Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Russia Halt Supply to European Countries; Russian Forces Targets Transportations in Moldova; Aung San Suu Kyi Faces Jail Time; Mariupol Seen with Another Mass Grave; Cities and Towns Falling to Russian Arms. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired April 27, 2022 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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'm Isa Soares coming to live from Ukraine, where new images out of Bucha further substantiate the atrocities Russia continues to deny. These images are now being used to build a war crimes case.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rosemary Church at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'll have all the other top stories, including a new prison sentence for Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a military run court has found her guilty of corruption.

SOARES: And we begin this hour with a dramatic escalator -- escalation, rather, in tensions between Russia and the west over the war in Ukraine. Now, really threatening to boil over and hammer European economies.

Russian energy giant Gazprom, says it has now halted natural gas prices to Poland and Bulgaria. This after both countries refused Russia's demands to pain in rubles. Specifically, Poland says Russia is cutting supplies to the Yamal pipeline, the one you are seeing there on your screen in green. But the move could signal trouble for European economies more broadly, which of course are still heavily reliant on Russian energy.

Meanwhile, a spate of attacks in and around Moldova is raising fears. Russia is planning a new front in its war on Ukraine. Moldova's president called an emergency meeting of the country's security council after explosions destroyed radio towers, and a reported rocket attack a day earlier.

The blast happened in Transnistria, a Russian-backed breakaway region of Moldova, highlighted in red there on your screen. Well, just south of there, Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile hit a critical bridge in the Odessa region on Tuesday.

And we are hearing from Ukrainian railroad officials another missile has hit that same rail and road bridge just hours ago in fact. Ukraine's president says Russia is trying to sow tensions between his country and Moldova. Have a listen to President Zelenskyy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): This is happening to destabilize the region and threaten Moldova. They are showing them that if Moldova supports Ukraine, this is what is going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Meanwhile, heavy fighting continued on Tuesday in the eastern regions of Donetsk, as well as Luhansk. An adviser to President Zelenskyy says Russia remains focused on encircling Ukrainian forces, and hopes for resolution through talks are looking slim.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said negotiators did achieve a breakthrough during their talks, but he claims the situation changed following the allegations of Russian war crimes in Bucha.

Well, Ukraine's top prosecutors exclusively shared photos with CNN's Anderson Cooper of the atrocities in Bucha, and a warning to our viewers, they are very graphic indeed. They were taken in early March, and really show bodies thrown on the street. They are evidence into Ukraine's investigations of war crimes.

CNN's Anderson Cooper will have a full report on this later today, so do stay tuned for that. CNN has also exclusively obtained drone video placing Russian forces near the scene of the killings, and highlighted there on your screen, in the middle of your screen, is a Russian military vehicle sitting at an intersection in Bucha. And right up the street are the bodies of several dead civilians.

And then this video we are showing you shows Russian soldiers around a military vehicle parked outside a nearby house. CNN has been able to geolocate, as well as authenticate both those videos. And despite evidence like this, Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement, saying that it was staged, these images of these bodies have been staged.

Let's get more on this. Our Clare Sebastian joins me now in London. And Clare, yet again, more disturbing images out of Bucha. They are clearly being used, as we've heard from Anderson Cooper in the last few hours, as evidence of war crimes.

[03:05:00]

What did President Putin have to say about these mass graves, as well as a mass graves, that now the third mass grave, I should say, that has been uncovered in Mariupol.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Isa, President Putin is consistent. You know, he is sticking to his line that this is not something that Russia is responsible for, that the images that are coming out are fake. And he, you know, he reinforced that we already knew to some extent that Bucha was a turning point in this conflict. But from his view it's because this caused the Ukrainians to

essentially reneged on promises that they made in peace negotiations. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Unfortunately, after reaching agreements, and after our clearly demonstrated intentions to create conditions for favorable conditions for the continuation of negotiations, we encountered a provocation in the village of Bucha, for which the Russian army has nothing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Flipping the narrative there, Isa, President Putin saying that this was a provocation. These sort of supposed sequels of events in Bucha. But look, it's clear that this is something that he, you know, he continues to do. He is awarded the brigade that's been accused of war crimes in Bucha with a special honor the title of guards.

He continues to call the images that come out of there are fake. And meanwhile, it's not the Ukrainian prosecutors that are looking into this evidence but the International Criminal Court as well. And these new images will certainly be a part of that.

SOARES: Indeed, one of many bodies, international bodies investigating those war crimes, the U.N. was one of them, I spoke to them just 24 hours or so ago.

Clare, let's talk about the kind of pressure, economic pressure that the Russia is now putting on several European countries. I'm thinking of Poland and Bulgaria. Gazprom warning it will cut off supplies unless they pay in rubles. Have they cut off their supplies already, and will these countries pay in rubles?

SEBASTIAN: So, Gazprom has just confirmed, Isa, this morning that it has as of this morning, cut off supplies to PGNiG and Bulgargaz, the state oil and gas companies in Poland in Bulgaria. They said that is because those countries have refused Russia's demand as of April 1st that they should pay for gas in rubles.

They also had sort of a threat in that statement, but because Poland and Bulgaria are also transit countries, that any sign that they are sort of siphoning off gas meant for transit will mean that Russia cuts back its supplies through these pipelines by the same amount that they believe has been siphoned off.

So, it's pretty clear in terms of their rhetoric there, but no, European countries, most of them are not going to agree as it stands to pay in rubles. Hungary is the outlier there. Part of the reason for this is that the E.U. has actually issued guidance that says that paying for gas in rubles might be in violation of sanctions, Isa.

SOARES: Clare Sebastian, London, thanks very much, Clare. Good to see you. Well, the U.S. defense secretary says the world must move, quote, "at

the speed of war to help defend Ukraine." It's part of a renewed push to get Kyiv military support as fast as possible.

Our Oren Liebermann has the story for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The U.S. rallying the western world and beyond to keep the weapons flowing to Ukraine, as the Russia's invasion enters its third month. More than 40 countries converging at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to figure out what weapons Ukraine needs and how to get them into the country clearly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Ukraine clearly believes that it can win. And so does everyone here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN (voice over): Germany, which has faced criticism for its reticence to sending weapons, announced during the meeting that it will send in 50 mobile anti-aircraft systems. The U.K. and Canada also sending more armored vehicles. The willingness to send in more powerful weaponry to fight Russia is growing, along with the rhetoric.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin raised eyebrows in Poland over the weekend when he said the U.S. goal is to weaken Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AUSTIN: I think we've been pretty clear from the outset; we do want to make it harder for Russia to threaten its neighbors, and leave them less able to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN (voice over): The war has weakened Russia's military, he says, through attrition in a prolonged fight, and through the losses Russia has suffered on the battlefield. At the same time, western sanctions are intended to weaken Russia's economic ability to sustain war, and its ability to arm its military. But this fight, he says, remains between Russia, and Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AUSTIN: This is clearly Ukraine's fight, and Ukraine's neighbors and allies and partners, are stepping up to make sure that they have what they need in order to be successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN (voice over): As Russia's offensive in southeast Ukraine begins, time is critical. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the process to approve and send weapons into Ukraine has been shortened from weeks to as little as 72 hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This is moving quickly, we have cut through a lot of red tape. At the same time, we've been going around the world looking for other countries that may have equipment that Ukraine can find useful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:10:05]

LIEBERMANN (voice over): Part of the challenge, training Ukrainian forces on newer western weapons, like the Howitzers they've already started arriving. In an exclusive interview with CNN, a top U.S. general says this war is about far more than Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK MILLEY, CHAIRMAN, U.S. JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: What's at stake is the global and international security order that was put in place in 1945. That international order has lasted 78 years, it's prevented a great part of the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN (voice over): That's why the U.S. conviction is louder and clearer than before, the goal here is a victory for Ukraine, since anything else will be a loss felt far outside the battlefield.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, at Ramstein Air Base.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, joining me now, is Ukrainian political analyst Taras Berezovets and founder of the Free Crimea project, he joins me now live from Kyiv. Taras, thank you very much for joining us.

I really want to get your thoughts and from what we heard in the last hour or so from a spokesman for the Ukrainian military saying that Ukraine acknowledging that it's using towns in the east as that Russian offensive intensifies, your thoughts?

TARAS BEREZOVETS, UKRAINIAN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, Isa, thanks for having me. Of course, we see Russian advance now in the eastern areas of Ukraine. And it's absolutely clear that Putin is seeking some kind of victory before the 9th of May, the day of so-called victory in the Great Patriotic War, very important for Russians.

Unfortunately, for Ukrainians, we are now facing even much more fierce attacks on Ukrainian grounds here. After the atrocities which we saw on the outskirts of Kyiv in Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel we are absolutely aware of the fact that Russian soldiers are not fighting with Ukrainian army itself. They are fighting with Ukrainian civilians. And of course, from this perspective, the Ukrainian armed forces

positioned in Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions are going to find way with whatever it takes because they understand if they lose these battles for Donbas Russians are going to advance further to Odessa, to Dnipro, the central city in Ukraine.

And afterwards, of course Russians are going to be back to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

SOARES: And Taras, let me just break down what you've just told me, really. And on the question of that win, from May the 9th that you hinted at that Putin needs there, and the symbolism there. Do you -- what would be that trophy? What would be that win? Are we talking Odessa here, are we talking Mariupol, because we have seen increased attacks in Odessa?

BEREZOVETS: Yes, Isa, thanks for the question. For Putin, well, it doesn't matter what kind of victory he's going to take on Ukrainian soil. But of course, from his perspective, the most crucial and most important victory would be taking control over some big city in Ukraine like Odessa or Dnipro or Zaporizhzhia.

All of them are very close to the front lines. In terms of taking control over Mariupol, as we know, Ukrainian fighters in there are encircled by Russians, and it looks like they have just several days as maximum to stand against the Russian attacks. But Putin is also going to held -- as we understand, he's going to hold also a so-called referendum in Kherson on the southern, on the southern big city which was captured by Russians in the first days of this war.

We saw a couple of days ago that Russians are moving civilians from occupied Crimea to Kherson. They want to show just a huge turnout during this referendum. I believe the so-called referendum can be hold even before the 9th of May.

SOARES: Yes, and we have seen and heard from many people who are turning, may Ukrainians turning their back and pushing against this referendum, so-called referendum. Let me ask you about Odessa that you mention there. Do you think, given the attacks we have seen in Odessa, do you think that Moldova should be worried here? Is this rush of planning to open a new front in this war?

BEREZOVETS: Well, absolutely. Absolutely, Isa. What we saw in Transnistria, a Russian separatist territory held since 1992 where the former Soviet 14th army was positioned. We see clearly Russian hybrid operations held by Russian special services -- well, it looks like, at least it looks from my perspective, and from the perspective of Ukrainian military intelligence.

[03:14:58]

It looks like Russians attack themselves a so-called ministry of state security of Transnistria, and yesterday they also blew up radio stations in Transnistria.

SOARES: Yes. BEREZOVETS: One thing -- one thing showed out clearly, it was a Russian operation because they used rocket launchers which only Russian army -- and this so-called Transnistria army using its RPG 27 Tavolga. Tavolva which is only like I said is used by Russians not Ukrainian army.

SOARES: This is very worrying indeed, and it's moving rapidly as well. The developments on the ground. The stories we're hearing as well. That I've been hearing I can tell you in the last 24 hours have been truly shocking for people inside Mariupol and those who have escaped.

Taras Berezovets, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us --

BEREZOVETS: Pleasure.

SOARES: -- there from Kyiv.

And still to come right here on the show, Myanmar's ousted civilian leader sentenced to prison for corruption. We'll have the latest on the charges against Aung San Suu Kyi, that's happening after the break.

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Myanmar's deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been found guilty of corruption and sentenced to five years in prison. This stems from allegations of bribery brought on by the country's military rulers, all of which Suu Kyi denies.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me now from Seoul with the very latest. Good to see you, Paula. So, what more you learning about the fate of Suu Kyi?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, these are cases that have been ongoing for some time. Remember, the military junta in Myanmar took control of the country in a coup in February, 2021. Since that time Aung San Suu Kyi has been held behind bars in an undisclosed location, and these charges have been continual against her.

Now, she does deny all the charges against her, as do her supporters, but she has already in the past several months been sentenced to six years in prison for incitement against military, breaking COVID rules, even owning walkie talkies, and now even more serious charges are coming, those of corruption.

This was the first one today, and it is a sentence of five years. But there are a number more corruption cases, each one of them could have a maximum prison term of 15 years. So effectively, if she does have to serve these sentences, which he does look likely at this point, with the military junta in control, this is effectively a life sentence.

We heard from human right watch saying that it is a kangaroo court, saying they are bogus corruption charges, and that the days of Aung San Suu Kyi as a free woman are factually over. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right, Paula Hancocks, joining us live from Seoul. Many thanks.

And still to come, a Ukrainian prosecutor show CNN where nearly two dozen abducted civilians were taken, and what they were force to endure.

[22:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Isa Soares here in Lviv, Ukraine, where the air raid sirens have just gone off in the five minutes or so.

And all too frequent occurrence of course that helps every time a threat is detected in Ukrainian airspace.

Well, we are finally breaking news of course out of Ukraine, the conflict here in Ukraine, and Poland's gas company is confirming in the last few minutes the complete halt of Russian gas deliveries by Russian company Gazprom. This comes as British intelligence says the majority of Russian airstrikes in Mariupol are likely being conducted using unguided free-falling bombs, which greatly increase the risk of civilian casualties.

You can see there from that tweet from the ministry of defense. While Mariupol's mayor says a third mass grave site has been discovered. A new satellite image purportedly show freshly dug sites which have grown in size over a period of time.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian armed forces are acknowledging the loss of several towns and villages in the east as the pace of the Russian ground offensive picks up. And here, we have been hearing really truly heartbreaking stories of Ukrainian civilians and troops being detained, and in some cases, deported by Russia.

CNN's Phil Black speaks with one man released from detention and others still waiting to see their loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): War creates powerful connections between people.

Volodymyr Hapun and Nadya Yarova (Ph) didn't know each other before the Russians came. Now, he has brought her news that inspires pain and hope. Volodymyr was recently freed from a military detention center in Russia. He says Nadya's grandson, Sacha, was there too.

For weeks, Sacha's family didn't know if he was still alive. Seized and held by Russian soldiers in early March, they heard nothing about his safety after the invaders retreated. Vasily and Helena Hyliyk know the same pain and uncertainty. Volodymyr (Ph) has told him he knows their son, Dmytro, was recently

alive, in the same detention center in Russia. He said that he heard Dmytro's name shouted every day during roll call. There is comfort in this but not enough to soothe a mother's anguish.

"I don't have hope anymore," Helena says, "I know they are beasts. They will kill them, and no one will find them."

Ukrainian officials say dozens of people were abducted from around the town of Dima, near Kyiv during Russia's occupation. And most were initially held here, in a sprawling industrial site the Russian forces used as a command post.

[03:30:02]

This is where they are kept?

UNKNOWN: Yes.

BLACK: Ukrainian prosecutor Oleksandr Zuz shows me the conditions that those captured people were forced to endure. A small, dark, cold room. People were packed together here, he says, hands bound, eyes taped.

ZUZ: This place was where 22 people. When they trying to get to the toilet, they need to walk on legs of somebody else, because there too much people.

BLACK: He says that people came and went, some spent weeks here, someone tried to keep track of days by scratching marks on the wall. He says all the people who came through this room had only one thing in common, they were civilians. Several people who were kept here tell us that they were frequently beaten and interrogated for local information. One man says his hands and fingers were cut to the bone by Russian soldiers, because he couldn't help them.

Does it make any sense to you that they did this?

ZUZ: No, no sense, I do not know exactly what kind of information they could take from these people.

BLACK: This drone video captures the moment when Ukrainian forces attacked the industrial site, driving out the Russians. A number of those who were still locked in the room at that time tell us that's when all remaining captives were able to escape.

But others, including Volodymyr Choprun, had already been taken elsewhere, a long road trip, via Belarus, in the back of a military truck ended in Russia where he was given this military identification document. It says he resisted the special operation conducted by the President of the Russian Federation.

In reality, he was detained while volunteering with the Red Cross helping people escape the fighting. The Ukrainian government has confirmed Volodymyr was returned to Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia. He believes that explains why Russian forces are abducting Ukrainian civilians.

He says that "they took us as goods that can be exchanged later, like a mobile phone or another commodity." Here, Volodymyr inspects a list of more than 40 names provided by the local government, a register of people from the area who are still missing.

He says he recognizes most of the names from his time in the Russian detention center, because he deliberately tried to remember as much as possible.

He says, "sooner or later, one of us had to be the first to be released. And that's why we tried to remember the names of other people to let their relatives know that they're alive.

Volodymyr says there were about 200 Ukrainians in detention while he was there. He hopes all will get home quickly, so that the suffering they and their families are enduring can end, and their healing can begin.

Phil Black, CNN, in the Kyiv region.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Live from Lviv, I'm Isa Soares. I'll see you in about 30 minutes time or so. Much more on the war here in Ukraine.

Rosemary Church picks things up after a very short break. You are watching CNN.

[03:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: This week, CNN brings you the stories of pioneers taking on the biggest missions in science and health care. Companies can now use virtual reality to do medical research that could help solve key health issues.

CNN's Rachel Crane strapped on a headset to see how it's done.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RACHEL CRANE, CNN INNOVATION & SPACE CORRESPONDENT: OK, well let's give me some hair.

This might look like a game, but I'm exploring a virtual reality platform that helps scientists design real medicines, by putting them inside the molecules they study.

I mean, this is crazy, I'm like in the molecule looking up at it. Joining me is Steve McCloskey, the 30-year-old co-founded San Diego based startup Nanome in 2016 to develop the technology.

CRANE: But you started off as an academic nano engineer, so what inspired you to get into the technology space and actually create this platform? STEVE MCCLOSKEY, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, NANOME: Yes, I've always been

into gaming, grew up a big gamer. I remember how different it was going to be our, and be in the environment compared to just playing a 2D game. When I was going through nano engineering, I was like why don't we have a better, immersive graphics way to do this.

CRANE: It turns out a lot of scientists were asking the same thing. Since the platform launched in 2018, hundreds of organizations have adopted Nanome's VR tools for their research. McCloskey says at the cost of $5,000 plus per year.

MCCLOSKEY: Being able to go to VR, you actually immediately gain new insights. So, this could send you on a completely new path of molecular development that would have otherwise never been discovered.

CRANE: That's exactly what's needed to fight one growing health crisis, antibiotic resistance. It's what's happened when bacteria adapt and no longer respond to today's antibiotics, making common infections difficult to treat, and even fatal.

LifeArc, and medical research charity based in the U.K. is using Nanome's VR research for molecules that can fight some of these bugs.

[03:40:00]

DAVID POWELL, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, LIFEARC: These bacteria are inherently difficult to develop new drugs for, because they've got very high natural defenses.

CRANE: Tackling the problem in three dimensions helps speed up the discovery, LifeArc says, but there are still financial hurdles to overcome.

POWELL: The commercial returns for new antibiotics are really poor.

CRANE: That's because, compared to other medications, antibiotics are cheap to buy, but expensive to develop.

What kind of time savings does Nanome allow for, and how does that then translate to cost savings?

MCCLOSKEY: Getting a drug to market six months quicker might be worth tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars of value because you're able to start selling it earlier. This is going to be patient lives that you're saving, improvements to their lives.

CRANE: Even with a quicker path to discovery, only around one in ten new antibiotics make a past clinical trials. And no antibiotic design with Nanome's platform is at that stage yet. But McCloskey says the VR gives more scientists a chance to beat the odds.

MCCLOSKEY: It's actually free version, we try to make it as successful as possible, really democratizing access to scientific tools like this. I've been trying to see a billion scientists in the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. For our international viewers, African Voices Changemakers is next, and for our viewers here in the U.S., I'll be right back with more news after the break.

[03:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:50:00]

(AFRICAN VOICES CHANGEMAKERS)

[04:00:00]