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Russia Targets Ukraine's Infrastructure; Ukrainian Ballet Dancer Killed; Russia Says No to LGBTQ Members; COVID Rules Not Working in China; Fans Wait for the U.S.-England Match; China Choked by U.S.'s CHIPS Act; Russia Want Ukrainians to Suffer More; E.U. is Divided on Capping Russian Oil; UNHRC to Investigate Iran's Crackdown on Protesters; Turkey's Military Go After a U.S. Allied Group; Rebel Group Refuse to Leave DRC; Cristiano Ronald Breaks Record in World Cup. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired November 25, 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)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Coming up on CNN Newsroom, doctors in Kyiv forced to perform heart surgery by flashlight after the power went out. Ahead, the real-world impact of the energy crisis in Ukraine.
Plus, COVID cases now spiking in China. We're live in Beijing with the latest on the surge.
And later, one of the most anticipated matches of the day. England takes on the U.S. at the World Cup. We'll hear from the teams just.
UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: And we begin with reports of new Russian artillery strikes in Ukraine. Officials said areas around the cities of Zaporizhzhia and Nikopol were hit with dozens of shells and rockets overnight. So far, there are no reports of casualties.
Now the attacks come as Ukraine races to repair its power system hit by a wave of Russian strikes on Wednesday. Officials say the country now has about half its usual power supply. More power plants are slowly coming back online, but Ukrainians say the process is taking a while because Wednesday's strikes left much of Ukraine in the dark.
And for the first time in decades, temporarily took off all its nuclear power plants offline. Now these satellite images, they show you how much Russian attacks are hurting Ukraine's power supply. So the image on the left is from January, showing lights as you can see all over the country. And then the one on the right is from this month with most of Ukraine there in the dark.
President Zelenskyy spoke about power outages Thursday night. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): Restoration work continues today throughout the whole day. We are gradually restoring electricity, heat, water supply, and communication. I am grateful to everyone who fights and works for our country. Together we endure nine months of full-scale war and Russia hasn't found a way to break us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The U.N nuclear watchdog is helping Ukraine get its power -- power plants up and running. The agency's experts have been providing onsite support at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which is occupied by Russia since September, but U.N. officials are now doing the same at four other nuclear facilities held by Ukraine. Even though those plants are being reconnected to the grid, the U.N. agency's leader says they shouldn't have never been affected by fighting in the first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAFAEL GROSSI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY: But while the world has been focused on the dangerous situation at Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, we must not forget the country's other nuclear facilities. Yesterday, for the first time ever, all of Ukraine's four operational nuclear power plants Zaporizhzhia, Rivne, South Ukraine, and Khmelnytskyi lost external power and were disconnected from the grid.
This unprecedented situation would have been unimaginable just months ago. It is deeply worrying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: CNN's Clare Sebastian is keeping an eye on developments in Ukraine. So, Clare, how devastating is that lack of power across the country.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, it has ripple effects across many areas, Kim, water, gas, even mobile networks have been affected by the lack of power, not to mention of course, hospitals, transportation, all the things, that rely on electricity to keep the country, the economy functioning on a day-to-day basis.
As you noted, they are working very hard to try to restore power, which was knocked out to the vast majority of Ukrainians. On Wednesday, about 50 percent was restored. The same applies to the capital in Kyiv where they say 50 percent is still without power. Water though has been restored, and according to the mayor of the city this morning, about a third of homes do now have heating. They do expect the mobile networks to come back as the power situation stabilizes as well.
[03:04:55] But this is really a strategy by Russia that we saw startup in October with, with strikes on things like substations, connectors with the -- within the grid that is ramping up. They are now hitting, generating capacity.
You noted that the nuclear plants, all four of them taken offline this week. They're now coming back online slowly as well. But that has created a situation where Ukraine now has to rush to rebuild, to restore power with every resource at its disposal. Only to sort of be aware that it could happen again any minute. Russia is continuing to do this.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. So, then Clare, turning to the battlefield itself, give us an update on that vital battle for Kherson.
SEBASTIAN: So, we continue to -- continue to see Russian shelling and attacks in that southern region. The death toll from an attack on Kherson on Thursday has climbed to seven people. That according to the head of the military administration there hit a residential area, a playground, also a residential high-rise building, apparently caught fire. Twenty-one people according to the latest estimate also injured in that attack.
And this morning, Kim, we're hearing reports from Ukrainian officials of an attack on the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia, also further west down the Dnipro River in the Dnipropetrovsk regions near the towns of Nikopol and Kamianske. We're hearing of at least 70 shells hitting towns and villages there. No reports yet of any casualties, but it's clear that this barrage continues even as Ukraine tries to sort of limp its way through rebuild its power system, and survive as this winter really takes hold.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Clare Sebastian in London.
The Ukrainians are mourning the loss of a prominent ballet dancer in the fighting in Eastern Donetsk. Twenty-six-year-old Vadym Khlupianets was killed by a sniper during a battle near Bakhmut. The Ukrainian military said the dancer was part of the National Operetta Theater in Kyiv, but put his ballet career on hold to join Ukraine's military at the start of the war.
His family and friends paid tribute to him in the theater where he performed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOHDAN STRUTYNSKII, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, OPERETTA THEATER (through translator): There are thousands of losses like this in Ukraine. Vadym chose the sight of light and good against evil. Today's tribute is unfortunately the last tribute we pay him. Regretfully, this tribute is not what it should have been. Applause at the end of a performance with people asking for an encore. The tribute we are paying today is very hard for us and for all Ukrainians.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Mourners gave him a final ovation as his coffin was carried away following the memorial service.
Well, amid all the fighting, there was a rare moment of celebration. Have a look.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 100 prisoners of war Thursday. The Russian defense ministry said its 50 soldiers will be taken to Moscow for evaluation and treatment. Ukraine's presidential office reports two officers were among its 50 soldiers, and they were captured in battles in Mariupol Snake Island and around the Chernobyl nuclear plant.
Ukraine says nearly 1,300 of its soldiers have been released by Russia since Russia invaded back in February.
Several days of World Cup upset screech to a halt on Thursdays. Two heavyweights merged from round one triumphant. Portugal overcame Ghana three-two with star Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the first male player to score in five World Cups. Now that record just coming days after the high-profile divorce between Ronaldo and Manchester United.
And Brazil showed the world why it's ranked number one by defeating Serbia two-nil. Both goals from Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison.
CNN's Don Riddell has the details from Doha and a look at Friday's marque match.
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: No team has won more World Cups than Brazil and they arrived here in Qatar as the team to beat. Having played their opening game against Serbia on Thursday night, they have only enhanced their reputation.
Brazil has struggled against European teams in recent tournaments, but they had no such problems here, dominating possession and pouring in 10 shots on target. The Tottenham Hotspur star Richarlison scored two of them on his World Cup debut, the second of which was a beauty, that is a contender for gold of the tournament. In comparison, Serbia barely got a looking as Brazil won their opening game two-nil.
Elsewhere, in Group G, Switzerland beat Cameroon by slender one-nil margin, and it was a game of mixed emotions for the man who scored the winner, Breel Embolo. He was born in Cameroon and he left the country as a child. That is why he didn't celebrate.
[03:09:57]
The story of the night arguably belonged to Portugal's legendary Cristiano Ronaldo who was emotional during the anthem, and who then made history with a penalty against Ghana. That made him the first man to score in five different World Cups.
Ghana made it difficult though. Andre Ayew scored Africa's first goal at the tournament before Portugal effectively settled it with two goals in his many minutes. The young stars, Joao Felix will certainly remember his first World Cup goal and Rafael Leao then quickly made it three-one. But Ghana pulled a goal back and they could have drawn the game when Portugal's goalie was asleep at the wheel, every Portuguese fan breathed the sigh of relief when he got away with it, most of all, Ronald himself.
The other group H game between Uruguay and South Korea finished in a goalies draw, but there was late drama here too. Neither side managed a shot on goal, although Federico Valverde could have won it laid on. He was however denied by the coast.
The attention now turns to Friday and a box office clash between the USA and England. And since it is a Thanksgiving holiday in America, this game is projected to break records for a soccer broadcast. Or should that be a football broadcast, it's soccer versus football. So maybe this game will settle that argument once and for all.
Back to you.
BRUNHUBER: And still ahead this hour, we'll take a closer look at Ronaldo's incredible moment in history and Portugal's World Cup campaign. But the big focus today is on the eagerly awaited showdown between the U.S. and England. Now it's been decades since the Americans defeated a European opponent during a World Cup, so they face a daunting challenge.
But the U.S. did manage to secure a draw against England during the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARETH SOUTHGATE, ENGLAND MANAGER: Have we ever beaten the states in a major tournament? No, I didn't think so. So, tomorrow, we have to try to make history, number one. We are good at that. We're good at talking highly of ourselves as a nation and on the basis of very little evidence. So, what we've got to do is perform on the field and, we know that we'll play a highly motivated team, perhaps even more motivated because of some of those types of headlines.
TYLER ADAMS, CAPTAIN, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: I think England are currently one of the favorites to win the World Cup. I think that in a lot of games people would probably say that we're the underdogs, but we carry that with pride. It doesn't mean anything to us to be underdogs, to be favorites, to mean anything. We have to stay disciplined to what we do and every single day train well, perform in the games and show up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And the two sides kick off in a little less than 11 hours from now. On the Welsh Football Association says FIFA has confirmed that rainbow-colored items will be allowed inside all World Cup stadiums. That's despite FIFA banning European team captains from wearing one love arm bands that feature a rainbow heart.
And a head of Wales opening match a former captain of its women's team said she was stopped by security officials who confiscated her rainbow-colored hat. The Welsh Football Association tweeted that they urged FIFA to, quote, "adhere to their message that everybody will be welcome in Qatar during the World Cup and continue to highlight any further human rights issues. We remain with the belief that football is for everyone."
Well, the lower house of Russia's parliament has passed amendments which toughen the law banning so-called LGBT propaganda. Once it goes into law it will mean that anyone who promotes or praises homosexuality could end up with a heavy fine.
More now from CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Moscow.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, this so-called LGBT propaganda law was passed by the lower house of Russian parliament, by the state Duma. And, gay activists here in this country say that it essentially could criminalize being openly gay in Russia.
Now, according to the text of all of this, it bans praising non- traditional sexual relationships or suggesting that they are normal. Now, all this really pertains to all facets of the public sphere. We're talking about media, radio, television, also the internet as well, but even books and the fines are really steep. It ranges from thousands of dollars for individuals to tens of thousands of dollars for legal entities or companies.
And if you're talking about foreigners, they face up to 15 days in prison and then possibly being deported. Now, we were watching some of the proceedings in Russian parliament, and essentially what the lawmakers there were suggesting is that they believe that the west was trying to spread homosexuality here in Russia and undermine traditional Russian values.
In fact, the speaker of Russian parliament called this law the answer to Blinken, of course, talking about the U.S. Secretary of State. We'll listen in to some of what the speaker of parliament had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:15:03]
VYACHESLAV VOLODIN, CHAIRMAN, RUSSIAN STATE DUMA (through translator): It is the best answer to the United States Secretary of State Blinken, stop imposing on us foreign values. You destroyed your values. We'll see how it ends, but that is sad for sure, because it is sodomy. I can't say it in any other way. The United States of America have become the global center of this sodomy. Let them live there. Do not touch us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: Now, all of this has already had a chilling effect on the gay community here in Russia. There's some gay activists that we've been speaking to who say that right now they're trying to lay low. They're trying to not really comment on this in the public. There's others who are openly saying that they believe that they might have to leave the country. In fact, a lot of gay people have already left the country in the past couple of months, and indeed, in the past couple of years. Now, one of the things that we need to point out is that this law has not gone into effect yet. It has been passed by Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, but still has to go through the upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, and then also it has to be signed by President Vladimir Putin.
Nevertheless, the pressure continues on Russia's LGBTQ community which has already been faced with a lot of pressure here in this society over the past couple of years.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come, despite its zero COVID policy, China finds itself in another surge of cases not seen since the early days of the pandemic. We'll have a live report from Beijing, next.
Plus, Sweden and Finland get one step closer to joining NATO. Thanks to an announcement from Hungary. We'll explain coming up. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: There's been a verdict in the Hong Kong trial of a Catholic cardinal and five others. Ninety- year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen and the other defendants have been found guilty of failing to register a relief fund that helped pro-democracy protestors. Zen has been an outspoken critic of China's ruling communist party.
The court ruled that the relief fund he ran with others was partly used to pay legal and medical fees for protestors and to sponsor pro- democracy rallies.
For the second day in a row, China has set a new high for daily COVID infections. On Thursday, the National Health Commission recorded more than 32,000 new cases.
CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief Steven Jang joins me now. So, Steven, how is China responding to the spike despite the country's zero COVID policy?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Kim. I'm actually working from home today because the CNN Beijing bureau is under lockdown as well. Thanks to a suspected case in the building where our office is located. Obviously, this has been standard operating procedure for some time, but still it hits you when you are personally impacted.
[03:19:58]
And across this country millions of residents are being affected one way or another because of the authorities continued and often very strict enforcement of zero COVID, especially with this latest wave of outbreaks showing no sign of abetting. I look out of my window Beijing looks like a ghost town in the middle of a workday, because of the partial and the growing lockdown.
In effect, most people have been told to work from home. Many commercial office buildings have closed and the authorities have shut down most public venues, restaurants, shops, and the gyms, not to mention schools, which all switch to virtual learning. But that's comfort for many parents with young children, myself included.
And the other issue is supplies. Because many people have been confined to either their homes or at least their residential compounds. That includes many delivery people. So, even when officials insist, there is plenty available in store and online, you are either unable to go out to shop or unable to get things delivered, and that is a growing problem.
And remember, just two weeks, two weeks ago, the central government here announced a series of protocols meant to relax certain aspects of their zero COVID enforcement. But instead, what has happened ever since is local officials, including here in Beijing, are simply doing it without saying it when it comes to implementing draconian rules, because they don't want to be seen as contradicting the new directive.
But that has created more confusion, more chaos resulting in more anger and frustration. I think for many Chinese, the most sobering reality check comes when they are watching these World Cup soccer matches with so many stadiums packed with audiences without any masks or social distances. That has certainly fuel -- has fueled a lot more resentment towards the zero COVID policy.
I just saw some latest figures from Nomura financial analysts. They were saying, once again, regions that contribute to some 20 percent of the country's GDP now under some forms of lockdown. That is really on par with what we saw back in April when Shanghai was under lockdown. So, it's really come to a full circle now. And Kim, it's going to be a very long and brutal winter ahead. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Yes, it could have a huge effect there. Steven Jiang, thanks so much for that.
And the U.S. and China are locked in a battle over microchips and it's a fight that's stretching global supply chains to their limits.
Selina Wang looks at how U.S. President Joe Biden's CHIP Act that ban certain high-tech exports in China is hurting Beijing's technological ambitions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): China wants its two million strong military combat ready, but war is already playing out between the U.S. and China on the technological battlefield. New export controls from the Biden administration choke off China's access to advanced computer chips, throttling China's high-tech ambitions.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Those tiny computer chips. WANG: Washington upping the ante just weeks before U.S President Joe Biden and Chinese leaders Xi Jinping met in Bali where they promised to stabilize U.S.-China relations. But fierce competition on technology set to intensify despite the handshakes and smiles.
ARTHUR DONG, PROFESSOR, MCDONOUGH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: This act is unprecedented in terms of modern times. This certainly poisons the waters further.
WANG: The goal, to protect America's national security interests by stopping China from advancing its military capabilities that Washington says includes weapons of mass destruction. But America's latest move hits virtually all of China's industries because almost everything has a chip in it. Your smartphone, car, refrigerator.
JAMES LEWIS, SVP & DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: This has had a tremendous effect on the Chinese economy.
WANG: Beijing claims Washington is strangling the country by the neck. China's readout of Biden and Xi's meeting at the G20 said, starting a trade war or a technology war, pushing for decoupling and severing supply chains run counter to the principles of market economy. Such attempts serve no one's interests.
China has poured billions of dollars and years of effort into building its semiconductor industry, but it still lags far behind the U.S., Taiwan, and South Korea.
LEWIS: When you talk to Chinese officials, they say it's probably put them back a decade, right? In their effort to obtain an indigenous source of advanced micro processors.
WANG: Xi Jinping is urging the country to be self-reliant in technology and innovation, telling chip engineers at a factory to grasp the lifeblood of technology in our own hands, and prepare for even more restrictions from Washington.
JORDAN SCHNEIDER, SENIOR ANALYST, RHODIUM GROUP: I expect these types of export controls to be rolled out in lots of other key strategic industries.
WANG: The new rules bar the export to China of advanced chips made anywhere in the world using U.S. technology, bans U.S. companies from selling tools needed to make those chips, restricts Americans from supporting chip development at certain manufacturing facilities in China. Cutting China off from critical talent.
[03:24:57]
The U.S. sees China as its biggest long-term strategic threat that has a power and intent to reshape the international order. So, Washington wants to stop selling anything to China that could later be used against the U.S., but as China turbo charges its homegrown industries, the battle for technology supremacy --
UNKNOWN: Three, two -- WANG: -- is only beginning.
Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Twitter CEO Elon Musk says he will restore most of the accounts that were banned by the social media platform's previous management. This, after he polled followers on Wednesday about whether to offer a quote, "general amnesty to suspended accounts if the account holders haven't broken the law."
Well, the poll got more than three million votes with about 72 percent apparently in favor. So, on Thursday, Musk tweeted, quote, "the people have spoken. Amnesty begins next week."
U.S. President Joe Biden says he's ready to take action in the wake of more than 600 mass shootings in the U.S. this year. Biden and first lady Jill visited with first responders at a firehouse in Nantucket, Massachusetts where they're spending the Thanksgiving holiday. Here he is.
BIDEN: The idea we still allow semiautomatic weapons to be purchased is sick. It is sick. It has no, no social redeeming value. Zero. None. Not a single solitary rationale for it except profit for the gun manufacturer.
UNKNOWN: Can you do anything about gun laws during the lame duck officers?
BIDEN: I'm going to try.
UNKNOWN: What will you try and do?
BIDEN: I'm going to try to get rid of assault weapon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The man who killed six people at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia on Tuesday was armed with a pistol not an automatic weapon, and he took his own life. The person who killed five people at a gay bar in Colorado Springs, Colorado over the weekend had an AR style rifle and a handgun.
Some Ukrainians who had to flee their homes now face a new struggle, to get food and stay warm.
We'll have that story ahead. Please do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.
Russian attacks have forced many Ukrainians to flee their homes, and with their lives in limbo they're now relying on aid deliveries to help them get through.
Now CNN's Matthew Chance saw firsthand in Odessa, they're still facing an uphill battle.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, well, all over Ukraine, people, because of the Russian missile strikes are being forced to abandon their towns and villages and their homes and come to receptions like centers like this one in a desert to try and get some basic supplies.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
[03:30:02]
What kind of things do you have here? I'm asking her.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CHANCE: What's that? All right? OK. Sanitizer. Sanitizer. Yes. Soap.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CHANCE: Food as well. It's a flower.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CHANCE: You know, fish, there's tin fish. So, all sorts of things. Some of it of course, given by private donors, you can see some of it from USAID, from the U.S. Aid organization, the government aid organization, and it is really just scratching the surface when it comes to the humanitarian needs.
Right. Well, we've come inside the reception center, and you can see there are people sort of crowded in here giving their details so they can receive some of this aid distribution. I'm going to speak to one of the organizers here.
Victoria, hi. Have you got a, have you got a minute?
VICTORIA POPOVA, VOLUNTEER: Yes. Hi.
CHANCE: How many -- thank you. How many people do you look after every day here in the center?
POPOVA: Every day we have from five to 700 families.
CHANCE: Families.
POPOVA: A day. Yes.
CHANCE: So that's how many people?
POPOVA: I cannot count how many.
CHANCE: It's more than a thousand, right?
POPOVA: Yes.
CHANCE: Yes. It's a lot. And is that number increasing?
POPOVA: It goes up. The quantity goes up. I don't know if it's very hard because these three days we had no light.
CHANCE: Yes.
POPOVA: And, you know, a lot of houses are totally, depends on light, so.
CHANCE: Yes. So, people have got no, no electricity.
POPOVA: Yes. We have no warms. We have no --
CHANCE: No heating.
POPOVA: Yes. Yes. So.
CHANCE: No heating and people can't cook food and keep warm.
POPOVA: Yes.
CHANCE: All right. Well, just outside the reception center, we found this food kitchen that's been set up here in the center of Odessa, which is obviously giving people, perhaps the only hot meal they can get in these very difficult times of power cuts, food shortages. It's been here, this facility for some years before the war, but in the past few months the situation has got a lot worse.
Refugees, displaced people from around Ukraine are highly dependent on this and the humanitarian situation in the country because of the Russian missile strikes and the ongoing conflict is getting a lot worse.
Matthew Chance, CNN, in the center of Odessa in southern Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Russia's missile strikes are making life miserable for many Ukrainians. But what exactly is Moscow getting out of that? Well, in the last hour, I spoke about that with Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: I think Russia's goal here is to inflict as much misery and pain on the Ukrainian people in terms of attacking their critical infrastructure, electricity, water, telecommunications, to basically break their will.
I don't think it's going to work because Ukrainians know that they don't have the option of surrender. If they basically go into a negotiation as a result of these attacks and a handover territory in areas such as the Donbas and Zaporizhzhia and or Kherson, then they're abandoning their people to the brutality of the Russians, which was seen in Bucha.
The Ukrainians are fighting for their survival. They can't afford to give up, so they will struggle through this winter and come out the other side and be ready to continue the fight.
BRUNHUBER: So then if Russia's goals to weaken Ukrainian resolve don't seem to be working, what about Russia's energy blackmail against Europe? I mean, will that result in more pressure being brought to bear on Ukraine to negotiate?
DAVIS: I think that's the greater concern. Essentially, the Russians are sensing that there's vulnerabilities, there's fractures and fissures in Europe in terms of sustaining support for the Ukrainians, in terms of military assistance the Ukrainians, I think the Russians are probably also hoping that there will be a fracturing of support in the United States.
With the goal, I think trying to convince Europe and the United States to essentially talk the Ukrainians into an early negotiation and a ceasefire. That would give the Russians then time to rebuild and regroup their forces, and also, potentially to erode competence, essentially in, Ukraine's ability to continue the fight, particularly if as a result of that pressure, the supplier of military capabilities to Ukraine drops off.
So, I think there has to be a strong pushback against that Russian effort to blackmail Europe and to coerce Europe into ending support for Ukraine.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, and we've already seen some weakening of support, at least here in the U.S. from certain segments of the Republican Party. So, looking ahead then at the battlefield situation, often we hear that things will come to a halt during the harsh winter, but you don't seem to think so, why not?
[03:34:55]
DAVIS: Look, I think, you know, when you look at history of warfare, there's many examples of battles that continue right through the harshest of winters. One example is the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. So, I think that you will see the war continue throughout this winter.
The Ukrainians know that they cannot let up the pressure on the Russians. The Russians will continue to reinforce their defensive positions in Kherson and in Donbas. And both sides will be preparing themselves for a return to full intensity operations in the northern spring and the summer. So, it may slow down a little bit, but I don't see it necessarily coming to a grinding halt.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Before we go, to keep waging that war Russia is running out of military hardware but getting vital equipment from Iran, and not just the drones that we've been talking so much about. What impact do you think that will have in Russia's ability to keep trying to wear Ukraine down? DAVIS: Look, I think it could be decisive if the Iranians provide the Russians with more advanced strike capabilities in the form of surface-to-surface ballistic missile such as the Fateh-110 and the Zolfaghar that have much greater precision and are much more difficult for the Ukrainians to intercept because of the sheer speed of the missile.
Then, the Russians can suddenly open up and widen their campaign against Ukrainian critical infrastructure, as well as Ukrainian military infrastructure, air bases, ports, command and control centers, that sort of thing.
And so, the provision of those Iranian missiles as opposed to the drones, I think could be quite significant. So, what you would then see is Ukraine quite rightly asking for greater protection from those Iranian missiles and that could be involved -- could involve, the provision of more advanced ballistic missile defense capabilities from the west.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Russian President Vladimir Putin is warning western leaders that any plan to cap oil prices would have, quote, "grave consequences." European energy ministers held an emergency meeting in Brussels, but they failed to reach an agreement.
CNN's Anna Stewart has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: The issue of capping gas prices has divided the block for weeks. Heading into the meeting, the Czech deputy prime minister said he was expecting it to be, and I'll quote, "spicy." And the Polish minister for climate in the environment threw cold water on the idea that a deal could be reached.
ANNA MOSKWA, POLISH MINISTER FOR CLIMATE: The gas price cap which is in the document currently, it doesn't satisfy any single country. It's a kind of joke for us after so many amounts of discussions and proposals, written proposals, which were presented by member states.
STEWART: The E.U. Commission had proposed setting a cap of 275 euros, about $285 per megawatt hour on wholesale gas prices being sold the month ahead on the futures market. Now that is so high, far higher than current prices that some member states questioned the point of it, saying it would rarely, if ever, be triggered.
Other member states are uncomfortable with capping the wholesale price of gas at all, saying it would do little to curb gas demand. The Czech minister for industry and trade who chaired the meeting concluded with this.
JOZEF SIKELA, CZECH MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE: I'm glad to inform you that today we are once again sending clear message of unity. We are not opening the champagne yet, but put the bottle in a fridge. STEWART: The message of unity was about as clear as mud, and it is
unclear whether the E.U. will find a compromise when they meet again on this issue next month.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Hungary says it won't stand in the way of Sweden and Finland becoming members of NATO. Prime Minister Viktor Orban says Hungary's parliament will ratify their membership in its first session next year. The announcement ended weeks of speculation over whether Hungary will hold up the process.
Sweden and Finland apply to join NATO this year which must be approved by all 30 members, but Hungary and Turkey have yet to give their formal go ahead.
All right. Still to come, the United Nations says Iran is in a full- fledged crisis as it opens an investigation into the country's deadly crackdowns on protestors.
And as Turkey launches an aerial assault on Kurds in Syria, the U.S. has a message for its NATO ally. We'll have the latest coming up. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: And this story just in to CNN, Israeli Prime Minister designate Benjamin Netanyahu is one step closer to forming a coalition government. His Likud Party signed a deal with a far-right party but it still doesn't account for a full government. According to a statement, Itamar Ben-Gvir becomes the minister of national security and his party will receive a number of other posts.
The U.N. Human Rights Council has voted to investigate Iran's deadly crackdown on protestors. Hundreds of people marched in the capital Tehran on Thursday night. Iranian authorities are accused of committing widespread abuses as they try to put down the movement that started more than two months ago.
It began with the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while morality police custody back in September. Iran's representative called the U.N. resolution, quote, "completely biased," and said it didn't reflect facts and realities. But in the end, 26 countries voted in favor. Here's the U.N.'s human rights chief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLKER TURK, UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: The unnecessary and disproportionate use of force must come to an end. The old methods and the fortress mentality of those who wield power simply don't work. In fact, they only aggravate the situation. We are now in a full-fledged human rights crisis. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: We have more now on the investigation from CNN's Jomana Karadsheh reporting from Istanbul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This decision by the U.N. Human Rights Council to establish a fact-finding mission is being described as historic. A landmark decision seen as a huge victory for so many Iranians and human rights groups and advocates who for years have been pushing the international community to establish an independent investigative and accountability mechanism, to try and hold the perpetrators of these human rights violations in Iran to account.
Now, we've spoken with human rights, experts and lawyers who have been following this very closely and have been pushing for this for quite some time. And they say what we should expect is the United Nations in the coming weeks would establish this fact- finding mission. What it would do is investigate the human rights violations that have been taking place during these protests since September.
It will collect, preserve, and analyze evidence that could be used to hold the perpetrators of these human rights violations accountable. Now, some would say that this is long overdue, that this is, should have happened a long time ago in Iran, but it is happening at a time when the United Nations is warning that the situation in the country is critical.
We've heard the U.N. Human Rights chief describing this as a human rights crisis right now. And with the protest movement that has turned into a national uprising showing no signs of stopping, and the government's already brutal crackdown, intensifying many fear that the situation is only going to get worse. So, it is very important that the international community is doing this right now.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.
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BRUNHUBER: The Taliban have resumed public floggings for people charged with crime in Afghanistan. According to a statement from the Afghan Supreme Court, the Taliban supreme leader has ordered the punishment for men and women convicted of adultery, robbery, and other offenses. It's the latest sign the country's returning to hard-line rule governed by Sharia law.
[03:45:04]
The Taliban have been harshly criticized for their treatment of women and girls who are forbidden from attending school beyond the sixth grade.
U.S. officials are urging Turkey to end its aerial assault on Kurdish forces in northern Syria. Turkey has been targeting what it calls terrorists in the region following an explosion in Istanbul that killed six people last week. One of the Kurdish groups is the SDF, a key ally in the U.S. fight against ISIS, while Turkey is a critical NATO ally.
The U.S. State Department calls the Turkish actions destabilizing and says they're putting civilians and U.S. personnel in danger.
CNN's Scott McLean has details.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. allied Kurdish-led defense force that controls a large swath of northern Syria has accused Turkey of attacking more than 100 towns in villages on Wednesday alone. In its latest statement, the Syrian Democratic Forces accused Turkey of committing war crimes, and said Turkish forces have hit neighborhoods and energy infrastructure using planes, drones, and heavy weapons.
It also promised that the attacks would not go unanswered. Turkey has not yet responded to the claims, but previously said that it had hit almost 500 targets in Syria since the start of its recent operation in response to a terror attack in central Istanbul less than two weeks ago that Turkey blames on Kurdish groups that it considers terrorists. Those groups deny the claims.
This has put the United States in a very uncomfortable position. It is Turkey's NATO ally, but it is also allied with the SDF in fighting what's left of the Islamic state. The U.S. says that a Turkish strike on an SDF and coalition forces base in Syria on Tuesday directly threatened the safety of Americans, though none were hurt.
The U.S. has called on Turkey to immediately deescalate the situation, but so far diplomatic efforts and public statements have done nothing to get Turkey to change course. On Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even floated the possibility of sending ground troops across the border into Syria.
Scott McLean, CNN, London.
BRUNHUBER: And we now have an update on that story. Turkey's defense minister, Hulusi Akar said it is, quote, "out of the question" for Turkey to harm coalition forces or civilians. Rebuffing claims that a U.S. observation point in northern Syria has been hit. And that was reported by Turkish state media.
Well, diplomatic agreement to end the violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo could be in jeopardy. Earlier this week, leaders from several Central African countries signed the agreement calling for a ceasefire that's due to take effect today. It calls on the M23 rebel group to withdraw from occupied territories of the DRC, but as (Inaudible) reports that the rebels say the agreement doesn't concern them because they weren't part of the summit.
Zain Asher reports on the regional force that could be deployed if diplomacy fails.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Soldiers with the Kenya defense forces arrive at Goma Airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These members of the East African community regional force are part of an operation hoping to stabilize the region as fighting between the DRC's army and M23 rebels intensifies. As the M23 advanced closer to the eastern city of Goma, the KDF military commander says that his priority is both diplomacy and disarming the rebels.
JEFF NYAGAH, COMMANDER, EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY REGIONAL FORCE: We have over 120 armed groups within DRC and they have instigated significant degree of insecurity. If these two trucks fails, then we will automatically transit to the truck. That is military action.
ASHER: Tensions have flared in recent days, forcing hundreds to flee their homes to make shift camps in the village of Kibati, about 15 kilometers north of Goma.
ERIC NDEZI, DISPLACEMENT CAMP RESIDENT (through translator): It was the day before yesterday when I decided to flee my homes because of the detonations. There were several detonations. I decided this because I didn't want to die in the village.
ASHER: This is just the latest wave of displacement. According to the United Nations, more than 262,000 people have fled their home since March when the violence began. M23 stands for the March 23 movement. Originally part of the Congolese military, they are mostly made up of Congolese Tootsies who claim they want to protect Tootsies from Hutu militants. The group has staged a major comeback in the Eastern DRC this year since being chased into Rwanda and Uganda in 2013.
[03:49:59]
The renewed fighting has caused diplomatic hostility between the DRC and Rwanda, as Congo accuses its neighbor of backing the rebels. A claim Rwanda denies. In his first state visit to the Congo, Kenyan President William Ruto met with the Congolese president and assured him that the Kenyan military would remain in the country as long as necessary to help subdue the instability.
WILLIAM RUTO, PRESIDENT OF KENYA: The peaceful, unsecure, unstable Eastern DRC and DRC is not only good for the people of Congo. It is good for the people of our region and it is also good for the people of Kenya.
ASHER: Uganda says it plans to deploy a thousand troops to the Congo by the end of the month, making it the third country to be part of the regional force after soldiers from Burundi also arrived in the area.
Children line up for cups of porridge provided by volunteer groups as more people arrive at the camps. As efforts are being made to restore peace, the fighting and the humanitarian situation grows more dire each day.
Zain Asher, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: Jin, the oldest member of the K-POP group BTS is set to begin his training in the South Korean army on December
13th. The music star posted a message online Thursday urging fans to stay away from the military training center, saying it would be crowded and too dangerous for them to try to catch a glimpse of him there.
Military service is mandatory in South Korea. Almost all able-bodied men are required to serve for 18 months by the time they're 28 years old.
Well, just days after his bad breakup with Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo makes World Cup history and kickstart a flurry of goals. We'll have the details coming up. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Now you can see them there. Portuguese fans in Doha were celebrating on Thursday. Their team overcame Ghana in a tight match and captain Cristiano Ronaldo accomplished an amazing feat just days after his controversial exit from Club Manchester United.
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CRISTIANO RONALDO, PORTUGAL TEAM CAPTAIN (through translator): Yes, this was a beautiful moment. My fifth World Cup. We won. We got off on the right foot. It's a very important win. Another record to be the only player to score in five consecutive World Cups. It's also something that makes me very proud and very happy for the great performance the team did.
Regarding Manchester United, that chapter is closed now. I'm completely focused here in the World Cup. I have helped the team. All the rest doesn't matter. The important thing is the Portuguese team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And the team was pretty pleased with his performance too.
CNN's Amanda Davies reports from Doha.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORTS PRESENTER: The majority Portuguese crowd came here in hope expectation and with one man's name on their lips, and ultimately, they and Cristiano Ronaldo got what they came for. Ronaldo goal, a moment of history. And a Portuguese win on what you could see was an incredibly emotional night for the 37-year-old.
Just look at those eyes as he lined up for the anthem. Every time he touched the ball, the crowd didn't know whether to hold their breath or cheer him on.
[03:54:59]
And you have to say it turned into a pretty labored first hour, but as the clock ticked around to 60 minutes, we heard that first passionate ringing chorus of the Ronaldo song and the switch was flicked. The merits of the penalty award can certainly be debated, but there was only one man who was going to step up and take it for Fernando Santos' side. And it went off he went to the corner flag chased down by his entire squad from the pitch and the bench. Even a decent number of the Ghanaian fans gave him a cheer.
But for all the talk of the damage he's done to his reputation for the way he handled forced his way out of Manchester United. You cannot argue with Ronaldo's achievements. His goal here season become the first man in history to score in five separate World Cups dating back to Germany 2006. But to only mention the Portuguese number seven does his teammates and Ghana a disservice here.
This was a game that turned into so much more. You didn't know where to look in the final 30 minutes. The next generation of Portuguese stars played their part. Two great flowing goals from Joao Felix and Rafael Leao with a battling, much improved Ghana, making the school line uncertain right the way through to the final kick of the game. Mohammed Kudus is certainly one to watch.
Ultimately, though, on the week his Manchester United journey came to an end, a winning start for Ronaldo and Portugal to a new World Cup campaign.
Amanda Davies, CNN, Doha, Qatar.
BRUNHUBER: The queen consort of the United Kingdom is sharing a bit of comfort with some underprivileged children in London. Camilla personally devoted hundreds of Paddington bears to a children's charity. Many of the bears were left at royal parks and palaces when Queen Elizabeth passed away in September.
Well, for the first time ever, a French bulldog has won the top prize at the National dog show. Have a look here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: National Dog Show best in show winner is the French bulldog.
UNKNOWN: David, you were right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Well, his name is Winston and he beat out hundreds of dogs to win the top spot. The annual competition airs on Thanksgiving and is the most watched dog show in the U.S. Winston is co-owned by Morgan Fox of the Los Angeles Chargers football team. He also competed in the Westminster dog show earlier this year.
I'm Kim Brunhuber. Thanks so much for watching. Max Foster picks up our coverage in a moment as CNN Newsroom continues, including a live report from Qatar. Stay with us.
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