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Remains of Camp Used by 6,000 Russians Troops; Dozens of Cities in China Under Full or Partial Lockdown; At Lease 4 Children Killed in Kabul School Explosions; Families Fear for Relatives Forced to Flee into Russia. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired April 19, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isa Soares. An update on our top breaking news coverage of Russia's war on Ukraine. A senior defense official told CNN the U.S. believes Russia is learning from its mistakes in the north of Ukraine. The official also said that they are applying those lessons in their renewed focus on the east as well as the south.

Now this video shows a column of Russian military vehicles traveling from the Russian border to the Ukrainian city of Kupiansk where Russian forces have been gathering. CNN cannot confirm when the footage was shot but it was shared on social media on Thursday of last week.

And while the world's attention is focused on Donbas, more evidence and more stories of Russia's brutal occupation in the north are beginning to come out. Russian forces withdrew from a small city just outside of Kyiv leaving behind the remains of a giant makeshift campsite. And the lingering, of course, human traumas as well as suffering they had caused. Our Phil Black has the story. Any word of caution to our viewers, this report contains graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sign is a warning, beware mines. The forest serves as protection too, a natural screen concealing a vast secret. Here among the trees about an hour's drive north of Kyiv are the remains of a sprawling Russian military camp. We're shown around by Ukrainian special forces.

This soldier says the positions were held by Russian Marines. We see a sprawling network of underground fighting positions command post, sleeping areas and ammunition storage. While everywhere there is evidence of how the Russians lived and that evidence suggests their existence here it was neither disciplined nor comfortable.

BLACK: It is so quiet here 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.

[04:35:00]

Living here would have been hard, it was through the coldest of the winter days, four weeks stopped here, short of Kyiv after they failed to take the capital quickly.

BLACK (voice-over): The silence is broken by efforts to deal with some unidentified ordinance. This camp is damning proof of Russia's failures on this front, poor preparation, desperately wrong assumptions about the numbers and resources needed to conquer Kyiv.

BLACK: What lessons do you take from all of this that will apply to the to the coming battle for Donbas and East?

BLACK (voice-over): He says, we see the volume of forces that invaded this area and we understand that will be two to three times greater in the Donbas.

This force wasn't confined to the forest. Its commanding officers lived a little more comfortably in the nearby village of these Zdvyzhivka, Ukraine. Here civilians tell disturbingly familiar stories. Vitaliy, a local mechanic says he was detained and interrogated for almost 24 hours. He says he was beaten, blindfolded, tied up and subjected to mock executions.

He says, he's never known fear like it and constantly thought those were his last moments on Earth.

A local priest, Vasily Benca describes dealing with the aftermath of even greater cruelty.

He says, he found five men tortured and killed in the garden. Two more in the forest. And the Russians brought him two dead women and told him to bury them.

Other Russians in this area, camped out in fields with their artillery pieces, and stole what comforts they could, a mattress, alcohol, the works of Shakespeare.

BLACK: So, from these firing positions, grad rockets flew through the sky towards Hostomel, which is only a relatively short distance away. And when they hit the Earth, it was often civilians who felt their power.

DMITRI NEKAZAKOV, HOSTOMEL RESIDENT: You can see the result. So many people.

BLACK: They were hiding in there.

NEKAZAKOV: Yeah. BLACK (voice-over): In Hostomel, resident Dmitri Nekazakov shows the aftermath of a Russian rocket strike.

NEKAZAKOV: This is epicenter of explosion.

BLACK (voice-over): And where some of its victims were temporarily buried.

NEKAZAKOV: I feel only hate.

BLACK: Only hate?

NEKAZAKOV: Yes, we can't forgive it for long, maybe for life.

BLACK (voice-over): For now, the enemies in the forest, fields and villages have left this part of Ukraine. The fruits of their brief stay, the pain, trauma and loathing remain.

Phil Black, CNN Hostomel, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: We want to bring you up to the speed on the U.S. judge's ruling that struck down the Biden administration's mask mandate for public transportation. Rideshare service Uber says on its website, masks for riders and drivers are no longer required. In the White House says the mandate will not be enforced pending a review of the decision. The ruling took airlines by surprise. And a flight from Las Vegas to Minneapolis, St. Paul, a crew member announced mask for now optional. Then a flight attendant went through -- as you can see there -- the cabin with the trash bag so passengers could throw their mask away.

Well, China's COVID mandates are much stricter than the U.S. and show no signs of easing. Today the country's Vice Premier warned that anyone in Shanghai with COVID-19 and their close contacts, would be sent to government designated quarantine sites. And she said it will happen, quote, without exceptions. Her remarks come as dozens of cities across China already on full or partial lockdown under the country's strict zero COVID strategy.

Well, CNN's Steven Jiang is following this story from Beijing. And Steven, the lockdown clearly continues with conditions. Clearly worsening as we've seen. What more can you tell us?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Isa, this just seems to be a never-ending nightmare for Shanghai's 25 million residents, most of whom are still being sealed in their homes and many of them still lacking access to adequate food and medical care for non-COVID causes. But this latest warning from the Vice Premier -- you just mentioned -- this is already generating new anxiety and even anger because that without exception line has meant, a growing number of senior citizens, some in their 90s, are now being reportedly forcefully removed from their homes and being sent to the government quarantine facilities. Many of those facilities are in very crowded and primitive conditions with little medical care being provided on site. So, a lot of people are asking why are they treating this most

vulnerable segment of the population this way even though the whole zero COVID policy is supposedly aimed at protecting this very group.

[04:40:00]

And another new controversy comes in the form of a viral video that seemed to show workers dumping a large amount of perfectly looking vegetables that were supposed to be sent to Shanghai residents who were in desperate need of groceries. Now local officials insisted those vegetables had gone bad and decided it had to be disposed of.

But, you know, these are just some snapshots from this growing chaos and misery in Shanghai's lockdown. But as you mentioned, lockdowns are happening across the country affecting dozens of cities and millions of people. And this is happening, of course, is because the central leadership here in Beijing has put their foot down and saying this policy is here to stay and this is the best way to protect people's health -- according to them. To prevent the deaths and destruction COVID has caused in the West -- according to officials. So, for many local officials around the country, the takeaway from Shanghai, is not how it's impossible to contain omicron with their current approach, but rather when it comes to lockdown, you have to do it early and do it big. -- Isa

SOARES: Our Steven jiang, so keep us posted on all the developments. Steven Jiang for us there in Beijing. Thanks, Steven.

And we are following breaking news out of Afghanistan. Reports of multiple explosions in schools in a Hazara Shia community in Kabul. We'll be right back with all of the details for you. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: And we have breaking news from Afghanistan. Where at least four children have been killed in multiple explosions at schools in western Kabul. Police say this happened in a predominantly Hazara Shia neighborhood. Local authorities confirm more than two dozen people have been taken to hospitals for medical treatment. CNN's Arwa Damon is following developments for us from Istanbul, Turkey.

Do we Arwa with us. OK, Arwa, what more can you tell us about these explosions and any claim of responsibility, Arwa, so far?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT No claim of responsibility at this stage, but absolutely beyond devastating news this morning happening in Kabul.

[04:45:00]

Multiple explosions reportedly targeting more than one location. One of these locations was a school as far as we understand, the other is being described as an educational center. At this stage the death toll which most certainly is going to be rising according to one of the hospitals that we were able to speak to -- is at four with dozens more injured. Another hospital also saying it had received dozens of injuries. These were school children.

At this stage we don't know exactly how these explosions took place. We do know that there were multiple explosions. And you can just imagine how utterly heart-wrenching this is for so many families at this stage. Families that said good-bye to their children in the morning as they went out to school and now are having to deal with this horrendous reality.

We do know that there will be teams on the ground trying to rescue whomever it is that they can. Trying to help identify the bodies. There has only been a trickle of images that we have been able to see from the scene of the aftermath. This is because according to multiple forces on the ground, journalists and others, the Taliban itself is trying to prevent journalists from taking images on the ground from reporting from this scene in particular.

The Taliban itself, of course, has been under extreme pressure to try to restore some sort of modicum of security to the country. This most certainly will be running counter to their narrative and their abilities to actually create a secure and stable Afghanistan. Not to mention that this is just one of countless challenges that the Afghan population faces right now. They're not just coming up against this sort of violence -- which although not being reported all that often has been continuing at a rate in Afghanistan. But also, numerous issues with the economy plummeting. So many families struggling to try to just find the resources and food to keep themselves safe. And now on top of all of this -- this gut-wrenching news unfolding. And we are following it very closely. And we'll be bringing more details as they do emerge.

SOARES: So much heartbreak for these families. Arwa Damon there. I know you'll keep us posted on the latest developments. Thanks very much, Arwa.

And still to come right here on the show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: 500 U.S. dollars for the pair. Much more than most families fleeing war can afford.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: One Ukrainian family was forced to go to Russia to flee the fighting in their city. Find out how a relative arranged for them to be reunited in Poland. That's next.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Welcome back to the show everyone. Well, 55 days into this war and some 5 million people have fled the fighting in Ukraine. Most, as you can see, going to Poland. And more than 7 million others are internally displaced. As their homes and families come under attack, some Ukrainians are forced to do the unthinkable. And that's flee to the country that's bombing them, Russia. And the thought of their loved ones being trapped in enemy territory can be a terrifying prospect, of course, for relatives safe in the West. Salma Abdelaziz reports on how one woman had to deal with smugglers to get her family out of Russia. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mila Turchyn does not trust the man she's about to meet. He is a smuggler. She is anxious, looking for her mom and sister, hoping they are here.

MILA TURCHYN, UKRAINIAN AMERICAN VOLUNTEER: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): It's Vida, her sister. Brief joy, but there's no time to hug her mom. The smuggler wants to be paid now.

TURCHYN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Five hundred U.S. dollars for the pair, much more than most families fleeing war can afford.

We pull away with her mom, Luba. We don't want our presence to cause problems.

Away from our camera, Mila is extorted for more cash.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Getting to safety is dangerous. This is the story of one family's escape into Russia after its troops bombed and occupied their city.

They are from Izyum, a city under siege. Mila's phone was filled with videos like this. Living in Cleveland, Ohio, she had no way to call her family, no way to find out if they were alive.

ABDELAZIZ: So, this is your room.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): We first met Mila a day earlier at this refugee shelter where she volunteers.

TURCHYN: Somebody saw that a missile actually hit my backyard, and I was crying so bad. I just didn't know, maybe they're dead already there.

ABDELAZIZ: How did you deal with that?

TURCHYN: I came to Poland to take that energy and convert it into something.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): She finally got a call, but it was not from Izyum.

TURCHYN: I heard them for the first time after a whole month. I was so torn. I was happy they were alive, but I was terrified that they're in Russia. And I don't know. Should I be happy, or should I be sad?

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Mila's only option, she says, was to hire a smuggler to drive her family from Russia to safety here in Poland.

TURCHYN: Somebody from Poland gave me a number of people who transport, smuggling basically.

[04:55:00]

It's obviously -- it's dangerous. Dangerous activity in Russia. Very dangerous.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Now they are reunited, but how did the victims of Putin's war end up in Russia? Desperate to flee, they tell us that they could only find one way out. A private driver offered a ride to the Russian border.

TURCHYN: Now they fill me in to details, and it actually was even worse than I thought. And I already was terrified.

ABDELAZIZ: Were you scared to go to Russia?

VIDA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

TURCHYN: They were more afraid to stay where we were because it was hell, and they needed to go somewhere to escape that.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Thousands of Ukrainians have faced the same. Many say they had no choice. It was go to Russia or die.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, on the Poland-Ukraine border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And if you would like to help people in Ukraine who maybe need shelter, food, water, please go to CNN.com/impact. And there you'll find several ways that you can help.

Now the Boston Marathon which is the world's oldest annual marathon has returned to its April route for the first time since the pandemic. And Kenyan runners dominated. Tokyo 2020 gold medalist Peres Jepchirchir won the woman's race with the third fastest time in event history. Amazing. And Evans Chebet won with the men's race to claim his first title. But some of the biggest cheer went to Henry Richard, the older brother of an 8-year-old killed in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Their sister also lost her leg in the blast. This was Henry's first time competing. He stopped at the memorial before crossing the finish line and tearfully embraced his family.

And that does it here for me here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isa Soares in London. Our coverage continues on "EARLY START" with Kristin Fisher. You are watching CNN. I shall see you tomorrow, bye-bye.

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