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Multiple Blasts Heard in Kyiv and Lviv, Ukraine; Kyiv Residents Fear for Their Lives Again; Kim Jong-un Rattled by Military Exercises by U.S.; Strategic Bridge to Crimea Bombed; Republicans Don't Mind Rumors Against Herschel Walker; Five People Killed in Recent Bombing in Kyiv. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 10, 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)

LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak. This is CNN Newsroom.

Multiple explosions have been heard this morning in the capital of Ukraine. A CNN team in Kyiv has heard at least four blasts so far, and a Ukrainian official says at least one of them was an attack that destroyed a children's playground. While this comes after Russia suffered a humiliating blow over the weekend when an explosion damaged its bridge to Crime, a key supply line for its troops.

President Vladimir Putin has blamed Ukraine for that blast, calling it a terror attack. Now Ukraine's president has also accused Moscow of terrorism after a string of Russian strikes in Zaporizhzhia.

Hours ago, a new attack reportedly destroyed an apartment block leading to several casualties. Before that attack, Ukraine's president said the strikes this week had killed 43 civilians, including 14 at this building.

All right, CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live for you in Kyiv with the latest. What more have you learned, Fred?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Laila. Well, actually just in the last couple of seconds, I'd say about 10 seconds, just now again, there were two very big explosions that we're right now. I can hear them very clearly from where we are right now. It's unclear whether or not that is incoming Russian rockets or any sort of other attack or whether or not that might be outgoing air defense rockets, unclear from our position.

But certainly, that it, sort of, measures with what we've been seeing the entire morning, which appears to be to us a Ukrainian capital under full on massive rocket attack by the Russian military. There's another explosion right now. So, it seems as though there's either a lot of rockets being intercepted or a lot of rockets hitting the Ukrainian capital as we speak right now.

And that really is a pattern that we've been seeing throughout the entire morning with several areas here in central Kyiv getting hit, but also in other districts of Kyiv as well. You were mentioning the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko. He was saying that emergency services are obviously out in full force, coming to terms with the aftermath.

I've gotten a few figures on the aftermath so far, there's one from an advisor to the interior ministry saying that five people have been killed and about a dozen have been wounded. There's also one from the emergency services saying that 20 people have been wounded. Again, those numbers, obviously right now, still very fresh and still very much subject to change.

You can see where I am right now, emergency services are out. They're towing away one of the cars that appears to have been affected by the explosion. There's a few cars in front of a building here that seem to have been affected and then burned out after a large explosion took place.

What we also saw let's say about an hour ago was emergency service or investigative services come here and take away what seemed to us to be both rocket parts and rocket shrapnel or shrapnel from some sort of warhead away from here as well.

Also, let me just give you an idea about how big these explosions are. A lot of the buildings in the surrounding areas as we got to the scene here, we did see that they have -- that they had the windows blown out or some windows blown out.

So, certainly there must have been, you know, substantial blast wave are coming from that rocket as well. The other thing that we're hearing from other parts of Ukraine is that this is not limited just to the Ukrainian capital either. There are reports from the town of Dnipro, which is in central Ukraine, that that is also under rocket attack and the town of Lviv as well.

It's unclear though what sort of damage has been done there, how many hits there have been on those places. But I can tell you from this morning in the Ukrainian capital, there certainly have been, I'd say at least six or seven heavy rocket hits that we ourselves have noticed.

HARRAK: And for the areas that have come under attack, what do we know about them? Are they mainly residential?

PLEITGEN: Yes, they are. Well, they -- they're in central Kiev, so they have both residential areas, but also official areas to them as well. It's unclear what exactly has been targeted so far. Obviously, the Ukrainians, if they -- if they do know they're not putting out too much information because of course they are right now in a war with Russia and therefore want to keep a lot of information close to their chest and won't be divulging too much of that.

But it certainly is areas, some of them at least, inside central Kyiv, some sort of a little bit to further towards the outskirts of Kyiv. Various areas have been hit. Central Kyiv though definitely has been hit. And it's unclear why that is the case or what this is about. But you know, as you mentioned in the lead in to our live report,

certainly it comes just a few days after that bridge to Crimea, the one that connects mainland Russia to occupied Crimea.

[03:05:01]

After that was hit by a major blast and, you know, crippling that bridge for a very long time. And still the services there aren't fully up and running.

And one of the things that Vladimir Putin had said when the U.S. first started supplying the Ukrainians with multiple rocket launching system is he said if there were longer range rockets that were through be supplied, that then the Russians would start hitting, as he put it, decision making centers.

Now, whether or not this might be the case of that is unclear, but certainly we do see that there is right now a full-on long range rocket attack going on here in Kyiv and certainly in other places in Ukraine as well, Laila.

HARRAK: And give us a sense of how people are feeling in terms of, are they bracing now for an onslaught by Russian troops in reaction --

PLEITGEN: Yes.

HARRAK: -- to that explosion of the bridge.

PLEITGEN: Well, I think they certainly are. I think they certainly are bracing for more to come. And it's quite interesting because again, the mayor, not just of the city of Kyiv, but also the governor of the Kyiv of region, of the area around Kyiv are both urging people to seek shelter and to stay inside.

And they're also urging people who, you know, live in the area around Kyiv and might come here for work to not come here and not do that. You know, the past couple of months I would say have been fairly quiet here in Kyiv as the Ukrainian military has managed to -- this is an emergency services car. We're going to let him through real quick.

In the past couple of months, it's been fairly quiet here in Kyiv as the Ukrainian military managed to push the Russian army. That, of course, you know, for at the beginning of the war was right on the doorstep here of the Ukrainian capital. They managed to push them back. They also managed to push the Russians back in other places.

And one of the other big game changers certainly over the past couple of months has been the fact that the Ukrainians have gotten a lot more capable air defenses, a lot of western air defenses, also to try and protect some of their cities.

So, something like what you're seeing this morning has become a lot more rare in the Ukrainian capital and also in cities like Lviv in the west of Ukraine. At the same time, some cities in the south of Ukraine, they've been hit more, you know, as the Russians have been unable to get into those cities with their military. They've been hitting some of those cities with longer range assets, both air launched and sea launched.

But definitely here for the Ukrainian capital you do feel that there is quite a tense atmosphere right now, and people certainly are taking this very seriously, Laila.

HARRAK: All right. Fred Pleitgen reporting there on developments. Thank you so much, Fred.

For more on all this, I'm now joined by CNN's Salma Abdelaziz. Salma, put this into context for us.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely. As you heard there from our colleague Fred Pleitgen on the ground, the capital has enjoyed relative safety for weeks. So, the fact that Russia is striking right at the heart of Kyiv just a couple of days after the explosion of the Kerch Bridge, it's hard to take that as coincidental.

Now let's just go over what's happening with this bridge, because make no mistake about it, Laila. This is not just a strategic hit. This is a personal affront to President Putin. This is his project, the Kerch bridge, the entire taking of Crimea, the illegal annexation of Crimea, that is President Putin's project.

It is absolutely, if you will, a symbolic wedding van between Ukraine and Russia to President Putin. So that explosion, that strike right at the heart of the bridge is in many ways very, very personal for President Putin who today will meeting with his own security council.

That's supposed to take place just a couple of hours from now. The agenda is not public, but absolutely at the top of discussions will be what to do about the Kerch Bridge. What will the Kremlin's response be to this attack? And we've already seen these attacks in Kyiv this morning. There seems to also be a ramping up of missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia. That's an all-important city, home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant right on the front lines.

And that city alone, as you mentioned, President Zelenskyy saying in his nightly address that more than 40 people have been killed in the past week on multiple missile attacks on multiple residential areas in Zaporizhzhia.

So, these attacks now appearing to intensify. We're waiting to find out more from the security council meeting on what the Kremlin's response will be. And as for the bridge itself, again, this is a largely symbolic attack because logistically speaking, the bridge is already up and running in some portions of it.

The rail service seems to largely have been restored. Cars are able to move back and forth. Now, ferry services are being set up for free for buses and large trucks. So, Moscow very much trying to appear ahead of this, trying to take control of this, trying to restore that bridge while at the same time Ukraine bracing itself for what response could come. Laila?

HARRAK: Exactly. And we've obviously seen the situation in Zaporizhzhia where attacks on residential areas have been ramped up in recent days.

[03:09:58]

ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely, and that's what's so terrifying. I think for many Ukrainians on the ground. And I know our colleague spoke to this, Fred spoke to this, is that this is not just military infrastructure that is being hit.

Oftentimes these are civilian areas that are being struck. This attack on Kyiv this morning, one of the locations where some of these missiles, some of these explosions seem to have landed is just a kindergarten.

So, it's that fear again. And in Zaporizhzhia, the same thing. Multiple residential building is being hit just Sunday -- sorry -- just Sunday 11 children among the victims. So, this very much it terrorizes civilians, terrorizes residents who simply don't know where these attacks going to -- are going to come from.

And you have to remember that Russia has made it very clear that they could strike Ukraine essentially anywhere, anytime, as deep in as Kyiv. Yes, of course there are anti-missile systems that Ukraine holds, but those are by far not perfect. So that sense of fear across the country. But also you're hearing from Ukrainian officials, yes, they have not claimed responsibility for this attack, but you're hearing from them a celebration.

They are applauding this. They are congratulatory of this attack on the Kerch Bridge because it is so symbolic because it is an affront on President Putin. So again, you're seeing that push and pull of this war. Ukrainian officials taking the step not claiming any responsibility, but taking the step to say, we congratulate, we celebrate the fact that this bridge is hit.

And at the same time, you see these Ukrainian officials bracing for the potential impact. Mayor of Kyiv telling everybody to take shelter across the country. Everyone on high alert, Laila.

HARRAK: Everyone on high alert. Salma Abdelaziz reporting for you. Thank you so much, Salma.

Well, meantime, North Korea claims the missile it launched over Japan last week was a new type of intermediate range ballistic weapon. While this says Japan and South Korea say the hermit kingdom fired off a pair of ballistic missiles on Sunday. The latest in spate of launches in the past two weeks.

Well, we're now joined by our Kristie Lu Stout live in Hong Kong. What more can you tell us, Kristie?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Laila, you know, according to KNCA, the North Korean state-run news agency, they said that the North Korean leader himself, Kim Jong-un personally guided the last couple of weeks of military drills and tactical nuclear missile tests all done in response, apparently to the large-scale military exercises conducted by the United States in South Korea. We want to show you a series of photographs that were released earlier today by the North Korean newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun. And when you look at these photos, you will see Kim Jong-un apparently in charge. He is pointing, he's offering field guidance. He is viewing these missile launches from a distance.

And according to KCNA, they say this, that North Korea is very bullish, very confident about its capability. We have a quote from you. According to KCNA saying this quote, "the effectiveness and practical combat capability of our nuclear combat force were fully demonstrated as it stands completely ready to hit and destroy targets at any time from any location," unquote.

And KCNA also added a chilling detail. It said that in regards to a drill that took place on September the 28th, North Korea were practicing, quote, "neutralizing airports in South Korea." It also adds that the North Korean leader is in no mood for talk, no mood for dialogue with the west. In fact, it quoted Kim Jong-un as saying this.

Let's bring up the quote for you, quote, "even though the enemy continues to talk about dialogue, to talk about negotiations, we do not have anything to talk about, nor do we feel the need to do so," unquote.

Now North Korea has been carrying a flurry of missile tests. In the last two weeks, it's carried out seven such tests, one additional test early on Sunday, they fired two missiles last week. On Tuesday, they fired a missile over Japan. The first time they did so since 2017. And this year already, North Korea has fired the highest number of missiles since 2011, and that was when Kim Jong-un assumed power.

Now as tension is rising in the region you also have the U.S. and its allies scrambling with some sort of response as they witness this uptick in activity by North Korea. You have the positioning and the redeployment of the U.S. aircraft carrier, the Ronald Reagan in waters near the Korean peninsula. You have these military drills taking place between the U.S. and Japan, the U.S. and South Korea, as well as those recent sanctions that the U.S slap on North Korea targeting its fuel procurement network.

And adding on top of all this, that specter of concern about whether North Korea will conduct a nuclear test again. And if North Korea does so, it would be the first time since 2017. And as you recalled, that was a moment of peak tension. Back to you, Laila.

HARRAK: And final thought from you, Kristie, briefly, how does Beijing regard these tests?

LU STOUT: Yes, we are continuing to monitor reaction from China, fresh reaction, especially in the back of the additional tests that took place on Tuesday. But look, China has very friendly relations with North Korea, so much so that China, along with Russia, has shielded North Korea at the United Nations, shielded North Korea from any additional sanctions.

[03:15:06] But timing is everything. And timing is very sensitive right now because of the upcoming 20th Party Congress due to kick off a week from now. That is when the Chinese president is due to be anointed to get that unprecedented third term in power.

And Xi Jinping does not like disruptions or distractions. And with these ongoing missile tests and the strong rhetoric from Pyongyang, North Korea is providing just that that. Back to you, Laila.

HARRAK: Kristie Lu Stout reporting for you. Thank you so much.

LU STOUT: Thank you.

HARRAK: Why Republicans are rallying behind U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker despite an abortion scandal.

Stay with us.

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HARRAK: We want to recap breaking news out of Ukraine. An official says at least five civilians are confirmed dead, and 12 injured after apparent Russian strikes on Kyiv today. And the mayor in the western city of Lviv says his city is also hearing explosions. Lviv area officials say energy infrastructure was hit.

[03:20:00]

Police on Long Island in New York are investigating whether a shooting outside the home of a Republican candidate for governor may be gang related. A law enforcement source tells CNN authorities are looking into the background of two 17-year-old males who were injured when a car drove by and opened fire on them near U.S. Congressman Lee Zeldin's home in Suffolk County.

Mrs. Zeldin was not home at the time of the shooting. He tweeted that his two teenage daughters were there and were able to hide and call police.

Rising crime has been a central theme in Mr. Zeldin's campaign for governor of New York. He was attacked by a man holding a sharp object at a July campaign event.

Republican leaders are standing behind U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker. While despite allegations he once paid for an ex-girlfriend to get an abortion and also urged her to terminate a second pregnancy. Mr. Walker who supports a ban on abortions without exceptions denies the allegations.

Florida Senator Rick Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee will campaign with Mr. Walker in Georgia in the hours ahead, while other Republicans took to national TV on Sunday to defend the embattled candidate.

Early, I asked Jessica Levinson, a professor of law at Loyola Law School to weigh in on the support Mr. Walker is receiving from his party, especially Republican voters. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: So, I think for a lot of voters it is. It's about making sure that Democrats don't win, that Democrats do not have power over the upper House. And so, maybe they're not huge fans of Herschel Walker, maybe they are. But the bottom line is making sure that you can thwart President Biden's legislative agenda. And they know that the way to do that, the pathway is largely through Georgia.

And it's no coincidence that this is a toss-up state. People feel very strongly about voting for the candidate in their party even when they don't love the candidate. Even as we've seen on the national level when there are accusations of sexual misconduct of wrongdoing.

Obviously, we had a president who on that Access Hollywood tape was recorded saying some really, I think, disastrous things about women and he still won higher office.

HARRAK: Could the Georgia race end in a runoff and should that happen, would that help one candidate more than the other?

LEVINSON: So, there could potentially be an automatic recount if it's very close. But I think that's a lot of, we don't know. We don't know which voters would, if there's a recount potentially. You know, basically which voters would be recounted if there are problems, if it would change the outcome. I think it's too soon to know.

We'll know based on how many votes by mail ballots there are, how many people vote in person. Then you can kind of figure out who would benefit from which type of ballots.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: Our thanks to Jessica Levinson for her perspective.

Now, we are closely monitoring the situation that's developing in Kyiv right now. The developments after the break.

[03:25:00]

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HARRAK: We want to recap our breaking news out of Ukraine. An official says at least five civilians are confirmed dead, and 12 injured after apparent Russian strikes on Kyiv today. And the mayor in the western city of Lviv says his city is also hearing explosions. Lviv area officials say energy infrastructure was hit.

All right, and let me just fill you in on some of the details coming in. Of course, this story just breaking moments ago. It appears to be that a massive -- there's a massive crater near Kyiv's busiest road junction. It is one of the areas where one of the strikes has taken place. Explosions have also been reported in Lviv as I just said, Ternopil another city in Ukraine's west and Dnipro in central Ukraine. Let's get you more now. My colleague Salma Abdelaziz is standing by to provide us some more context.

Salma, are these the Russian revenge strikes that everybody feared were coming?

ABDELAZIZ: Well, Laila, we can't speculate of course on the motivations here, but absolutely these are parts of Ukraine that have not seen attacks in weeks, if not months. When you're talking about Kyiv, the capital, that's a place that's enjoyed relative safety, relative calm, relative normalcy for months now.

So, this will absolutely shake the residents of Kyiv. Same for Lviv, a city that I don't believe has seen any attacks in months all the way in the west of the country right up near the Polish border. I mean, these are places that are hundreds of kilometers away from the front lines that absolutely require the Kremlin to use its long-range fire power.

So, there's a sense that this is been unprecedented, unseen in weeks now, and it comes of course after this attack on the Kerch Bridge. Which make no mistake about it, even as the bridge is being restored now, even as traffic is starting to resume across that bridge, even as rail service is starting to function again. This is still very much a personal affront President Putin. This bridge is his project, the illegal annexation of Crimea. The connection, if you will, between what he claims is Russian territory, which is actually Ukrainian sovereign territory in Russia.

That is absolutely one of President Putin's dreams, his goals, his ideals. So, hitting that bridge over the weekend that is a personal attack on President Putin's ambitions. And what people in Ukraine will be thinking about now is not just the retaliatory nature of these strikes, but that all important, all looming, all scary idea of nuclear attacks of course, Laila.

Because we've heard time and time again from President Putin from other Russian officials that they will not hesitate to use nuclear attacks if they feel Russian sovereignty, Russian territorial integrity has been threatened.

[03:30:00]

Now, a Kremlin spokesperson just yesterday said that is absolutely not on the agenda, the use of nuclear weapons, but it does strike a sense of fear in Ukraine to think about how President Putin will respond to this very personal attack.

HARRAK: Well, we're already seeing some of that reaction of fresh attacks in the Zaporizhzhia where we're seeing Russian troops ramping up attacks on civilian areas.

ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely. And Zaporizhzhia has been in the crosshairs for a long time now. But over the last week, we've really seen an intensification of attacks on that city that again, is right up on the frontline. It is home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, a nuclear power plant that right now is under Russian control, under Russian occupation. Although of course, Ukrainian officials still claiming control of that power plant.

So, this very key city that's along the front lines, that's absolutely been in the crosshairs. Unclear if the ramping up the escalation of attacks we saw on Zaporizhzhia on Sunday when we saw another residential building hit with a barrage of missiles more than a dozen people killed, including children.

Unclear if the motivation behind that is some form of retaliation for the strike on the bridge in Crimea. But again, it's that fear, it's that concern. When we're going to find out more is in a couple of hours here when President Putin holds this meeting with his own security council.

Now, this is not an emergency meeting. These are regularly held generally on a weekly basis, but at the very top of this agenda, you can expect it will be the response that Russia gives to this act. And again, you have to remember, Ukrainian officials have denied responsibility. They have not claimed this attack, but they have been very open about their celebration of the attack on the Kerch Bridge.

And it's these types of attacks, you have to remember, this is in the heart of Russian infrastructure. This is nowhere near a frontline. This is an area that should have been secured, controlled access tightly held by the Kremlin to be able to hit this bridge shows a gap, first of all in the Kremlin security abilities around Crimea, and also shows what the extent of saboteurs are.

And again, Ukraine denying any responsibility for this attack. But it shows the level of vulnerabilities on the Russian side, and you can expect that that's going to be addressed today in the security council meeting for President Putin.

HARRAK: And Salma, this all of course comes at a moment that is politically very precarious for Mr. Putin because he has suffered a lot of setbacks at home and in Ukraine.

ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely, and it's hard to really overemphasize these setbacks. For the last few weeks Russian forces on the ground have lost thousands of square kilometers of ground in absolutely key areas along the east. Ukrainian forces have this lightning strike counter offensive by Ukrainian forces backed by western weapons has led to huge success on the battlefield.

At the same time, Russian forces appear to be running out of manpower on the ground quite literally. Just a couple of weeks ago, President Putin announcing this partial mobilization, the first mobilization. Of its kind in Russia since World War II. That of course caused a huge reaction inside Russia with tens of thousands of people basically trying to flee for the border, take the first flight they can out of the country, trying to protect their sons, their fathers, anybody of a drafting age. Fearing that this partial mobilization might turn into something bigger. So, a real sense also of pressure from within. We've heard some of,

President Putin's top officials, some of his closest allies criticizing the Russian military, criticizing the losses on the ground, pushing the Kremlin for a stronger response.

So, you are looking at a President Putin who is increasingly cornered, facing losses on the battlefield, facing pressure at home. Facing criticism from Russians and families in Russia who are now trying to flee to avoid a war that very much feels like it's come home now. And it's when President Putin is cornered, that is when analysts say you should be most concerned.

Because how does he react in that moment? How does he respond in that moment? I'm again going to bring up that fear of nuclear weapons, the fear of use of nuclear weapons. Because President Putin has said himself, he is not bluffing about the possibility of that use.

Again, intelligence agencies say there is no indication that this is going to take place. There is absolutely no indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons, but the fact that the specter still hangs over the conflict, the fact that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which we were just discussing is right on the front lines, right in the middle of this back and forth.

The missiles landing just near that power plant. All of these dangerous factors at a time when President Putin has had yet another blow, this Kerch Bridge explosion, it really sends fear and concern among Ukrainian families.

[03:35:01]

And far beyond that, for other allies of Ukraine of what President Putin's next move, what his retaliation, what revenge will look like for the Kremlin. Laila?

HARRAK: And Salma, in a sign of the fear that Ukrainians are living with day by day, we're just getting a report that train traffic and all subway -- subway lines in the capital Kyiv have been suspended and that the underground stations are being used as shelters. I mean, it resembles kind of, you know, the beginning of the war.

ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely. And that's exactly what it'll feel like for families in Ukraine right now who have woken up to these explosions, these sounds of loud explosions, multiple explosions right in the heart of the capital. One of these missiles landing in a kindergarten.

The mayor are already telling everybody, look, take shelter. This could go on for some time. So absolutely, for the families in Ukraine right now who are huddling in bomb shelters who are trying it to make it down to metro stations to take shelter, they are going to be remembering the first days of this conflict.

They're going to be wondering how far this goes. And throughout this conflict, Laila, I think what's been so terrifying for so many average Ukrainians is that the Kremlin has made clear they can strike Ukraine anywhere, anytime. They can hit the country all the way in the west of Lviv to the heart of the country in Kyiv to the front lines on the east. And yes, Ukraine does have defense systems, anti-system, but those are hit and miss.

As you can see, of course, missiles still landing on Ukrainian soil, and it's important to remember here. Again, these are not just military sites. We are talking about civilian infrastructure. We are talking about residential blocks. We are talking about what oftentimes feels like absolutely random attacks on civilian areas. And it's that sense of anywhere, anytime there is no safe place that is really going to send families reeling across Kyiv today.

HARRAK: Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much for contextualizing these breaking developments for us. We'll catch up with you later.

Now, we are learning more by the minute of these -- on these explosions, rather, in Ukraine's capital. We'll stay with this story after the break.

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRAK: We want to recap breaking news out of Ukraine. The first video from Kyiv after multiple explosions in the capital. An official says at least five civilians are confirmed dead, and 12 injured after apparent Russian strikes on Kyiv today. And the mayor in the western city of Lviv says his city is also hearing explosions. A Lviv area official says energy infrastructure was hit.

I want to bring in Michael Bociurkiw in Odessa. He's a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and cooperation in Europe.

Michael, I first want to get your reaction to these breaking events.

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: It's terrible, terrible. These are the among the worst attacks that have happened so far. Let's be clear here. These are massive attacks in multiple locations. Not only Kyiv, but also Lviv. Again, once again in Zaporizhzhia which had 17 deaths the other day. And in Dnipro has been badly hit.

And I'm also just getting reports right now where I am on Odessa, there's apparently been some sort of strike. So, you know, of course this weekend was a weekend of jubilation among most Ukrainians I've spoken to, but I don't think it was very far away from their minds that there would be massive, massive retaliation, especially after President Putin yesterday accused Ukrainian -- the Ukrainian forces of that explosion on the Kerch Bridge.

HARRAK: So, we understand that these strikes took place during rush hour in several Ukrainian cities.

BOCIURKIW: Yes, you know, we've got so use, I guess to these strikes happening at night as it did in Zaporizhzhia 24 hours ago in that, which had the multiple death toll. But I think the timing was deliberate. You know, this just goes to show that Mr. Putin who is bent on trying to win this war on massive retaliation no matter what the cost in.

You know, I've said this time and time again on CNN and CNN opinion is that as long as Russia has the ability to launch those long-range missiles, which were used in the past few hours, no inch of Ukraine can be regarded as safe.

One more thing, if I can, I mean I we're looking ahead already, but you know, my big fear also with this is the panic it will cause among the populations. Once again, people will be -- they have the feeling they want to flee, and it's just when -- just when we're returning to see a sense of more normality in places like Kyiv and here in Odessa. So that makes it even more sad what happened today?

HARRAK: Yes. Because what we understand is that people are being ordered to shelter and the subway lines in Kyiv are all now non- operational because residents have to hide in those subway stations.

BOCIURKIW: Yes, that's correct. You know, the Kyiv subway network in particular is ideally suited for this sort of thing because the stations tend to be so deep, but it must bring back those horrible memories to people of the early days of the war when exactly the same thing happened.

I know we have to be careful in terms of what we say in terms of locations, but these ones seem to have struck Kyiv in more central locations than ever before. Mayor Klitschko has said shelters in Kyiv key region which is, you know, the most central region in Kiev.

So very, very, bold attack. very destructive. And once again, I can't emphasize enough the potential blow also to confidence here because, you know, embassies have been coming back, businesses have been coming back. It's just so sad to see this happen at this particular time.

HARRAK: Very sad that this is happening at this particular time. Can you tell us a little bit more about central Kyiv, where we think these explosions, these strikes took place? Is it near a government building? Do we know?

BOCIURKIW: Yes. Yes. What we know, and again, we have to be careful because of reporting restrictions is the Shevchenko district, I can tell you houses not only Shevchenko University, it appears on social media some blast there, but pretty close to the city center.

That's probably as much as I can give you at the moment to stay clear of any trouble. But you can be assured that this has hit closer than any of the other strikes to the center of Kyiv. And to think as well, right, that right now, Lviv, which has been for the most part spared, is without power.

[03:44:57]

So again, the Russians, what they have in their arsenal, because they've done so terribly on the battlefield and their cowardness will force them to resort to these, those long-range missiles that can fly over a thousand miles away. And also, what have has come here to Odessa as well are those Iranian made kamikaze drones, which are very destructive too.

So, if you ask me what can we expect ahead, I mean, this shows that Mr. Putin has no restraint, no boundaries, and God forbid, God forbid that he reaches for tactical nuclear, I don't think it will happen, but he has made it clear it's still on the table as well as, by the way, biological and chemical. We are in a very pivotal phase of the war right now because of what happened a few hours ago.

HARRAK: Now Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attack on the Crimea bridge, but Russia seems convinced nonetheless. How dangerous is this moment? I mean, you just alluded to it. I mean, are we at a juncture, a turning page, a turning point, rather, in this war?

BOCIURKIW: Yes. Well, excuse me, we're not surprised Mr. Putin pointed the finger at the Ukrainians. We're absolutely not sure about that. I mean, it could have been, and many analysts agree on this, just a Russian mistake. They could have been moving ammunition across the bridge. It has acted as a supply line for the Russian war head -- warfare, war effort, and it could have exploded there.

But it doesn't surprise me that he's blamed Ukraine. And yes, ever since that happened less than 24 hours ago, that statement a lot of us became very anxious that he would strike back. You know, I think we also have to think what the west can do right now. Of course, continuing the arming of the Ukrainian army of weapons and high-tech weaponry, but also very, very urgent telephone diplomacy with India and with China.

These are the only two countries which I think have some leverage over Mr. Putin, and he needs to be told that using any new tech -- tactical nuclear weapons is a red line, so that needs to happen right away.

HARRAK: Michael Borciurkiw, thank you so much.

BOCIURKIW: My pleasure.

HARRAK: And we'll stay with this story. So do stay with us.

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HARRAK: We want to recap breaking news out of Ukraine. We're getting some of our first videos from Kyiv after multiple explosions in the capital. An official says at least five civilians are confirmed dead, and 12 injured after apparent Russian strikes on Kyiv today. And the mayor in the western city of Lviv says his city is also hearing explosions. Lviv area officials says energy infrastructure was hit.

In southern Africa, Mozambique is contending with ISIS linked fighters. With the help of Rwanda's military, the insurgents have been pushed back in some areas, but they remain a constant threat as parts of the country attempt to rebuild and residents return to their homes. CNN's David McKenzie joins me now from Johannesburg with more. David?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. In the context of this ever-expanding conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the issue of global energy security in particular is critical. We took a rare trip into northern Mozambique where those issues could be partially solved, but the population is dealing with a devastating ISIS linked insurgency.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: The fight against ISIS didn't end. It shifted to ungoverned spaces like this. We're embedded with Rwandan security forces in northern Mozambique battling an ISIS linked insurgency. The tactics are familiar if unspeakably brutal to sow terror, burn schools, create chaos. They've displaced nearly a million people.

Jihad in Mozambique is an extension of the Islamic state Jihad all over the world, he says in a message posted in August. What was it like when they attacked? "They first came to this area to spread their propaganda," says Uzmani Dadi (Ph). They melted back into the forest and then later attack.

Mocimboa da Praia, a strategic port town, ISIS Mozambique arrived in force, held the territory for a year. "When they find children like this, he says they took them back to the forest. When they find men like this, they cut off theirs."

The cost of this insurgency is in blood, but also enormous treasure. We're entering the $20 billion of fungi (Ph) natural gas plant. This has the potential to take in at least a hundred trillion cubic feet of natural gas and in a time of global gas insecurity, this is a massive deal.

Industry analysts say Mozambique's, offshore natural gas potential could eventually rival Russia. As Europe phases out Russia's gas supply because of the war in Ukraine, alternate sources are critical.

There isn't a soul anywhere here. It's completely empty. When the militants attacked Palma, energy giant, Total declared force majeure Mozambique, fearing a collapse of control, looked elsewhere.

Two thousand Rwandan soldiers and police invited by the government took the fight to ISIS. Later, regional forces joined in.

General, what is the chief consideration when dealing with an insurgency like this?

RONALD RWIVANGA, RWANDA DEFENSE FORCE: The first thing you have to do is to defeat the insurgency in a military operation, but after that you must try to win heart and minds.

[03:55:03]

MCKENZIE: It is still opaque. Why Rwanda answered the call? Aid workers and western diplomats praise their professionalism. UNKNOWN: Your name is Ali. He's having high grade fever, as you see.

You see that 8.7.

MCKENZIE: The displaced start tentatively moving back, bringing what belongings they can. "I heard that there's peace now, so I came home," says Benjamin Thomas (Ph). But that peace is fragile. Outside of Rwanda's zone of control, the killings, the beheadings continue. Intelligence sources say the insurgents have split into smaller cells now using improvised explosive devices.

Is it not just fixing one area and pushing the problem somewhere else.

UNKNOWN: Well, you could say that it's natural for the enemy to escape to places that are less, you know, with less pressure. But all we need to do is to maintain momentum, follow or pursue.

MCKENZIE: The stakes are extraordinary and shouldn't be ignored. The window to defeat ISIS in Mozambique before the insurgency evolves is likely short.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: And that window they say is important to exploit now, Laila, because not only the military solution needs to be fortified, but giving development assistance, schools, roads, electricity, job opportunities is critical to stamp out that insurgency. And it's an issue that is under reported that hugely important for this region and the world. Laila?

HARRAK: David, thank you so much for bringing us that report, David McKenzie.

That wrap up this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Laila Harrak. Max Foster picks up our coverage. We'll have much more on what is unfolding right now in Ukraine after a short break. Do stay with us.

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