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Russia Fires Wave of Missiles to Ukraine; Russia's Wagner Group Moved to Ukraine; Ukraine War Disrupts Education for More Than 5 Million Children. Iran has Enough Uranium to Make Nukes. Severe Cold Temperature Hit Northeast Asia. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 26, 2023 - 03:00 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 HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," Germany and the U.S. announced plans to send battle tanks to Ukraine. Could fighter jets and long-range missiles be next?
CNN goes on the road in rural China and government minders follow. Ahead, how they disrupted our coverage of COVID and the Lunar New Year.
And hear from one of the greatest winter athletes in history, American skier, Mikaela Shiffrin, after her record-setting World Cup win.
And we began this hour in Ukraine where the president's chief of staff says the country's air defense system has been activated and Russian missiles shot down. At least two rockets were reported in the Mykolaiv region. This news after we learned of the emergency power outages in Kyiv and several regions because of a threat of a missile attack.
Meantime, we are seeing united front from the Ukraine's western allies as the United States and Germany announced plans to send dozens of sophisticated tanks to the battlefield. The U.S. will be sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine with President Joe Biden saying the move will help enhance Kyiv's ability to defend its territory and counter Russia's evolving tactics.
German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, says his country will be sending 14 Leopard 2 tanks with training expected to begin quickly. He said western allies will continue to support Ukraine but warned against escalating the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translation): 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Germany's main governing body says its country along with other allies will provide about 80 Leopard 2 tanks in total to Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the decision to send main battle tanks to his country proves, quote, "Freedom is only getting stronger."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translation): 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: U.S. President Joe Biden says the tanks will help Ukraine counter Russia's strategy on the battlefield. But insist they should not be viewed by Moscow as an offensive threat. CNN's Phil Mattingly has more now from the White House.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We are fully, thoroughly, totally united.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For President Biden, a diplomatic breakthrough with dramatic battlefield implications.
BIDEN: Today I'm announcing that the United States will be sending 31 Abram tanks to Ukraine. The equivalent of one Ukrainian battalion.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): U.S. tanks set to significantly expand Ukraine's battlefield capabilities.
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: It makes it possible for Germany, but also for other European NATO allies to provide Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and that will significantly strengthen their combat capabilities.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): At the same moment, Europe's largest land war in 80 years sits in its most brutal and grinding phase.
BIDEN: These tanks are further evidence of our enduring, unflagging commitment to Ukraine.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): And after weeks of U.S. officials dismissing the idea as untenable, the complex operating systems and significant maintenance requirements.
SABRINA SINGH, PENTAGON DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: The maintenance and the high cost that it would take to maintain an Abrams is just -- it just doesn't make sense to provide that to Ukrainians at this moment. MATTINGLY (voice-over): But their inclusion, a central demand from
German officials in order to clear the way for more immediate delivery of their own tanks. And to sign off on the delivery of German-made tanks by other allies. Now, the trigger for a deal to unleash significant armor contributions from U.S. allies across Europe.
BIDEN: Germany has really stepped up. The chancellor has been a strong, strong voice for unity.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Biden's praise of German Chancellor Scholz, intentional, officials said, even as it served to cover intense and often frustrating negotiations over the last several weeks.
[03:05:04]
But ultimately leading to U.S. commitments that will take months, if not longer, to reach the battlefield.
BIDEN: Delivering these tanks to the fields is going to take time. Time that will see and will use to make sure the Ukrainians are fully prepared to integrate the Abram tanks into their defenses.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): But those commitments unlock immediate results from allies.
BIDEN: The American contribution will be joined by an additional announcement including -- that will be ready and available and more easily integrated for use in the battlefield in the coming weeks amongst from other countries.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): The Russian ambassador to Germany declaring the move as, quote, "extremely dangerous." It will take the conflict to a, quote, "new level of confrontation." But U.S. officials downplay the escalatory risk. As did Biden.
BIDEN: There is no offensive threat to Russia. If Russian troops returned to Russia, they'll be there for -- where they belong. This war would be over today.
MATTINGLY (on camera): And while White House officials are candid, they see no near-term end to the war. Don't really have a good sense of how things may end whenever they in fact do. They made clear that the support is both durable and will be long-lasting, as long, according to President Biden, as that support is actually needed.
And in fact, it's worth nothing that we are a month away from the one- year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That is a moment the White House officials are keying on right now, understanding that this is a long-term effort and the symbolism, the importance of demonstrating the assistance has been delivered up to this point and will continue to be delivered in the weeks, months and potentially years ahead, as just as important as those tank that will be delivered over the course of the next year. Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is tracking developments for us. She joins us now live from London. Good morning, Salma. So, how is Russia reacting to this official news that the U.S., Germany, and others will provide sophisticated battle tanks to Ukraine?
SALMA ABDELKAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is absolutely a major shift for western allies and their support in their posturing of this fight in Ukraine. And it's one, of course, that Russia was quick to respond to with direct threats. One Russian official saying that they would consider those weapons shipments, their shipments of tanks as legitimate targets.
And that Russian forces will try to hit them as they are brought into Ukraine or even on the frontlines. But this is also a NATO that is more united and perhaps stronger than ever. Still, of course, President Puti4n with his comments saying that the conflict could be prolonged with this tank announcement. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translation): I have no doubt that one way or another, sovereignty will be returned to Europe. Judging by the look of things, it's going to take a little while longer.
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ABDELAZIZ: Now, I keep referring it to this shift, Rosemary. What do I mean by that? About a year ago, when this conflict started, it was unthinkable that the west would provide tanks to Ukraine. And that's because there was a very fine balancing act that was being played in capitals across the west.
How do we support Ukraine, provide it with the weaponry, and then materials it needs to fight Russian forces? But at the same time, not aggravate Moscow so much that it widens and deepens this conflict. And that balancing act, that calculation, Rosemary, it's changing.
And it's because Moscow is a weaker than ever. Remember, they lost tens of thousands on the battlefield. They are very far from accomplishing any of President Putin's goals. And this has emboldened the United States and its partners. Take a listen to what John Kirby, a senior U.S. official said.
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JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: There is no reason for an overreaction by Moscow here. These tanks pose no offensive threat to Russian homeland. They do, however, pose a significant threat, not just the Abrams, but the Leopards, to Russian forces that are inside Ukraine illegally and committing atrocities. So, if Mr. Putin was worried about tanks, the best thing that he could do would be to take his troops and move them out of Ukraine and stop this war.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ABDELAZIZ: You hear there Mr. Kirby simply dismissing those threats. Again, something that kind of was unthinkable a year ago when Russia was threatening the use of nuclear weapons if the west escalated its support for Ukraine. So, a major, major shift as I said here. And one that really shows and sends a message to the Kremlin, that western allies will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to help Ukraine win this fight.
CHURCH: All right, Salma Abdelaziz, joining us live from London. Many thanks.
Ukraine's defense minister says the western tanks will be used as an iron fist to break through Russian lines and liberate occupied territory. But he told CNN that tanks alone are not enough to defeat Russia. Take a listen.
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OLEKSII REZNIKOV, UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: I sent a wish list card to the Santa Claus last year, and fighter jets also is -- was included on this wish list. But we understand, seriously, we understand that the priority number one is air defense systems. We have to close our sky because Russia terrorizing, still terrorizing our cities, trying to hit our energy supply systems, water supply systems.
They are trying to put us to the dark, and they are fighting not with the armed forces of Ukraine. They are fighting with the civilian population like it was done in Dnipro City against the howitzers or the, I mean, then a lot of people was killed.
And we have to close our skies to defend ourselves. Priority number one. After that, we have -- we need to get more armed vehicles, tanks, artillery systems, UAVs, et cetera, et cetera. We have people, but we need weaponry. As was Winston Churchill, he told a very famous quote, "Give us the tools, we will finish the job."
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CHURCH: The right tools could give Ukraine an edge as the fight for a key eastern city grows even more fierce. The Ukrainian military says Russia has been hammering Bakhmut. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has details.
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FREDERI PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Russian army claims its overwhelming firepower is decimating Ukrainian defenses on the most brutal fronts in this war around the town Bakhmut.
UNKNOWN (through translation): Fifteen men just ran into this house. Yes, target hit. They managed to collapse the middle of the building.
PLEITGHEN (voice-over): Ukraine has now acknowledged losing its last foot hole in the small town of Soledar north of Bakhmut.
The Russians there, mostly mercenaries from the Wagner private military company judging by their own claims.
UNKNOWN (through translation): We were fast to select the target, charge up and hit it. We hit precisely. We hit the building right in the place where the 80 GM (ph) was located.
PLEITGHEN (voice-over): 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.
UNKNOWN (through translation): The enemy puts up fierce resistance to our fighters. The enemy is holding on and is getting additional reserves and military supplies.
PLEITGHEN (voice-over): 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 the Chinese and South African navies.
But for now, Bakhmut is the epicenter of this conflict, and Ukrainian soldiers here say they will fight for every inch.
UNKNOWN (through translation): One day there are artillery works and the next day the infantry assaults. It's a difficult time now, but our boys keep standing their ground.
PLEITGHEN (on camera): Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front lines in and around Bakhmut who are contacted by CNN say they are absolutely elated to hear that western made battle tanks could be coming to Ukraine in the not-too-distant future. They say tanks are a huge part of the equation here and have been helping the front line troops a lot.
Of course, they understand it's going to be awhile before any western made 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: 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 6th. The decision comes on the heels of a similar move by Twitter where he has more than 87 million followers. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan explains why Meta made this decision.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Meta 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.
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Now, you might remember trump was kicked off of the platforms in the days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Facebook at the time saying it 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 a greater risk of imminent violence or harm caused by -- posed 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 use 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 Trump's most offensive social media post ended up being critical evidence in 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 there, although we might not like Trump, we believe that what he is 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, Trump has responded to Meta's move with a post on the site Truth Social, saying in part, "Facebook, which has lost billions of dollars in value since de-platforming you favorite president, me, has just announced that they are reinstating my account. Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting president or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution."
Well, meantime, Brazil's Supreme Court has fined Telegram about $236,000 for not blocking the account of a far-right elected official. The messaging app has been asked to suspend the accounts of Nicholas Ferreira and some other supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro. In a letter obtained by CNN Brazil, Telegram requested that court to
reconsider the decision as Ferreira is an elected member of Congress. In a statement, the Supreme Court acknowledges Telegram reported partial compliance with the order that gave the app five days to pay the fine.
Well, the death toll in anti-government 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 vows 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 translation): 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 that I sincerely hope that the friendly countries of the region will support them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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.
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 travelling 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.
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A grim warning from the west on Iran's expanding nuclear capabilities with the IAEA now claiming Iran has enriched a stockpile of uranium that could eventually become nuclear weapons. Those details just ahead.
Plus, China says COVID cases have fallen dramatically. We will visit a rural village to see how people are celebrating the Lunar New Year now that Beijing has ended its zero COVID policy. Back with that and more in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: North Korea is introducing new epidemic restrictions in its capital, but without mentioning COVID by name. The Russian embassy in Pyongyang says the official explanation only sites the rise in flu and quote, "other respiratory diseases." The restrictions will apply to all foreign embassy staff for at least five days.
Among other things, they have been told to limit their movements, call hospitals in case of medical emergencies, give advance notice if they need any documents delivered, and order whatever they may need by phone.
Well, China says severe COVID cases and deaths are down more than 70 percent since their peak early this month. And visits to favored clinics have returned to normal levels. But health experts are warning of a surge in cases in rural areas as millions of people travel home for the Lunar New Year holiday. CNN's Selina Wang and her team visited a village in southern China with government minders watching them every step of the way.
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SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is how people celebrate the Lunar New Year in Dolly (ph) village. Cheers!
(Voice-over): This year's celebration is particularly special. The adults around this table all work in factories in the cities. This is the only time when many of them can see their children. The man next to me says, we got to go wherever we can make a money and China's zero COVID policy over the last three years has made it all even harder.
He says the policy prevented them from going home. But now that the country is open, they can all be together. We came to this place in China's southern (inaudible) province to see how a part of rural China is celebrating the Lunar New Year without pandemic restrictions. We visited villagers' home --
Sanjeb (ph) greets us with a treat and alcohol, both made from rice from the paddy fields nearby. Drinking is a big part of celebrating here.
(On camera): About 1,000 people live in this village and for hundreds of years, they've lived in these traditional wooden houses, and you can hear the chickens crowing, and there are these ducks, as well that they raised for food.
(Voice-over): In many ways, this place is like a time capsule. It's a physical isolation has preserved their way of life for centuries. Though China's (inaudible) ethnic minority, they have their own language, tradition, and culture.
[03:25:01]
But they can't escape the economic realities of modernity. Normally, this village is full of the elderly and young kids with most of the working age adults gone, working in faraway factories, sending money home. This couple works in a factory 500 miles away in Guangdong Province making circuit boards.
He tells me he hasn't seen his kids for a year. Last time he left, his son couldn't even walk. He says it's emotional to see them grow so much. For the first time in three years, millions of Chinese migrant families are finally able to reunite without the fear of COVID lockdowns.
Almost everyone I speak to on camera says no one around them has gotten COVID, like this elderly woman who makes traditional crafts. She says she has not been wearing a mask and points to her shoulders, saying she's had the vaccine shots.
But we run into another group of young people who say otherwise. The man in the brown jacket with his back turned, is a doctor at a hospital in a nearby city. He says almost all of the villagers have been infected. I ask him if they just don't realize they have COVID? In response, he said they'd have never been tested, but clearly, they had COVID symptoms.
(On camera): So, we got the three government (inaudible) behind us.
(Voice-over): It's common for local officials to keep a close eye on foreign journalist in their jurisdictions, but they were especially persistent in this village, following our every move. So, we drive out of the village to visit a public hospital in a neighboring county, about two hours away, hoping these government minders won't follow us, so people will feel more comfortable speaking freely. We walk inside the fever clinic.
(On camera): It's almost entirely empty.
(Voice-over): In the main hospital area, there are more people, but it's not packed. It's a stark contrast to the images of overflowing hospitals in major cities across China from weeks before. I ask a nurse on another floor of the hospital if it was packed with patients a few weeks ago. She says, it's always packed, and busy here.
We try to ask why? It looks empty here, but another doctor interrupts, ending our interview. We find one woman, a patient's family member who is willing to speak to us. She says everyone around her had already gotten covid and recovered. Soon after, we realized we are being followed, apparently, by a whole different crew.
(On camera): There's at least two, three government minders, they are still following all the way here. It's very obvious. They follow was to hospital after hospital, preventing anyone from speaking to us. I try confronting them. I asked them why they are following us everywhere? And -- he ignores me.
(On camera): He's walking away.
So, I tried this official. She refuses to even acknowledge my question.
(Speaking in foreign language)
And what happens next during my interview with this girl, shocks us.
(Speaking in foreign language)
WANG: Oh.
(Speaking in foreign language)
WANG: Okay, so I was just interviewing the girl, and then the minders literally took her away from us.
(Voice-over): The man pushes the girl and her family away, then later leaves them alone. But our interviews on the marketplace are over.
Chinese CDC says the COVID peak across the country has passed. But in rural areas like this, experts say there is a likely far more silent suffering. People who died at home because they couldn't afford to go to the hospital or were unable to get there on time.
Back in the village, we're greeted by the sounds of squealing pigs, getting ready to be slaughtered. It's a lunar new year tradition. Decades ago, for most country side families, this was the only time of the year when they could afford to eat meat.
(On camera): This is a whole family of relatives. They're all getting together for the Lunar New Year, enjoying the freshly killed pig meat.
(Voice-over): Sanjeb (ph) shows me the fabric she made herself. Sewing just a thin strip of this cloth takes her more than a day. Whether it's on the village or in faraway factories, they are hardworking people. They will do whatever it takes to get give their kids a better life. Even if it means long bouts of separation from them. Making reunions like these all the more meaningful. Selina Wang, (inaudible) village, Guizhou, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: A Chinese engineer in the United States has been sentenced to eight years in prison for spying for Beijing. The U.S. Justice Department says the Chinese government tasked the 31-year-old a man with gathering information on other engineers and scientists for possible recruitment as spies for Beijing.
The Chinese national came to the U.S. as a graduate student before later enlisting in the U.S. Army reserves.
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He was convicted in September of acting illegally as an agent of China's ministry of state security, and of making a false statement to the U.S. Army.
The private military run by a Russian oligarch has been highly effective in a key corner of Ukraine despite suffering major casualties. Why the Wagner Group poses such a unique threat. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: This just in to CNN. We are hearing Russia has fired more than 30 missiles at Ukraine today. The Ukrainian Air Force says it's been able to intercept some of them, but others got through. No casualties have been reported just yet.
An air raid alert is in place across the country, and people are being urged to stay in shelters. The attacks come a day after key allies announced they are sending powerful western tanks to Ukraine.
Germany finally bowed to intense pressure and agreed to provide some of its prized Leopard 2 tanks. They are more modern again Ukrainian versions, and will be a huge asset if and when ground fighting picks up in the warmer months. The U.S. will be sending more than 30 of its Abrams tanks, but they are more complex and cumbersome and more likely take longer to arrive.
The planned influx of western tanks comes despite earlier concerns that too much military support for Ukraine could escalate the conflict. It's no surprise that the tanks are not going over well with the Kremlin. It's spokesperson said if U.S. made tanks are delivered to Ukraine, they will burn down just like all the others. And he claimed European taxpayers will be stuck with the bill.
Let's hope the tanks will give Ukraine an edge in the east, where Russian forces have recently gained some ground thanks to a notorious private militia.
CNN's Nic Robertson has this report on the Wagner group.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KIRBY, COORDINATOR, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COMMISSION: The Department of Treasury will be designating Wagner as a significant transnational criminal organization.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Putin's once deniable proxy, Wagner, outed (ph) transporting North Korean weapons for Putin's war in Ukraine.
CANDACE RONDEAUX, DIRECTOR, NEW AMERICA: They are a key part of Vladimir Putin's strategy for projecting power for Russia as well as sanctions invasion. It's a very important part of what the Wagner group delivers.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Wagner's reach for the Kremlin is global, Syria, Iran, Libya, Sudan, corrupt 10-part (ph) dictatorships and failings states speciality (sp?).
CHRISTOPHER FAULKNER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, U.S. NAVAL WAR COLLEGE: It was the worst kept secret of Kremlin's foreign policy.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Yet, Wagner boss, Putin's power (ph), Yevgeny Prigozhin, was key in helping Putin finance his war in Ukraine.
[03:35:08]
FAULKNER: It's more that is a private military company It also has a network of business entities that provides some serious financial benefit to the Kremlin.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): In the Central African Republic, Wagner got diamonds. And in Sudan, they got gold. A convicted criminal, Prigozhin has become the artful dodger of sanctions, evading the many he has and still able to make Wagner money.
SAMUEL RAMANI, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Headquarters that often sifted locations including Hong Kong, Argentina, St. Petersburg, so he was able to carry out a lot of gray zone financial transactions that were almost untraceable.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The hope is new sanctions will make Putin and Prigozhin's war fighting harder, hitting countries that channel Wagner money.
RONDEAUX: The United Arab Emirates, which has been a central actor, a central mood, for many of the money laundering. They can see a situation where they're laying down by Washington.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): But there may also be blowback. Prigozhin sent the European Parliament a sledgehammer, a less than subtle threat when they discussed putting Wagner on the EU's terror list last year. And then Russia, it may even enhance has already self inflated reputation.
RAMANI: This may actually even be good first (inaudible) inside Russia. It reinforces him just as a patriot, an anti-western hardliner, and it may actually help him politically.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): But his rise now shown of deniability may come at a cost.
RONDEAUX: It's better for Putin and it's better for the Russian Army to have a scapegoat like the Wagner group to blame for those war crimes and atrocities.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Prigozhin's position may have just got a whole lot more precarious, but that seems to be where he thrives.
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: The relentless fighting has disrupted the education of more than five million Ukrainian children. That is according to UNICEF, which is calling for help to make sure students don't fall even further behind. Last hour, I spoke with a deputy regional director for UNICEF, and asked him to describe the impact of the war is having on the children of Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PHILIPPE CORI, UNICEF DEPUTY REGIONAL DIRECTOR, EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA: We are on the verge to lose a whole generation, not only this five million children from Ukraine that you referred to, lost two years of learning because of COVID, and now it's almost a year of lost of learning, and we've already surveys with teachers and many schools that we have been working with that indicates 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, or 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 where it was possible to combine the two in Ukraine, and obviously, facilitating engagement with schools in 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 this even more difficult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Meanwhile, they head of a Kyiv region says more than 1,000 of its educational civility facilities now include bomb shelters.
The city center of Odessa, Ukraine's historic southern port, is now officially recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site. The move could help preserve Odessa from any further destruction from the war. UNESCO's founding conventions states that all members, including Russia, and Ukraine, may not take any deliberate measures that directly or indirectly damage their heritage or that of another state party. UNESCO also listed Odessa as endanger, meaning international assistance will be provided to protect and rehabilitate the city center.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is warning that Iran has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear weapons, though he doesn't believe they have built one yet. IAEA director general, Rafael Grossi, is expected to visit Tehran next month for what he called, much-needed political dialogue.
He claimed his agency has been effectively blind to Iran's nuclear activities ever since 27 of its (inaudible) cameras were removed by Tehran last year.
[03:40:07]
In briefing European lawmakers on Wednesday, Grossi lamented that the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is all but dead. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAFAEL GROSSI, IAEA DIRECTOR GENERAL: And the situation with regards to Iran is a very challenging. There are two parallel things that I would like to draw your attention to.
The first one is they JCPOA, as the president saying, there is very little, if anything, almost no diplomatic activity around it. As you may remember, there was an effort for more than one year and a half trying to revive the JCPOA after the unilateral withdrawal from the United States, in March 2018 and the subsequent retaliatory actions taken by Iran, which at this point, mean that the JCPOA is an empty shell.
Nobody has declared it dead, but no obligation is being pursued. And as you just heard, every limit that existed in the JCPOA has been violated several times and that --
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CHURCH: Still ahead, sub-zero temperatures are sweeping across East Asia and turning deadly, leading officials to warn people a chance going anywhere. That story and more just ahead.
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CHURCH: Today is Australia's National Day, but thousands of protesters say there is no cause for celebration. They marched and rallies across the country to protest the holiday, which marks the anniversary of British colonial settlement. Mass demonstrations are held each year with many calling on the government to change the date of national day. They say it's an annual reminder of invasion, occupation, and genocide.
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ABI GEORGE, PROTESTER: Nobody's got the right to celebrate genocide. That's it. This is ground zero, genocide. Ground zero happened here on the 26th of January 1788. Nobody should be celebrating. It's not an event to celebrate.
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CHURCH: Earlier, the services were held to mourn the indigenous lives lost to colonizing forces. The Australian Prime Minister acknowledge that the national day is difficult for aboriginal people, but says his government has no plans to change the date.
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 the electronic devices. They have been held since late December, accused of human trafficking. Andrew Tate says there is no evidence in his file because he has done nothing wrong.
[03:45:06]
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ANDREW TATE, INTERNET PERSONALITY: Ask the police what evidence they have against me. It's noting. They're holding me because of media pressure. They're prosecuting me because I'm rich and successful. Do not get rich in Romania.
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CHURCH: Prosecutors say the Tate brothers and two female suspects recruited victims, then force them to make pornographic content for social media sites. Andrew Tate is also accused of rape.
The U.S. has deported the two sons of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli. The brothers served part of a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to launder money and concealing millions in bribes.
The U.S. has also barred the former president and his immediate family from entering the country accusing him of bribery. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken says the united states continues to stand with all Panamanians in support of democracy and the rule of law, and will continue to promote accountability for those who abuse public power for personal gain regardless of their position, or political affiliation.
Extremely cold weather is sweeping across much of East Asia during the busy Lunar New Year travel season with temperatures plummeting 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 fall to minus 15 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, forecasters in China are expecting the mercury to plunge and some part to new lows. Experts say such extreme weather events are the new norms.
CNN's Paula Hancocks has the report.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's widely known as China's north pole, the city of Mohe, the farthest north in the country, has experience its coldest day ever, minus 53 degrees Celsius or minus 63.4 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, coming just months after China saw its worst heat wave in more than 50 years.
KEVIN TRENBERTH, NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH: Climate change, we certainly expect that the extremes are going to be somewhat worse than they were before and this applies especially today temperatures and they precipitation.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Extreme cold is having a deadly impact and Afghanistan, exacerbated by the limited humanitarian aid being distributed, after the ruling Taliban banned female aid workers from operating in the country.
At least 157 people have lost their lives so far, according to a Taliban official, the death toll doubling in just the last week. Around 70,000 livestock have frozen to death. ADAM COMBS, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: This is an extreme situation at the moment that we are facing, the sub-zero temperatures in many areas of operations and families that are already have been pushed to the brink for survival, due to the economic crisis, are even and more dire strikes.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): A wave of extreme cold has spread through northeast asia, sub-zero temperatures moving in from siberia, stranding thousands of travelers at airports and parts of South Korea and japan for the end of the Lunar New Year holiday.
Heavy snow is continuing to disrupt flights in Japan, with hundreds being canceled Tuesday and Wednesday. Videos posted on social media show treacherous conditions. One focus for expert is the widening gap between seasons.
WOO JIN-KYU, WEATHER ANALYST, KOREA METEOROLOGICAL ADMINISTRATION (trough translator): If the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures during a year used to be about 40 degrees Celsius, the difference can be degrees these days. The cold weather means the extreme points will be very traumatic.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): One climate change expert says looking wider than the extreme cold in Northeast Asia paints a very interesting pattern.
TRENBERTH: The distinctive thing, if you look at it on a hemispheric basics, is that it's extraordinary warm in the north pacific up into Southern Alaska, and it's extraordinarily warm in the North Atlantic all the way up into Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and even further north.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Extreme cold in Northeast Asia at least is expected to ease and coming days.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Meteorologist Britley Ritz joins us now. So, Britley, what more can giant tell us about this extreme weather across parts of Asia?
BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's all caused right now by an area of low -- a rather, high pressure, as that first area of low pressure moves through. So behind it, there is ten high. It spins clockwise and it pulls in a specific wind direction over the sea of japan, which, of course, brings on that cold dry air.
But it runs right over the ocean waters. It cools, condenses, and over the higher elevations, over Japan, we wind up with quite a bit of snow, which also impacts our temperature. Right now, in Beijing, zero. But most of us across Eastern Asia, below zero.
[03:50:00]
And then we factor in the wind, and it's much colder. You get what's called, the wind chill. And parts of Japan had all-time wind gust. Here we are at 125 kilometers per hour. That's pretty fast moving wind. The central alps of Japan, some of the coldest temperatures, now mind you, elevation is roughly about 3,000 meters, but we are 16 below in some of these locations and that's record, by the way, record cold.
Freezing morning temperatures for China this morning. Beijing hit 16 below, and yes, once again, factor in that wind, it feels colder. So make sure you're covering the extremities, especially the nose, ears, and the fingers.
Temperatures trying to warm up here in the upcoming days really only a few degrees. We stay well below zero for many of us, again, across Eastern Asia. As that front moves through, again, it brings in that colder air, but it also runs in to the Sea of Japan, and bringing in snow to the higher elevations.
We talked about that. When you get a heavier snow pack, it makes it much colder, too. It doesn't allow us to warm up. Some of the areas like that Hida Mountains, the higher elevations there in the northern alps, we could pick up a 60 centimeters of snowfall here in the next three days.
So, we really just have to pay attention to this cold, cold weather here, Rosemary. Make sure we are bundling up if we have to go out and about.
CHURCH: Very good advice. Britley Ritz, many thanks. I appreciate it.
And still to come, American skier, Mikaela Shiffrin is one of the greatest years of all-time, but she would never say so. CNN sat down with the champ after her latest World Cup win.
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CHURCH: Ukrainian athletes and their supporters are blasting Wednesdays IOC decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals and 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- sports stages in the world."
Well, U.S. skiing star, Mikaela Shiffrin extended her World Cup victory streak to 84 wins on Wednesday in Italy. She is the top women skier ever and her back-to-back giant slalom double puts her just two wins away from tying the overall record of 86 wins.
CNN World Sports, Amanda Davies, spoke with Shiffrin about her seemingly unstoppable streak as well as her personal reasons for competing.
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AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Do you feel like the greatest of all time?
MIKAELA SHIFFRIN, U.S. ALPINE SKIER: No. I don't know what that's suppose to feel like. I don't.
DAVIES: It probably feels like you do now. But I mean -- you are -- you are the most successful female World Cup skier in world history.
[03:54:58]
SHIFFRIN: Yeah, I know, what do you -- what does that even mean? I just -- I mean, I get it. I do get it. I understand. It is just putting emotion or feeling on it. I just can't wrap it up into words. It's just a lot, maybe someday. But right now, I just feel like a ski racer, and I'm having a dang good season. But the greatest of all time is -- yeah, I don't think that's something you feel for me. Maybe some people do. And kudos to them! But I'm not there.
DAVIES: It's almost exactly three years on your dad's accident, does it have extra meaning the fact that you're back in Italy where you found out the news when it had happened?
SHIFFRIN: I wish I knew what he would say. I mean, people around me, they tell me that they he would be proud, he would tell me he's proud, he'll tell me he loves me. He'll tell me a whole bunch of things or he'd feel a certain way. But the truth is, we don't know that because he's not here. And that just something that still makes me sad and makes me angry.
And I appreciate it when people tell me that he would be proud, but -- and of course, I know it, because I know how he felt in the past. But at the same time, I'm like, I don't want to hear that from anybody but him, and I cannot hear it from him. So, I guess that I want to hear it at all. And I don't even want to think about it.
It's something that I haven't really come to terms with yet, that I won't hear those words from him again. It's a little bit hard to put that into words going from a moment like that, and just the last few years to where I am now. There's times where I feel like I haven't -- I haven't made any progress, or healed at all. And then there's times where I feel like some sense of hope that maybe I still have some really wonderful things in life to look forward to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And if all goes well for Shiffrin, she could tie the World Cup a record by this weekend.
All right, to the Australian open now, where the women semifinals have just gotten underway. Two-time Aussie Open champ, victoria Azarenka is back in the semis for the first-time since winning the title a decade ago. She is winning the reigning Wimbledon champ, ElenaRybakina, Kazakhstan, in a match that has just started. In the 2nd semifinal, one of the pre-tournament favorites, Aryna Sabalenka faces Poland's Magda Linette. Both players looking for their first grand slam final appearance.
And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo next!
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