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Russia Widens Attacks in Ukraine; Eugen Caras is Interviewed about Fear in Moldova; Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) is Interviewed about Brittney Griner. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired March 11, 2022 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: By hitting airports.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Nonetheless, Lutsk is close to Poland. Very close.

OSTAP YARYSH, REPORTER, UKRAINIAN SERVICE OF VOICE OF AMERICA: Sixty miles from a NATO country, right.

KEILAR: And so what does that mean? What does that signify? Even if it is to send a message about airports and air strips. What does that signify to be so close?

YARYSH: What -- what I think we have seen in past days and weeks that it's not only eastern Ukraine that is under attack, it's not only Kyiv or (INAUDIBLE) or Mariupol or those cities that Lutsk, or even a Frankivsk (ph) that was attacked today or other places, (INAUDIBLE) we saw before. So this is the entire territory of Ukraine that is under attack by the Russians right now.

KEILAR: So, we're watching Mariupol, and it ' terrible. And I know you have family there. I'm so sorry. I know you have --

YARYSH: I have -- my friends have family there, right.

KEILAR: Your friends have family there. Your friends -- you have family in Lviv. Your friends have family all over the country.

YARYSH: That's correct.

KEILAR: And I think what we're a little worried watching is that what's happening to Mariupol is going to be happening to other cities.

What needs to be done in order to help people not starve to death, you know, not die of dehydration?

SANNER: Yes, well, clearly, the Russians are not allowing these humanitarian corridors, they're not allowing the resupply. Every day they try to send trucks in. And I think we just need to be creative.

And I was thinking -- we were all talking beforehand about, you know, why can't we use unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, as a way of resupply? I mean there are lots out on the commercial market. There are all different sizes. The Israelis have huge ones. It seems to me we need to start being creative about, how do we get food and water and medicines to these people who are under siege.

KEILAR: Does it seem, Ostap, that there is a strategy for dealing with cities that are or are going to be under siege?

YARYSH: Well, what we see in Mariupol, that the, like, Red Cross or other organizations, they're trying to create those humanitarian green corridors. But so far, if we talk about Mariupol, it's not successful.

We've seen other strategies in other cities, like Irpin or Sumy or Trunia (ph). They are trying to (INAUDIBLE) people. But when it comes to Mariupol, I don't -- what people are asking that they need water or food supplies. Those that we hear in the Ukrainian media or people who are able to communicate or -- because we know that there is no mobile connection, no electricity, the city, as we've heard from the Red Cross, is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis. And people say that we need help right now. That's what we hear from them when we talk to them or when we listen to what they say.

KEILAR: Vladimir Klitschko (ph), who is the brother of the mayor of Kyiv, said they are expecting an onslaught here in the coming days in the capital.

Do you expect Putin to treat Kyiv any differently than he's treated these other cities?

SANNER: Not really. Not really.

KEILAR: What's it going to look like?

SANNER: I think, you know, it's harder because it's a lot bigger. So, it's a lot more difficult to do that. But I think that that -- we are going to see this effort to surround just like they have in Kharkiv, to try to cut off people, to distract the self-defense forces so they can't attack the Russians. You know, it's all part of how the Russians conduct war.

KEILAR: Yes, I fear for what we're about to see and I'm curious to see, we talked about, what is the creativity here. I'm curious to see what that has -- what that bears here in the coming days.

Thank you to both of you. Really appreciate it.

SANNER: Thank you.

YARYSH: Thank you.

KEILAR: Just ahead, the latest on troops from that 40-mile long Russian convoy in Ukraine. They've actually dispersed a little. They've taken up new positions, getting cover under trees and behind houses.

And could Moldova, which is just south of Ukraine, be Vladimir Putin's next target? Moldova's ambassador to the U.S. will join us next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:37:46]

KEILAR: The U.N. now says 2.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine during Russia's invasion. Moldova's ministry of internal affairs says nearly 300,000 have crossed south over its border and some Moldova citizens worry they could be Putin's next target.

Joining us now is Eugen Caras. He is the Moldovan ambassador to the United States.

Sir, thank you so much for coming in to be with us this morning and to talk about this.

Something happened with the Belarusian president. He was talking to his security council, He had a map behind him. And on it appeared to be a projected invasion of Moldova. Now you have Belarus saying this is a mistake. But do you think Moldova is next?

MR. EUGEN CARAS, MOLDOVAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: Well, it's difficult to say who's next. And, of course, to elaborate on this. What we know and what we are following in the region, in Transnistria region and in the -- of course --

KEILAR: Just to be clear, Transnistria is the Russian-backed successionist region, just there on the border, just for our viewers.

CARAS: Exactly.

So, what we are following in Transnistria and, of course, around, there is no indications that there is a military operation being planned against Moldova. But, of course, one shouldn't rule out any scenarios. And, of course, we did see that map. We summoned the Belarus ambassador to Moldova, to Chisinau (ph), and he said that it was a mistake on behalf of the (INAUDIBLE), the minister of defense of Belarus.

But, as I said, we are following closely what's going on in Transnistria, where we have around 1,500 Russian troops. So 1,500 Russian troops. But there are also around 6,000 paramilitary of their own, of Transnistria. So, of course, we are concerned with the war in Ukraine. We are concerned that this could have a spillover effect to the region.

And -- but, as I said earlier, as of today, there are no indications that we would be targeted and what we are talking and what we are saying to all our interlocutors is that Moldova is a neutral state and we do not intend to engage in any kind of military activity and actions and we would respect -- we will expect the rest of the world, including Russia, to respect this neutrality of Moldova.

[08:40:15]

KEILAR: Would Moldova be more inclined to seek membership in NATO? CARAS: As of now, as I said, there is a constitutional provision about

our neutrality. So, we are not seeking a membership to any military bloc, including NATO. Our, of course, our objective is to integrate with the European Union. So we are seeking membership to the European Union. And we applied for this membership last week. But, as of now, there is this neutrality and which is the case nowadays we are asking for all to respect this neutrality.

KEILAR: What concerns you watching Ukraine, where, yes, the west has been united when it comes to sanctions, when it comes to giving weapons to Ukraine, but there is no no-fly zone, there are no fighter jets going to Ukraine from outside. What message do you think that sends to Vladimir Putin about what he can do to a democratic-leaning European nation that is not a member of NATO?

CARAS: Well, I think the support from the west towards Ukraine has been exemplary. I think unprecedented. I think there is a lot of sanctions in place.

You're right about the military component. But I think we are following very closely what is being said here in D.C. and elsewhere that there is -- there are difficulties and there are nuances and there are a lot of things to be -- to be taken into account. So, we do understand all these arguments.

And I think -- I think what the Russians would -- would also take from this is probably the responsibility of the west, how to engage with Russia, so that the situation is already very bad in Ukraine with this war, but I think it's also the responsibility of the west, how probably Russians perceive it, not to get it even worse.

KEILAR: Sir, thank you so much. Ambassador, we really appreciate you being with us.

CARAS: Thank you very much for having me.

KEILAR: New this morning, a home for the disabled, lying in ruin, as Russian troops strike more civilian targets in Ukraine.

And new developments in the case of American basketball star Brittney Griner, who is being detained in Russia. We are joined by a U.S. congressman who's fighting to get her home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:46:53]

KEILAR: We have brand-new video just in to CNN of an airstrike that has badly damaged a football stadium and a library in Chernihiv in northern Ukraine. This is a city that right now is surrounded by Russian forces. So this is suspected, of course, to be a Russian airstrike.

And these pictures that you're seeing here show debris scattered outside the gates of the city's Olympic sports training center. This is a center that was built in 1936. This is where the local football team, FC Desna Chernihiv, plays home games. This is also where the Ukrainian women's soccer national team, the women's national team, plays their home games.

The airstrike blew large holes also in a nearby library and scattered books all across the ground there.

We do have some new details that are emerging on Brittney Griner's arrest in Russia. The seven-time WNBA all-star was detained at an airport near Moscow on February 17th after allegedly being found with cannabis oil in her luggage.

And joining us now with more on this is Congressman Colin Allred, who is on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Sir, can you shed some light on the latest that you know about Brittney Griner. So many people are paying attention to her plight right now.

REP. COLIN ALLRED (D-TX): Well, good morning, Brianna.

We know that, as you said, she was detained on the 17th. That the Moscow embassy has requested consular access to her. The same way they would for any American who's been detained or incarcerated abroad. And that has not been granted now for over three weeks. And so that's extremely unusual, and extremely concerning, the fact that we've not had official government contact with her to help her through this process.

She is in touch with her Russian lawyer, who is helping us understand, you know, her situation and working through the legal process. But the fact that our embassy has not been granted the normal access that we would expect is very, very concerning.

KEILAR: What's he saying about her condition, about what she's saying, and what's he saying about where she is?

ALLRED: Well, we're not discussing where she is, but we know that she's OK. And she's in touch, you know, through her lawyer, with her agent, her family, and I've spoken with her agent, and with the -- and through them, the family. And what we're trying to do is keep this in the legal framework and not have this become part of the broader geopolitical context that you've been discussing all morning.

Brittney's not a part of it. She's had no role in that. Her rights within their legal framework should be respected. She should be allowed it come home as soon as possible and not become swept up in any of this larger context of what's happening.

KEILAR: I know you can't say exactly where she is. Is she in a prison?

ALLRED: Well, we can't go into where she is right now. That's at the request of the family.

KEILAR: OK. No, no, no, I --

ALLRED: But I -- yes, I will say that we know she's OK (INAUDIBLE). KEILAR: I -- I understand that. No ,I understand that. I was just

trying to see if there was any way you could share more details about that.

Do you trust what the Russians are saying about what happened here?

ALLRED: You know, I don't think we can just say on faith that the Russians are going to be handling this in good faith, because we've seen in the past, with other Americans, that they have, you know, created trumped up charges.

[08:50:05]

And, you know, whether it's Trevor Reed or Paul Whelan, held them for, you know, longer than we thought. Even if those charges were true, than they should have been held. The treatment they've received has been, you know, not very good.

And so this is not a new scenario having to deal with the Russians in terms of them, you know, taking an American. Obviously, Brittney is extremely high profile. She's one of the best basketball players in the world. She's also, you know, an LGBTQ Plus, you know, icon in many ways. And has a fellow Baylor alum, she's somebody who I want to see bring home.

But the Russians, in this case, you know, I don't think we can just say that whatever they're saying happened is exactly how it happened.

KEILAR: Do you worry the fact that she is such a high profile American, member of the LGBTQ community, that this puts her at particular risk?

ALLRED: Of course, it's extremely concerning. And that's why we're trying to do everything we can to keep this in the legal framework. It should be a minor matter really overall to have this move through the process and have her come home.

As I said, the fact that we've not had access to her from our embassy for three weeks is extremely unusual. Whether it's an American who, you know, gets arrested on spring break, or, you know, just a situation like this, this is a normal process for the State Department that we do with governments around the world. And the fact that the Russians are not allowing this is really violating, again, international norms as we're seeing them do every day in Ukraine.

KEILAR: Real quick, before I let you go, you said the lawyer -- you said she's OK. Is she afraid?

ALLRED: Well, I can't speak to her mindset right now.

KEILAR: OK.

ALLRED: I think that any day that you're being held in, you know, foreign custody has to last a lifetime. And, you know, my heart goes out to her, to her family, to her friends, to the other Americans who have been held, you know, unjustifiably in Russia. We're doing everything we can to work with the State Department, to try and, you know, get this process moving quickly because we don't want to see her get swept up, as I've said, in the larger context.

KEILAR: Yes. All right, sir, thank you so much for being with us.

ALLRED: Yes. Thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: Vice President Kamala Harris in Romania right now, getting ready to speak about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We have live coverage ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:56:51]

KEILAR: Two and a half million people have been forced to leave their lives behind in Ukraine as Russian attacks intensify. When 2007 CNN hero Aaron Jackson read about refugees sleeping in a train station with nowhere to go, he bought a plane ticket and he headed to Poland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON JACKSON, CNN HERO: When I got to the border, I didn't like really know what to expect. I saw roughly anywhere between 1,000 and 1,500 refugees living in cots. I stumbled upon a little child playing with a toy.

This family, they're from the Congo. They've been living in Ukraine now for roughly 12 years. And the father, he had seen a bomb dropped very close to his house. They told me that they had no money. That they had nowhere to go. We put them in a cab and moved them into a hotel.

We're getting them settled in.

It is really complex finding any sort of housing.

I found an apartment that was for rent and we secured it for one year.

What do you think?

To get this family in and, you know, to see the child jumping on the bed and just happy and smiling and laughing, just being a kid, it's definitely a good feeling. It's good to have wins, you know, in a situation like this. And this was definitely a win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Definitely a win. For more on what Aaron is doing, go to cnnheroes.com.

And CNN's special coverage continues right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, major Ukrainian cities under attack

as Russia expands its assault, taking significant fire. Dnipro, in the country's center, as well as multiple air fields in the west of Ukraine. Russian air strikes also hitting a kindergarten and an apartment building. The number of casualties that the hour still unclear.

Thank you for joining us again this morning. I'm Erica Hill in New York.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Sciutto in Lviv, Ukraine.

We were awakened by air raid sirens last night here in the western part of the country. Those latest missile strikes further west than we've seen so far in Russia's air and bombardment campaign.

They could signal a potential shift in focus for Russia, perhaps targeting supply routes into the country, as Russian troops now approach the capital Kyiv from all directions. Just miles outside the city center of Kyiv.

On the outskirts, new satellite images show that 40-mile-long Russian convoy you may remember, well, now it has largely dispersed and redeployed. Some elements now taking cover in trees, behind homes.

And northwest, in Chernihiv, closer to the Belarusian border, images show the Russian onslaught has inflicted just devastating damage.

And take a look at this as well. Heart-stopping video shows the diffusing of a bomb from a downed Russian fighter jet as explosions ring out in the distance.

[09:00:07]

Vice President Kamala Harris and the Romanian president.