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Ukraine: 2 Cities "Under Attack" By Russians with Airstrikes; U.S. Scoffs at Russia's Request of U.N. Security Council Meetings; VP Harris Traveling to Romania to Reassure U.S. Allies Over Russia. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired March 11, 2022 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:20]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to viewers here in the United States and around the world. It is Friday, March 11th. I'm Brianna Keilar here in Washington, with Alex Marquardt live in Lviv, Ukraine. John Berman is off this morning.

And we're beginning with breaking news. Under way right now, major cities in Ukraine, Dnipro, in the center of the country, and Lutsk in the northwest, under attack by Russian forces, with fatalities reported following a series of explosions and air strikes.

In Dnipro, Ukraine's emergency service says three air stakes hit a kindergarten, apartment building and shoe factory. CNN is live on the ground there.

In the meantime, U.K.'s ministry of defense said Russian forces continue to make limited progress in advancing towards Kyiv and could be preparing for a fresh attack against the Ukrainian capital here in the coming days. A senior U.S. defense official said some troops are now within nine miles of the capital city center with other units approaching from all directions. These new images from the outskirts of the city show the 30-mile-long convoy largely dispersed and redeployed.

Some units now repositions in the forests and tree-lined areas. Northeast of Kyiv, in Chernihiv, images show the Russian onslaught has inflicted heavy damage. The mayor says the city is encircled by Russian troops.

And watch this, Ukrainian state emergency services releasing a heart stopping video showing the defusing of a bomb. You can hear explosions going off in the background.

ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN ANCHOR: Just extraordinary courage there.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's foreign minister has condemned what he calls Moscow's barbaric crimes. They have posted video of sick orphans being evacuated near the capital of Kyiv. One of the children is clearly unconscious. Now, meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says 100,000 have been

evacuated through humanitarian corridor so far over the past two days. In Mariupol and Borodyanka in eastern Ukraine, those corridors however remain blocked. And Ukrainian officials say Russian troops are firing on them.

Let's start with CNN's Scott McLean here with me in Lviv.

Scott, in the past few moments, we have heard air sirens going off in Lviv. The air strike in Lutsk overnight raising concerns about the Western part of Ukraine.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it seems the strategy is widening. Now, Ivano-Frankiivsk, that's another place that's been hit just in the early morning hours. This is an area that's been hit only one time previously and that was the very first time of the war. Lutsk, a town not too far from here actually has not been hit at all. The Russian defense ministry saying it was a high- precision, long-range weapon that hit those two areas. Both of them hit airfields.

Now, the trouble with this or the concern with these particular strikes is that many people, especially Ivano-Frankiivsk, who are not prepared to leave the country but are fleeing war in other parts of Ukraine have ended up there. It has been relative live safe for the duration of the war. But now, if you start seeing heavy bombing, heavy shelling in other areas, especially residential areas, you may have a new found exodus.

And a lot of these people are not perhaps people with connections outside the country. A lot of people know people in Poland. They know people in Europe. But the UNHCR has made clear their concern, which is that the next wave of refugees won't have the same connections, won't have the same resources. And they could be a lot more vulnerable.

MARQUARDT: Yeah, that's right. The U.N. now just putting out new numbers, 2.5 million Ukrainians left the country, 2 million displaced. So many Ukrainians don't necessarily want to leave, but they have to flee the fighting.

Let's talk about the humanitarian corridors. Some are clearly working. Some people are getting to safety. But others like the one in Mariupol which is that besieged fort city in south not working, being hit by the Russians.

MCLEAN: Yeah, and you have the president putting out 100,000, in the last two days, who have been able to get out. It is extremely difficult to verify numbers that are that high. We know, as you said, some of these corridors appear to be having some levels of success.

But in Mariupol, in Volnovakha, these are two of the most desperate situations. There's no luck at all, it seems. The International Red Cross have an office there. They have about 65 employees. They describe people attacking each other for food.

[05:05:02] There is water being handed out, but it is not nearly enough. And obviously, these temperatures are well below freezing, and people are starting to get sick. And so with those corridors, you have the Ukrainians saying, hey, the corridor for Mariupol is open. We are sending aid in. They don't seem to have made it.

The mayor saying they are attacking routes in and out of the city. The Russians have unilaterally said we are opening these corridors, many of them leading to Russia, though.

MARQUARDT: Right.

MCLEAN: The only option that they've given the people of Mariupol is to go to Russia at this stage. And so, it doesn't seem there is any coordination between the Ukrainians and Russians. It doesn't seem like there's any agreement on where those corridors are actually going to go. The Russians have suggested a coordination line between the two, but it's remarkable that we are this far in to these attempts to get people out and they haven't been talking already.

MARQUARDT: All right. Well, a lot of developments overnight and into the morning.

Scott McLean, thanks very much. .

MCLEAN: You bet.

MARQUARDT: Brianna, back to you.

KEILAR: The U.N. Security Council will meet at Russia's request today. Russia alleging the use of chemical weapons by the U.S. in Ukraine. Obviously, nothing to back that up. The U.S. dismissing the Kremlin claims as signature Russian propaganda.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is live for us in Turkey.

First, tell us about Jomana about the diplomacy forum, a day after Russia and Ukraine held these talks with little results.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, this is an annual event that turkey hosts here on the Mediterranean coast in the city of Antalya. And, of course, on the sidelines of this forum, they held the trilateral meeting hosted by Turkey, between the Russian and the Ukrainian foreign ministers. Nothing really came out of that in terms of any sort of agreement or cease-fire really.

But Turkey is still describing this as a very significant first step. We heard President Erdogan in a phone call yesterday with President Biden describing this as a diplomatic victory. Turkey has really been pushing hard to try and bring both sides together at a high level to the negotiating table, and they are going to continue.

We have heard from Turkish officials. President Erdogan is really trying to bring both President Zelenskyy and Putin together. He has discussed this in phone calls recently with both leaders. We have heard from the Turkish side saying that President Putin is not against direct talks in principle. We've also heard from the Ukrainians saying that President Zelenskyy is ready for talks.

Because I think, Brianna, the realization is here that no matter how much negotiations and talk you have with the different delegations, if there is going to be any sort of agreement, cease-fire, it is going to be the decision of one man and one man only, and that is Vladimir Putin. That is what Turkey and others are trying to push for to get both sides of the leadership level to sit and talk directly.

This is all happening at the same time as we are seeing President Zelenskyy pushing against the disinformation campaign by Russia, these claims that Ukraine is preparing the Russian defense ministry claiming that Ukraine is preparing for a chemical attack. He hit back at Russia and also, you know, a lot of concern, Brianna from U.S., Ukrainian and other officials that this may be Russia preparing for a false flag attack.

KEILAR: Yeah, and for good reason. It also plays into a conspiracy theory that has taken hold here in the United States as well. It's really something.

Jomana Karadsheh, thank you so much.

So, the U.S. and its allies set to revoke Russia's most favored nation trade status for its continued invasion of Ukraine. President Biden expected to announce that move in conjunction with the European Union and G7 countries. Stripping Russia's trade status would allow the U.S. and allies to impose tariffs on Russian imports. It would increase Russia's economic isolation and retaliation for the invasion. It comes just days after the president moved to ban imports of Russian oil and gas products.

MARQUARDT: Now, moments ago, Vice President Kamala Harris left Warsaw, Poland, for Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Part of her effort to demonstrate American support for NATO allies, particularly those in Eastern Europe with Ukraine. Now, she is set to meet with Romanian's president to advance coordination in response to Russia's war here and to offer support as Romania is now welcoming thousands of refugees that are fleeing this Russian invasion.

We find CNN's Kevin Liptak there in Bucharest with Vice President Harris. Kevin, the vice president visiting these countries making clear, as she has said repeatedly, that the U.S. and NATO are ready to defend every inch of NATO territory.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. This is really a reassurance mission here in the eastern most reaches of NATO. She is the highest ranking official to visit the region since this war broke out. And that's really symbolic presence of American military might here in the region. And you saw her before she departed Poland to come here to the Romanian capital Bucharest. She was speaking with troops and she did reaffirm the commitment to the NATO alliance.

Listen to what she said.

MARQUARDT: I don't think we have the sound there, Kevin.

LIPTAK: Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't hear that.

She did. She reiterated what the U.S. has been saying all along, that the United States is committed to this Article Five treaty of common defense, that an attack on one is an attack on all. And that America will affirm that commitment. But officials traveling with the vice president say this is about more than just symbolism. They want to demonstrate their commitment and actions.

So, you saw yesterday the vice president announced that the United States would fulfill its shipment of patriot missiles to Poland. You saw her announce new humanitarian aid to countries in the recently. And you see deployments to the region.

So there are 5,000 American troops reassigned to Poland. About 1,000 troops here in Romania. Now, when she arrives, she will arrive in a nation on edge. Romania is watching very wearily what's happening in Russia. This country has been invaded by Russia many times over the centuries. She will meet with the president here.

One important thing she did say in Poland. She talked about the idea of war crimes being committed in Ukraine and she spoke very powerfully about the atrocities being seen on the ground. She did it here to the administration line, that an investigation needs to proceed. But it was very clear what she was saying, that what's happening on the ground there could very clearly warrant the war crime designation once this investigation concludes, Alex.

MARQUARDT: Yeah. Nerves very high clearly in those countries bordering Ukraine. And President Zelenskyy has said that if President Putin is victories here, that those countries could be next.

Kevin Liptak in Bucharest, thanks very much.

Now, new satellite showing that that convoy that we've been talking about, which was 40 miles long just north of Kyiv, that convoy has largely dispersed. So, are they falling back, are the Russians regrouping?

We will have more of our breaking news coverage just ahead.

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[05:17:03]

KEILAR: There are new satellite images that show the stalled 40-mile- long Russian convoy near Kyiv that we've been talking about the last couple days. It has largely dispersed and redeployed. Some of the units there have now repositioned into forests and tree-lined areas.

So, what does that mean?

Let's bring retired Army Major General James "Spider" Marks to talk about this.

Can you show us what these pictures are telling us and what it means for where these tanks are going? MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah.

This is frankly good news for the Ukrainians. We have had that imagery of that 40-mile-long convoy now being dispersed, which means supplies are not getting where they need to go. There's a change in tactics. And they're getting off the road networks because they're concerned about imagery like this and also potential targeting.

So what you can see in this image, they are still on the road networks. But when you look over here, you can see the tracks. They're off the major roads. And then specifically here as well, Brianna, you can see there are a number of tanks or armored personnel carriers getting off the main avenues of approach for protection.

KEILAR: It looks as if they have gone into a field behind a house.

MARKS: Sure.

KEILAR: So they are seeing cover basically?

MARKS: Completely. What they're looking for. There's two things.

Not getting inside too much military stuff, but it's cover and concealment. This is concealment, which means I want to get under trees, tuck in next to buildings, make it hard for anybody to really see me. Cover gives me protection from firing.

In other words, big bear barriers and overhead cover that would really protect from bullets, missiles, rockets, and artillery.

KEILAR: So that may be a good indication to the Ukrainians that they feel vulnerable. Could it also be an indication that they are getting ready for something?

MARKS: Clearly what they are doing, the Russians felt very vulnerable on that major avenue of approach. The whole world could see they were stalled, they weren't going anywhere. And you can't do anything when you're just lined up. You begin to disperse your units. Individual units like this suddenly noncommissioned officers and junior officers can get their troops together and begin to prepare for the next mission. You have a very difficult time when you just have this line of ducks on a road.

So this gives them an opportunity to prepare. I see this in two ways. One, they're looking to protect themselves, to limit the amount of intelligence that can be derived from this display of vehicles on a major highway. And it also gives an opportunity to prepare for the next move.

KEILAR: We're seeing what could be increasing hostilities from the Russians. Like what we see in Mariupol, now, we are seeing in Chernihiv. It's looking like you could have more humanitarian catastrophes. This could be broadening.

You have the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that they need a no-fly zone. Right now, the U.S. is opposed to that.

[05:20:01]

What about a limited, as some folks here, some experts in the U.S. economy, for a limited no-fly zone with a very narrow mission? Is that a possibility?

MARKS: That's a tough nut to crack. When you have a no-fly zone, it has to be enforced. You put NATO and U.S. pilots over this airspace, and what you're saying -- in advance of that, you're going after enemy surface-to-air systems. So the pilots from reduced the threat. And if anybody from the Russian side were to come and venture in, you now have an opportunity to go after them, not having to work with the surface-to-air threat.

So, with limited no fly zone indicates that you are going to go after the surface-to-air missiles. But you are simply going to provide protection along a very narrowly defined corridor. The problem with that is you still have to enforce the violations. And, by the way, if you go up there without eliminating surface-to-air missiles, you're still very vulnerable.

The Russians don't do what they say we're going to do. We're not going to fire at you. Guess what? I got a surface-to-air missile that's hot and loaded and ready to go, and it's coming after NATO and U.S. pilots.

It's an incredibly dangerous mission. I don't see that it is feasible.

KEILAR: All right. Not feasible at this point. General, thank you so much. Really interesting developments this morning.

MARKS: Thanks, Brianna.

KEILAR: So, the first lady of Ukraine showing the world the reality of war and to rally international support for her country. A closer look at her life and career next.

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[05:26:01]

KEILAR: The first lady of Ukraine is stepping into the spotlight as Russia's invasion intensifies and attention on her husband is at an all-time high. On social media, she is posting images on social media to show the world the horrors of war, as well as messages encouraging the Ukrainian people and calling for international support.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska not mincing words, saying Russia is conducting the mass murder of Ukrainians, giving what she calls her own testimony from Ukraine in a lengthy open letter posted in several languages.

When Russia says that it is not waging war against civilians, I call out the names of these murdered children first, Zelenska says, addressing some of the youngest victims of the war by name.

Since the start of the invasion, the 44-year-old has weaponized her social media, sharing real-time pictures and videos to reflect the reality of the war.

This is how Ukraine looks right now, she wrote last week, the whole world look.

Zelenska's path to her perch in this global crisis started out reluctantly. I was not too happy when I realized that those were the plans, she has said of her husband running for president, famously first learning of his run on social media. When I asked, why didn't you tell me? He answered, I forgot.

In the three years since, she has settled into her role as the first lady, taking on women's rights and children's issues in featured in a glossy spread on the cover of "Vogue Ukraine". Zelenska first met the future president in college. Their relationship growing into love years later.

Like her husband, she, too, worked in entertainment as a script writer, writing comedy behind the scenes at the same studio as her husband. I am a nonpublic person, she has said of herself. I prefer staying backstage. My husband is always on the forefront while I feel more comfortable in the shade.

Their two young children, Sasha and Cyril, she is fiercely protective of. The family of four now, like so many, at the epicenter of war.

PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): The enemy has marked me as target number one. My family is target number two.

SERFATY: The first lady vowing to remain calm and confident as her own children and so many others are looking to her for strength in this moment.

Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Russia cracking down on independent reporting on the war, allowing only Putin's party line to reach the masses. A Russian investigative journalist risking his own safety with his reporting, joining us next.

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