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FTX Founder Faces Fraud And Conspiracy Charges; Belarus Announces Military Drills, Troop Movements; Argentina Fans Celebrate Spectacular 3-0 Win Over Croatia; Zelenskyy Thanking Allies for Aid; Interview with Kyiv School of Economics President Tymofiy Mylovanov; Brittney Griner Heartbroken for Paul Whelan; Racism from the British Media and Monarchy. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired December 14, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. Day of reckoning. FTX founder Sam Backman-Fried is charged with fraud and conspiracy. Accused of building a house of cards and using dirty money to buy political sway.

In what could be a game changer in Russia's war in Ukraine, Kyiv is on the verge of getting one of the most sophisticated air defense systems on the planet.

Plus, as China chips away at its zero-COVID policy, people are not out celebrating in the streets of Beijing instead, many are now getting sick.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. Well, just a few weeks after his cryptocurrency empire collapsed. Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried spent the night in a jail in the Bahamas. He faces extradition to the United States where he could be sentenced to 115 years in prison. One day after the embattled FTX founder was arrested in the Bahamas, he was denied bail by a judge who said he posed a flight risk.

In New York, federal prosecutors unsealed an eight-count criminal indictment, which includes charges of fraud and conspiracy and violating campaign finance laws.

Meanwhile, the chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued this statement, we allege that Sam Bankman-Fried built a house of cards on a foundation of deception, while telling investors that it was one of the safest buildings in crypto.

Carlos Suarez has more on all of today's developments from the Bahamas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMIAN WILLIAMS, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: This is one of the biggest financial frauds in American history.

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried appeared before a judge in Nassau, Bahamas Tuesday morning at his extradition hearing. He was arrested at his home in the Bahamas Monday night at the request of the U.S. government.

WILLIAMS: From 2019 until earlier this year, Bankman-Fried and coconspirators stole billions of dollars from FTX customers. He used that money for his personal benefit, including to make personal investments and to cover expenses and depths of his hedge fund Alameda Research.

SUAREZ: He's been indicted on eight criminal charges including wire fraud, multiple counts of conspiracy and campaign finance violations. Prosecutors say he made illegal political donations in the tens of millions of dollars.

WILLIAMS: All this dirty money was used in service of Bankman-Fried's desire to buy bipartisan influence and impact the direction of public policy in Washington.

SUAREZ: Prosecutors allege Bankman-Fried conspired with others on numerous schemes including diverting billions of dollars in customer assets to his hedge fund Alameda Research. In early 2022, investors valued FTX and its U.S. operations at a combined $40 billion.

GURBIR GREWAL, U.S. SEC DIRECTOR OF ENFORCEMENT: Bankman-Fried's entire house of cards started to crumble as crypto asset prices plummeted in May of 2022. And as Alameda's lenders demanded repayment on billions of dollars in loans.

SUAREZ: The 30-year-old son of two Stanford law professors studied physics at MIT and traded at a small firm before launching FTX in 2019. It quickly became one of the leading crypto exchanges with celebrity promoters like Tom Brady, Giselle Bundchen, Steph Curry, and Larry David.

TOM BRADY, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS QUARTERBACK: Not a trade, trade, I'm trading crypto.

SUAREZ: Following an industry publication which question the inner workings of the crypto exchange users began withdrawing their investments from FTX at a rapid pace in November. Then all came crashing down for Bankman-Fried and he resigned. FTX filed for bankruptcy on November 11th.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS CHIEF ANCHOR: A lot of people look at you and see Bernie Madoff.

BANKMAN-FRIED: Yes. I mean, I don't think that's who I am at all. But I understand why they're saying that. People lost money, and people lost a lot of money.

SUAREZ: Later, he was asked about his criminal liability in the matter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How concerned are you about criminal liability at this point?

BANKMAN-FRIED: I think the real answer is it's not -- sounds weird to say but I think the real answer is that's not what I'm focusing on. It's -- there's going to be a time and a place for me to sort of think about myself in my own future, but I don't think this is it. Like right now.

SUAREZ: On Monday in a podcast on Twitter spaces, he said he didn't believe he would be arrested.

UNIDENTIFIED FEFMALE: Are you worried you might be detained if you stepped foot into the U.S.?

BANKMAN-FRIED: I don't believe I would be but I haven't done a like deep dive into that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:05:00]

SUAREZ: SBF says he is going to fight extradition to the U.S. and you can understand why if he's convicted of the charges out of New York. He faces up to 115 years in prison. His next court hearing here in the Bahamas is scheduled for February.

Carlos Suarez, CNN, Nassau, Bahamas.

CHURCH: Yesha Yadav is a professor of law and associate dean at Vanderbilt Law School. She joins me now from Rochester, Minnesota. Good to have you with us.

YESHA YADAV, PROFESSOR OF LAW AND ASSOCIATE DEAN, VANDERBILT LAW SCHOOL: Rosemary, thank you so very much for having me on your show today.

CHURCH: Absolutely. So, after Sam Bankman-Fried's arrest in the Bahamas, he was denied bail Tuesday during a court hearing and will ultimately face multiple criminal charges next month with more charges to come in the future. What is his legal jeopardy at this juncture?

YADAV: Well, Rosemary, the picture looks extremely bleak for Sam Bankman-Fried today. This is on a multiple different levels. First and foremost is a criminal liability here. He's facing eight counts of criminal liability. And these span the gamut. And what we're seeing in this context is a potential legal liability that could be serious enough to land him in jail for life. So, this is very, very serious legal jeopardy for him.

One issue that the U.S. will face is obviously trying to extradite Sam Bankman-Fried to the U.S. And that process could in fact take potentially months, if not actually years in some cases. So, one potential roadblock that the Justice Department here could face. And that could give Sam Bankman-Fried potentially some kind of reprieve going forward are the extradition proceedings that we will -- that he will have to face in order to be moved from the Bahamas to face trial here in the U.S. CHURCH: All right. So, if convicted, as you say on all counts, Bankman-Fried could face more than 100 years in prison life in other words. So, what about the other people linked to his company and also the various stars who supported FTX? Tom Brady, his former wife, Giselle and many others. How liable have they ultimately given some would not have known of the deception or fraud? They wouldn't have known about the inner workings. Some would?

YADAV: Rosemary, it's a terrific question. I think with respect to the inner circle that's running FTX, they are likely to face extremely serious legal jeopardy as well. It's unsurprising that the case has been bought first against Sam Bankman-Fried. This is a situation in which he is the headline grabber, he is obviously the head of the entire organization. We heard testimony today at the financial services hearing from Mr. John Ray III who is the current CEO that pointed to Sam Bankman-Fried as the person who was running this entire enterprise.

And so, we certainly have a very strong culpability for Sam Bankman- Fried. But obviously, what Mr. Ray also pointed to was this coterie of other very close confidants that were in concentrated control, in Mr. Reyes' words off FTX. And what the indictment today pointed to was a series of conspiracy charges, conspiracy for wire fraud, for example. And in that context, you do have a conspiracy, you are assuming that there will be other conspirators that will be involved in this context.

So certainly, if you are connected to the very close circle of advisers that were running FTX at the time, there is every reason to worry that you are next in line to face legal Jeopardy in this context. Now looking much further afield for folks like the big stars involved in this case, as you mentioned, Rosemary. Tom Brady and the other big stars that were very closely involved in hyping up FTX. That is a harder case to establish.

In fact, the other day, or one of the cases against them was thrown out, the high potential is going to be harder to face because there's no real crutch there to say that these folks were deceiving particular customers or they even knew about the problems that were happening in FTX at the time,

CHURCH: So, is Bankman-Fried the Bernie Madoff of cryptocurrency, as many suggest? And what needs to happen next, then in this industry that clearly requires more checks and balances?

YADAV: It's clear Rosemary FTX and SPF are the poster child for everything that has gone wrong in this industry. They were not just the bastions of the industry itself. They were the -- they were the ones that made this industry usable for the average everyday consumer. They were the ones that made D.C. feel comfortable that in fact crypto could be taken seriously and legitimized for the mainstream.

And for the private industry they were the ones that made crypto able to be financialized and included in parts into the mainstream financial system. And so, what happens next is going to be critical not just for the everyday investors who are waiting to get their money back, but it's going to be critical for the future of the industry itself because this entire industry now will depend on a return to confidence.

The ability for users, for investors for stakeholders to believe once again that there's something here to actually put their money into where they can feel safe.

[02:10:09]

Where they feel that this actual technology has some real use value, where they feel that if they do have risk on the line, that that risk is controlled and mitigated by some very basic checks and balances as made clear in John Ray's testimony, for example, there were really no adults in the room in this enterprise, it lacked something as basic as a board. And so, it's a real time for reckoning in this industry. And what happens next is going to be critical for its future going forward.

CHURCH: Most definitely. Yesha Yadav, thank you so much for your analysis. Appreciate it.

YADAV: Rosemary, thank you so much for having me.

CHURCH: Ukraine says its air defense forces shot down at least 11 Iranian-made drones during an early morning attack on Kyiv a short time ago. There are no reports of casualties, but an official says two administrative buildings and a private residence were damaged. As Russia continues to ramp up its aerial assault, Ukraine could soon get a much-needed boost to its defenses, exclusive reporting by CNN shows the U.S. is finalizing plans to send the highly advanced patriot missile defense system to Ukraine.

U.S. officials tell CNN the plan is expected to be approved soon by both the U.S. Defense Secretary and President Joe Biden. And the Patriots could be shipped in just a matter of days. Ukraine has long been asking for the system but the training on how to use it, well that could take many months. This could be a game changer though, as the system is capable of shooting down Russian missiles and aircraft far from their intended targets inside Ukraine.

CNN's Oren Lieberman has more details now reporting from the Pentagon.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Patriot missile batteries are a system that Ukraine has been requesting near daily for quite some time now, weeks, if not months, and CNN has learned according to U.S. officials that the U.S. is preparing to send over a Patriot missile battery to help with Ukrainian air defenses. Air Defense has been one of the U.S.'s top priorities to get to Ukraine and a key focus of the international meetings to see what systems are available.

U.S. now making the decision to send one of its most advanced systems, the long-range patriot, which will fit on top of the systems that U.S. has already provided. At the beginning of the war. it was the short- range Stinger missiles, then more recently, the NASAMS, the medium- range air defense system, and the Patriot will fit on top of that at a crucial time as Russia carries out missile strikes, drone strikes and rocket attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and energy infrastructure causing widespread blackouts and water shortages across the country.

And that seems to be part of what tipped the scales in favor of sending over the Patriot missiles. There was also a question of how long the training on these would take. Normally it takes months but now that the U.S. sees this war is dragging on, and as the U.S. is set to perhaps expand its trading of Ukrainian forces, the opportunity is there to provide the necessary training to operate Patriot missiles so Ukrainian can operate them, sustain them and maintain them effectively.

That was one of the key decisions here. How quickly could they get into the country? Well, the U.S. has repeatedly shown he can move systems very quickly when it comes to HIMARS and Howitzers, the bigger challenges the training, Ukraine has shown repeatedly that it can compress the trading timeline in some of these more advanced systems. Still, this trading normally takes months. How much can that be compressed? Well, we're about to find out.

Oren Lieberman, CNN at the Pentagon.

CHURCH: Russian President Vladimir Putin is getting crucial help from his close ally Belarus. Ukraine's northern neighbor is moving troops and equipment around the country after announcing snap military drills. They did the same thing earlier this year, just before Russia invaded Ukraine. Remember, this is a country where Putin pulls the strings. He met four days ago with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at an economic summit.

Ukrainian forces were not well prepared when Russian troops crossed into the country from Belarus back in February, but they are determined not to make that mistake again. CNN's Will Ripley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We've just arrived at a Ukrainian military Forward Operating Base near the Belarusian border, where they're going to show us the fortifications that they put in place to protect against the potential Russian ground invasion.

RIPLEY (voice over): A few miles away in neighboring Belarus, an ominous show of force, Russian and Belarusian troops holding joint combat drills like they did earlier this year just before the invasion.

RIPLEY (on camera): Are you concerned about the troop buildup on the Belarusian border?

OLEKSII REZNIKOV, MINISTER OF DEFENSE OF UKRAINE: We have to be concerned because we have -- not friendly neighbor but we have 2500 kilometers not friendly borders.

[02:15:08]

Belarus, Russia and temporarily occupied territories. We have to be ready here.

RIPLEY (voice over): Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov tell CNN Ukraine is preparing in case the Russians invade from Belarus again. He says they urgently need more weapons, anti-tank systems, more advanced missile defense.

We are not afraid of them says the captain, Dimitri (ph). We don't expect them to come here. But if they do, we'll be ready.

These soldiers are constantly rehearsing, ready at a moment's notice.

RIPLEY (on camera): Do you think the Russians are going to try to come again?

Let them try, says Ivon (ph).

RIPLEY (voice over): Before the war, he repaired sewing machines. Now he drives this.

RIPLEY (on camera): How quickly can you get guys to the premises if you need to?

RIPLY (voice over): It'll be very fast, he says. They started building these trenches in early April, reinforcing them ever since, getting ready for the Russians. They overpowered Ukrainian defenses at the start of the war. Six weeks and thousands of deaths nationwide later. Soldiers from this battalion helped forced them out.

RIPLEY (on camera): Was there ever a point where it was overwhelming where you thought we can't do this? We can't find them well?

RIPLEY (voice over): I never thought like that says, Sadhi (ph). Because I know there's no way back. We have families at home, we have children.

RIPLEY (on camera): He says that 2500 Russian vehicles actually pass right down this road.

RIPLEY (voice over): Now we're driving down the same road to a bridge near the border, well within Russian artillery range.

RIPLEY (on camera): When the Russians invaded more than nine months ago, they just drove down this road right over this bridge. But now the bridge has been rigged with explosives. And these swamp lands which are frozen over are full of mines.

RIPLEY (voice over): When the first convoy of an estimated 30,000 Russians came in February, the Ukrainians were unprepared and outnumbered six to one. Now, like soldiers from a century ago, they hunker down in the trenches, waiting for whatever comes down the road.

Will Ripley CNN, near the Ukrainian-Belarusian border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Screams of joy as Argentina secure their ticket to the World Cup final. They rolled past Croatia who couldn't find the back of the neck. Final score, three-nil.

In Buenos Aires, huge crowds ran into the streets to celebrate after Argentina's rough start to the tournament, that embarrassing loss to Saudi Arabia. This moment means a lot to them. And to Argentine legend and team captain Lionel Messi who has never won a World Cup. Now this is likely his last chance. Messi has now tied the record of four tournament appearances with 25 matches played.

Croatia will now compete in the third-place playoff on Saturday and will face the loser of France versus Morocco. The winner of that semi- final will go up against Argentina in Sunday's final. Morocco have already enjoyed several major upsets and have yet to concede a goal from an opposing player throughout the entire tournament. France ranked fourth in the world are the defending champions.

And we will of course have more World Cup coverage for you later this hour on CNN World Sport.

Still to come. With zero-COVID policy unraveling new COVID infections begin to soar in China. We will look at how things have changed in Beijing.

And later, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex set a record with the premiere of their Netflix docu series but will part two live up to the hype? We'll take a look

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:21:15]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The US Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates another half a point when it wraps up its December meeting in the day ahead. The move is meant to slow inflation. The latest government report shows prices are still high but inflation is cooling. Consumer prices rose 7.1 percent in November. That is the lowest rate in almost a year. And inflation has now slowed for five months in a row.

The increase was driven by food and housing costs which offset falling energy prices. The inflation reports sent U.S. financial markets higher on Tuesday with the Dow finishing about a third of a percent higher. You can see there, the Asian markets, Hang Seng up but point- 63 percent. The Nikkei in Japan up point-72 percent.

And there are the future, some encouraging numbers there. Certainly, in green territory. We'll keep an eye on those. And just into CNN, finally some relief from sky-high inflation in the United Kingdom. The government says, year over year inflation is slightly last month down to 10.7 percent. It was just more than 11 percent in October. The data comes as the U.K. central bank is expected to raise interest rates for the ninth time in a row at its next meeting on Thursday.

Well, U.S. President Joe Biden has signed the respectful Marriage Act into law. The landmark law provides federal protections to same sex and interracial couples and requires states to honor marriages performed in other states. Mr. Biden emphasized that everyone must be treated with equal, dignity and respect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Marriage is a simple proposition. Who do you love? And will you be loyal with that person you love? It's not more complicated than that. And the law recognize that everyone should have the right to answer those questions for themselves without the government interference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And to mark the historic day the White House was lit up in rainbow colors.

China says it will stop including new asymptomatic cases in daily COVID reports. Officials say the number isn't entirely accurate since most people with asymptomatic cases are not reporting their infection. It's among the latest policy changes as Beijing rolls back at strict zero-COVID policy. But the results are not what most people expected.

CNN's Selina Wang has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: China is starting to unravel it zero COVID policy but instead of crowds out celebrating this is how reopening is going in China. Closed shops, empty streets, people avoiding each other because for the first time since the start of the pandemic COVID is spreading like wildfire in Beijing. People now either have COVID or they're scared to get it.

So, I just spoke to the shop worker in the store and he told me that he's the only employee without COVID which is why he can still come to work. And he says I am the only customer who has come into the store all day.

The only crowds I'm seeing in Beijing outside of hospitals like this and pharmacies. So, he says his fevers gone down but he still has a cold, hoping to buy medicine but he's worried they don't have any stock because there's long lines forming outside of pharmacies across the country. People are trying to stock up but stuff is selling out.

You know, for years China has been demonizing COVID playing up the risks of long COVID. And now suddenly, state media's publishing headlines every day saying COVID is not a big deal.

[02:25:04]

It's whiplash for a lot of people, because just weeks before if you got COVID, your whole community would have gone into hard lockdown. This is such a major and sudden change.

So, China is finally opening up. How do you feel about it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel was pretty great. I wish they could have opened up earlier. WANG: Has business been very slow or difficult?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, you can see there are not that many customers, other people just got the virus.

WANG: Are you scared about getting COVID?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm worried about my parents and my grandparents a little bit.

WANG: People are relieved though, that you no longer have to go to a quarantine facility if you get COVID. Getting sent to one of those rundown facilities was such a big source of anxiety before. And these health Q.R. codes that have been used for years to track and dictate where we can go well, the government is now saying that you don't need them to enter most public places.

So, I don't need to scan my code. It feels surreal though, that I can literally just walk in. So, she said I can only do online delivery, so you can't even sit inside or order inside and Shake Shack.

So, outside the Starbucks, they have a sign saying you need to show a 48-hour COVID test. Even though the national rules don't require it in Beijing, you still need a recent PCR test in order to enter restaurants, gyms, and entertainment venues. There are way less places now to get COVID tests of the city and the lines are short because most people are just staying at home. But just a week before at this exact same location, this was packed with people waiting in line.

So behind me is a graveyard of COVID testing booths. It's like almost overnight in Beijing, they removed all of these testing locations and here's the remnants.

After years of harsh lockdown, the government is finally letting people manage their own health. But people don't feel ready. And experts say the country isn't either. The country hasn't vaccinated enough of the elderly population and has it improved the health care capacity enough. So, this reopening it's going to continue to be messy and uneven.

Selina Wang, CNN Beijing.

CHURCH: Peru's government has deployed armed forces across the country amid ongoing political protests. At least six people have been killed after supporters of former President Pedro Castillo took to the streets following his impeachment and arrest last week. But Castillo is denying allegations of conspiracy and rebellion. And insists he's been wrongly detained.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEDRO CASTILLO, FORMER PRESIDENT OF PERU: I am unfairly and arbitrarily detained I am not as a thief, a rapist, corrupt or thug. But I also want to address the country to tell it that I'm grateful for its trust effort, struggle and identification. I will never renounce or abandon this popular cause that has brought me here. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The protests have shut down some flight and train services across the country including to Machu Picchu. Meanwhile, Castillo successor is urging protesters to stay calm.

And still to come, as winter takes hold in Ukraine more than a billion dollars in aid is on the way. Thanks to the French president and his western allies. We're back in just a moment with that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:00]

CHURCH: Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is thanking the European Union and other countries for billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. 19 billion will come from the European Union, and donors at a conference in France pledged another billion. Most of the money will go to Ukraine's embattled energy sector, which has been decimated by Russian attacks.

Timothy Milavanof is the president of the Kyiv School of Economics, joining me now from the Ukrainian capital. Thank you so much for being with us.

Thank you.

CHURCH: I do want to start with this news of explosions being heard in Kyiv, just a short time ago. Apparently about 11 Iranian-made drones were shot down over the city. What are you learning about this and what did you see and hear from where you are?

TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: I actually woke up from the explosions. We're used to the sounds. We recognize them. And I looked into the window outside of my apartment, outside of my balcony, there was some smoke coming up, but not major, and there is a lot of lights, you know, like in the movies where there's lights going in the sky and air defense working.

It is true that 11 in some reports already say that it's as many as 13. And the missile attack just ended about five to 10 minutes before our interview.

CHURCH: All right. Interesting. And CNN has learned that the U.S. is finalizing plans to send the patriot missile defense system to Ukraine, something President Zelenskyy has been asking for for some time now to protect civilians, of course, and infrastructure being targeted by Russian airstrikes. And this will also help reduce the massive destruction of cities, how significant is this?

MYLOVANOV: It is significant. First, it's symbolic. Because Ukraine has been asking for air defense for patriots for quite some time now, almost from the beginning of the war, and that has been denied. So, something has changed politically. And in practice, in pragmatic terms, it depends on how many of them there will be, because Ukraine is a big country. There are a lot of cities. CHURCH: And President Zelenskyy is also thanking the E.U. and other nations for donating billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Most of this money will help Ukraine rebuild and repair the country's power grid that's been destroyed by these targeted Russian airstrikes. How far will this $20 billion go in rebuilding Ukrainian cities and the infrastructure that's been so severely damaged?

MYLOVANOV: That is correct. Just in November, the damages assessed by the Kyiv School of Economics from the attacks on the power grid, on the infrastructure, amount to $6.8 billion. That's just one month. December probably will be another number similar to that.

So, 20 billion or 10 billion, these are the numbers which we think might cover (INAUDIBLE) months to a month, maybe two months of infrastructure damage. So, this is great help.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, let's look at those numbers because the cost to rebuild Ukraine is staggering, isn't it, with the World Bank estimating it will take around $349 billion to rebuild the nation, while the Ukrainian government presented a 10-year plan, 750 billion to rebuild.

MYLOVANOV: Yes.

CHURCH: And the problem at this juncture is that the war is far from over, and these costs will inevitably rise. So, how confident are you that the money will keep coming from the E.U. and the United States and other nations to help rebuild your country?

MYLOVANOV: You're correct. The numbers are staggering, absolutely. The direct damages. So, the Kyiv School of Economics works together with the World Bank on the estimates. So, these numbers I'm going to mention are consistent. The direct damages are $136 billion. The needs or indirect damages together range from 350 that you mentioned to 750 over 10 years.

[02:35:00]

How confident we are that the money will be coming? Well, it sounds like it's a lot of money, but it's a small portion just to share a tiny bit of what the countries now are investing in defense and in helping people cope with the energy cost and inflation. So, in that sense, it's a good investment to have strong Ukraine that Russia doesn't attack and is denied the ability to wage a war.

CHURCH: And what is the plan in terms of rebuilding? Is it to take Ukraine back to where it was or is there going to be an effort to move it forward with the rebuild?

MYLOVANOV: There is a notion of the terminology is, build back better. The idea is that we don't rebuild everything. We might rebuild even less than before, but we rebuild better in a sense that it's modern, decentralized infrastructure which is sustainable.

CHURCH: All right. Tymofiy Mylovanov, thank you so much for talking with us. Appreciate it.

Basketball star Brittney Griner is thankful to be back home, but her agent says she's heartbroken Paul Whelan is still detained in Russia. The Biden administration was unable to secure the former marine's release as part of a prisoner swap for convicted Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout. Griner's agent tells CNN that she's thinking about Whelan and his family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDSAY KAGAWA COLAS, BRITTNEY GRINER'S AGENT: You can be both joyous and heartbroken, and she's heartbroken that Paul Whelan is not home. She's thinking about his family and talked about her intention to call them as soon as she gets home. And, you know, she's really committed to telling the stories and making sure that, you know, this population of wrongfully detained Americans, that people know their names.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Her agent also says that Griner is making plans on how she can help Americans detained overseas.

And still to come, claims of racism from the British media and monarchy are front and center in a new Netflix documentary, a look at how long the duke and duchess of Sussex say they've had to endure it. Just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: They were happy to lie to protect my brother. They were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The rogue royals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: That is a clip from the Netflix docuseries on the duke and duchess of Sussex, "Harry & Meghan." The first drop of episodes last week is now the platforms most watched documentary debut ever. Logging more than 81 million hours watched in its first week. Part two of the special will feature three more episodes available to watch on Thursday. Buckingham Palace has said it would not comment on the docuseries.

[02:40:00]

Well, the series has brought the Sussex's claims of racism in the British media and monarchy back into the spotlight. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz looks at how those claims have affected their relationship from the beginning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It was a union that brought hope of change, an outsider, a woman of color, breaking through to the very highest level of British society. The couple say, systemic racism deep rooted in the U.K.'s media and monarchy both elite and predominantly white institutions left them isolated and unheard.

In a new Netflix documentary, the share their experiences.

PRINCE HARRY: Why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? Why should you get special treatment? Why should she be protected? And I said, the difference here is the race element.

ABDELAZIZ (voiceover): Their wedding in 2019 was a celebration of Britons multiculturalism.

KAREN GIBSON, CHOIR CONDUCTOR AT SUSSEX'S WEDDING: There was a sense of us representing. There was that kind of understanding that we weren't just standing there for ourselves, that we were standing there for communities of color.

ABDELAZIZ (voiceover): But it's the couple's exit from royal duties and later a bombshell Oprah interview to explain the move that sparked controversy.

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Did you leave the country because of racism?

PRINCE HARRY: It was a large part of it.

MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: And if a member of his family will comfortably say, we've all had to deal with things that are rude, rude and racist or not the same.

ABDELAZIZ (voiceover): Talk of race and racism, often seen as a taboo topic in the U.K., prompted a reckoning for some. For others, defensiveness, even anger.

PIERCE MORGAN, TV HOST: This is a two-hour trash-a-thon.

ABDELAZIZ (voiceover): Pierce Morgan, a top TV host, stormed off the set.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know what, that's pathetic.

MORGAN: You can (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, no.

ABDELAZIZ (voiceover): After a series of rants against Markle. And the U.K. Society of Editors issued a blanket refusal to acknowledge any bigotry at any level in the press. Critics call the statement, willful ignorance.

Buckingham Palace said they would address the matter behind closed doors. But Prince William made a public and rare off-the-cuff remark. PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: No, we're very much not a racist family.

ABDELAZIZ (voiceover): But for many others, the first modern royal of color articulated a lived experience that resonate at a time of racial reckoning. In 2020, the U.K. saw huge demonstrations that demanded Britain confront institutional inequality. The Sussexes say, they're driven by that same call to action.

PRINCE HARRY: There is a huge level of unconscious bias. It's education, it's awareness, and it's a constant working -- work in progress.

ABDELAZIZ (voiceover): Now, unbound by monarchy, the couple are lending their voice to Britain's anti-racism movement and aggravating its detractors.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. World Sport is up next. Then, I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom."Do stick around.

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