrainian forces in the city defied an ultimatum by Russia to surrender today. CNN's Matt Rivers reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Russian ultimatum to Mariupol's defenders. Surrender by 1:00 p.m. Sunday. The Ukrainians did not listen.

[17:35:02]

Our defenders continue to hold the defense, said an adviser to Mariupol's mayor in response.

DENYS SHMYHAL, UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER: Now, city still has not fallen. There is still our military forces, our soldiers. So, they will fight until then. And as for now, they still are in Mariupol.

RIVERS (voice-over): A main pocket of resistance centered here at the Azovstal steel plant. It is unclear how many fighters remain in the city. Still difficult for CNN to gather verified information. A lack of internet service makes reliably contacting people in the city extremely hard.

Still, what is coming out of the city shows that it is now almost completely occupied by Russian troops. Keen to show off their handing out rations to starving civilians, but the Ukrainian parliament human rights commissioner says such handouts are mere propaganda amounting to no more than a loaf of bread and bottle of water per day. It is the Russian military, remember, that has caused such suffering. It's weeks' long bombard of Mariupol cutting off its population from food, water and medical supplies.

President Zelenskyy says the situation in Mariupol remains as severe as possible. Just inhuman. This is what the Russian federation did, deliberately did, and deliberately continues to destroy cities. Russia is deliberately trying to destroy everyone who is there in Mariupol.

An estimated 100,000 people remain in and around Mariupol and need to be evacuated, but they remain trapped. On Sunday, not one humanitarian corridor was open. Meaning getting large numbers of people out remained impossible. Russia's military goals are clear. Dominate Mariupol and move on.

SAMUEL RAMANI, OXFORD UNIVERSITY: Mariupol has to fall before they can move those forces back up to the rest of eastern Ukraine.

RIVERS (on camera): And those Russian forces getting freed up to move does what?

RAMANI: If you free up those forces that means that they'll be able to more aggressively conquer Kharkiv, for example, which is where they're already launching shellings almost every single day and also they'll be able to move more of those forces towards Odessa.

RIVERS (voice-over): But for now, Mariupol still has not fallen. Destruction from previous battles litter the city's landscape and as Ukraine's remaining forces decline to surrender on Sunday, Russia with a chilling response. Its defense ministry saying in part "in case of further resistance, all of them will be eliminated." Matt Rivers, CNN, Lviv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: And up next, an update on the Americans currently detained in Russia. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:00]

REID: Officials are increasingly concerned Russia's war in Ukraine could complicate efforts to secure the release of U.S. citizens currently being held in Russia. CNN's Brian Todd has the latest on two Americans being detained there right now, WNBA star Brittney Griner and former marine, Trevor Reed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After spending nearly two months in a Russian jail, serious concerns about the condition of star American basketball player Brittney Griner, concerns voiced by head of the WNBA players union on ABC.

NNEKA OGWUMIKE, WNBA PLAYER. PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT: We're really most concerned about her health and safety especially her mental health. We're hearing that she's, in that respect, she's okay.

TODD (voice-over): The WNBA commissioner says Griner, jailed on allegations she was carrying cannabis oil at the Moscow airport is safe and is getting access to her legal team in Russia.

CATHY ENGELBERT, WNBA COMMISSIONER: We're trying everything we can, every angle, working through with her legal representation, her agent, elected leaders, the administration.

TODD (voice-over): Griner has been able to see her Representative in Russia twice a week and is able to receive letters and correspondence sources tell ESPN. But Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine could dash any hopes for a speedy release.

EVELYN FARKAS, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: He is not going to release anyone that he has in custody. He's going to try to use it as he has been probably behind the scenes all along as a bargaining chip to get something from us.

TOM FIRESTONE, FORMER RESIDENT LEGAL ADVISER, U.S. EMBASSY IN MOSCOW: There is very little the U.S. government can do right now. We have very limited leverage over Russia for a very obvious reasons right now given the political situation.

TODD (voice-over): One former U.S. official believes Putin has strong motivation to keep holding Griner. The fact that she is a U.S. Olympic gold medalist.

FARKAS: Remember, she was seized in February right after the Olympics when Russia was roundly embarrassed yet again for doping of its Olympic athletes. And so this might be also a way of getting revenge at the U.S. Olympic Committee.

TODD (voice-over): Another American held in Russia, Trevor Reed, on Tuesday had a court appearance by video where his appeal was kicked back to a lower court. His parents are worried he may have tuberculosis.

PAULA REED, MOTHER OF TREVOR REED: He looks terrible in that shot that they had on the tweet and we're really concerned because he really looks thin.

TODD (voice-over): U.S. officials openly concerned about Reed's health.

NED PRICE, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We do believe that he needs urgent treatment to prevent any further deterioration in his medical condition.

TODD (voice-over): Reed was sentenced to nine years for allegedly endangering the lives of Russian police officers while drunk, which his family and U.S. Officials deny. On Tuesday, Reed's father made a bold statement about his son's situation.

JOEY REED, FATHER OF TREVOR REED: They're taking him for trade and that's what they want and he's not coming home unless they get that.

TODD (voice-over): Court Brittney Griner, Trevor Reed or the other American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan, be traded?

FIRESTONE: They're extremely rare. And in the current political situation it will be especially difficult to arrange something like that. Not impossible, but extremely difficult under current conditions.

[17:45:00]

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): The analyst we spoke to say it's a risky strategy for family members and others to speak out so often on behalf of these detainees in Russia especially now given that it might irritate Vladimir Putin even more.

And recently, WNBA superstar Lisa Leslie said that people in the women's basketball world were told not to make a big fuss out of Brittney Griner's case out of concern that she might be used as a pawn while the Ukraine war is still going on. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

REID: Brian, thank you so much.

And Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says he has been labeled target number one by Russia. CNN's Jake Tapper asked him what he hopes his legacy will be. Here's more of that exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: There is a chance that you will not survive this war. The Russians have made it clear that they consider you a Nazi, et cetera, all that nonsense. How do you want the Ukrainian people to remember you? How do you want your son and daughter to remember you?

ZELENSKYY (through translation): A human being that loved life to the fullest and loved his family and loved his motherland. Definitely not a hero. I want people to take me as I am. A regular human.

TAPPER: You've inspired a lot of people including not just here in Ukraine but around the world. Who inspires you? Who are your heroes? Whose story do you look to for inspiration during dark days here?

ZELENSKYY (through translation): Only the people. I believe our people are genuine and unique. And I just can't afford to be worse than them. When at certain moments I feel like all of this is dangerous, I understand that all the rest of us are going through this as well. What people are feeling like, who are in basements, who lost their children? What our soldiers feel like right now?

And I understand I have to be the strongest one in this situation and this is all. And the most important is the way my children look at me. They have to be proud of me. This is the most important thing. I do everything for this.

TAPPER: Is Ukraine going to win this war?

ZELENSKYY (through translation): Yes, of course. And will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: And coming up, here in the U.S., it's been a violent Easter weekend as multiple mass shootings wreak havoc on communities. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:50:00]

REID: It has been a violent and deadly Easter weekend so far with multiple mass shootings across the U.S. From a bar and grill to a mall in South Carolina to an underage party at an Airbnb in Pittsburgh. Gunfire has taken lives and wounded many this weekend. CNN's Nadia Romero is following that all for us. All right, Nadia, let's begin in Pittsburgh where police are searching for multiple shooters?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's what they're looking for right now, Paula, multiple shooters because when they arrived they say there was gunfire happening inside and outside of this massive house party at an Airbnb rental in the city of Pittsburgh.

Now, they say that about 200 people attended this party overnight. And the majority of them were underage. So, take a look. This is what we know. Two people are now dead and those two people were both juveniles, both boys under the age of 18. There were eight gunshot victims and multiple other people who were injured because police say they were jumping out of windows trying to get away from the shooting.

Now they're looking for multiple suspects, multiple shooters who were all involved. And police say it was just the most chaotic scene when they arrived. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT SCHUBERT, PITTSBURGH POLICE DEPARTMENT: You had officers and medics who were trying to attend to victims that they found. We would be notified that there was, you know, a victim over at this location. Pennsylvania state police were able to stop a vehicle that had a victim in it. So, there was multiple scenes. It was very complex and very chaotic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: So Paula, police say when they arrived they saw drugs, guns and alcohol all at this underage party. Paula?

REID: And Nadia, there were also two shootings in South Carolina this weekend. What have you learned about those?

ROMERO: Yes. It seems like it doesn't matter if you're in a big state or a very populated city or in a small town, we still have gun violence happening this weekend. So, in Columbia, South Carolina, Saturday afternoon there were people there going to the mall just shopping in this large shopping mall and that's when the shooting broke out.

And police did arrest one suspect. So they arrested a 22-year-old Jewayne Price, and that person now has a bond set for $25,000 with some provisions if they're able to make that amount, but this person has been charged for carrying a pistol. And police say the investigation is ongoing. So there may be more people arrested and more charges coming.

But we know that 14 people were injured, 9 of them gunshot victims. The rest were injured with bruises and broken bones from police say being injured during a stampede when people were trying to get away, get out of the mall and get out of harm's way. Some of those people were injured with broken bones and bruises.

We know that one gunshot victim was a woman, 73 years old, still in the hospital this Easter trying to recover.

[17:55:02]

Police are asking anyone for any information in both of these shootings to come forward.

And Paula, we also learned about another shooting in Hampton County, nine people injure in South Carolina. They are looking for suspects there. Fortunately, no deaths in that shooting, but we are seeing shootings all across this weekend, all across the nation.

REID: Nadia, thank you so much for your reporting on what is an increasingly a common occurrence in this country. Thank you so much.

And coming up, we go back to Ukraine. President Zelenskyy says there are several thousand children missing from Mariupol saying nobody knows where they are. The latest next. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:59:59]