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Ukraine: Russian Offensive in East Now Underway; Russian Forces Firing on Mariupol Steel Plant; Interview with Kira Rudik, Ukrainian Parliament Member: Supplies Needed for Russian Offensive in East; Judge Voids U.S. Mask Mandate for planes, Other Travel; New Images Show Damaged Russian Warship Before It Sank. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired April 19, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and right around the world. I am Isa Soares in London. And we are following two major stories this hour.

For the first time in more than a year Americans will no longer have to wear a masks while on public transit. Travelers and airlines are reacting to the new ruling. But is it here to stay? Plus, this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As we arrived, another air raid went off and soldiers concerned that this will be a secondary strike on the same target.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Russia is going to able to mass their forces along that frontage and they're going to be able to pick and choose where they try and force a breakthrough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Russia more than just launching an invasion, more than just launching a war. He's under taking a campaign of terror.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is existence of how the Russians live and that evidence suggests their existence here was neither discipline nor comfortable.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We will keep on fighting and defending us and we will do this daily.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN's breaking news. SOARES: Welcome to the show everyone, it's Tuesday, April 19, 11:00

a.m. in Ukraine, where the battle for the Donbas region now appears to be underway. Ukraine's top security official say Russian forces launched attacks along the countries in eastern front lines on Monday in Kharkiv, Donetsk as well as Luhansk. Now for the most part those defenses held but at least one town Kreminna in western Luhansk has fallen to Russian forces. The region's governor is urging civilians to leave immediately. Though a Ukrainian deputy minister has announced that no evacuation corridors will be opened today. This of course as Ukraine's president warns the Russian forces are stopping at nothing as they try to breakthrough. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The Russian army is not slowing down the use of missiles against Ukraine. They are pressuring, looking for a weak spot in defense of our state to find and enter there with the main forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, Russian forces have been regrouping in southern as well as eastern Ukraine. A U.S. defense official says it looks like Russia trying to learn from their earlier failures in the north. In the Pentagon believes Russia has now deployed thousands of additional troops to the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We do believe they have reinforced the number of battalion tactical group in the east and the south of Ukraine. They've added now more than 10 to what they've already had their in that part of the country. \

We still assess that in general they have the vast majority of their assemble combat power available to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: And it's not just eastern Ukraine coming under attack. Ukrainian officials said at least four missiles hit the city of Lviv on Monday, killing at least seven people and injuring 11 others. Russia claims it destroyed a weapons depot near the city.

But local officials said the missile hit several warehouses that weren't being used by the military. The images we are about to show you are graphic and they are indeed hard to watch. You may recall these scenes from outside Kyiv, murdered civilians buried in a mass grave in the town of Bucha discovered in the aftermath, of course, of Russia's withdrawal.

Well, on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin bestowed honors on the Russian military unit accused of committing those atrocities. In a signed letter Mr. Putin congratulated the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade for their, quote, great heroism encourage. Well, the battle for the key port city of Mariupol, meanwhile, rages

on with more heavy fighting being reported. A U.S. defense official says the city remains contested as Ukrainian forces hold out against about a dozen Russian battalion tactical groups. Drone footage shows the devastation left behind by weeks of unrelenting Russian attacks -- as you can see there on your screen. And we're also getting videos showing smoke rising from a steel plant -- as you can see there -- in Mariupol. Russian forces are now set to be bombarding that factory where Ukrainian troops are located. But Ukraine says hundreds of civilians are also sheltering inside.

CNN's Matthew Chance has more on what people are facing in Mariupol. And a warning, some of the images in his report are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the kids Ukrainian officials say are at ground zero in the battle for Mariupol.

[04:05:00]

This video posted on government social media but which CNN can't verify shows dozens of children said to have been sheltering for weeks in a basement in the city, where Ukrainian forces are holding out against Russian attacks. Kids distracting themselves from the battles above.

We play with these toys, build things and imagine things this little boy says. Do you want to get out of here? They're asked. Yes, yes, they all shout. But the adults here know, that's unlikely to happen anytime soon.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CHANCE (voice-over): I'm with my three children and conditions are not the best here, this parent says. There's no way to study, not much food, and my kids teeth are starting to spoil, she says. But the alternative surrender to Russia may be worse.

Above ground, Mariupol has borne the brunt of Russia's brutal invasion. Latest images show the extent of the devastation. One Ukrainian commander has called this hell on earth. But troops defending the city concentrated at the vast Azovstal steelworks are refusing to surrender. Ukrainian officials say they will fight until the end.

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The situation in Mariupol is most dire militarily and heartbreaking. The city doesn't exist anymore. It seems from the way Russian army behaves in Mariupol, they decided to erase the city to the ground at any cost.

CHANCE (voice-over): But Ukrainian forces in Mariupol are making sure that erasure is painful. This video shows a counter attack against Russian forces by the Ukrainian Azov Battalion, with their soldiers throwing grenades at Russian forces in the city. It is an act of resistance, but the outcome may be unchanged.

Already, the human toll of this battle for Mariupol has been appalling, with thousands, including many civilians killed. But Ukrainian officials say another Russian offensive is now underway. Posing another deadly threat to those trapped inside.

Matthew Chance, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Let's get more on this. I'm joined now from Kyiv, Kira Rudik, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament and she joins me now live. And Kira, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us at this hour. Let me start with this new Russian military offensive that we've seen in the east, in the east of Ukraine, in the Donbas region. What can you tell us that has been unfolding there the past 24 hours or so?

KIRA RUDIK, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: So, this is the battle that we have expected for a while and it is finally a battle of Russian army against Ukrainian army rather than fighting civilian here and there. This is a task for us. Are we ready? Do we have enough of the weapons? Did all the weapons that we were promised arrive or did they remain to be only the promises? We will see all of that in the nearest couple of days.

Because we as army are ready and the question would be, would we have enough supplies? Would we have enough heavy weapons, artillery and of course, the fighter jets that we were promised by many countries but either did not receive them or they are still in transit?

We understand that this would be the major battle of this war. And the result of it will impact what would happen to Mariupol, what would happen to Kyiv, what would happen to Lviv, to all the other cities of Ukraine. This is why it is so important for us to get all the support right now we can and to get it now so we can stand up and we can actually win.

SOARES: And President Zelenskyy has said that, you know, that the troops, the Ukrainian troops, Ukrainian army will stand firm here. Are you as confident as him?

RUDIK: Absolutely. I am confident that right now everything single member of the Ukrainian army understands their crucial role of this battle in our history. And our army is ready, every men and women knows that they need to stand until end. And we will get more and more support, volunteers, they would come and support our army here.

The question though would be the supplies and the armory because as you know we are fighting one of the largest armies in the world. And we are expending the supplies every single day more than we are receiving from all the world that is helping us.

SOARES: On that point then, Kira, what are you lacking? What you have been promised that hasn't arrived yet?

[04:10:00] RUDIK: So, first of all, this is artillery. This is the main and a crucial point. Second, obviously, all the means protect our skies. Since day one we are asking to get the jets, to get the air force protection system, to get additional artillery pieces. And some of that we have been only heard as promises and some of that is still in transit. So, for you to understand, between the politicians saying OK, we will give this or that to Ukraine. It is a two to three weeks before we actually will get that. So, the war has certainly been for 55 days right now. And half of the promises that we've gotten have not been fulfilled just yet.

SOARES: Is the world letting Ukraine down here?

RUDIK: At some point we are getting enough. At other points we are not getting anything. So, right now, rather than being upset with the ones who are not giving us what we asked, I would like to thank every single country that is supporting us and say, give us more. You see how critical it is. You see that we are fighting not only for ourselves but for the whole democratic world, for the whole of Europe. So, what we need right now is for everybody just to put their political believes or ideas and give us all their weapons that you have, all the weapons that is available.

SOARES: Let me ask you about Mariupol. Of course, is a city that's devastated for weeks now. Can it hold on?

RUDIK: You see every single day somebody saying, OK, Mariupol will fall. And every single day we are praying to God that it wouldn't and it does not. We are extremely worried about the civilians that are there and that Russia is not giving us the humanitarian corridor. But the fate of Mariupol will solely depend on their fate of the battle for Donbas. If we will be able to win this battle, we'll be able to free Mariupol as well. If no, then it will be extremely hard to support our soldiers, our remaining army that is there right now.

And obviously without the air force protection, we can't stop Russian missiles from hitting Mariupol and by the way, not only Mariupol but other key cities of Ukraine. You have seen what has happened yesterday in Lviv. It was one of the last places that were safe in Ukraine. Right now, we see that there is no safe place.

SOARES: Yes, it was a safe haven -- it's been a safe haven for so many people, so many Ukrainians fleeing. But finally, Kira, let me show you and our viewers this image. It's a statue of the former Soviet leader, Vladimir Lennon. Now looming in North Crimea. I'm not sure if we could bring it up. If you can give us an idea -- a sense, Kira, of what it means seeing this statue up for Ukrainians.

RUDIK: So, you see Putin is trying to build the Soviet Union, this is his goal and this is the past. This is so unpleasant and so devastating for many of us. And the fact that they are trying to rebuild it and to renew it is something that we are trying to get away from. This is something we are actually fighting, not to be dragged into the past with the Soviets, with their ideas and their way of life. We are moving to the future. We are the country that is attempting to

join the European Union. We are building the digital economy, we are moving forward. Russia is moving backward and trying to drag all the other free countries with them. This is exactly the point that we are fighting and this is exactly why we will be standing firmly because this is not where we want to go.

SOARES: Ukrainian MP, Kira Rudik, thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us. And please stay safe. Thanks, Kira.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, official on Southwest Airlines on the whole.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, no more masks!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On our Delta is that masks still are optional, for employees have to wear it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, the U.S. mask mandate -- as you saw there -- for public transportation is no longer in effect. A judge overturned the directive saying the Centers for Disease Control overstepped its authority by enacting it. Major airlines immediately made masks optional. But some warned there could be confusion since the ruling took them by a surprise.

[04:15:00]

Not all agencies are lifting the requirement. New York City and New Jersey transit are keeping their mandates in place. Pete Muntean has all the details for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: This was one of the last major mask mandates to remain in place. But federal transportation mask mandates was slated to end in two weeks, on May 3rd. Now by order of a U.S. District Judge in Florida, Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, she says that goes beyond the CDC's authority. And now the White House has confirmed that the transportation mask mandate is no longer in effect pending a federal review. This was required on planes, trains, buses, boats and in terminal starting in February 2021. Not long after President Joe Biden took office. It was extended to March 18th. Then April 18, then an extension to May 3rd. Now we know that this is going away. And we have heard from airlines like Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines that they will follow through with this order, essentially making it so that passengers and employees can wear masks only if they want to. We will see as this pans out if there is any push back from the Biden administration or any appeal.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Reagan National Airport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Thank you, Pete.

Well, the White House says it's disappointed in the ruling, though would not enforce the mandate pending a review. However, as Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the administration continues to recommend airline passengers to wear masks. The Justice Department will decide the legal response. While some are celebrating the ruling, others are cautious. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will always wear my mask. I lost my grandmother to COVID a year ago and so I'm very particular about the masks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My personal opinion, they don't do much. So, yes, I am excited. If you want to wear them, wear them and if not, then don't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do a lot of traveling and it does not make any sense to keep them on if we take it off to drink or eat anyway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it doesn't really impact me one way or the other. I don't mind wearing a mask all that much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, I'm not a doctor. I'm not a scientist but from just our household and how we stand on everything, I am happy that we don't have to wear masks anymore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: So, how exactly did the federal judge determine the federal mask mandate was unlawful? We asked CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig and former Biden White House senior advisor Andy Slavitt for their insight. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: The judge did not say this is good policy, this is bad. This was not a health ruling or a science ruling nor should it be. This is a legal ruling. And really, this is a procedural decision more than anything else. The judge said first of all, CDC, you made a rule that goes beyond the authority that Congress gave you. And second of all, the way that the Biden administration went about this -- according to this judge -- violated the procedural rules. An agency like the CDC cannot just rule by decree, they have to follow certain rules about putting up notice and comment and letting people comment for 30 days and giving specific reasons for their decisions. And the judge found the Biden administration did not do that.

ANDY SLAVITT, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: This is kind of a victory of mob rule. So, all the major airlines are going to drop the mandate. There may be one that does not. But so far almost all have decided that they will. In part of the reason is because this is a huge burden on flight attendants. They've had to enforce -- what had been a very small number of very loud and uncivil folks who have basically said, you know, I dare you to enforce this mask mandate. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And do stay with CNN as we continue, of course, to follow this developing story.

And still ahead right here this hour, new images of Russia's flagship missile cruiser that sank in the Black Sea, what military experts are saying about the damage.

And a rare mix of heavy snow and rain has millions of Americans in the U.S. are asking -- where is spring?

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Well, new images on social media appear to support Ukraine's claim that it hit the Russian warship Moskva with missiles. They show -- as you can see there -- a plume of smoke and large black holes on the port side of the vessel. Russia's flagship missile cruiser in the Black Sea sank, if you remember, last week.

Meanwhile, a U.K. government source say two British nationals fighting for Ukraine in Mariupol have been captured by Russian troops. Their families say the men have been serving with Ukrainian Marines for several years.

Let's get more on this. Clare Sebastian is with me on the show. And, Clare, let me start by asking about the flagship that the video we showed there of the ship. It is important because it's part of, you know, the Russia's Black Sea fleet. What more do we know? What's Russia saying, what was Ukraine saying here?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, these pictures are the latest information that we've got on seen social media. The Kremlin commented on this on Monday, Isa, he said at a press conference -- their spokesman -- that he couldn't confirm the authenticity of them. But that was pretty much all he said. They've seen the picture but they haven't been able to confirm the authenticity. And then there are still these conflicting reports about what actually happened there.

The Ukrainian side is saying that they hit the ship with two Neptune missiles -- which has sort of Ukrainian built homegrown missiles. That has been backed up by U.S. defense officials.

Russia is still saying that there was a fire on board. They haven't said the cause of the fire but that fire detonated ammunition they said, and then ship sank during a storm as it was being towed back to port. No evidence of the storm in those pictures. There are cloudy skies but wasn't like a storm there. Of course, we don't know if the ship was being towed at that point. So, the storm could have come later.

But the Russian's released a video over the weekend showing some of the crew it seems of the Moskva meeting with the commander-in-chief of the Russian navy. It's not clear how many of the crew were present at that meeting. How many actually survived this missile strike. They haven't acknowledged any casualties.

And I think part of the reasons why we're getting these conflicting report and why Russia isn't talking about various aspects, this is because it is so such a huge blow to the Russian navy and to the Russian military in general both strategically and in terms of reputation. They've already taken a huge reputational hit as a result of the intensity of the Ukrainian resistance.

[04:25:02]

SOARES: And no doubt this will hit moral as well for so many Russian troops. Let me ask you about the U.K., the British civilians. What more do we know? Have we heard from their families?

SEBASTIAN So, their families have spoken out. We know their names -- Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner. We know that they are both former British servicemen. They had actually both lived in Ukraine for several years before this. It's not like they sort of saw the start of the war and decided to go, that they had actually lived there. We've had an official U.K. government comment on this this morning. We know Brandon Lewis speaking on Sky News, said that like he couldn't confirm if the U.K. government was working to bring them home. He said we take the issue of British citizens in this kind of situation very seriously. But it's an illegal act to be there. And you know, he said we're in the process of sanctioning people close to Putin. We don't want to be held to him by swapping them for the pro-Russian/Ukrainian politicians.

SOARES: Well, we hope they're both safe and released. Clare Sebastian, thanks very much.

Now I want to show you -- you're looking at life pictures now in Burlington, Vermont. A storm system in the U.S. northeast is expected to bring heavy snow, rain, and strong winds as well as coastal flooding to some area. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is following this rare late-season. He's from the CNN weather center in Atlanta. My question was really what we asked just before the break. Where is spring -- Pedram?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, a lot of people are asking the same question. We've had a couple of hints of it. People have broken out the shorts and T-shirts, Isa, but we go right back to the heart of winter. And this is what it looks like across of parts of Burlington, Vermont where it's that heavy, wet late-season snow coming down. And a lot of this, again, confined toward the interior portion of New England, the metro cities of Boston, New York, on into Philly. These areas it's a little too warm, so it's all just heavy rainfall and some gusty winds.

And the winter weather alerts are really for the interior areas of the Adirondack mountains, the Catskills, above 2,000 feet. Some of these areas could see as much as 10- maybe 13-inches of snowfall. And in fact, the gusty winds, the heavy wet snow. Yes, as you could imagine some trees, some power lines are coming down and about 80,000 customers across parts of New York State and parts of the state of Pennsylvania without power at this hour. And snowfall accumulations in the past 24 hours in this region have

pushed up to around 10 inches. But again, notice once you get closer toward the coastline, it's all rainfall. And on the order of say 1 or 2 inches has come down and some flood watches have been prompted. But the gusty winds, how about a 55 miles per hour wind gust across Nantucket right now. Almost 40 mile per hour wind gusts out of Boston. So, the winds are really howling in this region as this nor'easter pushes right through this area and brings with it these gusty winds up the eastern seaboard.

And we do expect this really to be the story through much of this afternoon with the gusty winds continuing. But the snowfall -- this is where people are asking where is that spring weather. Because of the current snow depths. Portions of North Dakota, parts of Wisconsin into Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, as much as 10 to 20 inches of snow on the ground this morning from previous days of snowfall. And yet, some people are getting tired of it across Madison, Wisconsin ready for the spring warmth.

Look at these. We have cold weather alerts for temps into the 20s and 30s this morning in places such as St. Louis, Nashville, Tennessee. And the changes in store here are going to be for the better when it comes to warmth because we dramatically shift back up to more spring- like in nature here. In fact, St. Louis, high temperatures around 60 or so the next couple of days. Look what happens, Isa, temps climbing up well into the 80s going in towards this weekend. So, spring -- at least for now -- is right around the corner in a few days.

SOARES: Glad to hear you. Pedram, great to see you. Thanks very much.

And the nor'easter will forced millions of Americans to crank up their heat. But it will of course, it will cost them. Natural gas surged on Monday to levels not seen since the 2008 recession. Remember that. Futures rose 9 percent on Monday and are now up a staggering 113 percent since the end of last year. Of course, the war in Ukraine does not appear to be a central driver here. Instead, analysts blamed unseasonably cooler temperatures and below average natural gas inventories in the United States. Will stay on top of that story for you.

And just ahead right here on CNN, Phil Black visited a town outside of Kyiv where occupying Russian forces left behind more than just a sprawling camp site.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is so quiet now. Just some bird noise and a light breeze. But recently there were 6,000 Russian soldiers bedded down through these woods in a camp that is so large, you can't see where it begins and where it ends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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