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Explosions Hit Transnistria, A Region Of Moldova In Ukraine; Russia Reportedly Strikes Five Train Stations In Western And Central Ukraine; CNN Team And Paramedics Get Caught In Russian Shelling; Kim Jong-Un Vows To Step Up Nuclear Weapons Program. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired April 26, 2022 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:18]

ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and thanks so much for joining us. I'm Anna Coren live in Hong Kong.

We begin this hour with the war in Ukraine and the explosions in Transnistria, a separatist region in Moldova bordering Ukraine.

The Ukrainian defense ministry says the blasts on Monday were a planned provocation by Russia meant to instill panic and anti- Ukrainian sentiment. The region state security ministry was damaged in the explosions. Russia has maintained a contingent of troops in that region since the early 1990s.

And last week, a top Russian General said Moscow wants full control over southern Ukraine to gain access to Transnistria.

Meanwhile, heavy fighting continues in eastern Ukraine. Nonstop Russian shelling has been reported in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and the Luhansk administrator says the Russians are raising everything to the ground. He referred specifically to this tiny village on the front lines, which has seen intense fighting over the past week, and now lies in ruins. Ukrainian forces and Russian backed separatists blame each other for the destruction.

For more let's bring in my colleague Isa Soares in Lviv, Ukraine. Isa.

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks very much Anna, while Ukraine says Russia is trying to disrupt arm supplies from Kyiv allies by bombing its rail infrastructure.

Now this was the scene on Monday after Russian forces struck five railway stations in central as well as Western Ukraine. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed to destroyed railway facilities that were being used to deliver foreign weapons to Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbas region.

On Mondays attacks on Ukrainian railways came shortly if you remember after those tracks were used by top U.S. officials Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled from Poland to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday. And in a strong message of solidarity, Blinken announced U.S. diplomats will return to Ukraine this week. Our Jim Sciutto has the details on this historic meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was the highest level visit to Ukraine since the invasion, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the risky journey to visit Ukrainian president Zelenskyy in the capital Kyiv, there the U.S. promised the return of diplomats to Ukraine and new military aid. President Biden also finally announced a nominee for Ambassador to Ukraine, the current ambassador to Slovakia, Bridget Brink.

ANTONG BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF SATE: We don't know how the rest of this war will unfold. But we do know that a sovereign independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene. And our support for Ukraine going forward will continue. It will continue until we see final success.

SCIUTTO: Following his visit, Austin made the administration's most aggressive comments towards Russia so far, saying it intends to see Russia quote, weakened.

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine. So, it has already lost a lot of military capability. And a lot of its troops quite frankly. And we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability.

SCIUTTO: Austin and Blinken as well as other world leaders traveled in and out of Ukraine by train. Within hours of their departure, Russia struck train lines in West and Central Ukraine five times. The focus of the Russian military offensive however, remains in the east and the south. Ukrainian officials says that Ukrainian forces are bracing for a new push in the Kherson region.

IHOR KOLYKHAIEV, KHERSO, UKRAINE MAYOR (through translator): I am seeing in the last three days that there is a lot of troop movement in the city of Kherson. The Russian troops are changing their deployment and the deployment of their checkpoints. And there's also been quite an increase in troops.

SCIUTTO: According to the mayor of Odesa, Russian missiles killed eight people there over the weekend, just as the country was celebrating the Orthodox Easter holiday. Among the dead, said the Ukrainian president, a mother and her baby.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Among those killed was a three-month-old baby girl. How did she threaten Russia? It seems that killing children is just a new national idea of the Russian Federation.

SCIUTTO: In Mariupol there is still no safe way out for civilians from the Azovstal steel plant, the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance in the city. Ukrainian officials continue to accuse Russia of forcibly deporting Mariupol residents telling CNN that Putin is trying to depopulate Eastern Ukraine.

TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, ZELENSKYY ADMINISTRATION ADVISER: Russia is sending a message not only to us, but also to other countries around Russia and to the rest of the world. Surrender or be erased.

[01:05:04]

SOARES: And that was CNN's Jim Sciutto reporting. While the demands on healthcare work as you can imagine have increased exponentially since the beginning of the invasion, many are putting their lives at risk every day to save others. CNN's Clarissa Ward and her team followed two brave paramedics as they attempted to save a wounded man during heavy Russian bombing.

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CLARISSA WARD, CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The beginning of a 24 hour shift for paramedics, Alexandra Rudkovskaya and Vladimir Venzel. They prepare their ambulance for the carnage at Kharkiv residents confront every day. We have torniquetes, Vladimir says. Alexandra's mother stops by the dispatch center to give her daughter a hug. This is one of the most dangerous jobs every moment together is precious.

Allowed stream of boom signals the day's work is beginning. That's incoming now this ambulance worker tells us. Alexandria and Vladimir answer the call. Temperatura, she says, the code used when someone has been wounded by shelling. Their flak jackets on they're ready to roll out.

(on camera): So they've said that they've got reports one person at least has been injured in the shelling and they're hearing some rockets as well. So we're going to see what's going on.

(voice-over): The shells hit a residential apartment building, the paramedics need to act fast, Russian forces are increasingly hitting the same target twice. It's called a double tap, horrifying strategy to take out rescue workers as they respond.

As we see for ourselves.

Get in, Vladimir shouts, faster, faster, faster. You take cover under the stairwell. Alexandra is trying to find the wounded person that there is no signal. At that moment, another barrage goes on. Brace for the impact.

Is everybody OK, Alexandra asks. Our team member Maria Avdieva (ph) has cut up her hands on broken glass. Vladimir treats her injuries as Alexandra calls to dispatch again to find where the wounded are. We've got no connection. We're sitting in the entrance, she says, and they're shelling the shit out of us.

The connection keeps dropping. Finally she gets through to the person who called for the ambulance.

Tell me your damn house number, she says. I repeat 12-G. I've told you 1,000 times, he replies. The man is dying.

We decided to try to make a run for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on. Maria. Maria, come on. Come on, Maria. Come on. Go, go. Get inside. Get inside.

WARD (on camera): OK, so we were just in an apartment building. They were looking for an injured man. A bunch of rounds came in and hit the next store building. So now we are getting out as fast as we can.

(voice-over): While we run out, Vladimir and Alexandra run back in. We find them treating the injured men on the side of the road. They're back window has been blown out by the blasts. She has shrapnel injuries and head trauma. Once they've stabilized him they rushed him to the hospital.

Vladimir asks about his pain. The man has been deafened by the blast. Arriving at the hospital, they've done their part. It's up to others now to save him.

(on camera): I have to say I think you guys are like the bravest people I have ever met.

[01:10:01]

(voice-over): Back at base we asked them why they continue to do this work with all the danger it entails.

It's normal. This is our work. Of course, it's scary like for everyone, Aleksandra says. Today, you were with us in the hottest place in the oven. But we're still alive. Thank God.

You feel it's your duty or obligation, Vladimir tells us, to help the people who are still here.

(on camera): And what are your parents say? What is your family say? Aren't they wanting you to stop this war?

VLADIMIR VENZEL, PARAMEDIC: No. No, it's very difficult.

WARD: You must be scared?

VENZEL: Yes, yes.

WARD: It scared.

VENZEL: All day, all night.

WARD: Vladimir, we saw your mother.

(voice-over): She's worried to the point of hysteria, Alexandra tells us. She says you need to leave. You need to go to some safe place. Why are you doing this? I have only one child, stop it. (on camera): And what do you say? I have to do it, she says simply.

And with that they go back to cleaning their ambulance. Their shift only halfway through. Clarissa Ward, CNN, Kharkiv.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SOARES: Extraordinary work there really isn't it from those paramedics just unbelievable the conditions they're working in and the work they're doing to save so many here in Ukraine. I'll be back a bit later in the hour. For now let's go back to Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Anna.

COREN: Isa, many thanks as rescue workers certainly putting their lives on the line. Thank you. Well, a blockbuster agreement is shaking up the business world. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is now set to take over Twitter, in a deal worth $44 billion. The move is already sparking questions and concerns about what this could mean for the future of the social media platform. CNN's Brian Todd has the details.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world's richest man buying up one of the world's most powerful social media companies and generating huge buzz. Twitter has agreed to sell itself to Elon Musk, the flamboyant controversial CEO of Tesla and SpaceX for about $44 billion, a deal that could bring enormous change to the popular platform.

BRAIN FUNG, CNN TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: We're talking about here is the confluence really, of a number of conversations we're having nationally and internationally about the power of billionaires, for example, the influence of tech platforms on democracies.

TODD: With this purchase, Twitter will now be led by one of the quirkiest business Titans America has ever known. Musk himself has used Twitter and his more than 80 million followers to build his brand, but also to troll others.

In recent days, he posted a tweet making fun of Bill Gates's physique. He recently questioned the relevance of Twitter writing quote, is Twitter dying. And he suggested that Twitter should consider removing the W from its name.

MARA SCHIAVOCAMPO, HOST, "RUN TELL THIS" PODCAST: You know, it's hard to know when exactly to take him seriously, because he is so eccentric. And so when this idea came up, you know, we know that this would cost him billions of dollars.

TODD: Even with his quirks, why should the average consumer care that Elon Musk will lead Twitter

FUNG: Many of its users are government officials or government accounts or politicians or business leaders. You know, that could have really important effects on how the rest of us perceive many of these topics that have so many influential people engaging on. TODD: One concern critics have, Musk's goal of bolstering free speech on Twitter and his complaints about Twitter censoring too much content and its permanent bans of some users.

JESSICA GONZALEZ, CO-CEO, FREE PRESS: I don't think we actually want an anything goes Twitter, because we've seen that white supremacist and conspiracy theorists are willing to use the platform to spread lies and disinformation to suppress people of color from voting and to spread hate and harassment campaigns.

TODD: Musk's push for more free speech leads to questions about the accounts of the former president barred from Twitter last year after the January 6 attack.

FUNG: The big question about how Twitter handles Donald Trump's account going forward is one that Musk has not touched at all, but one that he will inevitably be forced to confront.

TODD (on camera): Other powerful Republicans like GOP members of the House and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are going to bat for Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter. They feel that Twitter has simply not given conservatives a fair shake in recent years, which Twitter has denied. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COREN: Well, there's no reaction from Twitter's co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey. He tweeted this quote, Elon's goal of creating a platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is the right one. He went on to say he believes this is the right path for the company.

[01:15:08]

We're going to take a short break. Back to Isa Soares live in the Lviv, Ukraine in just a moment. Stay with us.

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SOARES: Welcome back everyone. I'm Isa Soares coming to you live from Lviv in Ukraine. Joining me now is Mick Ryan, who's a retired Major General with the Australian Army and the former commander of the Australian Defence College. He's also the author of "War Transformed," and he joins me now live from Brisbane, Australia. Thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us this morning.

Let me start off with the intense fighting that we have seen in the east of Ukraine and not just the east, also attacks right here in Lviv. We've now seen Russia target railway stations. What's your assessment make of Russia's offensive as we enter now this third month?

[01:20:03]

MAJOR GEN. MICK RYAN, AUSTRALIAN ARMY (RET.): Well, hello, Isa. It's clear that the Russians are yet to achieve their objectives that they sought from the offensive in the East has been very hard fighting out. The Ukrainians have even mounted counter offensives around Ukraine. The progress of the Russians so far has not been what they hoped.

But they have also sought to interfere with the resupply of Ukrainian forces in the east by these attacks on train stations. Unfortunately, that also means they'll probably be killing civilians, refugees at these train stations at the same time.

SOARES: Yes, which is exactly what we saw here, then retrying to disrupt the supply lines for military equipment going in to the offensive in Donbas and then in the east. How fragmented though make would you say or disorganized are the Russian forces at the moment? Or are the attacks that we've been seeing and the presence in some of these areas a sign that they're making incremental gains?

RYAN: Well, I think the lay down a Russian forces isn't as disorganized as we saw in the first month where they were trying to fight three different rules in the north, in the east, in the south at once. Now they've concentrated most of their effort in the East.

And I don't think we've seen the full force of those Russian forces that are still building up in the East. They are still conducting probing attacks. They are undertaking artillery preparation, but the full force of the Russian offensive probably still hasn't been felt.

SOARES: How much then make would you say this is a war of logistics right now?

RYAN: Well, it certainly is. On the Russian side, it's a war to build up their forces in the east to resupply them to refurbish those battalion tactical groups that were molded in the north, and indeed in the east around Kharkiv.

For the Ukrainians, it's about regenerating their forces whilst bringing in as much Western support as they possibly can. It is really a battle of logistics at the strategic level all the way down to the frontline keeping their soldiers supplied with ammunition, food and fuel.

SOARES: Let me get your thoughts back on what we heard yesterday from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as well as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who promised more military support for Ukraine. And they added that Russia is failing, Ukraine is winning. Russia is losing. Do you agree with that assessment?

RYAN: I think it's a pretty reasonable assessment at this point in the war. The Russians have not achieved what they sought to do with the start of this war. And that has some pretty interesting implications. Because it means we're going to have to think through what a failed Russian invasion looks like. It might end up being more dangerous Russia, and NATO, Europe and the United States will have to think about their strategies for dealing with a different Russia.

SOARES: And what stood out to me, Mick, because I heard yesterday, Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, speak at his press conference in Poland was that, you know, the U.S. kind of setting out its strategic goals for the war, saying that it wants to see Russia weakened militarily.

Now, that language stood out to me. But how did they do that? How did they weaken militarily here?

RYAN: Well, I think they've already been weakened. The standing their reputation as a large, powerful military has been weakened substantially by the quite terrible battlefield performance so far in Ukraine.

They still, however, remain a large nuclear power, but their capacity for conventional operations and indeed, even cyber operations, and things like that have been considerably weakened already in this war. That will continue as long as this invasion continues.

SOARES: Mick Ryan, appreciate you taking time to speak to us. And thank you for your insight and perspective that of that. Thanks Mick.

And I'll have much more on Ukraine the next hour, but first, I want to send it back to my colleague, Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Anna.

COREN: Isa, good to see you. Many thanks for that. Well, coming up. North Korea marks its latest military milestone with yet another grand parade. Big weapons on display and a new nuclear warning from Kim Jong-un.

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COREN: Welcome back. Well, Russia's Foreign Minister is warning the world not to underestimate the threat of nuclear war. In an interview with Russian state TV Sergey Lavrov said the danger of nuclear conflict is serious. But he insisted Russia is doing everything it can to lower those risks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. The danger is serious and real. And it should not be underestimated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Well, those comments coming as Lavrov prepares to meet with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in the coming hours. The UN chief is also expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. After that, he's doing Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday.

Before traveling to Moscow, Guterres held a meeting with the President of Turkey. The UN says he expressed his support for Turkey's diplomatic efforts to help end the war. And both men stress the urgent need for humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians.

Well, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says his country will strengthen and develop its nuclear force quote, at the fastest possible speed. He made the comment during a military parade on Monday to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army.

[01:29:45]

This all comes after a flurry of missile tests by North Korea this year and warnings from South Korea and the U.S. that Pyongyang could resume nuclear weapons tests for the first time in five years.

CNN's Blake Essig joins us now from Tokyo with more on this. And Blake, tell us the significance of the parade and the weaponry that was showcased.

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well yes, you know, Anna, North Korea's highly-anticipated military parade celebrating the founding of its army was held late last night. A South Korean military official told CNN that the festivities began around 10:00 p.m. local time at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang.

Now according to North Korean state-run television KCNA both Kim Jong- un and his wife were in attendance, in addition to saying, as you mentioned, North Korea will continue to strengthen and develop its nuclear force, during a speech at the parade.

He also mentioned that North Korea's armed forces are fully prepared for any fight. Now those comments in last night's parade took place as South Korea welcomes a new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, who takes office early next month. The president elect has pledged to take a hard line against North Korea, which he calls the main enemy of South Korea.

Now in the past, these parades have been used to unveil updates to its missile arsenal. North Korea watchers expected last night's parade will likely feature weapons from Kim Jong-un's weapons wish list, that wish list includes items like hypersonic light vehicles, underwater- launched nuclear weapons, and a 15,000 kilometer intercontinental ballistic missile. All of those weapons, Anna, have either been tested or are in development.

COREN: Blake, as we know, there's been a flurry of missile tests over the last few months. And it would seem that that will only continue, if we go off Kim Jong-un's remarks last night.

ESSIG: Yes, absolutely, and it is still not exactly clear what kind of military hardware was displayed last night although KCNA is reporting that the Hwasong-17, its long range developmental ICBM, and super large multiple rocket launchers were on display.

But as you mentioned, so far this year Pyongyang has conducted about a dozen weapons tests and shows no signs of slowing down its military development. In fact, South Korean military officials have reported for weeks that the North has been working to restore tunnels at its main nuclear test site, particularly at the secondary entrance to tunnel number three. It's a sign, Anna, as you mentioned, that North Korea could be preparing for its first nuclear test in about five years.

COREN: It certainly is alarming. Blake Essig, joining us from Tokyo, good to see you. Many thanks.

Well still to come on CNN, empty shelves in Beijing, mass COVID testing has residents fearing a lockdown is coming. The latest details and a live report just ahead.

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[01:32:55]

COREN: We are keeping a close eye on oil prices amid concerns that growing COVID cases and lockdowns in China will reduce energy demand in the world's second largest economy. On Monday, U.S. oil dropped to a two-week low following below $100 a barrel.

Speaking of COVID concerns Beijing is rolling out mass testing for another 16 million residents this week. That's in addition to the 3.5 million people already being tested in the capital. It is part of a bid to contain a COVID outbreak, described as urgent and grim.

And it has led to panic buying with Beijing residents rushing to stock up on food and essential supplies amid lockdown concerns.

CNN's Selina Wang joins us now from Kunming in China. And Selina, mass testing on the mainland has often been a prelude to lockdowns in cities. Is that what people in Beijing are anticipating?

Ok. We seem to be having some technical issues with Selina. We will try to come back to her a little later.

Let's now move on to Peter Lewis. He joins me here in Hong Kong. He's a business consultant with deep knowledge of China's economy and financial markets. He is also the host of Hong Kong's highly rated business and finance radio program "Money Talk". Great to have you with us.

Markets are obviously anticipating further lockdowns in China. And I would just like to get your take really as to whether this major disruption to global supply chains. I mean what are you anticipating as to what is going to take place in China?

PETER LEWIS, BUSINESS CONSULTANT: Well, we have to bear in mind that if we combine Shanghai and Beijing together, they account for about 7 to 8 percent of China's GDP, so a very significant amount. The areas have been locked down in Beijing are the central business district and also the area where a lot of the foreign embassies are.

In Shanghai the situation is much more disruptive because Shanghai is a major industrial center. There's a lot of technology firms there, semiconductor firms, auto manufacturers and also China's largest port.

So the shutdown in Shanghai which has now gone on for four weeks is having a huge disruption to China's GDP and also global supply chains because many of them pass through Shanghai. A lot of cargo leaves the ports there, a lot of supplies for other semiconductor manufacturers around the world, automakers come from the Shanghai region.

[01:39:55]

LEWIS: Apple, the Apple supplier Foxconn (ph) which assembles the iPhones, they have a plant in the Shanghai region and several others around China. So it is going to have a significant impact.

COREN: And there doesn't seem to be any letup in Shanghai either. As you say, this has been going on now for a month with no end in sight.

LEWIS: It's almost become an ideology now that China can't back down from this zero COVID approach. It has to get COVID down to zero, or as close as possible to zero, to get this outbreak under control. Almost regardless of what the economic cost is.

And it is a similar story in Beijing, they are acting very, very fast. 12 out of Beijing's 16 districts are now under lockdown and some 20 million people are going to have to have three rounds of COVID tests between now and Saturday.

So what has happened is residents in Beijing have seen what is happening in Shanghai, they saw the food shortages there, so they stripped the shelves in Beijing now of meat, vegetables, other non perishable goods, despite government assurances that there's sufficient food.

Several online grocery delivery apps are also out of food as well. So people have decided they don't want to wait, they want to act now.

And what is happening in both cities is there's almost a black market economy developing now. Truckers in Shanghai are paying anything up to $2,000 to get into the city to deliver goods which in turn is being passed on to consumers who seem to be willing to pay it in a desperate attempt to get urgent supplies.

COREN: Peter, we know that Chinese authorities, government authorities are obviously sticking to the zero COVID strategy. Xi Jinping's, I guess, leadership relies on this.

But at the same time, we have this growing disenchantment. There is huge frustration. I mean people are seething and they're taking that out or playing it out, I should say, on social media, something that wouldn't otherwise happen in China, but people don't care. That is how frustrated they are at what is taking place, these strict lockdowns.

Let me ask you this, if this growing frustration, resentment continues, could this potentially endanger Xi Jinping third term which he is seeking. You know, unprecedented third term which he is seeking later this year.

LEWIS: Possibly could. And this is one of the reasons why actually President Xi Jinping doesn't want to back down. As you say, he's seeking this unprecedented third term in the autumn and in many ways his reputation and his credibility depends upon getting this outbreak out of control so the Beijing authorities do not want to be seem to be backing down and moving away from this zero COVID policy.

But at the moment it clearly isn't working, and it is having an enormous economic impact. There's no country in the world that is been able to get COVID infections from this level down to zero or even close to zero. Other countries are now moving away from trying to contain the outbreak, to mitigate it, to instead learn how to live with COVID but to do as much as possible to help those who are most vulnerable in society -- the seriously ill, the elderly.

China has not gotten to that stage yet, and for such a big economy it is going to have an enormous impact from the global economy, the People's Bank of China is extremely concerned about it. It said today this could deploy for their monetary support to stabilize economic growth.

China's Politburo is going to meet on Saturday to discuss why economic support it can provide. But the problem is it has been in short supply so far. There's been lots of talk but very little action to try and mitigate the damage to the economy.

COREN: Yes. Peter, it really is quite extraordinary that China is sticking to this despite the frustration amongst the people and the economic pain. I mean some economists are obviously talking about recession this quarter that is going to have a knock on effect to global growth.

Peter Lewis, we appreciate you joining us. Thanks so much.

Well, just ahead, Poland has taken in millions of Ukrainian refugees since the war began, but what about non-Ukrainians who had to flee the conflict. We will take you to a refugee shelter in Warsaw that takes care of them.

[01:44:38]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Ukraine says Russia is behind a series of explosions in Moldova's Transnistria region, right along its border. The defense ministry in Kyiv calls it a planned provocation, possibly to justify military intervention by Moscow.

Well, CNN's Bianca Nobilo reports, there are already hundreds of Russian troops stationed there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Transnistria is a breakaway territory in Moldova, not recognized by the international community. It is a narrow sliver of land of around 1,350 square miles, sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine.

It is a self proclaimed republic. It's got its own constitution, currency, military and flag. It's home to around half a million people, the majority of whom are Russian speakers.

So when a senior Russian commander said, there is quote, "evidence that the Russian-speaking population in Transnistria is being oppressed, it sends a chill down the Moldovan spine. As that echoes the justification the Kremlin used for its invasion of Ukraine.

[01:49:54]

NOBILO: So some background here. Transnistria declared its independence from the former Soviet Republic of Moldova in 1990, just as the Soviet Union was collapsing. The Russians stepped in to back Transnistria, but they never recognized it as an independent state.

Then in March 1992, this split erupted into a full blown military conflict between the Moldovan government and separatists, ending in a cease-fire about four months later.

But around 1,500 Russian troops have remained in Transnistria since then, despite the objection of the Moldovan government.

And following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, pro Russian politicians in Transnistria asked the Russian parliament to draft a law that would allow Transnistria to join Russia.

Then in 2016, Transnistria introduced a law that would punish anyone showing disrespect to Russian armed forces in the region -- anything from a fine to three years in jail. So the depth of this connection between Transnistria and Russia helps explain why in the lead up to Russia's invasion to Ukraine, there were claims from Ukrainian military intelligence they had evidence Russia was covertly planting false flag provocations against their own soldiers in Transnistria.

All of that was denied by Russia. But some military analysts suspect that Russia plans to lean on Transnistria for logistical support, and potentially establish a land corridor along the Black Sea Coast to help them capture and consolidate the strategic port city of Odessa in Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: CNN's Bianca Nobilo reporting there from London.

The "Wall Street Journal" reports the U.S. is holding off on sanctions against Vladimir Putin's rumored girlfriend. Alina Kabaeva (ph) is a Russian gymnast turned lawmaker, now the chair of the pro Putin new media group. She's also allegedly the mother of at least three children fathered by Putin.

The White House tells the "Wall Street Journal" they are not imposing sanctions because they feel it would be too much of a personal escalation. Kabaeva made a rare public appearance over the weekend at a gymnastics event she hosts in Moscow.

Well imagine being a foreigner living in Ukraine, and having to flee to neighboring Poland. After arriving, you find that you weren't eligible for many benefits and social services because you weren't Ukrainian.

That is in part why a shelter was launched in the Polish capital run by a Catholic NGO to help non-Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.

Erica Hill filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After fleeing the war in Ukraine, a chance to just be a kid.

She says here she is grateful.

Poland has welcomed nearly 3 million people since the war started, yet not everyone is greeted with open arms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is clear that we are more open for, you know, those Slavic people ethnic groups.

HILL: While Ukrainians arriving in Poland can stay for 18 months, work legally, and have access to health care and social services, non Ukrainians can't. These three women knew they could help.

Two weeks --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- about next steps and so can't imagine actually how to do it when you are a war refugee.

HILL: Overnight they started a shelter for non-Ukrainian refugees, run by a Catholic NGO in Poland with space for 70 guests, they are turning people away daily.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And from the beginning, it is full.

HILL: Joel and Daniel students from Nigeria were studying management in Kyiv, when the war broke out. And were reluctant to leave.

OYEBANJI TOLUWALASE, NIGERIAN STUDYING IN UKRAINE: It was hard for me (INAUDIBLE) and I would love to go back to Ukraine and it is a very good country.

HILL: You told me when you are looking to leave, that it was harder for you because of the way you look, because of the color of your skin.

TOLUWALASE: Yes, to be honest, yes. It is a challenge.

HILL: They finally left two weeks ago, and are now trying to figure out what is next.

KAMILA DEMBINSKA, MANAGER, HOSTEL FOR NON-UKRAINIAN REFUGEES: We also try to support our guests organizing their next steps. So sometimes it is a trip to other countries, but also we try to find flats or apartments, places to stay.

HILL: Volunteers, at least a dozen a day, keep the shelter running and help connect refugees to essential services. Among them 27 year old Khaled an IT professionals who fled Afghanistan seven months ago.

ABDUL KHALED MOHEBI, IT PROFESSIONAL: I do anything that I can do. It is a very good for me, because I don't have any other job, and it is a good idea to spend time here.

HILL: This effort relies on donations from clothing, to toiletries, to food, to flowers.

Even the space which has now welcomed more than 500 people from 36 countries is donated. The generous offer that runs out at the end of may.

How long do you think your help will be needed?

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We should be ready to invite new refugees until the end of the next year.

HILL: And they are dedicated to meeting that challenge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a feeling that we are really helping those people who are here. We cannot, you know, solve our problems but this is a small part that we can do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Erica Hill with that report.

And if you would like to safely and securely help people in Ukraine, who may be in need of shelter, food, and water, please go to CNN.com slash impact. You will find several ways that you can help.

Well, in Japan, the woman who held the record as the world's oldest living person has died at age 119. Kane Tanaka was born in January 1903. She survived cancer twice, and lived through world wars, as well as two global pandemics.

Following her death, Guinness World Records said the title of the world's oldest living person now belongs to a 118 year old French nun. May she rest in peace.

I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong, the news continues with Isa Soares live in Lviv, Ukraine after this short break.

Stay with CNN.

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