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Ukrainians Mark Orthodox Easter In Shadow Of War; Interview With Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) About The January 6th Investigation; Macron Defeats Far-Right Challenger And Putin Sympathizer Marine Le Pen; CNN Hero; Russian Opposition Leader In Jail. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired April 24, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

WHITFIELD: People remember about that assassination. Clarissa Ward, thank you so much for that.

We'll be watching this evening. No one wants to miss this Sundance Award-winning CNN Film "NAVALNY." That's tonight at 9:00 right here on CNN.

And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta right now.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

No truce today for Orthodox Easter and Ukraine as Russia continues attacks two months into this devastating war. In Mariupol, a steel plant sheltering Ukrainian troops and civilians is under constant bombardment. An evacuation corridor leading out of the city did not open today and were shut down by Russian forces on Saturday. Some Mariupol citizens were forcibly deported to areas in Russia according to local officials.

Russian forces also attacked the port city of Odessa Saturday. This is the moment, take a look at this right here. A missile striking residential apartments and we're about to show you another angle. This time from inside that building.

Just incredible footage. This strike caused major damage obviously but homes can be replaced, this cannot. A mother and her 3-month-old baby were among the eight people who died in that strike. Their lives needlessly cut short. At the site of their death, a memorial includes tulips. A reminder that in the wake of this unimaginable destruction, there's resilience and perseverance.

People across Ukraine today defied Putin's brutal war to celebrate rebirth on Orthodox Easter Sunday. Mourning what they've lost, appreciating what they still have, and renewing their strength for whatever may lie ahead.

CNN's Matt Rivers joins me now from Kyiv.

The president has suggested that two top U.S. officials would pay him a visit today, although the White House has not confirmed that as of this point. What do we know about all of this heavy shelling that continued today and some of that dramatic footage we were just showing a few moments ago?

It just gives you a sense this bombardment is just absolutely devastating day in and day out for the Ukrainian people, Matt.

MATT RIVERS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim. And I mean, stop me if you've seen videos like this before over the past couple of weeks, over the past two months of war where it's just one example after another of Russian brutality. Military brutality that is not a military target. That is an apartment building where people live and now like those pictures you showed, a mother and her young child dead. The video evidence compelling there.

You just see the destruction brought by what Ukrainians call that Russian missile attack and it's just not a in vacuum. It's built on a body of evidence over the last two months of consistent Russian targeting of civilian areas. I've seen some of those areas myself. I saw them today for example in the northwestern part of Kyiv and what it does is it leaves you with a sense of bewilderment as to why Russia would take some of these lives so needlessly.

Not only in a place like Odessa, but we are also seeing shelling across the country throughout Ukraine. We have seen multiple people killed today according to Ukrainian officials in the Luhansk region, in the Donetsk region. Those are the two areas that make up the Donbas area, which is the of course the target of Russia's renewed military offensive.

We know -- we just heard from my colleague Clarissa Ward, she's in Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, which has been a target of constant Russian bombardment today. And down south, we know for example, in Kherson, more bombardments and in Mariupol, also continued shelling, targeting not only civilian areas that prevent those humanitarian corridors from opening, Jim, as you mentioned, but also the last remaining pocket of Ukrainian resistance there which is the area around the Azovstal steel plant complex. Consistent shelling there as well.

ACOSTA: All right, Matt Rivers. Stay safe. Thanks for all your great. We appreciate it. Talk to you soon.

And my next guest is among the fortunate ones who have escaped from Mariupol but not before two near death experiences including a rocket that destroyed his building.

Andrei (INAUDIBLE) joins me now.

Andrei, thanks again for coming back. We've spoken with you before about your harrowing journey out of the city, but right now, there are 100,000 people still trapped in Mariupol. It's hard to imagine given all of the devastation that we've seen so far and we're getting even more reports of Russians forcibly deporting civilians. If you could talk to us about that. In one case, residents were boarding buses they thought were going to take them to safety and instead they learned they were being taken inside Russian occupied territory. It must be just so frightening to go through something like that. What can you tell us about that? What's your reaction?

[16:05:02]

ANDREI MARUSOV, ESCAPED FROM MARIUPOL: Yes, actually there are many reports already that even Russian occupation authorities they've been bringing people from Mariupol to Russian far east. With just Russian media just declared about it, or just somewhere in Siberia. And this deportation really takes, I mean, so large scale but not only -- they bring people not only to these occupied territories near Donetsk but as far away as Vladivostok, you know.

ACOSTA: Right. And Putin is claiming he's in control of Mariupol. He's ordered troops to seal off the steel plant that we've been talking about where Ukrainian defenders continued to resist. Putin saying he doesn't want to let a fly go through, but what is your message? What are the people of your part of Ukraine saying to those brave Ukrainians who are still there? What's your message?

MARUSOV: Yes. Certainly Ukrainians they do support this resistance and they do support and celebrate actually those people, real heroes who are defending Azovstal, who are defending Mariupol. And more to that, there is a humanitarian dimension as there are like several hundreds of civilians who are hiding also inside Azovstal. And there were several calls from, I don't know, Ukrainian president and politician calls to U.N., to President Putin to let those civilians get out of Azovstal, and be brought to some safe place. More to that is being done on Easter as you mentioned before, but no response. And any attempts to get them out of this Azovstal they failed just because Russians didn't allow to do it.

ACOSTA: It sounds like a nightmare. And we have these brand-new images that we have coming in of Mariupol and it's just staggering to look at. It's hard to believe there are people still living there. And if you add to that the disturbing images that Ukrainian officials say is a mass grave. I'm sure you've seen some of this or heard part of this. Do you think you're ever going to be able to go back to Mariupol, given what that area has been through or is -- what are your thoughts?

MARUSOV: No. Actually I was not surprised that those mass graves appeared just because after what we've seen in the Bucha near Kyiv about that massacre. It's no surprise. I mean, this is how Russians are dealing with, doing with civilians. And so far we don't know whether those mass graves are for victims or for Russian shelling and bombing, or these are people who were executed or shot by Russians for any reasons they can invent. And certainly only after this territory will be freed for liberated from Russian occupants. We would be able to find out what's going on and who are those people buried there.

ACOSTA: I mean, that to me seems to be one of the biggest challenges is that here we are, you know, weeks into this and we still don't have a clear picture of what exactly has happened in Mariupol because of the just sheer devastation there. Is that right?

MARUSOV: Yes, yes. Yes, and what I am afraid and actually many people are afraid is that the famine and the starvation will be soon there. Just because people don't have any food reserves anymore. And it's 100,000 people and international organizations or humanitarian or Ukrainians, they are not allowed to enter and to help somehow. And there are no jobs. No food. No electricity. Nothing. So then, yes, I am afraid that OK, there will be just a famine and people will just die just because they don't have food.

ACOSTA: It's a devastating situation. Very sad.

Andrei Marusov, thank you so much, though, for giving us your perspective and your analysis of the situation. We really appreciate it and hope things will get better very soon in Mariupol. Thank you very much.

MARUSOV: Thank you.

[16:10:00]

ACOSTA: And coming up, new testimony that Trump's former White House chief of staff and Republican members of Congress strategized on a plan to send the crowd up to the Capitol on January 6th. A key member of the House committee investigating the attack joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: New testimony disclosed by the January 6th Committee shows Trump's then White House chief of staff Mark Meadows held a call with members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus in which they discussed a plan to get people to go to the Capitol as the election results were being certified. A Meadows aide testifying that Congressman Scott Perry, now the chair of the Freedom Caucus, endorsed the idea and that no one else on the call spoke out against it. Fast forward to January 6th and we got these now infamous words from Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: And after this, we're going to walk down, and I'll be there with you. We're going to walk down, we're going to walk down, anyone you want, but I think right here, we're going to walk down to the Capitol.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:15:07]

ACOSTA: Meadows later wrote in his book "The Chief's Chief" that Trump had, quote, "adlibbed a line that no one had seen before when he told the crowd to march." However, testimony by his former aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, contradicts that statement. She said Meadows had said in casual conversation, quote, "Oh, we're going to have this big rally. People are talking about it on social media. They're going to go up to the Capitol."

And joining me now is a member of the January 6th Committee, Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren of California. Congresswoman, thank you very much for being with us once again. Do

you believe that the infamous moment when Trump said in his speech we're going to walk down to the Capitol was somehow connected to this plan that was discussed on this call between Meadows and the members of the House Freedom Caucus? I mean, if not, it sounds like a heck of a coincidence.

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): Well, it does, doesn't it. We'd certainly like to talk to Mark Meadows about that as well as Mr. Perry. We've asked Mr. Perry to come in and we've subpoenaed Mark Meadows and when he refused to come in, we, the House voted to refer that unlawful act to the Department of Justice for prosecution.

Now, Meadows then sued to try to prevent the committee from even acting. I think it's a frivolous case, but we had to counter that in some of these disclosures were necessary to disclose to the court. So there's obviously more evidence that we have that as much needed to be disclosed to the court.

ACOSTA: And does some of the evidence that you have that was not released, does it corroborate some of what was released Friday night?

LOFGREN: Well, let me just say what's developing is not a good look. It's not something that heartens me as a believer in our democratic constitutional system. Clearly, there were efforts underway to overturn the election in a way that was not lawful. It's clear and we put this in the filing that the president's chief of staff had been told that these efforts were not -- did not -- weren't legal. But he persisted, that he had been warned of the potential of violence and yet persisted. So we do need to talk to Mr. Meadows among others.

ACOSTA: Well, I'm wondering, what does the committee do at this point? Does it make sense now to subpoena members of Congress who were on that call, people like the caucus -- House Freedom Caucus chairman Scott Perry? He was on that call according to this testimony from Miss Hutchinson saying that people should be sent up to the Capitol.

Do you need to have Scott perry testify and if he won't comply with your request, maybe a subpoena is in order? What do you think?

LOFGREN: We haven't ruled that out. But let me just say that Mr. Perry, like all of us, raised his right hand and swore to uphold the Constitution and the laws of our country when he became a member of Congress just we all did. He's obliged legally to come in and talk to us and we, you know, could do a variety of things to try and compel but the main thing is he should come in and not try and hide the truth.

We need to get to the bottom of this to protect our Constitution and our system of government. And those that refuse to tell the truth that are trying to hide, you know, gosh, it's really not what they are required to do. So we will pursue every possible option to get to the truth, but as this filing shows, there are multiple ways to get information. Every time there's a phone call, there are people on that phone call listening and many of them have reported in to us. ACOSTA: And yesterday I spoke to one of the officers who bravely

defended the Capitol on January 6th, Michael Fanone. And to be candid with you, Congresswoman, perhaps you've seen some of his comments already. He was frustrated with the investigation. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FANONE, DEFENDED CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6TH: If laws were broken, I want people held accountable. I don't want to hear about political niceties. I don't want to hear about the committee, you know, not subpoenaing members of Congress because they're concerned about the optics of it. If they feel like somebody should be subpoenaed, they're interested in hearing what they have to say, then issue the subpoena.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: What's your response to that?

LOFGREN: We're not afraid of anything.

[16:20:01]

It's really a question of how can we cut to the chase and get to the truth as expeditiously as possible. You know, I know that Michael Fanone, given that terrible attack on him, is frustrated and honestly, the committee's frustrated at the litigation that has ensued whenever we step forward to try and compel someone to testify but I'll tell you what. There's nothing to do with political niceties or fear or anything of that sort.

We are just trying to be as efficient as possible to get all the information that we need. And I would be remiss if I did not thank Mike Fanone once again for the incredible bravery that he showed on that day and really he and his fellow officers saved our country. We came perilously close to a situation where the vote of the people was overturned and the incumbent seized the office of the presidency without regard to the vote of the people and the time that Mr. Fanone and the other officers bought the Congress through their incredible bravery helped save the day. So we owe him and his colleagues a great deal of thanks.

ACOSTA: No. We absolutely do. And I want to talk about Kevin McCarthy because the House minority leader was caught in a lie this week, this past week, when audio revealed conversations he had previously denied having, that he considered asking Trump to resign and that Trump had accepted some responsibility for the attack. Here's how Senator Elizabeth Warren reacted earlier today on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Kevin McCarthy is a liar and a traitor. This is outrageous. And that is really the illness that pervades the Republican leadership right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: Do you agree with it, Senator?

LOFGREN: Well, obviously he lied. He denied the comments and then shortly thereafter. Actually an audio tape of the very conversation he denied was made public. He is under an obligation to come in and tell the truth to the committee and to come clean with the American people. And I hope that he does that. As I've mentioned, we all take an oath to support and defend the Constitution and he took that same oath. He is obliged morally and ethically to come in and talk to the committee and if he doesn't, I think people can reach on conclusions about his character.

ACOSTA: And one of your colleagues on the committee, Jamie Raskin, he has said that he believes these hearings that you plan to hold, public hearings, will blow the roof off the House. Those are the words that he used. From the evidence released Friday night, it sounds like the committee is moving in the direction of accusing Trump of attempting a coup along with other plotters that may include sitting members of Congress. Does that sound right?

LOFGREN: Well, I'm going to be content to let people make their own conclusions about the hearings which will be quite soon. We will be able to provide the information that we have been able to compile and people will reach their own conclusions.

ACOSTA: You were saying earlier that some unlawful actions possibly occurred or probably occurred, I believe is how you described it early on in this interview. Laws appear to have been broken?

LOFGREN: Of course. I mean, take a look at Judge Clark's decision in the Eastman case where the judge himself said it was more likely than not that Mr. Eastman was engaged in criminal activity and fraud with the former president. And that wasn't from the committee, that's from a federal judge.

So there are some serious -- this is a serious situation. We came darn close to losing our constitutional form of government and to downplay it, to refuse to reveal all of the facts, so we can protect our democracy and our Constitution is simply wrong. And the people that are engaging in that, they need a wakeup call about their moral and ethical obligation to serve our country.

When we look at what's going on in Europe, when we look at Ukraine and people stepping forward risking their lives to defend their country, and then we see people who -- we're not asking them to risk their lives. Simply come in and tell the truth. They are failing to live up to what we expect of people who are patriotic Americans.

ACOSTA: All right, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, thank you very much as always. We appreciate it.

LOFGREN: Thank you.

ACOSTA: And coming up, we will go live to Paris with the results of an election that had the entire world watching.

[16:25:05]

Macron pulls off a big victory over a Putin sympathizer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Emmanuel Macron will get a second term as president of France following a bitter election watched around the world. In today's rematch of the 2017 race, Macron defeated far-right challenger and Putin sympathizer Marine Le Pen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. EMMANUEL MACRON, FRANCE (through translator): And I know that for a number of my compatriots which is the far right today, the anger and the discord which brought them to vote for her project also merits a response.

[16:30:08]

It will also be my responsibility and the responsibility of those who surround me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: It should be noted, Le Pen conceded minutes after the results were announced, imagine that. Here's what some of her supporters were saying about the loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translator): Yes, we are disappointed. But it is a small victory for us, in as much as we got 42 percent. So, you can see that Macron hasn't managed to push his ideas through to everyone. And we'll see what happens next.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (translator): It is very disappointing. Yes, I'm very disappointed because we wanted a real change in 2022. But we won't have it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: CNN Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour joins us live from Paris. Christiane, great to see you. I know you've been following this closely, as so many of us have.

We didn't hear Le Pen, or her supporters, talk about filing lawsuits to challenge the results, or overturning the election, or complaining about imaginary fraud, like we have here in the United States. It's a nice reminder of what democracy is supposed to look like. And, I guess, the French did provide us a bit of a lesson in that today.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, funny you should put it that way, Jim. That is -- that is true.

I will say, though, as a concession speech, it was lacking. She, obviously, you know, accepted that she had lost. But she was not very gracious and she kept going on about what she was going to do to beat Macron every opportunity. And, you know, she's now lost three elections and she shows no sign of going away.

The actual rather significant thing amongst analysts is that the far right won 42 percent, just about, of the vote here. The significant, even more significant, is that Macron did win with a good and healthy margin, 58.8, nearly 59 percent. So, that's for that.

Now, you know, for the Americans, for the Europeans, his win is a huge, important moment. Because, otherwise, it would have put into doubt all the alliance that, you know, France has with the United States and with Europe, particularly at this time, when the allies are trying to face down Putin.

And when, as you said, Le Pen has been close to Putin and, as Macron says, dependent on him. He called Putin her banker, because she's taken loans that she still has to replay. And she's also taken a loan from the self-described illiberal Democratic democracy in Hungary.

So, all of this points out why her election would have been a political earthquake. And why many, many leaders, both in the United States and certainly around Europe, where messages have been pouring out ever since the vote was -- you know, the polls closed congratulating Macron.

ACOSTA: Well -- and, Christiane, it seems to me, and please correct me if I'm wrong. It seems to me, today, is biggest loser is Vladimir Putin.

AMANPOUR: Well, you know, again, funny you should put it that way because that is very true. When asked once why he lent her the money for her campaign, when she could not get any French banks to lend her money because of the project, because it's a far-right party, no matter how much it dresses itself up and how much she shifted her -- you know, her image, it is still a far-right party, euro skeptic, anti-NATO, anti U.S.

So, today, one of the guests that we had on said, the first thing I thought and the first thing I tweeted -- he's a European adviser to this government. He said, well, in France today, Putin was defeated.

And that is how people are looking at these various political elections and the -- and the complexion of politics in Europe right now, as we face the worst crisis, you know, in recent memory. And as Ukraine is battling for all our democracies and for all our values.

And that's -- you know, as they said, Putin lost in France today.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. And, Christiane, I was getting some reaction from some French officials earlier today. And I have to tell you, they were breathing -- here in Washington. And they were breathing a collective sigh of relief. They were petrified --

AMANPOUR: Yes.

ACOSTA: -- that Marine Le Pen was going to become president of France. Christiane, great to see you, as always. Thank you so much.

AMANMPOUR: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: Thank you.

A Putin critic, poisoned survivor and prisoner. See the unbelievable true story of a man who took on Putin and lived to expose the truth. The Sundance award-winning CNN film, "Navalny", it's terrific. It airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. on CNN. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated): Vladimir Alexandrovich, it's Alexei Navalny calling and I was hoping you could tell me why you wanted to kill me? He hung up.

[16:35:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Remarkably, Vladimir Putin faces a legitimate opponent, Alexei Navalny.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want Putin being president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated): I will end war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I want to be a leader of a country, I have to organize people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The kremlin hates Navalny so much that they refuse to say his name.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Passengers (INAUDIBLE) cried out in agony.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, poisoned? Seriously?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are creating a coalition to fight this regime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you are killed, what message do you leave behind to the Russian people?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very simple. Never give up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: "Navalny", tonight at 9:00 on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:40:19]

ACOSTA: Russian opposition leader and fierce Putin critic, Alexei Navalny, has now been in jail for more than a year. The story of how he ended up there, after surviving an alleged murder attempt and tracking down his own would-be assassins, is told with the urgency and drama of a spy thriller in the new CNN film, "Navalny." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you come to the room of a comatose patient, you're starting to just tell him some news. Tell him his story. All I say, don't worry, you were poisoned. There 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 --

(translated): What the (INAUDIBLE)? That is so stupid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, poisoned?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't believe it. (INAUDIBLE.) This is Alexei.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Putin's supposed to be not so stupid to use this Novichok.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His word and his expressive (ph), his (INAUDIBLE.)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you want to kill someone, just shoot him. Jesus Christ.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like, real, Alexei.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's impossible to believe it. It's kind of stupid. The whole idea of poisoning with a chemical weapon. This is why -- this is so smart because even reasonable people, they refuse to believe, like, what? Come on. Poisoned? Seriously?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Not surprisingly, the Russia -- the kremlin and Russia's security services deny that they played any role in Navalny's poisoning. Vladimir Putin went a step further saying that if they wanted him dead, they, quote, "would have probably finished him."

Joining me now is Maria Pevchikh. She is executive producer of the film and also the head of investigations at Navalny's anti-corruption foundation. Maria, thank you so much. This film comes at such a critical moment for the world. And I've seen the movie. It's excellent. It -- I think it means -- it should mean a lot to Americans as well. American audiences who watch it.

And of course, you know, with everything that's happening in Ukraine, it's incredibly important. What does Navalny's story teach us about Putin as he continues this war in Ukraine?

MARIA PEVCHIKH, CNN EXECUTIVE FILM PRODUCER OF "NAVALNY": Well, I think it teaches that Putin could have been stopped, and he could have been stopped a while ago. A long while ago. And that if the world didn't ignore what was happening inside Russia, it would just -- everything would be very different. And another big lesson, a bit of a more optimist lesson at that. It's

never too late to try to stop Putin. To try stop Putin today. It's -- although it's late, but it's still better than stopping him tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, et cetera.

So, that's a big, you know, I told you so movie that plays very differently today, in light of the war with Ukraine.

ACOSTA: And there's a moment in the film when Navalny delivers a very moving message to the Russian people. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My message for the situation that I'm killed is very simple. Not give up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do me a favor. Answer this one in Russian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated): Listen, I've got something very obvious to tell you. You're not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong. We need to utilize this power to not give up. To remember we are a huge power that is being oppressed by these bad dudes. We don't realize how strong we actually are. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. So don't be inactive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Maria, that was such a powerful moment in the film. Do you think Alexei is going to make it out of this prison alive? Do you think you're going to see him again?

PEVCHIKH: I'll be very honest with you. I don't know. I have no idea. The chances, the odds of him being killed in prison are ridiculously high. He is in the hands of the very same people who tried to kill him already twice with Novichok. With a chemical weapon. And he's been held and completely (INAUDIBLE.)

[16:45:00]

PEVCHIKH: And guarded by the very same murderers. So, yes, the situation is not great. But the best I can do, everything I -- you know, that's all I do every day. I just hope that he will make it to life and out of prison alive.

And I'm working every day now, the whole team is working every day, to just make sure that Navalny's name is always in the headlines. That the spotlight is always on him and that's the cost of trying to kill him again. For Vladimir Putin, that those costs are always extremely high so he doesn't dare to do this again.

ACOSTA: And you've been keeping the anti-corruption foundation running since Navalny was arrested. And that started investigations into Russia's invasion of Ukraine. What have you uncovered recently?

PEVCHIKH: One of the, I think last two, investigations that we published was the one about Putin's secret yacht (ph), called (INAUDIBLE.) It's in Italy. And we managed to prove that this yacht (ph) that has no official owner, and no one claims it. That this yacht (ph), in fact, is controlled by Vladimir Putin. That he used it.

And the very latest investigation, that we published last week, is the investigation about Valery Gergiev, the Russian conductor who's a very frequent guest of the metropolitan opera in New York. A very famous Russian classical musician who is a very prominent supporter of Vladimir Putin and who made a choice in his life to openly support the war and Vladimir Putin.

And we just tell his story and the fact that this very talented musician turned out to be actually a crook. A person who steals money from his own charitable foundation.

ACOSTA: Wow. And, of course, with all the corruption in Russia, you're never not busy. You're always busy, I guess.

Well, Maria Pevchikh, as I watch the film, I felt like I was in the room with Alexei Navalny. And I know so many of our CNN colleagues worked with you and others in putting this film together. It's a remarkable film, and I just want to encourage our viewers to tune in.

Maria Pevchikh, thank you very much for everything that you've done. We appreciate it.

PEVCHIKH: Thank you very much.

ACOSTA: Thank you. And be sure to tune in. The incredible and award- winning CNN film, "Navalny", airs tonight at 9:00. And I'd say, we do a lot of plugs here on CNN. You have to watch this film. It is such an important film. You have to check it out. It's tonight at 9:00 here on CNN. We'll be right back in a moment.

[16:47:40]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: New public outcry in shanghai, as officials take extraordinary measures by erecting fences around residential areas with COVID cases. Social media is full of videos and pictures. You're looking at some of them right here. It's extraordinary. Showing the fencing along with complaints that residents are being treated like animals.

The new pressure to contain the outbreak comes as new cases continue to grow in Shanghai, despite a failed week's long lockdown that has brought the financial hub to a halt. Saturday, the city reported more than 20,000 new cases. COVID is still with us.

President Biden paying tribute to the longest serving Republican senator in U.S. history. Former Utah Senator, Orrin Hatch, who passed away yesterday at the age of 88. Biden referring to Hatch as a fighter who never humored a bully or shied away from a challenge. But also a gentle soul, who looked out for people who didn't have a voice.

Hatch served for 42 years in Congress, through seven presidential administrations, retiring in 2019. In his farewell speech to Congress, Hatch said his heart was heavy because it longed for the days in which Democrats and Republicans would meet on a middle ground, rather than retreat to partisan trenches.

Every year, we -- viewers nominate, vote for and support an amazing selection of CNN Heroes. Everyday people from around the world who are selflessly serving others. Last December, you chose to honor an incredible woman, named Shirley Raines, as the 2021 CNN Hero of the year for her work bringing hope and healing to homeless people on L.A.'s skid row.

Last -- this week, we wanted to check in on Shirley and give you a peek inside her big win night, the reaction from her skid row community, and what she's up to now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shirley Raines.

RAINES (voice-over): As much you want to live in the moment and say it doesn't really matter, let's be real. I wanted to bring that prize money, that win and that recognition to the community. I really wanted them to have that platform.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Winner, winner, winner, winner.

RAINES (on camera): Good morning, you guys.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations, Shirley.

RAINES: Congratulations to you all.

(voice-over): The world had an opportunity to vote for 10 amazing organizations, and they chose one that dealt with homelessness. Which, I think, to them might say, oh, my God. People really are paying attention or people really are looking.

(on camera): People really do care.

(voice-over): I'm hoping that this win will bring more eyes down here. There's a massive need for blankets. There's a massive need for tents.

(on camera): I've always said this from the beginning. I don't want I don't do hero stuff. Do you know what I mean? I do human stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I knew there was something about you.

RAINES: I knew there was something about you, too.

Honestly, all the stuff I've been through in my personal life, I think it's amazing to have gotten this far. Because I came from, oh my God, the bottom.

[16:55:02]

RAINES: And I was on the CNN Heroes day, child (ph)? It definitely should give hope to other people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: To nominate someone you think should be a CNN Hero, go to CNNHeroes.com. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. A holy day in Ukraine riddled with Russian attacks.

[17:00:00]

ACOSTA: On Orthodox Easter, the last significant holdout in Mariupol is under heavy bombardment. Civilians and troops still sheltering in a steel plant.