Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Ukraine Sentences Russian Soldier Convicted Of War Crimes To Life In Prison; White House Walks Back On Biden's Comments Of Responding Militarily Should China Invade Taiwan; Zelenskyy Addresses Leaders In Davos; Russian Media: Tribunal Being Readied For Azovstal Fighters; Labor Party's Anthony Albanese Sworn In As New PM. Aired 2- 3p ET

Aired May 23, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: Hello everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade, you are watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. Tonight, live in prison for the first Russian soldier convicted of war crimes in Ukraine. We'll have reaction from the Kremlin. Then the White House clarifies comments from President Biden after he says the U.S. would respond militarily if China invaded Taiwan. We'll go live to Tokyo.

And later, the World Economic Forum in Davos kicks off with a powerful plea from President Zelenskyy. We'll have all those details from Switzerland.

No ceasefire and no concessions. Ukrainian officials are rejecting calls to resume negotiations with Russia, saying the only way to end is for all Russian forces to leave the country. The fall of Mariupol has freed up Russia to focus on seizing the entire Donbas. Ukraine says it's held off a major assault on the eastern city of Severodonetsk, accusing Russia of using scorched earth tactics to try to capture one of the last parts of Luhansk region still under Ukrainian control.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says as many as 100 people are killed every day in fighting in eastern Ukraine. He says history is at a turning point when it will be decided if brute force is allowed to rule the world. Well, the Kremlin says it's concerned about the fate of the first Russian soldier to be convicted of war crimes in Ukraine. The 21-year-old tank commander was sentenced to life in prison today.

Last week, he admitted to shooting an unarmed civilian in February, but said he didn't want to kill him. The court found him guilty of premeditated murder. I want to bring in now our Melissa Bell who joins us live from Kyiv. Good to see you, Melissa. So this 21-year-old, the first Russian shoulder to be tried for war crimes sentenced to the maximum, life behind bars. Is he likely to appeal that sentence and what's the Kremlin saying about this?

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He will, Lynda. His defense lawyer has confirmed that Vadim Shishimarin will be appealing that decision on the basis of what's been his defense throughout, that he was obeying an order. And you mentioned, of course, that accusation according to which he's been found -- of which he's been found guilty of that crime according to Ukrainian law and again in a civil court of which he's found guilty.

The reason though, explained the judge today, he was been given the maximum sentence and he could of course have been given less than life in jail. He could have had 10 or 15 years -- was that he had also broken international law. And of course, that international judgment of what Russian soldiers and Russia's forces as a whole had Russia as a whole has been doing here in Ukraine is yet to come.

The International Criminal Court is preparing an investigation even as we speak. But this is of course also a unique trial because it is held by a civilian court in the context of a war that rages on. Have a listen to what the prosecutor had to say just after that trial ended today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRIY SUNYUK, UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR (through translator): I think that all other law enforcement agencies will move along the path we have traveled. This would be a good example for other occupiers. You may not yet be on our territory, but are planning to come. All those who are here now and plan to stay and fight or maybe they will think that it's time to leave here for their own territory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Now, the Kremlin, which had remained fairly quiet about this case over the course of the last week are being asked about it day after day, and saying that it didn't know much about it or it was not being kept informed. Did today react, saying that he was paying close attention to the case of Vadim Shishimarin and will do all it could to assist.

KINKADE: And Melissa, we did also hear from Ukraine's president revealing more details about the atrocities being committed in Bucha, on the outskirts of the capital. And I understand you and your team were interviewing someone in a small town in the Bucha region, in that district, and you were interrupted by a nearby missile attack.

BELL: That's right, Lynda. First of all, the background to this interview, you're quite right, Vadim Shishimarin is the first case to be brought to trial by Ukraine's judicial system. There are more than 13,000 alleged war crimes so far that have been documented here by Ukrainian authorities. Many of them have taken place in those parts of the country that were occupied for a while by Russian forces.

[14:05:00]

Which speaks to the concern of Russian authorities about what is going on in those parts of the country that are occupied by Russian forces tonight. So many of them -- of course, the ones documented so far around towns like Bucha that were -- that saw particularly brutal taking of the town because it is where just on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukrainian forces provided a stiff resistance and in the end were able to push Russian forces back.

But it is also where Russian forces were able to spend about a month having fought bloody battles to get there. We were speaking to one man in the rubble of his house about what had happened to him when we heard this happen overhead.

Now, what was so interesting was to see a new (INAUDIBLE) you see them in that image, but I could out of the corner of my eye see all of the locals who were around and immediately sort of hit the ground and came out of their houses, ducking and looking up the sky. And bear in mind that this is a part of the country, again, one of those countries occupied for several weeks particularly traumatized.

What that sound speaks to as well is another interesting development over the course of the last 48 hours or so. You mentioned a moment ago that concentration of fire power in men, power in the east of the country. That determined -- determination of Russian forces to push ahead. Well, we're also seeing, having seen over the course of the last few days increased missile attacks by Russia on the west of the country.

So, a couple of hours to the west to where I'm standing now, the region of Zhytomyr, that missile strike that you heard, one of several that were fired just yesterday, most of them intercepted, one of them did make it, killing one civilian, and bear in mind that the one that succeeded in getting to the town of Marlin(ph) and Zhytomyr on Friday was specifically aimed at Moscow, at those western -- that western military equipment that is coming through those towns.

So it was a rail station was hit, it was a batch of western weaponry that was destroyed. And that tells you about the Kremlin's strategy at this stage. To consolidate his forces on the eastern front, to try and get as much ground as it can. Taking on as well those western surprise -- supplies that have proved so crucial to Ukraine's attempt to push them back, Lynda.

KINKADE: Certainly, frightening scenes there during that interview as those missiles flied over head. Glad you and the team are safe. Thanks so much for joining us. Melissa Bell for us in Kyiv. Well, the British Ministry of Defense says Russian forces are suffering staggering losses of life in Ukraine. It says in the three months since the invasion, Russia has likely lost the same number of fighters as the Soviet Union did in its nine-year-long war in Afghanistan.

To talk more about that, I want to welcome defense analyst and former British Army Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford, he joins me from Edinburgh. Good to have you with us.

So that is a staggering figure if we believe it coming from the British Defense Intelligence, saying that in the three months of this war, the number of Russians killed is akin to what were killed in Afghanistan over more than nine years. They put that figure over at 29,000 Russians. Russia of course claims that the figure is closer to 1,500. Can you give us some insight as to how they would have come up with an extraordinary figure like that? STUART CRAWFORD, DEFENSE ANALYST: Yes, good evening. I think -- and

again, the statistics aren't working off is that, in Afghanistan, in the nine years the Soviets were there, they suffered about 15,000 killed in action. And if the same figure is being attributed to the three months in action by the Russian forces in Ukraine, then I think it's testament to a number of things.

First of all, the combat that we're seeing in Ukraine is much more intense, conventional armored warfare. Secondly, we have a very professional and determined Ukrainian defense against the aggressors. And thirdly, the Russians are showing a certain level of military incompetence which has surprised many commentators and the West.

KINKADE: Right --

CRAWFORD: So, it's really quite a shocking figure. Perhaps, even more shocking is the number of wounded that would come alongside that in Afghanistan, in addition to the 15,000 killed. The estimate is 54,000 wounded in action. And if the same applies in Ukraine or perhaps it's even worse, then the Russians are going to run out of man power pretty quickly.

KINKADE: And you talk about some of the reasons we might be seeing casualty numbers this high. Just elaborate a little further on the chain of command that happens in the Russian armed forces. How is it different what we see in other western countries?

[14:10:00]

CRAWFORD: Well, it's quite different because the Russians traditionally have worked with large mass land armies. And the amount of discretion given to junior commanders is either very little or no. If you compare that with NATO armies, like the U.S. Army, the British Army in particular, the German Army, where mission commanders is the name of the day, and the general tenet of that is that you tell your subordinates what you would like them to achieve, but you don't tell them how to do it.

So, there's much more initiative allowed at junior level. And on top of that, the Russian army doesn't seem to have the same non- commissioned officer corridor that we have in western armies. And therefore, officers are directly involved in giving orders, and when that comes on stop, then senior commanders have to move forward. And that's why we're seeing so many senior Russian commanders who have been killed in this conflict so far.

KINKADE: And right now, Russia's military is undergoing its annual Spring military conscription drive. It was typically from April to July 15th. One thing to boost troop numbers, we have heard from Russia's defense minister who says, they won't send conscripts to hotspots, meaning Ukraine.

But we did hear from a Russian senator early in the war saying the conscripts had been sent to the war. She spoke of it, it was Russian Senator Narusova spoke of knowing about 100 that went including conscripts, she said only four were left alive. What do you think Russia is going to do to boost numbers in Ukraine?

CRAWFORD: What's interesting on the conscripts because conscripts take a long time to train up. And you can't just give them two weeks of weapons training and send them into conflict. What they can be used for, of course, is to relieve more experienced and seasoned troops in other areas of Russia, to allow them to deploy to Ukraine.

But I think logistic exercise. And all armies have turned to conscription at one point or another in their histories. It's perfectly feasible to do it. But you can't just turn conscripts into soldiers overnight. It takes months to get that right.

KINKADE: Yes, and that is the fear from what I've been reading about mothers in Russia whose sons are conscripts, worried that they might be sent to Ukraine. We will continue this conversation some other time, but good to get your perspective retired Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford, thanks so much.

CRAWFORD: Thank you for having me.

KINKADE: Well, U.S. Presidential Joe Biden visited Tokyo Monday where he launched a new Asia-Pacific trade agreement aimed at countering China's growing economic influence. But he also made a somewhat surprising statement, saying the U.S. would respond militarily if China were to invade Taiwan. The White House is now walking back those comments, insisting U.S. policy has not changed. Here's what Mr. Biden had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are?

BIDEN: It's a commitment we made. We agree with the one China policy. We signed on to it. And all the attendant agreements made from there. But the idea that it can be taken by force, just taken by force is just not -- it's just not appropriate. It'll dislocate the entire region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: So, joining me now from Tokyo with more is our senior international correspondent Will Ripley. Good to see you, Will. So the U.S. President obviously suggesting the U.S. would get militarily involved to defend Taiwan. Which of course will be a huge step forward pass what it's been doing right now in Ukraine. White House is walking that back. Take us through this gaffe and how China is responding.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, if it's a gaffe, it's a gaffe that's been repeated at least three times by the U.S. President. And while previous U.S. presidents including George W. Bush have said similar what has changed in recent years is an increasingly assertive China. And a landscape where the Chinese military actually could theoretically take Taiwan even potentially with U.S. intervention.

And this is something that United States Intelligence believes that China is working towards a goal to be able to take the island of Taiwan, which it has claimed as its own territory since the end of its civil war, more than 70 years ago. So for President Biden now, for at least a third time, remember it was back in October at a CNN town hall, he answered a question from Anderson Cooper, saying that the U.S. would intervene militarily then to say it again here in Tokyo.

Is it in fact a gaffe or is it a deliberate signaling on the part of the U.S. President even though his aides then quickly rushed to walk those comments back. That is potentially what exactly what President Biden wants, President Xi in Beijing to be wondering. If this is a shift in U.S. policy or if strategic ambiguity now becomes much more clear that the United States would in fact move in militarily if Taiwan were to come under attack.

[14:15:00]

And not just continue to supply the island with weapons and with training to defend itself in the event of a Chinese invasion. It certainly comes at a time that there have been growing calls for the United States to be more clear in its position about Taiwan here in Tokyo for example. The former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has spoken up in recent months, saying that it's time for strategic ambiguity to come to an end.

Japan, its Defense Minister interview with CNN, and another -- other venues have signaled that it would also intervene militarily if Taiwan were to come under attack because of the fact that Taiwan's outlying islands are so close to Japan's territory as well.

And given that China is, you know, not only increasing both in military power, but also in economic power, it's no surprise and no secret that the United States is trying to realign the economic interests here by laying up its new Indo-Pacific economic framework, bringing countries into the fold of the United States both economically, ideologically and politically, and potentially militarily down the road, Lynda.

KINKADE: All right, Will Ripley staying across it for us from Tokyo, thanks so much. Well, South Korea's new President Yoon Seok-youl has been in office for just two weeks, and his election comes as Pyongyang ramps up missile tests and nuclear activity. And in an exclusive interview with CNN's Paula Hancocks, Yoon's first interview since taking office, he says the age of appeasing North Korea is over.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): South Korea's new President Yoon Seok-youl sets up a new sign for his desk, a gift from U.S. President Joe Biden who was just in Seoul. A popular quote from the late U.S. President Harry Truman. A former prosecutor, just two weeks into his presidency and fresh from

a summit with Biden. Yoon is now dealing with a North Korea expected to launch a long-range missile, will conduct an underground nuclear test any day.

YOON SEOK-YOUL, PRESIDENT, SOUTH KOREA (through translator): Our response would be stronger and firmer than it has been before. We will coordinate closely with our U.S. counterparts.

HANCOCKS (on camera): But in Kim Jong-un, you have a leader who's given a five-year plan of what he wants to achieve militarily, he seems to have no interest in talking whatsoever. How do you convince him to talk?

SEOK-YOUL: I think the ball is in Chairman Kim's court. It is his choice to start a dialogue with us. I do not want North Korea to collapse. My hope is for North Korea to prosper alongside South Korea.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): At the same time, Yoon says he believes his predecessors policy of prioritizing dialogue with North Korea has failed.

SEOK-YOUL: Just a temporarily escaped North Korean provocation or conflict is not something that we should do. Many call it survival diplomacy, but the policy of being over concerned about the other side's feelings does not work, and it has proven to be a failure in the past five years.

HANCOCKS: South Korea is one of 13 nations President Biden announced today is joining his new Indo-Pacific economic framework already criticized by China, South Korea's largest trading partner.

SEOK-YOUL: Even if we strengthen our alliance with the United States in security and technology, it does not mean that we think our economic corporation with China is unimportant. So I do not believe it is reasonable for China to be overly sensitive about this matter.

HANCOCKS: President Yoon says he believes China should abide by the rules-based international order, at a time when that order is under pressure around the world. South Korea's president is clear that his country's future at least for the next five years is firmly by the side of the United States. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, still to come tonight, an urgent plea at the World Economic Forum, how Ukraine is dominating the conversation in Davos. We'll take you there after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:00]

KINKADE: Welcome back. Monkeypox which is a rare disease, similar to smallpox is now being found in 15 countries. Earlier today, Denmark reported its first case. The virus has historically been found in Central and West Africa, but it's spread to Europe and North America and Australia in recent days. It normally has mild symptoms where health officials tracking its transmission are calling on countries to report cases promptly.

CNN's health reporter Jacqueline Howard joins me now for the latest. So, just -- what are you learning about how infectious this is? Because the U.S. President has said that people should be careful?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes, people should be careful, but do not panic. We've known about the monkeypox virus for several years now. It was first discovered in the late 1950s, among lab monkeys, that's why it's named monkeypox. So, we know how it spreads, we know the risk here. We understand the virus, but these cases that have been identified are unusual.

And specifically, another aspect of this investigation rule that health organization officials spoke just this morning about how there has been a disproportionate number of cases among the gay community. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGIST: What we are seeing are cases being detected in the communities of men having sex with men. Who identify as having sex with men. But as surveillance expands, we expect that more cases will be seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD: So, we heard there that we do expect more cases to be identified as this investigation continues. And of course, we should not stigmatize this disease. We should not stigmatize the community. We really all are at risk of getting infection, but this virus is rare, the risk if you happen to come in direct contact with someone with monkeypox is low. And how it spreads, I'll explain quickly, you really do need close contact with an infected person.

So, this means close contact with exposure to the skin where the disease might present lesions for instance or a rash, and that's how it spreads. So it's not as contagious, Lynda, as COVID-19. It's not something where you could just walk by someone and, you know, get the virus. This is something that spreads with direct contact.

KINKADE: Well, that, that certainly is a silver-lining. And just explain for us Jacqueline, what sort of vaccines are available. Is it the same vaccine used for smallpox, and if so, who is eligible to get it?

HOWARD: It is. So, we do know because smallpox and the monkeypox virus are within the same family of viruses. The smallpox vaccine is effective for preventing -- reducing your risk of monkeypox virus. Now, just today, World Health Organization officials said that they are looking into which specific groups might be eligible for vaccination, and we could hear from the World Health Organization with recommendations on this soon. So, this is something that as part of this investigation, officials

are looking into, and we could see for instance health care providers being recommended for vaccination, because they are treating monkeypox virus patients for instance. So, we should hear more again on those recommendations.

KINKADE: And we heard from Belgium, which has introduced a 21-day quarantine for patients as these cases spread globally. Are we likely to see other countries follow suit, because that quarantine period is longer than what you do for COVID, right?

[14:25:00]

HOWARD: Right. And it is interesting, and I'm curious to see if we do see other countries follow suit. But again, our knowledge of the monkeypox virus is, we have sophisticated knowledge here, we know this virus, and there was a -- what we do recommend quarantine for COVID- 19, but early on, with SARS, COVID-2, when it first emerged, we didn't really understand it. It wasn't novel virus. So, that's why we had some strict measures in place.

But with the monkeypox virus, we do understand this. And really, what we should keep in mind are the symptoms to look out for. I can just go through them quickly, but it starts with fever, chills, and then develops into rash and lesions on the skin. Lynda?

KINKADE: All right, Jacqueline Howard, our health reporter, good to have you across the story for us, thanks so much. Well, the World Economic Forum is in full swing. This is the first in-person conference in Davos, Switzerland, since the pandemic began. World leaders and business chiefs have a lot on the agenda from the threat of recession to the war in Ukraine. Earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an impassioned plea for maximum sanctions against Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): Do not wait for fatal shots. Do not wait for Russia to use special chemical and biological and God forbid, nuclear weapons. Do not create an image in the aggressor's mind, that the world won't repel enough. You need to straightaway apply maximum effort to protect the freedom and the normal, beneficial for everyone in the world.

This is what sanctions should be, maximum in order for Russia or any other potential aggressor who wants to wage war on its neighbor to know straightaway what the result will be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, usually Russia is a major presence at the forum, but this year, it's conspicuously absent. CNN's business editor-at-large Richard Quest is on the ground in Davos, and joins us now live. Richard, it must be good to be back the first time since the pandemic, being there in person, given the number of problems that have to be addressed? RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Yes, and not only that.

The reality is, there is a seriousness, a gravity if you will about the discussions here that I have not seen before. And not surprisingly, you have a war with Russia, you have China shut down, you have the aftermath and ongoing in many cases of the pandemic, and you have inflation at 40-year highs.

It's not surprising that just about everybody you speak to says this is the most difficult, tricky economic and geopolitical time they can remember. And there's one other thing, Lynda, you have to see it in the context that all the people, everything that this place had held dear. All the values that we thought that were a post-second World War and then post-fall of the Berlin wall, and then bringing China into not acting unilaterally.

All of those things while we now realize that the values are different, and what Davos is doing is coming to terms with that.

KINKADE: Yes, it certainly is, and to kick off Davos, we did hear from the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, making a plea for more weapons, for tougher sanctions on --

QUEST: Right --

KINKADE: Russia, and also help to rebuild --

QUEST: Yes --

KINKADE: His country.

QUEST: Yes, I mean, what he said was not new, and to be frank, he didn't exactly say it in the most -- I've seen him give that speech with a lot more animation. But it really falls into three distinct areas. It was number one, the price of a dictator only ever gets higher. Number two, help us rebuild, take the money from Russia, confiscate the assets from Russian assets that you've got, and we'll use it. And number three, there will be no need to do all of this, he did actually put in full sanctions after Crimea back in 2014.

Put that together, the message of course was well received here. But this is a place that for the last 20 years has fated, welcomed, almost genuflected at Russian money, VTB Banks, Burbank, everybody on the promenade. And so now, they're almost being told the world is flat. Having been told that this is all a new world order, everybody accepts it's not going to be the same, they just don't know how different it will be.

KINKADE: Yes, certainly, a lot of challenges. Richard Quest, we will check in with you next hour for "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" --

QUEST: Thank you --

KINKADE: Thank you so much.

QUEST: Yes, thank you. KINKADE: Well, still to come, Russia giving hints to the future of

the surrendered Azovstal fighters. We'll tell you what it's saying when we come back. Stay with us, you're watching CNN.

[14:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back. The city of Mariupol is now in Russian hands and so are many of the former defenders of the Azovstal steel plant.

A Russian-backed separatist leader in Donetsk says they're readying a tribunal for the Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered at the plant. That's according to Russian state media. It's unclear how many Ukrainian soldiers would face a potential tribunal. Russian state media has also reported that Russia is open to the possibility of discussing a prisoner exchange.

Our Suzanne Malveaux is in Lviv for us. Good to see you, Suzanne. So, just tell us what you're learning about this potential Russian tribunal to try Ukrainian soldiers.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, it is certainly something that those who are waiting patiently and watching what is happening with those Ukrainian military who are now in the hands of the Russians. They hope that there is some sort of prison swap. The deputy foreign minister on Russia's side is serious about this, but they do have their doubts.

We heard from President Zelenskyy really threatening the Russians over the weekend saying that if the people are destroyed in Azovstal, there will never be any kind of discussion or negotiation. Now, one of the people I spoke with, Natalia Zarytska, her husband is one of those detainees. She has not seen or heard from him in four days now and she tells me the weight is excruciating. And she is just trying to fill the time and the space with a purpose to find him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voiceover): As Russia pummeled the Mariupol steel plant with overwhelming firepower, Natalia Zarytska could only watch and pray for her husband, Boudon (PH), inside. But Boudon, a Ukrainian soldier, was able to update Natalia almost daily, she says, chronicling the worsening conditions.

[14:35:00]

NATALIA ZARYTSKA, WIFE OF AZOVSTAL FIGHTER: He described the situation like the real hell because people had no legs, no hands, and no medicine.

MALVEAUX: Weeks in, photos revealed Boudon was jaundiced and had dropped weight.

ZARYTSKA: He lost weight, approximately 20 kilos. But he has a very strong spirit.

MALVEAUX: He'd seen many of his friends killed and feared he was next. Following his commander's order, Thursday Boudon surrendered telling Natalia he would lose all ability to communicate. Now, with his fellow soldiers in Russian custody, Natalia can only assume he's at their nearby detention center. Her greatest fear now that he is being tortured, or worse.

ZARYTSKA: We write each message as if the last one.

MALVEAUX: What is the last message that he typed to you?

ZARYTSKA: I love you. He was worried about his mom. He asked me to let her know that he is alive and to wait for him.

MALVEAUX: Natalia believes Boudon will give everything to stay alive, motivated by their shared desire to someday create a family.

ZARYTSKA: And this idea helps me to be strong.

MALVEAUX: But the pain of not knowing is excruciating. The weight heavy as Russia's attacks carry on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (on camera): And Natalia says that her husband is strong, that he is a man of action. She is taking action herself. She is actually part of a small group of women, wives and mothers of those who've been detained by the Russians who are trying to put forward their case. They are working with Turkish government officials, including the president of Turkey, to bring their cause forward to push for the negotiations and some kind of prisoner swap. But it is far from clear or even certain that that will happen. Lynda?

KINKADE: Yes, certainly a long time to wait. And I have to ask you Suzanne, one Russian soldier who took a calculated risk to quit Putin's war has spoken to CNN. What can you tell us?

MALVEAUX: Well, that's right. I mean, that soldier with his family at home in Russia, but his fate really is uncertain. It was an exclusive interview that he did anonymously. He said essentially, that February 22 he was part of that unit, that brigade, that build up on the border of Ukraine, that he did not know they were going into Ukraine, but rather they were ordered to give their cell phones up, that they lost communication with the outside world.

They were ordered to paint these Z's on their military vehicles, which later came to symbolize Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And he said two days later, February 24th is when they entered the country. He said he had no idea why they were doing this, that this propaganda that was basically shared from a President Putin that this was some sort of denazification process of Ukrainian certainly did not trickle down to him or the troops.

Eventually, he said, he had shame and guilt resigned. And now he is in Russia. But again, he does not know what his future holds. Lynda? KINKADE: You wonder how many others like that wanting to quit or trying to quit. Suzanne Malveaux for us and Lviv, thanks so much.

100 million, that's how many people have been forced to flee since the records began, uprooting their lives, leaving their homes behind. The UNHCR calls it a staggering milestone that should serve as a wake-up call to work harder for peace. Well, the grim record has been catapulted by the war in Ukraine, in just three short months, it says more than 6.5 million Ukrainians have fled Russia's brutal invasion.

Well, some other stories around the world now. Australia has a new prime minister. Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese was sworn in today marking the end of nine years of conservative rule under the Scott Morrison government. Albanese promised tougher action on climate, and he's already come out with a strong stance on China.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER, AUSTRALIA: Well, what I have said, and we maintain is that the relationship with China will remain a difficult one. I said that before the election, that has not changed. It is China that has changed, not Australia. And Australia should always stand up for our values. And we will in a government that I lead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Well, CNN's Anna Coren has more on how Australia's election unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Meet Anthony Albanese, Australia's 31st Prime Minister.

[14:40:02]

ALBANESE: Thank you for this extraordinary honor. Tonight, the Australian people have voted for change. I am humbled by this victory. And I'm honored to be given the opportunity to serve as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia.

COREN: Many down under were fed up with Scott Morrison, a leader many see as lacking empathy and integrity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All Anthony would have to do is none of the things that Scott has done.

COREN: With such a low bar, Albanese presented an option for safe change instead of appealing to traditional labor values like big spending on health and education or higher taxes on the wealthy, values that Albanese himself has long campaigned for.

ALBANESE: My whole life, I believe that Labor governments make (INAUDIBLE).

COREN: Raised by a single mother in public housing, Albanese is a working-class stalwart of the party's left faction. Many expected him to announce bold strategies on climate. But instead, he's keeping to what he says is economical, a 43 percent emissions drop by 2030. That perceived lack of ambition has driven many voters to environmentally- minded independents who may still hold the balance of power after Saturday's vote.

CAMERON LIVINGSTONE, VOLUNTEER FOR CANDIDATE ALLEGRA SPENDER: Well, it's the essence of democracy. This is -- a lot of people are moving towards independents probably due to dissatisfaction with the current political system.

COREN: As Australians get to know their new government. There's not long for the world to wait to find out more about Anthony Albanese. His first diplomatic test comes Tuesday at the quad meeting in Tokyo when he meets U.S. President Joe Biden and other allies. Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, finally, a big celebration has been underway in England for a returning champion. Moments ago, jubilant Manchester City Football fans paraded through the streets celebrating their beloved team clinching the English Premier League title.

It was a nail-biting match Sunday but the reigning champions captured the title once again thanks to a dramatic comeback.

That does it for tonight. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stay with CNN. "LIVING GOLF" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)