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Erin Burnett Outfront

Air Raid Sirens Blare In Kyiv Despite Putin's Vows To Reduce Assault; Intense Fighting Near Kyiv Despite Russia's Vow To Scale Back; U.N.: "Probably Thousands Of Deaths In Just Mariupol"; Superyacht Belonging To Russian Oligarch With Ties To Putin Seized; Reports: White House Records Of January 6 Show 7+ Hour Gap In Trump's Calls. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired March 29, 2022 - 19:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: I'll be back in half an hour on our new streaming service CNN Plus with the debut of my new show called The Newscast at 9 Eastern for CNN tonight. Stay with us. Lots of news.

Erin Burnett starts right now.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next, the breaking news, Kyiv under attack. Our crew on the ground reporting major artillery and rocket fire tonight even as Russia claims they're scaling back on attacks there.

Plus, cheating death, a survivor of the variable theater bombing, the single deadliest attack of the war so far speaking to CNN about how she narrowly escaped death.

And a super yacht belonging to an unnamed Russian businessman seized by authorities tonight, inside a so-called infinite wine cellar, patented fresh water swimming pool. So what is that yacht's connection to Vladimir Putin? Let's go OUTFRONT.

And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight the breaking news, under attack. CNN's crew on the ground in Kyiv reporting they heard major artillery and rocket fire attack tonight. You can hear it. This even as Putin says his forces would scale back on attacks on Kyiv and Chernihiv. That claim coming after weeks failed attempts by Russians to overtake those cities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling out Putin's empty promises tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through interpreter): The signals that we hear from the negotiating platform can be called positive, but these signals don't drown out the explosions of Russian bombs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: President Biden echoing Zelenskyy tonight saying he and his administration do not believe Russia's promise to de-escalate after meeting with Ukrainian negotiators.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We'll see. I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, the actions are loud and clear tonight, we can hear them. You can hear all of that fire in Kyiv louder than any night recently. So why then did Russia today say it will 'drastically reduce' its military assault on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv, the capital of Ukraine and instead focus on the Donbas?

Well, maybe it's because Putin is simply trying to regroup or maybe he is totally changing his goal on trying to pretend that that was his goal all the way along. Either way, the reality is, is that he's saying anything at all and making any move at all because he failed to seize Kyiv and conquer Ukraine. Failed to control the capital after four weeks of fighting, failed in keeping his own forces safe.

Russia has lost up to 16,000 troops so far. According to Zelenskyy, the U.S. intelligence numbers aren't far from that. That's more than 2,300 troops the United States lost during 20 years in Afghanistan. And a staggering number of Russian ships, aircraft and tanks have also been damaged or destroyed.

This video you're looking at here is from outside Kharkiv, Ukrainian military showing off Russian equipment that they captured and they're now using it. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian troops have mounted stiffer than expected opposition to Putin's forces. And that courage on the battlefield is something we witnessed in Ukraine. Men, young and old, were signing up at military recruitment centers. They were showing up when the missiles landed and they were unafraid, ready to protect their land and their families. There was not a pause or a heartbeat of a second pause.

Now, the Pentagon says that despite Russia's setbacks, the threat to the capitol and surrounding towns is still far from over. Today, our Fred Pleitgen and his team were visiting a residential area near Irpin outside Kyiv. This is what they witnessed. You can hear it, frequent, incoming and outgoing fire, the thud of explosions. They also heard the sound of multiple rocket launchers.

We have reporters across Ukraine also tonight in Hungary, including Fred in Kyiv, and I want to start with you, if I may, Fred, because you were out, you're in Irpin, you've been hearing major artillery and rocket fire, rocket launchers all within the past couple of hours. So tell me what's happening on the ground. Obviously, the sounds we're hearing are more fast and furious than it has been the case in recent days, even as Putin says he's scaling back.

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right. The sound certainly has been a lot more furious. And one of the things that we did, Erin, when we heard that announcement coming from the Russians after those negotiations is we actually went to an area near Irpin. As you said, right very close to the front line and then we spoke to a couple of people.

And quite frankly, no one believed that Vladimir Putin was really withdrawing his forces because of - he wanted to spare the capital or because he wanted to create trust with the Ukrainians. They all said that the reason why they believe this was happening is because the Russians simply lost in trying to get into Kyiv, but they weren't able to get in because the Ukrainian forces were so strong.

But I think one thing that is really important to say is that what we're hearing right now, tonight, what we have been hearing tonight, those explosions much more than in days before, Ukrainian troops on the ground told us that's something that they've been seeing for a couple of days.

[19:05:02]

And they said that their leadership has also seen some Russian forces withdraw. They say they're not sure whether this uptick in shelling that they're seeing could be because there's some sort of scorched earth tactics or possibly because the Russians might be covering their withdrawal.

In any case, the Ukrainian say, they obviously remain very confident that they're going to pull through the Russian not going to get into the city and certainly you can tell that there is still a lot of distrust now, especially, of course, towards Vladimir Putin. Let's have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice over): Even after Russia announced it plans to withdraw most forces from around Kyiv, the fighting continues. Residents we spoke to told us they don't believe Moscow's words are for real.

"On the one hand, they retreat and on the other they will transfer their efforts to other positions," Olexander (ph) says. "So it's difficult to talk about a withdrawal."

"I do not believe in it and it's probably just a rotation," says Yuri (ph). "It's a regrouping of their troops."

Despite its forces being stalled near Kyiv for weeks, Russia claims it will withdraw because it has achieved its military objectives and now wants to make a positive gesture to Ukraine, Moscow's negotiating team said after talks in Istanbul.

"A decision was made to radically, at times, reduce military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv directions," said Russia's deputy defense minister. But the Russians also made clear this is not a ceasefire and the sounds of heavy battles still reverberate around the capital. But the territorial defense forces at this checkpoint say, "Make no mistake, if the Russians really do withdraw, it's because they lost."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) YURIY MATSARSKI, UKRAINE TERRITORIAL DEFENSE FORCES: From the first

days of war, it was obvious that the Russians feel defeated on the battlefield, in the diplomatic field, in political field, it was out of the questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN (voice over): While many here hope the battle for Kyiv could end soon, the toll both in blood and infrastructure is massive, and parliamentarian Roman Hryshchuk tells me he's not sure Ukrainians will ever be able to trust Russia again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN (on camera): How long do you think it could take to make relations better again, before there can be trust between Russia and Ukraine, again, or trust the words of Russians, I would say?

ROMAN HRYSHCHUK, UKRAINE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: I think it will be years and years, maybe hundreds of years and every people in Ukraine lost all their house of relatives, of friends in this war. And our children, they have a night in shelters, they listen to this bombs and it's for ages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (on camera): So as you can see there, Erin, I mean, a lot of trusts just destroyed between Russia and Ukraine, obviously, with this assault that happened here on the Ukrainian Capitol. And what we're hearing from Ukrainian politicians, from the Ukrainian people from the folks here in Kyiv is they obviously don't trust the fact that these Russian forces are really going to leave. They certainly want to see evidence before they would believe it.

And we also have to keep in mind the reporting about this. This is not just the only city that has been under attack. Of course, you still have Chernihiv just to the north of here that's still surrounded by Russian forces. They claim they want to get out of that area as well. But again, the folks here really don't trust that just yet, Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Fred. Ronald Marks was a former CIA official who oversaw actions against Russian spying operations and retired Army Major General Paul Eaton was the former Commanding General of the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team in Iraq. Thanks very much to both of you.

So Gen. Eaton, Russia's Defense Minister says the main tasks, his words, of their 'special military operation' in Ukraine have been completed. But they had, of course, missiles that had come down across the entire country and they have troops around Kyiv and around Chernihiv and they say they're going to pull it back.

Now, obviously, that may be completely untrue, but translate this for me, why they would be saying that their operation is complete, given that they failed in so many obvious objectives.

MAJ. GENERAL PAUL EATON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Right, Erin, and thank you. This has been just a terribly run campaign. It is a stunningly inept performance by a very large army. So right now, we've got a commander in chief in Russia, President Putin, who is looking desperately for an off ramp.

So I think what he's created here is an opportunity to say we have accomplished our objectives and we're going to back off, we're going to break contact, and don't ever make us come back here again, is probably going to be the next thing he says. The artillery that you're hearing, the missile strikes, the NRS (ph) that are going in, that may be covering the withdrawal or it may be just a continuation of the terror campaign that he is mounting against the Ukrainian people to help set the stage for meaningful negotiations, perhaps.

[19:10:06]

BURNETT: Right. Until they give something up. He's not going to stop or show what he's still capable of doing. I guess, I can see your logic there. So Roland, the Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, who is back out again says and I quote him, the Ukrainian army has suffered significant damage. This allows us to focus efforts on achieving the main goal, the liberation of Donbas.

Now, Ronald, they've killed countless civilians, they have leveled entire cities. They've leveled entire cities. They just wiped them off the map. Donbas prior to the invasion when all those cities were there and those people were alive, was home to two self declared republics before a single shot was fired. I mean, is it possible Ronald that they could have inflicted the pain and suffering on Ukraine that they have, and on their own economy, and lost their global standing to literally get back to where they started?

EATON: Well, have is ...

RONALD MARKS, FORMER CIA OFFICIAL: It certainly wasn't (inaudible) I'll say that.

EATON: ... oh, I'm sorry.

MARKS: I think what you're seeing here right now is what happens when a chess player gets cornered. I think he overestimated, Putin overestimated his capabilities. I think the logistical capabilities, frankly, our intelligence being able to follow them so closely, they really telegraphed a lot of their punches.

I mean, he expected and we anticipated he wanted to get this thing over in 10 to 14 days. And what he did is he ran into the fog of war, as we say, I don't think he counted on the Ukrainian resistance. I don't think he counted on his own troop incompetence, the inability to deal with small units.

The problem just with logistics, I mean, the whole story about strategy, people talk about strategy, but it's logistics that matter. This is the largest Russian military operation really since Afghanistan with cheap tires on the trucks and no gasoline. I mean, it's really been for what he was expecting to be a triumph for real disaster.

So he's a good chess player, he's still dangerous, but he is clearly now beginning to, as they say, expand his options. And don't forget ever that one of his options is to go back in there if he can and when, and by when I mean take Ukraine or leave Ukraine in (inaudible) state of sorts. So we're not out of the woods on this one yet, but you're beginning to hear him expand his options, including by the way the negotiations I love when the Russians come to the negotiating table. Talk about a stall and that's, I think, what we're doing here right now, looking for options, catching a deep breath. But I think he's just as dangerous he was weeks ago when this thing started.

BURNETT: Right. And, of course, keep in mind as everyone should know, in Syria it was negotiations constantly and nothing ever stopped. I mean, that has been their ...

MARKS: Absolutely.

BURNETT: ... certainly their modus operandi for a long time.

So General, those explosions, so what do you think they are? I mean, I guess they could be a combination of both, both covering a retreat and proving the point of if you don't make a move on your side now, we can still crush you with this awful artillery.

EATON: So Erin, he has - the Russian army is proven incompetent in integrating maneuver direct fires and indirect fires. They have proven incompetent in integrating the joint force to create an effect on the ground. So I don't believe that he has suddenly gotten competent enough to cover a withdrawal with fires. I believe that what we're seeing is old Vietnam tactic of H&I; harassment and interdiction fires.

But fires that are completely dedicated to creating terror in the civilian population of Ukraine and to up the ante on the Russian side for further negotiations. But I believe he's got an off ramp that he's seen here and I hope he takes it.

BURNETT: Ronald, can I just ask you a question given your experience in the CIA. How do Putin not know he would see the resistance he sees? You would imagine he's got excellent sources in Ukrainian intelligence. In the two weeks that I was there, it was blatantly obvious and I'm not in your line of work, that there would be fierce resistance. It was the one thing that was screaming clear in your face, you didn't even need to be an intelligence person to know it and yet he didn't.

MARKS: Well, I think one of the things that you're - I'm sorry, Erin, I've lost the signal here, but I think one of the issues at hand here right now is that he had sort of cleaned out his services a couple of times. He has people around him who want to tell him what it is that he wanted to hear.

And so frankly, I think he was blindsided. I don't think he was given the kind of information that he needed to have going in. I'm not so sure what he would have listened to at this point either.

[19:15:02]

I mean there's another problem here as well. It's not just an intelligence failure, but it's also a leadership failure on his part.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you both very much. Ronald, thank you. General, thanks.

And next, a terrifying story of survival. For the first time we're hearing from a family that survived that deadly attack on the Mariupol theater. Remember the one where they had children written on both sides that was being used as a shelter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA KUTNYAKOVA, FAMILY SURVIVED MARIUPOL THEATER BOMBING: My mom was in another part of theater and a wall have fallen to her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Plus, the U.K. seizing a Russian superyacht complete with a wine cellar, freshwater swimming pool. And wait until you hear the lengths the owner of this yacht went to, to try to keep his identity hidden.

And the January 6 Select Committee now focusing on White House records that show reported seven hour gap in Trump's phone loss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:19:27]

BURNETT: The U.N. giving the first estimate of just how deadly the attacks on the city of Mariupol event, telling CNN that thousands of civilians may have died in the past month. President Zelenskyy calling it a crime against humanity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through interpreter): What the Russian troops are doing to Mariupol is a crime against humanity, which is literally conducts, carried out live on air in front of the eyes of the whole planet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:20:00]

BURNETT: Of course, it was in the city of Mariupol that that theater filled with more than a thousand refugees that said children on the side was bombed by Russian forces. It was the single deadliest attack known to date. At least 300 people died there underground huddled for safety. They died. An unknown number are believed to still be buried in the rubble.

And tonight for the first time, a survivor who narrowly escaped the attack is speaking to CNN. Ivan Watson is OUTFRONT tonight in Zaporizhzhia. And Ivan, just to think about this, to think about the bombing and then to die buried underground, it's horrible think about how narrowly some escaped death and others died.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right. I'm about to introduce you to a young Ukrainian woman whose apartment she says was destroyed by the Russian bombardment of her city, which prompted her, and her mother, and sister and their cat to go and seek shelter in a friend's apartment. They spent six days hiding in the hallway of the apartment from the ongoing fighting with nothing to eat or drink but water and cookies, no heat and they were freezing until they got some information to try to go take shelter in this iconic building in Mariupol, the Mariupol drama theater.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON (voice over): This was the Mariupol drama theater before Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, a cultural and architectural symbol of the city. And when the Russian military laid its deadly siege of Mariupol, the theater became a safe haven.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KUTNYAKOVA: For six people like with a cat. We go on the street and Russian tanks started shooting us and we're running with craziness and then we go to the theater. And you know what, in the theater was a lot of people. There it was like be okay, we have a food, they give us a tea and they said like you should find a place where you could - like a bed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON (voice over): This woman and her family recently escaped from Mariupol.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KUTNYAKOVA: My name is Maria Kutnyakova. I'm from Mariupol. I'm Maria from Mariupol.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON (voice over): On the morning of March 16th, Maria, her mother, sister and cat joined hundreds of other civilians sheltering in the theater. Footage from March 10th shows families huddled there in the dark. Feeling protected, perhaps, by the signs 'deti', children in Russian that volunteers posted outside the building. Shortly after arriving, Maria went to check whether an uncle who lived nearby was still alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KUTNYAKOVA: Now, I'm hearing the noise of the plane, like bombs plane, we know how it's - not - how it's - this noise because it bombed every day. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON (voice over): She returned to the theater to find it destroyed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KUTNYAKOVA: So I understand that my family in this theater and everyone screaming their names like mama, papa, Lucia, Sasha and I started calling like mom, Gala.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON (voice over): Footage of the immediate aftermath shows dazed civilians covered in dust, while the roof over the main auditorium had completely collapsed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KUTNYAKOVA: When the theater was bombed, my sister was standing with the window and the window was like blew up and she's fallen down. And my mom was in another part of theater and a wall fallen to her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON (voice over): Maria's mother and sister were wounded, but survived.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON (on camera): Your sister, is she doing all right?

KUTNYAKOVA: No.

WATSON: Really?

KUTNYAKOVA: She's like (inaudible) ...

WATSON (voice over): She's got a concussion.

KUTNYAKOVA: She has - yes, yes, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON (voice over): Shortly after the initial strike on the theater, Maria says what was left of the building came under a fresh artillery attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON (voice over): Everyone start screaming that the theater is on fire. So we should run and we're running but Russians bombed it, so we're running from the theater and bombs was like this, this, this.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WATSON (voice over): It eventually took nine days for Maria and her

family to get through Russian checkpoints and reach relative safety in Ukrainian-controlled territory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON (on camera): You seem very positive and upbeat right now.

KUTNYAKOVA: I'm understanding I'm very lucky. I'm very - you understand like thousands and hundreds people are still in Mariupol and they're bombed. I have no food, no water, they have no medicine, nothing. And I'm understanding that I'm very lucky. Like I have my arms, I have my legs, what do I need anymore, nothing.

WATSON: And your family.

KUTNYAKOVA: Yes, and my family, my cat is safe, so like ...

WATSON: This is Muska. She's a two-year-old cat and she survived the bombing of the Mariupol theater with her family. And they're now headed to western Ukraine in this bus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:25:01]

But no one knows how many people may have died under the rubble. Russia has denied that its forces bombed the theater and Russian state TV recently showed what was left of it after Russian troops moved into this part of the city. Judging by the damage, the Russian reporter claims it was bombed from the inside. He alleges there is information that Ukrainian nationalists organized a terrorist attack here, a claim that people inside the theater strongly reject.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON (on camera): Are you angry right now?

KUTNYAKOVA: No. I want that Russian just go away. This is Ukrainian territory. I don't understand why they come in and tell me that it's not my land. They're not fighting with the army. They're fighting with every citizen. They bombed hospitals. They bombed children gardens. They bombed the houses of peaceful people. They're not fighting with armies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON (voice over): Maria and her family rushed to a waiting van. The driver will take them for free to western Ukraine, where Maria hopes her sister can safely recover from her injuries.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON (on camera): Now, Erin, like all of the 10s of thousands of other Ukrainians who fled Mariupol, they have to escape by going through Russian front lines and checkpoints and suffer the indignity of having their vehicle searched, their car - their phones searched by the same troops that have destroyed their homes and their city.

Zaporizhzhia here is relatively safe. The ground war has not reached this city. But Maria and her family were not going to stay here even though that it's the safest they've been in really more than a month, because the Russian military is only about 20, 30 miles away from where I'm standing. There are curfews here and air raid sirens, and they're not going to take a risk of facing the danger and the trauma of the Russian military again, so that's why they left. Thank you.

BURNETT: All right. Ivan, thank you very much. It's just incredible to see that, just that theater story.

All right. Well, next the U.K. sending a message to Putin and his wealthiest, the oligarchs, seizing this superyacht. It belongs to a mysterious Russian businessman with ties to the Russian President. Wait till you see the story of this. Look at that thing.

Plus, one Ukrainian refugee may have lost everything. She is not giving up the fight to help her fellow Ukrainians.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:31:24]

BURNETT: Tonight, the U.K. seizing a nearly $50 million superyacht owned by a Russian businessman tied to Putin. The lavish blue vessel is one of the biggest in the world. A fresh water pool, penthouse apartment on the top deck, and it's actually been docked in East London for specific reason because the world super yacht awards are happening there.

David McKenzie is OUTFRONT with a look at why authorities zeroed in on this yacht.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's an extraordinary vessel, nearly 200 feet and costing almost $50 million U.S. dollars. It has an infinity wine cellar and a fresh water pool. And this is the kind of wealth that the luxury of those allegedly associated with Vladimir Putin. But this vessel, this super yacht, isn't going anywhere soon.

So this yacht is only a few months old. It was delivered to London with a much fanfare from a firm in the Netherlands. Earlier today, officers of the National Crime Agency were onboard effectively impounding the vessel. These yachts have very complicated ownership structure often. It's registered in the Caribbean, they say, with a flag from Malta and throughout the world, there is now a crackdown to target these boats, these yachts allegedly linked to Vladimir Putin's oligarchs.

I'm David from CNN, are you able to say anything?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No comment.

MCKENZIE: No comment?

There are still crew members onboard, but they wouldn't say anything to us. The British government has been criticized in recent months for not being harsh enough on oligarchs allegedly linked to Vladimir Putin.

GRANT SHAPPS, BRITISH TRANSPORTATION MINISTER: We tracked it down. We now know the connection. The ship won't be going anywhere for the time being and that's because we take what Putin is doing in Ukraine incredibly serious and people who have benefited from his regime cannot benefit from sailing around London and the U.K. in ships like this.

MCKENZIE: Whether it has any impact on the ongoing conflict, really that is up for debate. But it really is a powerful signal that this super yacht is now stuck at this wharf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Well, U.K. officials have yet to name this mysterious businessman, Erin. But it does point to the complex nature of these transactions. Often, the oligarchs have the shell companies, they have sophisticated financial instruments to try and hide their ownership. Not just of yachts but of jets and, of course, of real estate, particularly here in London and, of course, in the U.S. as well. There is pressure now for the U.S., the U.K. and European officials to try and squeeze these assets, to try to have some kind of impact on those closest to Putin -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. David, thank you very much.

And as Western nations continue seizing yachts and inflicting other punishments, President Biden and his European counterparts are determined to continue raising costs on Russia for its brutal attacks in Ukraine.

OUTFRONT now, Ilya Matveev, a long time Kremlin watcher.

And I really appreciate your time, Eliot, really been following your analysis. So, U.K. authorities seizing this super yacht, 192-foot yacht, owned by a Russian businessman, just the latest example, of course, of what we've seen, right? Assets seizures in some jurisdictions of oligarchs. At least eight yachts said to be owned by these individuals have been taken by the west. There are other place that's haven't participated in this at all, like the UAE.

The idea is that by taking the money and assets of the richest Russians that Putin would then feel pressure. You have seen any evidence that's working?

[19:35:04]

ILYA MATVEEV, RUSSIAN POLITICAL ANALYST: I don't really think that this approach is working because the oligarchs who own those super yachts do not really have political power in Russia anymore. And we call the oligarchs by a force of habit. So they combine political and economic power in the '90s.

But in the last 20 years, they were completely subordinated to the regime. They were subordinated to Putin personally and they do not have any influence on his decisions.

So, you can take every yacht, you know, from these people. But they won't be able to do anything even if they're angry at Putin, even if they do not agree with this -- with his invasion. But they don't really have much power in the system.

BURNETT: So the sanctions, whether they have influence or not is a separate issue from whether it is hurting them, right? It is hurting them, even though obviously they have money hidden in all sorts of places that no one will ever touch. But the sanctions are really hurting ordinary Russians as well.

The Kremlin has acknowledged that people have resorted to panic buying. We've seen video of it. Elderly Russians fighting in grocery stores over packs of sugar. Impossible to independently verify some of these videos though because there is no independent media in Russia. There is just not. It's been all completely shut down.

How bad is the situation for regular Russians right now?

MATVEEV: It is pretty bad. And I think that's sanctions are quite effective in -- you know, affecting the lives of ordinary people. So, at first, financial sections were the most effective. But now I think that logistics and logistical and maritime locate of Russian trade is even more effective in terms of disrupting Russian economy.

And Russian people do suffer from shortages of certain good, certain essential goods and from skyrocketing inflation, and it's not like they have a lot of spare cash. You know, Russia --

BURNETT: Right.

MATVEEV: -- was already a poor country when the war began. So they don't have a lot of money to spare.

BURNETT: Right. Right. And I think that is such a crucial point that you make, and, you know, for so much of the country, incredibly poor -- incredibly poor in a way that many in the West would not recognize.

Ilya, thank you so very much. I appreciate your time.

MATVEEV: Thank you.

BURNETT: And next, new evidence of Russia's deadly assault in southern Ukraine. This video showing a moment a government building was struck by a missile. We have details on the deadly toll. It was deadly.

Plus, Trump's phone logs January 6 shows a reported seven-hour gap. The logs don't include key calls that we actually factually know Trump had. So, why? Why the big donut hole in there?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:42:03]

BURNETT: This incredible moment caught on camera when a missile hit a government building in the southeastern city of Mykolaiv. You can see it actually happening there. The regional military governor says his office was hit. A giant hole blown into the side of the building.

At least 12 people have been confirmed killed in that strike that you saw, struck 12 people. You see that, their lives gone.

Matt Rivers is OUTFRONT tonight in Budapest, where Ukrainians have been seeking refuge from this relentless shelling that has cost countless lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Each time new groups show up, it's anybody's guess how many refugees there will be. More than a month into this war, new Ukrainians keep coming and coming, looking for safety in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

So, authorities here say that compared to a few weeks ago, things are much more organized. Once people come in, things get process, and the idea is to get to where they have to go. If they want to stay here, they go to door four over here to get local accommodation. Door number three, that will take him to the airport. Door number two and number one over here, this is where refugees will go if they want to go to the train station locally.

Making their journey is a little easier is Yuliia Pokhylenko. She's a volunteer translating Ukrainian into Hungarian, or English. And here, she helps us speak to this couple who left behind family as they fled Ukraine just a week ago.

Are you worried about them?

YIULIIA POKHYLENKO, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE TURNED VOLUNTEER: She wants everyone to stay alive and be healthy.

RIVERS: She wants everyone to be safe.

Yiuliia has a gentle touch with the new arrivals. She is warm, kind and empathetic, because she too is a refugee from the suburb of Kyiv. She fled amid intense fighting a few weeks ago. Yulia took this video just before she left of the shelter she used when the bombs are falling. One on her way out of the city, she took this video of shell casings on the ground.

Was it difficult to leave your country?

POKHYLENKO: Yes, of. Course

RIVERS: Why?

POKHYLENKO: Because it is your country. It is your land. It is those it is so surprising for what's happened and for why.

RIVERS: She has been here for several weeks with no plans to leave. Yiuliia desperately wants to be back in Ukraine, but for now, she'll help however she can.

Why are you doing that?

POKHYLENKO: A little help is help. Everybody wants help Ukraine, how you can.

RIVERS: And today, that meant everything from serving a pot drink to guiding this woman to get her medication. However, she can show people that she cares. At the end of her interview, a hook for us to, and a message.

POKHYLENKO: Help us stop this.

RIVERS: We will. Thank you.

[19:45:01]

POKHYLENKO: Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: And we know that Yiuliia is not the only Ukrainian here in Budapest that is actually helping refugees as they cross the border. We know several other people at that facility we're also doing the same thing, and they too are Ukrainian citizens.

According to Hungarian national police data, more than 500,000 Ukrainians now have crossed here into Hungary, making hungry one of the countries that has accepted the most refugees as a result of this crisis. They increasingly hope that all these people by their fellow citizens.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Matt.

Next, what could explain it reported seven-hour gap in Trump's White House call logs as the insurrection was unfolding? What?

Plus, a rare moment of unity between the United States and Russia 254 miles high above earth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like my space brothers and space sister.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:50:04]

BURNETT: Official White House records show a gap of more than seven hours in phone calls to or from former President Trump on January 6th. Now, this is according to "The Washington Post" and CBS news. Not a single call between 11:17 am and 6:54 pm. That, of course, is the entire window of the insurrection.

The records turned over to the January 6th select committee apparently do show Trump having at least 11 phone conversations that morning with people including Rudy Giuliani, Steve Miller, and Steve Bannon. At least 13 phone conversations that night, once the seven-hour blackout ended, again Steve Bannon, Sean Hannity from Fox News, two calls from social media director Dan Scavino.

And the logs also show attempts by Trump to call Senators Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley and Mitch McConnell as well as then Vice President Pence around 9:00 a.m.

So, all of that is on there, then there's that seven-hour hole of the insurrection itself.

Evan Perez is OUTFRONT.

And, Evan, it's hard to believe Trump would have had all those calls on January 6th, and there's not a single one during the entire insurrection itself.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right, Erin. The committee that is investigating the January 6th insurrection is looking into and investigating why that seven-hour gap exists, from 11:17 am to 6:54 pm, there are no records from the White House records office or from the switchboard.

So the question is, were those records removed by someone? Where they just simply not recorded properly? Did the committee not receive the full list of records? Those are the questions they are asking.

We know for a fact, for instance, that there are calls not listed on these records that were turned over to the committee that did occur. We know, for instance, that he reached out and spoke to Mike McCarthy, the leader of the House Republicans, during that time. We know that he spoke to Tommy Tuberville, Senator Mike Lee. We know those calls existed and are not listed on here.

So, the question is, why is that? One of the possible answers, Erin, comes from the former president himself. In a statement he provided to "The Washington Post" he says, to his knowledge, he has never heard of the term burner phone. And so that is a possibility, that might be one of the explanations here. We know for a fact from someone reporting in the White House that the president did use other aide's phones, and personal cell phones that were not recorded by the White House system.

BURNETT: All right. Evan, thank you very much.

And I want to go now to our senior legal analyst Laura Coates.

So, Laura, the fact in Evan reporting, the Select Committee, you know, trying to figure out what's happened in these seven hours. So did they just not get the full call logs, or did -- was there literally a black hole? Every phone call going on in those seven hours was on a burner phone or in a phone? What do you think possibly happened here?

LAURA COATES, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, we know he wasn't napping, and we also know during that particular point in time it was part of the most devastating experience from any members of Congress and all of the world watching, as people descended onto the United States Capitol.

So it's completely inconceivable there were no telephone calls made. And of course, we know from other corroborating discussions and investigative journalists, those who have spoken to members of Congress, those volunteer the information, that they have spoken to him. The question now is, is it a cover-up? Or a inadvertent failure to report the information?

And if it's the latter, who is responsible for that? Clearly, President Trump was not the one actually dictating the diary or the logs. So, was he dictating, or did somebody say to leave off information? That's part of where we have to follow the story.

And finally, we are relying really in whole part on people to be able to volunteer the information or to come forward as witnesses responding to subpoenas, to offer with the committee doesn't know. It does not bode well that all they had were these huge seven-hour gaps and no real end in sight for people actually come operating with the committee.

BURNETT: As far as we know, it's funny, obviously, many years prior to when he was president, Trump then would take phone calls always through the switchboard through his office. He was not a heavy user of his cell phone except for when he was not in the office, and then he was.

But we know that he did not just calls at the actual switchboard at the White House. Tons of calls came through cell phones and other people's phones. In fact, we know that there were calls Trump had during those seven hours that they've spoken openly about, that aren't on this catalog. Evan referred to them.

Here's a couple.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): I was the first person to contact him when the riots was going on. He didn't see it.

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): I know I talked to him after we left off the floor.

SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-AL): He said a few things, I said: Mr. President, they've taken the vice president out.

[19:55:04]

They want me to get off the phone. I've got to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: So, these were calls with the president, and they were in that seven-hour window. So again, Laura, how do you interpret that?

COATES: And yet, they are not reflected on the logs. The question is, who else may have been unwilling to come forward to admit they were in fact there? That is part of the committee's investigative practice here, to understand what led up to and all around it.

You know what' they are actually fighting with one hand type behind their back. That hand could be released, of course, by the Department of justice, who has much more of an opportunity to be able to have the investigative authority to figure out who in fact were those people through call logs, through other corroborative information, and ways in which to dictate and determine who it actually was.

But this is part of why it has to be the symbiotic relationship, Erin, and also why we are waiting for these public hearings to come out later this year.

BURNETT: All right, thank you very much, Laura.

And, next, Russia and the U.S. may be in a dangerous face-off right now, the fear of an escalating war. But tonight, one bright shining light in a different story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Tonight, a moment of unity in space. A Russian cosmonaut talking about working side by side with Americans at the International Space Station amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTON SHKAPLEROV, RUSSIAN COSMONAUT: People have a problem on Earth, on orbit, we are like one crew. I think ISS is a symbol of the friendship. They are like my space brothers and space sister.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: That cosmonaut is set to leave the space station in just hours along with American astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who spent a record breaking 355 days in space.

But this isn't the first time a Russian cosmonaut has made headlines during Putin's war. First, there was a Twitter war between some of the astronauts. Then earlier this month, three Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station and did so, look at what they're wearing, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

One of them said we actually had a lot of yellow material, so we had to use it. They cannot be open what they were doing, but yet, that picture, as we say, said it all. Incredibly powerful.

Thanks so much for joining us.

"AC360" starts now.