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Ukrainian Intel Officer Shows CNN Team A Downed Drone; Concerns Over Iranian Climber Who Competed Without Hijab; Thousands March In Paris Amid Nationwide Union Strikes; New U.S. Policy Leaves Many Venezuelans In Limbo. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired October 19, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

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[00:00:18]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM.

In the hour ahead, Putin's plan to maximize misery. Rolled nationwide blackouts across Ukraine as Russian airstrikes target the power grid. Part of Putin's plan to break the back of Ukrainian resistance.

Was it a protest or a wardrobe malfunction? The Iranian rock climber who competed (INAUDIBLE) has now spoken out as she arrives home.

And deal with the devil, a French cement company pleads guilty to a business arrangement with the terror group ISIS.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: On day 238 of the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is expanding efforts to drive Ukrainians into the cold and the dark. In just over a week, an unrelenting Russian aerial attacks have destroyed a third of Ukraine's power stations, resulting in what officials say a massive blackouts nationwide. Water supplies have also been cut. An apparent attempt to wear down the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

And the chief of military intelligence in Ukraine said Tuesday the fighting will continue well into next year until June or maybe July.

Major General Kyrylo Budanov predicted not only victory for Ukraine, but added this: Russia's loss is inevitable it cannot be stopped and it will lead to its destruction.

The general also talked of major victories and significant progress towards the end of the year.

But before there's victory for Ukraine, the country has to survive this coming winter. Rain, snow and mud will add another layer of misery and complexity of the battlefield.

But without electricity to heat homes and businesses, U.N. officials warned civilians are facing a brutal, potentially deadly winter, especially in regions left badly damaged after months of heavy fighting. The U.N. says aid workers are trying to get help to those most in need

of a safe, dignified and warm place to be over the winter months.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENISE BROWN, U.N. RESIDENTS AND HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR UKRAINE: This is about utter devastation, loss of life and total loss of livelihoods in the areas directly impacted by the war. And we have -- and of this I'm absolutely convinced a high risk of mortality during the winter months with families and communities who have been left with absolutely nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The U.N. noted damage to Ukraine's power grid cannot be fixed by the humanitarian community.

And Tuesday, the Russian defense ministry announced airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, especially power generation will continue now to its second week.

And in recent days, Russia has increasingly used Iranian made attack drones small, cheap and deadly. All part of a deliberate strategy by Russia, which Ukrainian president says has caused massive rolling blackouts nationwide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Electricity consumption needs to be very thoughtful and its use by power hungry appliances should be limited during peak hours. The more mindful we'll be our electricity consumption from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., the more stable will be our electric power system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Iran denies supplying Russia with weapons in particular the kamikaze drones like the ones used in Monday's attack on Kyiv which left at least five people dead.

Sources say Tehran has sent military personnel to illegally annex Crimea to train Russian troops how to use the drones.

With Iran reportedly promising to increase weapons sales to Russia, Ukraine's Foreign Minister says he's now recommending to the president that the -- that Ukraine should cut diplomatic ties with Tehran.

Iranian drones have become one of the most effective weapons for Russia on the battlefield. CNN's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward has an exclusive look at one of the drones wreaking havoc across Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At an undisclosed location, Ukrainian military intelligence officer Oleksi takes us to see one of Russia's newest threats on the battlefield, an Iranian made drone known as the Mohajer-6.

It's big.

Used by the Russians for reconnaissance and bombing.

Yes, it was shot. I can see this is the hole from where you shot it down.

OLEKSI, UKRAINIAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: Yes, this is a hole from the rocket of Ukrainian forces. You can see 02-2022.

WARD: So, this is the date when it was made?

OLEKSI: We think that this plane was made in this year when the Russian began to fly this drones. We have new problems on the field -- on the battlefield.

WARD: In just the last eight days, more than 100 drones have been fired at Ukraine, mostly kamikaze Shahed-136 drones smashing civilian infrastructure and terrorizing ordinary people.

[00:05:13]

The Kremlin today said only Russian equipment with Russian numbers is used in its so called special operation, but also ordinary people. The Kremlin today said only Russian equipment with Russian numbers is used in its so called special operation. But Oleksi says there is no doubt where this drone comes from.

Now, I don't see any writing in Farsi in Iranian language. How do you know?

OLEKSI: We know that this is Iranian plane by two main things. The first thing, we watched the exhibitions with the planes in other countries, and some years ago, Iranian companies showed this.

WARD: This exact model?

OLEKSI: This plane and the second thing why we think it is an Iranian plane, we have one, only one writing by the hand.

WARD: Can you show me?

OLEKSI: Yes.

WARD: So, that's Farsi?

OLEKSI: I think yes, you're right.

WARD: So, if I understand, you're saying that they tried to hide the fact that it was made in Iran.

Ukraine has called for more sanctions against Iran for supplying the drones, but so far, sanctions have had little effect. The components are commercially available in a number of different countries from Japanese batteries to an Austrian engine and American processors.

This is the Mohajer-6, now we're seeing these kamikaze drones, the Shahed-136 and you say there's a new generation of drone coming too, the Arash-2?

OLEKSI: Arash-2, yes. We worry very much from this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Thanks Clarissa Ward for that report. Now, those deadly Iranian made drones appear to be filling a void left by depleted Russian stockpiles of precision guided missiles.

Ukrainian intelligence police says Russia's supply of many missile types has fallen below 30 percent. That's considered to be critically low.

An estimate of Russian missile stockpiles is far -- more part of an educated guess rather, six months ago, the Pentagon assessment said Russia was running the lowest on cruise missiles, especially air launch cruise missiles, but still had 50 percent of pre-invasion stockpiles.

With us now from Washington is retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and CNN Military Analyst Cedric Leighton. Colonel, good to see you.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good to see you too, John.

VAUSE: So, Russia is using a mix of missiles and rockets and drones right now. They're repurposing S-300 missiles from air defense to ground attack. There is an agreement that Russia's stockpile of missiles is running low, it would be useful to know precisely how low.

So, what's your best guess? How low is it? And why?

LEIGHTON: Yes, that's a -- that's always the $64,000 question as we say here in the United States. I think that probably the estimates from the Defense Intelligence Agency, British intelligence and the Ukrainians are probably pretty accurate, somewhere around 30 percent of the stockpile is what they currently have, that is 30 percent of the prewar stockpile.

And as you said, that is a critical low point for their armaments, and it is also a point that they will find very difficult to replace, even if they had the defense industrial base to do that, they don't and that makes this even more of a shortage for them.

VAUSE: And President Zelenskyy, once again, pointed to the human toll from these airstrikes, and he called for the West to supply air defense system, here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): The world can and must stop this terror. When we talk about Ukraine's need for air and missile defense, we are talking about real lives that are being taken by terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Air defense systems are limited and how much they can actually protect. So, the reality looks to be what a very cold and brutal winter for Ukraine.

So, in a warzone like this, it's basically a humanitarian crisis in the making, what's your view and experience in this sort of war zone when civilians are drained into sort of a brutal winter? How does it play out?

LEIGHTON: Yes, that's really a very difficult situation for the -- for civilians in such a case. You know, for the most, the last few wars that we fought have been in warmer climates.

So, that's created a bit of a new system for us to deal with in the Ukrainian case. But I would say that if civilians in a cold winter, that is going to strain the resources of the Ukrainian military, let alone the Ukrainian government.

So, this is a very serious area where the energy supply is going to be critical and if the energy supplies aren't available, that could very well spell for a difficult sort of months ahead in this -- in this situation.

[00:10:11]

VAUSE: And it's sort of all part of this plan by Putin to sort of break the will of the Ukrainian people in a way and force Ukraine back to the negotiating table.

So, with that in mind, President Zelenskyy tweeted about the destruction to the power grid. And he finished with this, no space left for negotiations with Putin's regime.

And we're seeing Putin weaponized energy when it comes to Europe, he's now doing the same thing in a different way. But essentially the same thing in Ukraine.

I wonder if this is a case of misery loves company here, he'll strengthen the resolve of the E.U., along with the result of the Ukrainians to see out this energy crunch?

LEIGHTON: You know, it just might do that. Because one of the things that we've learned, even, you know, going back 80 or so years to the Second World War, we found that when people are exposed to aerial bombings, that they are not really willing to break at that point, it takes them much more of a decisive force, a combination of ground, as well as air action in order to do something like that.

The Russians have shown that they have very little ground capability, at least at the moment. And if they use the drones from the air, they still don't have air superiority, and that is going to create some real difficulties for their operational plan. But it will be a situation where the Ukrainian misery I think will

probably be reflected by the Europeans. And there will be this feeling of solidarity that we must all see this through.

VAUSE: And lastly, under international humanitarian law, a nuclear electrical generating stations shall not be made the object of attack, even where these objects are military objectives.

Just last week, a spokesperson for Russia's Defense Ministry made a videotaped confession to a war crime, here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IGOR KONASHENKOV, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Today, the Russian Armed Forces have launched a massive strike with long range precision weapons at the facilities of Ukraine's military command, communication, and energy systems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Energy Systems, so we all know international humanitarian law means zero to Putin. But at some point, will Russia be held accountable for all this? Because if it's not, (INAUDIBLE) the next time and these laws essentially become a joke.

LEIGHTON: Yes, that's really the difficulty, John, when -- if you don't enforce the laws, if you don't enforce international norms, then you can expect the bad behavior, in this case, Putin's behavior to continue.

And I think the fact that you know, we've heard them in essence, tell us exactly what they're doing, the attacks on the energy system in Ukraine, that clearly points to their desire and to their willingness to go after Ukrainian civilian structures, the energy system in particular, because that seems to be the easiest target for them right now. It is one of the most vulnerable targets, and that the fact that they're doing this in a fairly systematic way, is clearly indicative of their willingness to break international norms and international law.

So, we must absolutely hold them to account and make sure that this doesn't happen again.

VAUSE: Yes, absolutely. Colonel, thank you so much. Cedric Leighton, appreciate it as always.

LEIGHTON: You bet, John.

VAUSE: The Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi is back in Tehran after competing without hijab in Seoul. Video on social media shows crowds at the airport chatting Amani is the hero. Rekabi apologized on social media for not wearing a headscarf, calling it unintentional. But as CNN's Nada Bashir reports, there's growing concern she could face repercussions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice over): The fate of Iranian athlete Elnaz Rekabi could hang in the balance after video merge showing the prominent rock climber competing in South Korea without her mandatory headscarf or hijab.

The religious veil is mandated by the Iranian regime, both at home and overseas when officially representing the country.

ELNAZ REKABI, IRANIAN CLIMBER (through translator): The future is very bright, especially for women in rock climbing.

BASHIR: Her hopes for the future however, now in limbo.

In a post on Instagram, Rekabi issued an apology, saying she had been called to climb unexpectedly creating an unintentional issue with her hijab. There's some activists have questioned whether her statement was written under duress. And now that she has returned to Iran, some fear she may face punishment

MAHMOOD REZA AMIRY-MOGHADDAM, DIRECTOR, IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS: Based on the knowledge that we have from the Iranian authorities, they will do whatever they can to try to undo the so-called damage she has done to their authority.

BASHIR: Iran's strict dress code is enforced, often violently by the country's notorious morality police. The very authority under whose custody 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in September. She had been detained for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly.

Amini's death has, however, sparked a moment of reckoning for the country's hardline regime, with nationwide protests now entering the fifth week.

[00:15:07]

Women and girls across the country removing their mandatory hijabs and even cutting their hair in a show of defiance against the regime's severe restrictions on women's rights, a movement which has gained support across the international community.

RAVINA SHAMDASANI, SPOKESPERSON, U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE: What we have to stress is that women should never be prosecuted for what they wear.

BASHIR: But the Iranian regime continues to pursue a brutal and deadly crackdown on protesters. And there are growing concerns that Rekabi could be used by the regime as an example to other women.

AMIRY-MOGHADDAM: The bravery that she has shown will certainly inspire millions of Iranian girls. And I think that's the main problem.

BASHIR: While the Iranian embassy in Seoul claims that reports for Rekabi will be arrested upon her arrival in Iran are "fake news". Fears remain that she too, will face the brutal repression of the Iranian regime. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Will she or won't she? Will Liz Truss show up and face some very tough questions during the weekly prime minister's questions in Parliament. Monday she was notably late, deputize the House of Commons leader to speak on her behalf.

Prime minister is also under fire from within the Conservative Party, putting her leadership into question after her fiscal growth plan was scrapped by the new finance minister.

SNAP-POLL released Tuesday shows two thirds say conservative lawmakers should replace Liz Truss. Prime Minister says she wants to be honest with the public about some tough times according to a readout from her latest Cabinet meeting.

Well tens of thousands of workers went on strike across France Tuesday demanding better pay to help cope with sky high inflation. The walkouts have now expanded beyond the oil industry into other parts of the energy sector, as well as schools and transport workers.

Regional train services were cut in half Tuesday, many teachers didn't show up for work.

Meantime, the government is struggling to end the week's long oil strike, which has left almost a third of the country's gas stations short on supplies.

We have more now from CNN's Melissa Bell reporting in from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The context of today's march here in Paris, but in other French cities as well was of course there's queues we've seen at petrol stations, the strikes in refinery that have led to such problems these last few weeks.

Today was a different strike, one about the cost of living, inflation and the impact that is happening having on ordinary workers.

So, this was a strike and a march that was pulled by four unions. And it's just coming to an end here now I believe (PH).

The thing was the number of people they managed to get onto the streets today, the strike itself not as crippling as the unions would have liked. But a lot of people on the streets and it had been a couple of years since we'd seen that many people out on the streets of Paris, COVID Of course.

But of course, also, ever since the yellow vests had run out of steam in 2019, we hadn't seen this kind of social protest.

The trouble for Emmanuel Macron now, he's having to get through his 2023 budget by bypassing a parliamentary vote, so fragile is his parliamentary majority. And behind that still hoping to get through his controversial pension reform.

Given the anger on the streets today, it's looking set to be for him a complicated autumn with threats from the unions that they're going to try and put in place a rolling strike.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: U.S. President Joe Biden will address voter anxiety of energy prices Wednesday, less than three weeks ahead of midterm elections. Mr. Biden expected to announce 15 million barrels of oil will be released from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve in terms of easing those rising gas prices.

More now from CNN's Phil Mattingly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Biden and his top economic officials have for several months made -- trying to do something, anything to dampen skyrocketing gas prices, a central priority, if not, the top priority both politically and economically for the administration.

Over the course of the summer, they had a pretty good run more than three months of consecutive drops in gas prices, a run that was really put into question by the decision from OPEC Plus to reduce its output targets by nearly two million barrels.

The administration has moved quickly and intensively over the course of the last several days to do something to block the impact of that. And the president on Wednesday is set to announce at least some of those steps.

This is part of the plan the president laid out in the spring, 180 million barrels released over the course of six months. It is an additional release than they planned at least a couple of weeks ago. And it underscores the president's real urgency to try and address this issue particularly just three weeks out from the midterm elections. It's something he alluded to at an event Los Angeles last week. Take a listen.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The price of gas is still too high and we need to keep working to bring it down, I have more to say about that next week.

MATTINGLY: Obviously, the President spent Tuesday talking about abortion rights really trying to thrust that back into center stage and recognition inside the White House of what a motivating issue that could be for Democratic voters, for independent women, for young voters in particular trying to draw on voters, remembering how they felt when the Supreme Court first made that decision explicitly. The president did that several times.

[00:20:05]

However, the reality remains the economy is the number one issue in poll after poll of voters of both parties. And perhaps nothing is more salient when it comes to the economy than gas prices. Some dips over the course of the last couple of days but the president and his team trying to do anything possible to both maintain those and drive them down even further.

Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, trouble on the border. New video from Central America, Guatemalan soldiers firing tear gas to push back Venezuelan migrants.

Also, we'll meet one woman now stuck in Colombia because of the new U.S. policy meant to discourage Venezuelans from making the journey.

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VAUSE: Guatemalan soldiers opened fire on Sunday with tear gas to push back about 250 Venezuelan migrants trying to cross the border from Honduras.

The growing number of Venezuelans passing through and trying to reach the United States, authorities say they just need to check the migrants have proper documentation before allowing them to enter the country.

And the Biden administration is warning Venezuelan migrants that they could be sent back to Mexico if they cross into the U.S. illegally.

A new policy will allow up to 24,000 Venezuelans to enter the United States if they have a sponsor, a passport and arrive by air. There were many stranded in Mexico trying to get transit permits.

And for many Venezuelans, this journey to the U.S. starts in Colombia. But warnings from the Biden administration not to come have left them stuck there creating yet another crisis. We have more now from journalists Stefano Pozzebon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Heidiz Morele (PH) says she is running out of options. When she migrated from Venezuela to Colombia four years ago, she thought she could find a new life here. And for a while, it seemed to work.

But now, prices keep rising for this mother of three. And Morele say she had to take her children out of school last month, because she can no longer afford their meals.

Like tens of thousands of Venezuelan migrants this summer, she had decided she would try to reach the United States. And started planning a journey that would have taken her from Colombia to Panama, Central America, Mexico, up to the U.S. southern border. Her children show us the drawings they made for their grandmother in preparation for the upcoming departure. They were due to travel this week. But a new policy from the Biden administration halted their plan.

Last Wednesday, the White House launched a new plan to welcome some Venezuelans flying to the United States with the help of a sponsor and officially turn away those who attempt to enter without one, while up to 24,000 will be allowed to resettle in the U.S. if they qualify for

temporary protective status. Anyone entering the country without authorization will be eligible for deportation.

[00:25:03]

In this video from the Colombian border, U.S. ambassador James Story (PH) warns Venezuelan migrants not to travel on their own and to follow the protocols to obtain the protective status.

But Morele says she could never afford the paperwork and the air ticket to relocate from Colombia to the U.S.

We can't go back to Venezuela, because there is nothing for us there, she says, no jobs, we don't even have a home there anymore. Colombia is more expensive every day and now we don't know what to do.

It is a familiar story in 2022. The world's poorest priced out by a global cost of living crisis that includes soaring food prices. At this aid clinic in central Bogota, most of these migrants shared the same sense of helplessness.

Why is there now a new trend to go up north?

SHANTI SATTLER, DIRECTOR, VENESPERANZA NGO CONSORTIUM: There's a major sense of urgency. People need money tomorrow, to put food on the table for their families tomorrow. They need to pay their electricity bills, tomorrow. They need to have a place to stay tomorrow night for their families.

And again, with the rising prices, there's -- people are not able to make it work.

Tomorrow is Morele's main worry today. Their rent is due this week, and with the plans to travel to the U.S. canceled, she needs to find a way to put a roof over their head.

POZZEBON (on camera): Morele's situation is far from unique and with inflation still on the rise here in Colombia, it's likely it will become even more common.

Experts believe that the new U.S. policy at the southern border may reduce the flow of migrants for a limited amount of time. But unless a stable solution is found down here, more and more people will eventually go back on the road.

CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, just 14 tweets landed an American citizen behind bars in Saudi Arabia. And his son spoke to CNN.

Also ahead, an update on basketball star Griner, who celebrated her birthday in a Russian jail as she waits for her appeal hearing next week.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. And now an update on our top stories this hour.

Ukraine's military intelligence chief predicting victory against Russia by mid next year, saying Russia's loss is inevitable and cannot be stopped.

Iran has again denied supplying weapons and drones to Russia. But according to the Reuters news agency, Tehran has promised to provide Russia with additional missiles and drones. Russia has stepped up attacks using Iranian made kamikaze drones in recent weeks.

And Ukrainian intelligence reports Russia's supply of precision-guided missiles is running critically low, which would explain the increased use of attack drones.

[00:30:

Moscow has put the full might of its propaganda machine behind the war in Ukraine, obscuring the grim realities from the public. Now, we're hearing more about those efforts from someone who's on the inside. Former Russian military lieutenant and state media journalist is speaking out.

CNN's Nic Robertson has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Since the war in Ukraine began, Russians have been denied the truth about what's happening to their army.

GLEB IRISOV, FORMER RUSSIAN AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT AND JOURNALIST: So when the war started, I was at the military desk at the TASS agency, the main Russian information agency.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): A former Russian air force lieutenant, turned state journalist, is lifting the lid on the state secrecy.

IGOR KONASHENKOV, SPOKESPERSON, RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE: Four hundred and ninety-eight Russian serviceman died. It was March 2, more than a week into the war before Russia admitted its troops were dying in Ukraine.

But Gleb says they'd known since the get-go that he was manning the military desk phones at TASS as the war began.

IRISOV: I started to receive a lot of messages from my sources, they're taking heavy, extremely heavy casualties.

ROBERTSON: What numbers?

IRISOV: The numbers was enormous.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): He served in Syria, in the air force, but quit in disgust over Russia's part in Assad's war. His wife worked at TASS. He got a job there, thinking he'd be able to report facts about the poor state of Russia's military.

But as soon as the war started in Ukraine and Russian casualties began piling up, his hopes fell victim to Putin's propaganda machine.

IRISOV: Instructions from the ministry of defense, from FSB, from the office of the president.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): New laws, preventing protests over the war in Ukraine, put Gleb, his wife and young family in danger. He quit a week into the war.

A week later, they fled for safety to Armenia. Then Georgia, then Turkey. Then Mexico. Finally, to the USA and a chance to tell the truth about the war.

IRISOV: If you want really to speak out, you need to be at some kind of safe place.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): His insights are remarkable. Rampant corruption and warlordism.

IRISOV: Putin himself and his friends, they use these military systems as they wash through tons of money through this military system.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Gleb's observations about Putin's newly- promoted general, Sergey Surovikin, reveal the propaganda machine he fled remains in overdrive. General Armageddon, as Surovikin is known. Actually, a danger to his own side.

IRISOV: He have made the life of his commanding officers there absolutely impossible.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Gleb knows Surovikin served under him in Syria. He says the general signed off on his resignation.

ROBERTSON: Is he going to change the morale in the Russian forces?

IRISOV: I strongly believe that nothing can change the morale for Russian forces there. No way.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Putin's propaganda machine may be working. His army is not. Gleb is witness to both and brave enough to speak about it.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: American basketball star Brittney Griner turned 32 Tuesday, a birthday she marked in a Russian jail. Her lawyers say she remains understandably anxious ahead of an appeal hearing next week.

Back in February, Griner was detained in Moscow; later was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling. The White House says discussions to secure her freedom are ongoing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: I cannot speak for Russian intentions. I can tell you that we have made a very serious proposal. We continue to be in discussions with Russian officials about finding a way to bring her and Mr. Wayland home. She shouldn't have to spend another day, let alone another birthday in wrongful detention in Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: More details now from CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Spending her 32nd birthday in a Russian jail, Brittney Griner releases a message through her lawyers, saying quote, "Thank you, everyone, for fighting so hard to get me home. All the support and love are definitely helping me."

But her attorneys tell CNN that Griner's increasingly worried about her appeal next week and about a reported proposal by the U.S. for a prisoner swap.

MARIA BLAGOVOLINA, BRITTNEY GRINER'S ATTORNEY: Brittney can't help thinking that, if this swap doesn't happen, she will have to spend the whole period of the sentence in Russia.

[00:35:09]

TODD (voice-over): That is a nine-year sentence for drug smuggling. Griner pleaded guilty to that charge this summer but said she accidentally packed the less than one gram of cannabis oil she was carrying when she was arrested in a Moscow airport in February.

Griner's Russian lawyers now say she's struggling emotionally, asked by CNN how she's faring in prison.

ALEXANDER BOYKOV, BRITTNEY GRINER ATTORNEY: I'd say she's treated pretty good, not -- not better than other inmates, not worse. She is a very likable character, so it helps in both the personnel of the jail and the inmates, they like her very much.

TODD (voice-over): Her Russian lawyer told "The New York Times" Griner is allowed outside once a day when she walks for an hour in a small courtyard at a penal colony outside Moscow.

They say she spends the rest of her time in a small cell with two other inmates, that she sleeps on an elongated bed to accompany her 6'9" frame.

A Russian journalist who visited Griner last spring told "The Times" Griner was reading a translation of a Dostoevsky novel and a biography of "The Rolling Stones." That she played a board game with her cell mates similar to the game Battleship.

Despite that portrayal of somewhat tolerable conditions, experts say penal colonies like the one Griner's in can be brutal.

TOM FIRESTONE, FORMER RESIDENT LEGAL ADVISOR, U.S. EMBASSY IN MOSCOW: Disease is rampant. Abuse takes place. The conditions in cells are very -- the space in cells is very small. There's limited communication with the outside world.

TODD (voice-over): Griner's wife Cherelle recently told CBS News in their most recent call, Brittney's voice told the whole story.

CHERELLE GRINER, BRITTNEY GRINER'S WIFE: The minute I hung up, I think I cried for about two or three days straight. I did not get out of my bed. It was the most disturbing phone call I'd ever experienced.

TODD (voice-over): U.S. officials spoke to Griner and fellow American detainee Paul Whelan on Tuesday by phone and have communicated with Russian officials in recent days about their cases, according to a senior administration official.

But as for Vladimir Putin's side --

FIRESTONE: They are playing hardball on this one. They think they've got a lot of bargaining leverage here, and they're making, apparently, very unreasonable demands.

TODD: When asked recently by CNN if he would consider meeting with Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G-20 summit, President Biden said he has no intention of meeting with Putin. But then said he would if Putin came to him and wanted to talk about the release of Brittney Griner.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Another American family is pleading for help from the U.S. government to secure the freedom of their father, imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.

The State Department confirmed Tuesday 72-year-old Saad Ibrahim Almadi was sentenced to 16 years in a Saudi prison. His crime: tweets considered critical of the kingdom. Fourteen tweets, to be precise.

His son says if his father was being held in a Russian or Iranian jail, his name would be in the headlines every morning. A short time ago, he spoke to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IBRAHIM ALMADI, SON OF U.S. CITIZEN SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS IN SAUDI PRISON: My father received a freezing temperature in his cell. They wake him up in the middle of the night. They prevent him from sleeping. They torture him until he can convinced himself that he made some tweets in order to destabilize the kingdom.

My father is nowhere near being dissident. My father is a senior American citizen who just want to live freely and happily in the United States.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The U.S. State Department says it's yet to be determined that Almadi should be declared wrongfully detained. That process is ongoing.

The last time U.S. officials had access to him was August 10.

Take a short break. When we come back, a French company slapped with a multi-million-dollar fine for doing business with ISIS and another terror group. It's all about increasing market share revenue, that kind of stuff.

Also, Rolls-Royce unveils the Specter. Yes, the luxury automaker has gone electric. The first electric car bigger than an SUV.

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VAUSE: Yay, soaring inflation is a windfall for corporate America, now raking in huge profits. Yay.

Stronger than expected earnings for Johnson & Johnson, Netflix, Lockheed Martin helped drive a rally on Wall Street Tuesday. The Dow gained nearly 340 points, more than 1 percent on the day.

NASDAQ finished 96 points higher, just under 1 percent. S&P 500 raised nearly one and a quarter percent. How about that?

French company Lafarge pleading guilty to making payments in support of ISIS and another terrorist organization, part of a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department.

The cement company will pay about $778 million in fines, the biggest fine ever in the U.S. for doing business with a terrorist group. CNN's Kara Scannell has more now, reporting in from New York.

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KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. Justice Department calling it an unprecedented prosecution. French cement maker Lafarge being the first companies to be charged and plead guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorist organizations.

Lafarge admitted to paying millions of dollars to ISIS and another terrorist group. Authorities say it started first as a way to provide protection for employees working at a cement plant in Syria during the civil war, but it turned into a revenue-sharing agreement, where ISIS and the other terrorist organization were paid $6 million directly and Lafarge made more than $70 million in revenues by part of this arrangement.

The prosecutors say Lafarge hit the deal by falsifying invoices and using their personal email accounts to keep it off their corporate servers.

The U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, Breon Peace, who announced the charges, called this a deal with the devil.

In addition to pleading guilty, Lafarge also agreed to pay $78 million in fines and forfeiture. The company also said it regretted its wrongdoing.

Kara Scannell, CNN, Brooklyn, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And it's finally happened. Rolls-Royce has gone electric. Like most things from the luxury carmaker, the Specter is a sight to behold, the first EV model.

The two-door coupe will be longer than a full-sized SUV. But with a 557-horsepower engine reportedly goes zero to 1,600 in four and a half seconds.

The battery has an estimated 260-mile range before needing to recharge.

It will start rolling out late next year. Get ready to pay up: $413,000, worth every penny.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. I'll be back with more news in about 15 minutes. In the meantime, WORLD SPORT is up next.

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