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Shootings in Pittsburgh, South Carolina and Boston; Vladimir Milov is Interviewed about Sanctions; Sergey Stefoglo is Interviewed about Ukraine. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired April 18, 2022 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[09:30:06]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Well, right now, families are mourning the deaths of two teens as police have launched a manhunt for multiple suspects after a mass shooting in Pittsburgh early Sunday morning. Police say the gunman opened fire at a large party killing two 17- year-old boys and wounding eight other people. This is just one of several shootings over the Easter weekend including two in South Carolina.
CNN crime and justice correspondent Shimon Prokupecz has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have multiple shootings.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In Pittsburgh, a mass shooting at a large party held at a short-term rental property. Two 17-year-olds were killed and police say at least eight others were wounded by the gunfire early Sunday morning.
CHIEF SCOTT E. SCHUBERT, PITTSBURGH POLICE: It's heartbreaking. I mean here we are at Easter and we have multiple families, two that won't see a loved one.
PROKUPECZ (voice over): Police say as many as 200 people were at the party, most of them underage.
SCHUBERT: How can you even have a holiday when your child was involved in something traumatic like this.
PROKUPECZ: According to the police chief, multiple shooters firing more than 90 rounds inside and outside of the house. Some party goers jumped out of windows, leaving some with broken bones and cuts police say. The search for the suspects is underway and officials are urging
anyone with information to come forward as investigators process as many as eight separate crime scenes.
In Columbia, South Carolina, one man was arrested after a mass shooting at a mall on Saturday.
BAYRONE BILLUPS, WITNESS: We didn't know who was shooting, what direction it was coming from, and it was -- I mean it was really terrifying.
PROKUPECZ: Twenty-two-year-old Jawayne Price (ph) appeared in court Sunday. According to the Columbia Police Department, Price is charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol. Police said more charges are possible. CNN has not been able to determine if Price has a lawyer. He's been released on house arrest.
Police say they believe those involved in the shooting knew one another. The shooting left 14 people injured, at least nine suffered gunshot wounds and five others hurt while attempting to leave the scene.
About 100 miles south of Columbia, in Hampton County, South Carolina, police say nine people were shot early Sunday morning at a lounge. CNN affiliate WTOC TV reported the lounge was hosting an Easter bash when the shots rang out. Some people jumped into nearby ditches to avoid being hit WTOC reported. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is leading the investigation.
In Boston, police said two people were shot in the city's Chinatown neighborhood.
SUPERINTENDENT-IN-CHIEF GREGORY LONG, BOSTON POLICE: Both of these males were transported to local area hospitals and both are currently listed in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.
PROKUPECZ: Three suspects are in custody after the vehicle police say they were fleeing in crashed. Two were injured in the crash, but police said they do not believe those injuries are life-threatening. Boston police say what led up to the shooting is still unclear, but the investigation is ongoing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PROKUPECZ: And, Bianna, one of the things about these kind of shootings is that in most cases it's innocent bystanders that are caught in the middle of gunfire. It could be between rival gangs or crews or people just fighting and choosing to pull out guns to settle the dispute. And that's something that law enforcement is very concerned about. Of course, they say there are just too many guns on the street. And, of course, law enforcement is scrambling to try and contain some of this violence, especially as we head into the summer months.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, mass shooting in America during a holiday weekend, can never get used to that. Shimon Prokupecz, thank you.
Well, still ahead, Ukraine's plea to western allies, a total embargo on Russian oil and gas. So what would that look like and is it even possible? We'll talk to Russia's former minister of oil and gas up next.
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[09:38:41]
GOLODRYGA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is once again calling on European leaders to sanction Russia's lucrative energy industry. European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen (ph) told German newspaper "Build" (ph) that a sixth round of sanctions would target Russia's Sperbank (ph) but handle -- which handles the majority of Russian oil and gas payments. But the EU is in the early phase of completely breaking from its biggest energy supplier and continues to buy billions of dollars in Russian oil and gas.
So joining me now to discuss is Russian opposition politician and former deputy energy minister for Russia, Vladimir Milov.
Vladimir, welcome to the program.
Let me ask you to respond to comments made by Russia's current deputy prime minister who is also the former energy minister, Alexander Novak (ph), who said on Friday that he was convinced that the EU would not be able to cut itself off from Russia's oil and gas for at least another five to ten years. Is he wrong in your opinion?
VLADIMIR MILOV, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION POLITICIAN: He's simply trying to calm down the public opinion in Russia, much as many other Russian officials do. But it is already problematic. We see reports that Russian output -- oil output had contracted more than 1 million barrels a day since the war began and Russian oil euros was -- cost more -- less than $30 per barrel as compared to brent international benchmarks.
[09:40:02]
So, this is because already over voluntary embargo in Russian oil by many traders, shippers, refiners.
And I believe that major measures on the European front are yet to come. Probably they will be gradual, but they will be very painful for Russian currency cash flows from oil and gas exports.
GOLODRYGA: Gradual, but perhaps enough to withstand continuing this war, at least in terms of how Vladimir Putin looks at it. And from a sobering perspective, you have countries like Germany, which gets about 40 percent of its gas from Russia, Austria gets 80 percent of its gas from Russia. And its chancellor over the weekend, who, by the way, last weekend met with Vladimir Putin, over the weekend told U.S. media that, you know, they're trying to become independent, but it will take some time. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARL NEHAMMER, AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR: It will take time because our dependency on Russian gas is 80 percent. It's a similar situation to the republic of Germany. And our industry and our private households need the gas.
So now we try everything to get independent, but it is not possible today, tomorrow, but maybe in a few years we are independent from Russian gas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: I mean a few years. That could mean a lot more death, a lot more tragedy coming out of this war in Ukraine if the goal is actually to get Vladimir Putin to stop this war because of an energy embargo.
MILOV: Well, first, I have to say that I believe that things will be moving in Europe very soon way, at least partially they will use national banks like Poland, which is the major important (ph) of Russian oil, over half a million barrels a day through (INAUDIBLE) pipeline. They have already announced that they will be getting rid of oil imports quite soon.
Austria and Germany, yes, they're more difficult because they heavy industries that's a cornerstone of their economies. They very much depend upon the cheap Russian gas. They are afraid (INAUDIBLE) oil imports because they -- they fear that Russia would retaliate by cutting off the gas voluntarily as a retaliation to that.
But, listen, I think, still, we don't have to look for a magic silver bullet because a month and a half ago everyone was thinking that if Russia is cut off from SWIFT, then things will be turning around and it will be a game-changer. Now the oil embargo is the game-changer. Putin still has a lot of money. So the question is, I mean not -- not what tomorrow's measures will be, but the west will continue to impose more and more sanctions every day, maybe gradually, but sooner or later it will stop Putin's war.
GOLODRYGA: Listen, I don't believe a word out of Vladimir Putin's mouth. I haven't for a long time. But just today he said that Russia's economy is stabilized and that these crippling sanctions have not been effective.
Is he telling the truth here and painting a real picture, or once again is this just another lie out of him?
MILOV: Now, listen, I would advise to listen instead to (INAUDIBLE), chairman of the central bank, who was speaking in the Russian parliament today. And she said that the real trouble for the economy is just about to begin in summer. That's a direct quote. Trouble will -- real trouble will begin in summer. So, Vladimir Putin better get familiarized with realities on the ground before he's speaking. GOLODRYGA: Vladimir Milov, I wanted to ask you about Alexei Navalny
and his plight. Now he's serving nine years in a maximum security prison. And we can talk about him, of course, next time you come on our program.
We also want to head -- to tease ahead to our fascinating -- CNN's fascinating documentary on Navalny which will be airing next Sunday here on CNN. You don't want to miss it.
Vladimir, thank you so much.
MILOV: Thank you so much. A pleasure being with you. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And still ahead, imagine seeing these scenes of your own hometown while thousands of miles away. Well, our next guest shares his effort to help Kharkiv from here inside the United States.
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[09:48:37]
SCIUTTO: Right now Ukrainians in the northeastern city of Kharkiv are experiencing yet another brutal, deadly day of shelling by Russian forces. In just the past four days, President Zelenskyy says some 18 people have been killed, more than 100 others injured. Sounds like that there have become daily rituals.
People urged to stay in shelters, metro stations. But despite the attacks, Ukrainian -- officials say Ukrainian forces continue to push Russian forces back to the eastern side of the city and have even managed to liberate some villages to the southeast. Among those trying to help those still sheltering for their lives there, one man who calls both Kharkiv and Spokane, Washington, home.
Joining me now is Sergey Stefoglo. He's one of the co-founders of a group that calls itself Spokane Helps Ukraine, which raises money to feed family and friends fighting overseas.
Sergey, good to have you on this morning.
SERGEY STEFOGLO, CO-FOUNDER, SPOKANE HELPS UKRAINE: Thank you for having me.
SCIUTTO: Kharkiv, as you well know, has been one of the hardest-hit cities since the very start of this invasion. It's very close to Russia. Russia has been pummeling it from the air.
You have a lot of family and friends there. And I know you're trying to keep in touch with them. Tell us how they're doing.
STEFOGLO: They're surviving pretty much just like we hear all over the news, Kharkiv, like many other cities, get shelled quite often and bombed.
[09:50:10] And they're hiding in basements most of the time and, of course, they can't go to work. They just -- they're all normal lives disrupted and they're struggling to provide some basic needs like food and shelter.
Spokane Helps Ukraine, that (INAUDIBLE) was created here with a few friends just accidentally in a business meeting and we're (INAUDIBLE) raising money and sending directly to people in Kharkiv.
We, so far, raised almost -- close to $60,000 and send over directly to churches down there and they're helping them out there.
SCIUTTO: Yes. So, I'm curious what people need most and, crucially, how do you get the help to them? Raising money on this end is one thing, but getting help into the hands of those people has to be difficult.
STEFOGLO: It was difficult, but we ended up partnering with a local church. They had already like bank accounts set up and donations (INAUDIBLE) set up and money goes to that platform and they're great with sending money to Ukraine. And it's working out great. All money, 100 percent that gets donated goes directly to Kharkiv, Ukraine.
SCIUTTO: I understand there's a lot of gratitude among the people there. This is a statement written to you, I should mention, from the pastor of the Christian church in Kharkiv, Khomenko Sergey, who wrote, and I'm quote, I want to say that what the Spokane Helps Ukraine Foundation is doing deserves the highest gratitude. We've already received help from you several times and the products that we give to the infirmed, helpless, disabled old people causes tears in their eyes.
To hear that kind of thank you, how does it make you feel?
STEFOGLO: It makes a feel like we're doing something -- something good. And it feels good, actually, to be part of something that is not just getting basic needs for ourselves, but we're doing something bigger than ourselves. And we're grateful that we're able to do that. We're grateful to live in the United States and to begin with, we are grateful to God that he is able to set us up here so now we've been here, can be help down in Ukraine.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
Do you find that the Americans, the residents of Washington who live near you, are paying attention to this war, are concerned about the people there, that they understand the degree of suffering that's taking place today in Ukraine?
STEFOGLO: Yes, people all around. Friends and just strangers actually donate money through spokanehelpsukraine.org. And they totally understand what's going on. And I just saw left -- to see all this help around and all understanding, it's just very good to see how people come around in such troubling times.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Yes, we've seen so much generosity. That's one of the silver linings of this war. In the U.S., certainly, but a lot of the countries neighboring Ukraine accepting refugees, helping them.
Sergey Stefoglo, thanks for the work you're doing.
Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Well, still ahead, we speak with a Ukrainian mayor who was once captured by the Russians. He's now in Rome. Hear what the pope told him. We'll have that coming up.
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[09:58:49]
GOLODRYGA: The unbelievable true story of Alexei Navalny, who took on Putin and has lived to expose the truth. You can watch that Sundance award-winning CNN film "Navalny." That's Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you come to room of a comatose patient, you starting to just tell him some news. Telling him his story. Alexei, don't worry, you were poisoned. It was a murder attempt. Putin tried to kill you with Novichok. And he opened his like blue eyes wide and looked at me and said very clear, (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
ALEXEI NAVALNY: Come on, poisoned? I don't believe it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like he is back. This is Alexei.
NAVALNY: Putin's supposed to be not so stupid to use this Novichok.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His wording, his expletives, his inclination (ph).
NAVALNY: If you want to kill someone, just shoot him. Jesus Christ.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like, real Alexei.
NAVALNY: It's impossible to believe it. It's kind of stupid.
[09:59:56]
The whole idea of poisoning with a chemical weapon, would -- this is why -- this is so smart, because even reasonable people, they refuse to believe, like, what, come on, poisoned?
