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Official: Russian Missiles Shot Down Over Ukraine; U.S., Germany Announces Plans To Send Tanks To Ukraine; Ukraine Requests Hundreds More Tanks Than West Has Pledged. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired January 26, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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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. Western tanks are headed to Ukraine. We will discuss the significance of this move by the U.S. and Germany how it could change the dynamic on the battlefield and which weapons the Ukrainians want next.
Schools reduced to rubble. Classes in bomb shelters and regular power outages. A live interview this hour with UNICEF on the effects of war on Ukrainian children.
Plus, from China to Japan. A deadly cold snap is gripping East Asia.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: And we begin with new developments out of Ukraine where the President's Chief of Staff says the country's air defense system has been activated and Russian missiles were shot down. The governor of the Mykolaiv region says at least two rockets flew through his area. This news after we learned of emergency power outages in Kyiv and several regions across the country because of a threat of a missile attack.
Ukraine's largest private energy company called the move a preventative step to avoid damage if missiles strike the energy infrastructure.
Well, meantime, a united front from Ukraine's Western allies, as the United States and Germany announced their plans to send dozens of sophisticated tanks to the battlefield and they're not alone. Germany's main governing bodies says its country along with other allies will provide about 80 Leopard 2 tanks in total to Ukraine. And this is the type of military equipment Ukraine says will work as an iron fist to break through Russian lines.
Berlin's decision to send 14 of its own tanks came after weeks of pressure and diplomacy. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made the announcement reiterating his country's support for Ukraine. But getting Germany to this point took a U.S. commitment to do the same. Shortly after the news from Berlin, President Joe Biden said the U.S. will be providing Ukraine with 31 Abrams tanks.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the decision to send main battle tanks to his country proves "freedom is only getting stronger."
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): The key now is speed and volume. The speed of training our military, the speed of supplying tanks to Ukraine, the amount of tank support, we have to form a fist of tanks, a fist of freedom which will not allow tyranny to rise again last fall.
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CHURCH: And CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is tracking developments for us. She joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Salma. So, how did the West finally get to this point of officially agreeing to send these much-needed battle tanks to Ukraine and what's at stake here?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A major announcement, Rosemary. And one that really indicates a really big shift for Ukraine's allies. And when that really means I think NATO more united stronger in Ukraine, of course, stronger as well with this announcement. And yes, it did take some time. There was days in which NATO Allies, European countries were piling on pressure on Berlin.
And Berlin throughout that process said listen, give us time, we need to think about this. We are breaking a decade's long tradition by providing tanks. Something that was really unthinkable about a year ago when this conflict started. Unthinkable to provide tanks to Ukraine facing up to Russian forces. But its German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressing parliament yesterday where he explained that process not just to his countrymen, but also to his partners. Take a listen.
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OLAF SCHOLZ, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY (through translator): In everything we do, we must always make it very clear that we are doing what is necessary and what is possible to support Ukraine. But at the same time, we are preventing the war from escalating into a war between Russia and NATO. And we will always continue to observe this principle.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today's announcement builds on the hard work and commitment from countries around the world. That's what this is about. Helping Ukraine defend and protect Ukrainian land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: As you heard there from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and from President Biden, there was really two key things that may be linked in this process but first of all Germany did not want to be on its own. [02:05:06]
It very much wanted to do this alongside its partners. And it's President Biden's announcement, the U.S. plan to send those 30, 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine that really loosened Berlin's position and allowed that step forward with those Leopard tanks now, not just coming from Germany, Rosemary, of course. You have these Leopard tanks spread across multiple European countries. So, that gives the green light for those countries as well to redeploy those tanks to Ukraine.
They say -- European officials say we should see those leper tanks arriving in Ukraine in just about two to three months.
CHURCH: And Salma, how is Ukraine responding to us and German plans to send battle tanks and how might they perhaps be game changers in this brutal war?
ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely Kyiv is celebrating this announcement. This is something that President Zelenskyy has been pleading for now for weeks and months. And it does begin to show that NATO, the United States Western allies are willing to step up their support for Ukraine to provide what seems almost an endless stream of weaponry, of ammunition, of supplies, of material support to fight this offensive.
And these tanks in particular are important because this is an infantry war. It is those inch-by-inch advances that are spearheaded by tanks that have been the hallmark of this conflict. And that's exactly why you heard there. President Zelenskyy describing these tanks as an iron fist. I also want you to take a listen to how the defense minister of Ukraine explained it.
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OLEKSI REZNIKOV, UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: We will use them as some kind of metal fist or iron fist to break through the defense line of our enemy because we are need -- we need to make our -- continue our counter offensive campaign in different direction for the liberation, our temporarily occupied territories.
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ABDELAZIZ: Now, I do want to give a bit of a reality check here, Rosemary. We do have some 80 Leopard tanks according to European officials heading to Ukraine, as I mentioned, those should arrive in two to three months. And then of course, you have those Abrams tanks much longer timeline on that. It will take months just for them to arrive in Europe and months more for Ukrainians to be trained on them.
And these are not all the tanks Ukraine needs. President Zelenskyy had requested some 300 tanks to replace some 3000 Soviet era tanks. He's only getting about just over 100 tanks here for doing the math between the Leopard tanks and the Abrams tanks. And then you have that lag time. So don't expect that this will change things on the ground anytime soon, particularly when you think that time is of the essence because Ukraine is expecting this counter offensive in the spring from Moscow. CHURCH: All right. Salma Abdelaziz, many thanks for bringing us up to date on that.
Well, meanwhile, the Ukrainian military says Russia is ramping up its assault on Bakhmut and the battle for this key eastern city is becoming even more intense. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen explains.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Russian army claims its overwhelming firepower is decimating Ukrainian defenses on the most brutal front in this war around the town Bakhmut.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): 15 min just ran into this house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes. Target his. He managed to collapse the middle of the building.
PLEITGEN: Ukraine has now acknowledged losing its last foothold in the small town Soledar north of Bakhmut. The Russians there, mostly mercenaries from the Wagner private military company judging by their own claims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We were force to select the target, charge up and hit it. We hit it precisely. We hit the building right in the place where the ATGM was located.
PLEITGEN: But despite sources telling CNN the U.S. has advised Ukraine to withdraw from Bakhmut. Even Wagner commanders admit Kyiv's forces are fighting back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The enemy puts up fierce resistance to our fighters. The enemy is holding on and is getting additional reserves and military supplies.
PLEITGEN: And the Ukrainians continue probing in other areas far from Bakhmut. The military releasing this video of a daring raid across the Dnipro River in South Ukraine, taking out a Russian command facility there.
But to go on the offensive, Ukraine needs hundreds of main battle tanks. So far western partners have pledged about 100. Moscow has vowed to hit those tanks when they enter Ukraine and is conducting a show of force of its own. Sending the frigate Admiral Gorshkov. Moscow says carries hypersonic missiles to ocean drills with a Chinese and South African navies.
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But for now, Bakhmut is the epicenter of this conflict and Ukrainian soldiers here say they will fight for every inch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): One day their artillery works and the next day the infantry assaults. It's a difficult time now but our boys keep standing their ground.
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PLEITGEN: Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front lines in and around Bakhmut who were contacted by CNN say they are absolutely elated to hear that Western main battle tanks could be coming to Ukraine in the not-too-distant future. They say that tanks are a huge part of the equation here and have been helping the frontline troops a lot. Of course, they understand it's going to be a while before any Western main battle tanks get here.
But right now, the Ukrainians say they need all the help they can get as the Russians are making a big push to try and go towards the west and take Bakhmut. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kramatorsk, Ukraine.
CHURCH: The death toll in antigovernment protests in Peru has now risen to at least 57. Police and protesters have been clashing daily since December, as the country faces its worst outbreak of violence in decades. Peru's president is vowing to investigate alleged abuses by authorities against demonstrators. And although the Organization of American States is expressing its full support for her, Dina Boluarte is calling for early elections.
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DINA BOLUARTE, PRESIDENT OF PERU (through translator): I would also like to ask some of my colleagues which way out of the crisis in Peru are you proposing? The way out by violence or peace and democracy? I've asked Congress to approve the early elections as soon as possible. And I sincerely hope that the friendly countries of the region will support them.
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CHURCH: Peru's President adds that the violence has caused more than $1 billion in damages to public and private property. Protesters have been calling for political changes since the impeachment and arrest of former President Pedro Castillo.
California police say they have been unable to find a connection between the suspect and victims in last week's mass shooting in Monterey Park. 11 people were killed and nine more wounded after the suspected gunman opened fire at a dance studio. He was found a day later dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police say he was not romantically tied to any of the victims and had not been to the dance studio in at least five years.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was in California on Wednesday to lay flowers at the site of the massacre. She shared her condolences and called on Congress to do more about gun safety to protect all Americans.
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KAMALA HARRIS, UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT: In our country this year, already we're in January. It's estimated over 40 mass killings already. We will always, as a compassionate nation, mourn for the loss and pray for those who survive. But we must also -- leaders of the nation who have the ability and the power and the responsibility to do something that they act.
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CHURCH: Meantime, the suspected gunman accused of a shooting rampage in Half Moon Bay, California has been charged with seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Though arraignment was rescheduled for later in February. He was in court Wednesday, where we learned important information about where the investigation goes from here. CNN's Veronica Miracle has more now from California.
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sixty-year-old Chunli Zhao has been charged with seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in the mass shooting that took place in Half Moon Bay. Today the prosecutor of San Mateo County said that Chunli Zhao faces the possibility of life in prison without parole or even possibly the death penalty. When Zhao was in court today, he tried to cover his face with a sheet of paper so that he could not be seen by cameras or the media even turning his back to the media when his face could not be covered.
He spoke to a Mandarin translator and the Mandarin translator actually spoke on his behalf. When the judge asked him one question, which was if his name was Chunli Zhao. He has given a statement to the sheriff's office and the prosecution said that they were actually outside listening to that statement, because at that time, he did not have a public defender and he did not request an attorney.
And it is -- because of that, they believe they know the motive for this mass shooting but the prosecutor would not reveal what that exactly is. And so, they're going to be making minimal statements as to not compromise the integrity of this case as it moves forward. Here's what the prosecutor had to say when asked if he's ever seen anything like this in San Mateo County.
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STEPHEN WAGSTAFFE, SAN MATEO DISTRICT ATTORNEY: This one is in a category that is way beyond anything we've ever dealt with. I'm sorry that we have joined the list of counties around this country that have had to deal with this way. I always hoped that that would not be something that occurred in my career. But now that it's here, we'll step up and we'll see the justice gets done.
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MIRACLE: Zhao is expected to be back in court on February 16th. When he is expected to enter a plea. Veronica Miracle CNN, Redwood City, California.
CHURCH: At least two people are dead and seven injured after a knife attack on a passenger train in northern Germany on Wednesday. The suspect was arrested at this train station. It's unclear if the train was stopped at the station or was traveling nearby when the attack took place. The motive is unknown.
In Spain, the suspect in a machete attack at two churches has now been detained by police. Police say this man wounded a priest at one church in southern Spain then killed an assistant at another church. The assistant initially managed to escape but officials say the suspect chased him down and killed him just before police arrived. The incidents are being investigated as terrorist attacks.
Wel, meantime Spanish police have arrested a man suspected of sending letter bombs to high-profile targets across the country. Officials say the 74-year-old suspect was detained after a police raid north of Madrid on Wednesday. He's expected to appear in court on Friday. Police say he sent letter bombs to six targets late last year, including the Ukrainian and U.S. embassies in Madrid and the office of Spain's Prime Minister.
A Ukrainian embassy employee was injured while handling a letter. Spanish media report one of the letter bombs were sent to an arms manufacturer whose weapons were supplied to Ukraine.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump may soon be back on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook's parent company Meta says it will restore his accounts more than two years after he was banned for allegedly inciting violence when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6. The decision comes on the heels of a similar move by Twitter. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan explains why Meta made this decision
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mera announcing the most politically consequential decision in its history, certainly here in the United States announcing on Wednesday that it was going to let former President Donald Trump back on its platforms which include of course Facebook, and Instagram. Now you might remember Trump was kicked off the platforms in the days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Facebook at the time saying was too dangerous for Trump to be able to have that megaphone that he might incite further violence. Two years later, Facebook, Meta has now said that it has reassessed its ban, it has determined that there isn't as greater risk of imminent violence or harm caused by -- posts by Trump. And that they are going to allow him back on the platform in the coming weeks.
Now, this is a boom in Trump's campaign for 2024. He has of course announced that he is running for president. Again, we have seen in the past, the Trump campaign really effectively used and spent hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising on Facebook, because it is a very effective way they have found of targeting voters but also fundraising. As you can imagine, a lot of people on both sides of the political spectrum here speaking out for and against this decision.
Of course, many people saying it's important to be able to hear from a former president and candidate for president. That's including the ACLU who had this statement, they said this is the right call. Like it or not, President Trump is one of the country's leading political figures. And the public has a strong interest in hearing his speech. They said indeed, some of Trumps most offensive social media posts ended up being critical evidence and lawsuits filed against him and his administration.
And we should know we filed over 400 legal actions against him. And that's a very important part of all of this, of course, the ACLU saying they're -- although we might not like Trump, we believe that what he's saying should be able to be seen by voters and citizens in the United States and people around the world whether it be good, bad or ugly. Back to you.
CHURCH: Well, now to a CNN exclusive, multiple sources say the dozen or so classified documents found at Mike Pence's home last week included briefing memos for foreign trips. One person says the materials were nothing unusual and describe the classification markings as lower level. Another source tells CNN the documents may have been overlooked during the packing process. The FBI is working with intelligence agencies to assess the documents.
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Well, meanwhile, sources tell CNN the National Archives may ask all former presidents and vice presidents to search their records for classified documents. Representatives for Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush say all classified documents were turned over when they left office. None said they were conducting additional searches at this time.
Well, still to come. Just months after China saw its most severe heatwave in decades, the country's northern most city sees its coldest temperature on record. The subzero temperatures gripping East Asia. That's next.
Plus, North Korea is reportedly imposing new epidemic restrictions without mentioning COVID by name. But why is Pyongyang doing that if the nation declared victory over COVID just months ago. We'll have a live report.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Extremely cold weather you sweeping across much of East Asia during the busy Lunar New Year travel season with temperatures plummeting in many places to record lows. Officials in Japan say at least four people have died working to clear snow in the frozen conditions. In South Korea, heavy snow forced hundreds of flight cancellations. The capital Seoul saw temperatures plunged to minus-15 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, forecasters in China are expecting the mercury to plunge in some parts to new lows. On Sunday, the country is northern most city recorded its coldest temperature ever. Minus-53 degrees Celsius. Meteorology -- meteorologist Britley Ritz joins us now. And Britley, wow, that is a shockingly low temperature. What is going on?
BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh. Yes. We have this massive area of high pressure that setting up, Rosemary. And what it's doing is pulling in more of a northerly wind for many of us across eastern Asia. And the winds stretching across the Japanese -- Japan seat rather, pulling in all the moisture. So, then we're adding snowfall through parts of the higher elevations on the western coastline of Japan which of course influences our temperature too.
Temperatures currently right now across parts of Japan below zero as we are in the higher elevations. However, Beijing at one degree. Now those are current temperatures, but when we factor in the winds, it feels much colder. So, the actual temperature feels different. I mean parts of Japan hit an all-time record wind gusts of 125 kilometers per hour. The central Japanese Alps, colder, roughly about three holes in meters in elevation.
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And these locations, 15 to 16 degrees below zero. Parts of China Beijing at 16 below as of this morning. So, it's really cold and we're struggling to warm up through the day. Now over the upcoming days, will try to warm up but it's only going to be a few degrees. I mean, notice, much of eastern Asia still staying well below zero rolling into the weekend. That front moves through and of course the wind pulls in over the Japan Sea.
There's that higher elevation, bringing in the sea enhance snowfall, parts of western Japan picking up 40 to 60 centimeters. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Britley Witz for that. Appreciate it.
Well, North Korea is reportedly restricting the movements of foreign embassy employees for five days in his capital. According to the Russian embassy, that's because of the rise in flu and respiratory diseases. COVID was not officially cited among the reasons, but North Korea has rarely been considered transparent about the pandemic situation within its borders. Paula Hancocks is monitoring the situation for us in Seoul.
She joins us now live. Good to see you, Paula. So, what are you learning about this?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, there is an assumption that this could go well beyond the foreign embassies, that this could potentially be Pyongyang wide. We don't know if it's beyond the capital city at this point. But what we have heard is from a memo that was given by the protocol department and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Russian embassy.
One of the very few still populated within Pyongyang, most diplomats left long ago, posted it on their Facebook page. So, what it says is that there is a five-day special anti-epidemic period. So, from Wednesday to Sunday, and they have been advised that they should not be -- they should restrict their movements to the embassy grounds and beyond. They should minimize contact with other people.
They are being asked to take their temperature four times a day, and then report that. And also, within this memo, it does say that it could be extended to another three days if the need arises. Now the reason for this, according to this document is that they are saying it's an increase in flu and other respiratory diseases. Now, North Korea did not specify COVID-19 in this memo, but in the past, they've often said respiratory diseases when they're talking about COVID.
And they certainly haven't been transparent when it comes to COVID-19 outbreaks. In fact, for the first year and a half, they claimed that they had zero cases which many epidemiologists found highly unlikely. They did admit back in May 2022 to an outbreak, but then just a few months later claimed that they had beaten COVID-19. So, potentially, we are looking at another outbreak either of COVID-19 or as we know in the northern hemisphere at the moment during the winter months.
There are a number of other respiratory diseases that are swirling around as well. So, it's unclear at this point exactly what they are dealing with. It's -- the potential is that this is all we will hear from North Korea unless they decide to announce it publicly. What we have been waiting for, though, is February 8th which is the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the army in North Korea.
They were potentially expected to hold a military parade. We had seen from 38 North, for example, a think tank that they had seen, commercial satellite imagery showing preparations for a big military parade. So, it's unclear at this point what this kind of period of restricting movement within the Capitol means for something like that. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. Paula Hancocks joining us live from Seoul. Many thanks.
Well, often lost amid the fighting in Ukraine is how the war is harming everyday people, especially children. Just ahead, UNICEF looks at how far they're falling behind in school.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The relentless fighting in Ukraine has disrupted the education of more than 5 million children. That's according to UNICEF, which is calling for international support to make sure students don't fall even further behind. Thousands of schools across the country have been damaged or destroyed, especially in Eastern Ukraine, where children have endured more than eight years of war. Outside the country, UNICEF estimates two out of three refugee children are not receiving any formal education in their host country.
Meanwhile, the head of the Kyiv Region says more than a thousand of its educational facilities now include bomb shelters, that means about 86 percent of the region's schools and kindergartens can keep operating on some level at least and provide some degree of safety. And I want to bring in Philippe Cori from Geneva, he serves as UNICEF's Deputy Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. Thank you so much for talking with us.
PHILIPPE CORI, UNICEF DEPUTY REGIONAL DIRECTOR, EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA: Yes. Good morning, Rosemary. CHURCH: So, as we just described, UNICEF's report highlights the fact that this war in Ukraine has disrupted the education of more than 5 million children, with 86 percent of schools now equipped with bomb shelters in the Kyiv region. 11 months into this brutal war, though, what impact is it having on children of Ukraine?
CORI: It's -- you see, it's a tragedy, you know, we are on the verge to lose a whole generation, not only these 5 million children from Ukraine that you refer to. Lost two years of learning because of COVID and now it's almost a year of loss of learning. And we have already surveys with teachers and many schools that we have been working with that indicate that there is a massive loss of learning in terms of quality, in terms of level for the respective age of children, so it's a tragedy. And you know, when schools become a battlefield. We wonder what kind of civilization we are entering in. And some 2,400 schools, as you mentioned, are preschools and primary and secondary were destroyed or damaged. So, even the simple access to connectivity to be able to learn online as it has been done.
And UNICEF has been supporting the offline face-to-face type of education to make sure wherever it was possible to combine the two in Ukraine and obviously facilitating the engagement, we schooled in the hosting countries as much as possible. And that has been, you know, now that we have energy, and connectivity, infrastructure targeted, it's really making even -- this even more difficult.
CHURCH: Yes.
CORI: So, really, this war should stop using schools as battlefield, and allow children to access to education. Because that's, you know, education, the learning process in itself participates to the mental health of children to their hopes, to their growth, to their structure as a future adult. So, that is about (INAUDIBLE)
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CHURCH: Exactly right. I mean, this is a tragedy on so many levels, isn't it? And UNICEF is calling for increased international support for these children to ensure that they receive learning opportunities in Ukraine and in refugee hosting countries. So, what type of support is needed to make sure these children don't fall behind?
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CORI: But first, we need to stop the targeting of schools in Ukraine, and use them as a battlefield. And we should take, you know, this access to learning as a -- as a common human agenda, whatever it takes, in the circumstances. The challenge in hosting countries, one- third of the children actually enroll in schools, because families were in the thinking of coming back, you know, and therefore, prefer to have more of an online type of education. But we see the signs of a war that is going to last, and we need to have, in the hosting countries, UNICEF is working in some 13 countries with some 3,000 nongovernmental organizations, 100 municipalities because this is where families went to access to services, and this is where the preschool, primary school, and secondary school are organized. So, it's very important to focus in these hosting countries to get the two-third remaining refugee children into schools, allowing for multi pathways of learning. Because, you know, they might learn Polish or Slovak, but at the same time, they should keep their connect with their culture --
CHURCH: Yes.
CORI: -- their curriculum online or with refugee teachers as it is often done. The schooling is very important form of interaction, you know, social interaction with peers, participating, again, to the mental health of these children.
CHURCH: Yes.
CORI. They have been so traumatized by the atrocities of this war. So, the learning participates as well, to this mental health balance that is so crucial at this point in time.
CHURCH: It most definitely. And of course, not only do these children have to deal with the disruption of war, they've also had the COVID-19 pandemic to deal with, which of course, has compounded education challenges. So, how far behind are these children in school? And what might this mean for the future of this entire generation, do you think? You mentioned that they're falling behind for the two years when it -- because of the war. But what level are they at overall, when you're talking about COVID in the mix there?
CORI: Oh, it's -- you know, we are doing the surveys, as I was referring, with teachers, with quite a number of schools to assess the negative impact of these two years of COVID plus this almost one year of war of the provision of learning. And 60 percent of the children are actually not at the level they should be in terms of their age and schooling in normal conditions. So, we are really getting in the wrong track. And then, you know, it's really a huge threat for their future as an adult, and a huge threat to their mental health. Because as I was mentioning, this learning opportunity is also a constructive moment to become an adult, that is, you know, strong, and we strive. So, that's really, the premises of these things are very negative. So, as I was mentioning, we're on the verge to lose a whole generation. And that's the future of a peaceful Ukraine that we are talking about.
CHURCH: Yes. That is. It's just shocking. Philippe Cori, thank you so much for talking with us. Appreciate it.
CORI: Thank you too, Rosemary.
CHURCH: And still to come, a long-awaited day in court, families of the victims of two deadly Boeing plane crashes are set to speak in court in the coming hours. The terms they're seeking for justice, that's next.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: Representative for plane maker Boeing are expected to appear in a U.S. Federal Court in the coming hours, as the company faces arraignment over two deadly plane crashes. The charge that it conspired to defraud the United States over the safety of its 737 Max jets. Families of victims are expected to speak, they're asking the judge to name an independent monitor to oversee Boeing's compliance with a $2.5 billion deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department. The government and Boeing entered into the agreement without the participation of families of the victims, the plane manufacturer is expected to plead not guilty to the felony charge.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk says aggressive price cuts have created high demand for the electric vehicles. Tesla beat Wall Street's expectations, reporting record profits for the fourth quarter and the full year. But the company's margins were tighter due to higher costs and slower sales. It comes as Musk testified in a California court earlier this week. He was questioned as part of a class-action lawsuit, alleging he misled Tesla shareholders with his 2018 tweet, claiming he had funding secured to take the automaker private.
Internet personality and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate says he and his brother Tristan are innocent. Romanian investigators brought them in for questioning on Wednesday and searched their electronic devices. They've been held since late December accused of human trafficking. Andrew Tate says there's no evidence in his file because he's done nothing wrong.
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TRISTAN TATE, KICKBOXER: Ask the police what evidence they have against me, it's nothing. They're holding because of media pressure. They're persecuting me because I'm rich and successful. You don't get rich in Romania.
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CHURCH: Prosecutors say the Tate brothers and two female suspects recruited victims, then forced them to make pornographic content for social media sites. Andrew Tate is also accused of rape. Ukrainian athletes and their supporters of blasting Wednesday's IOC decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals in upcoming Olympic qualifiers, as well as next year's Summer Games in Paris and the Milan Winter Games in 2026. The International Olympic Committee said in a statement, "No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport."
But the rights group, Global Athlete, along with the group Ukrainian athletes, issued a blistering rebuke of the IOC and warned that Moscow would, quote, "use athletes once more to bolster the war effort and distract from the atrocities in Ukraine on one of the biggest multi- sport stages in the world." And I want to thank you for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back in 15 minutes with more CNN NEWSROOM. "WORLD SPORT" is coming up next.
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