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Stefan Weichert is Interviewed about Being Shot in Ukraine; Russia Surrounds Mykolaiv; Surrogate Babies Trapped in Ukraine; Oil Prices Tumble; Commuters Return to Work Amid High Gas Prices. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired March 15, 2022 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:30:35]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: We are seeing journalists injured and even killed as they are covering the ongoing war in Ukraine. Fox News journalist Benjamin Hall was injured while reporting outside of Kyiv. And then on Sunday, American journalist Brent Renaud was shot and killed by Russian forces in Irpin outside of Kyiv.

Joining us now is Stefan Weichert. He is a freelance journalist for "The Daily Beast" and also for the Danish newspaper "Extra Bladet." And he survived what he describes as an ambush by Russian troops in February.

Stefan, I know you were reporting at a kindergarten that had been bombed by Russian forces, where kids had been injured. And then what happened?

STEFAN WEICHERT, JOURNALIST SHOT IN UKRAINE: Yes, I was on the way to the kindergarten with my colleague. And we were approaching the last Ukrainian checkpoint before the kindergarten when Russian artillery attack hit the city and made some confusion.

So, you know, the Ukrainian military was pulling into their defensive positions, and we decided to drive away through the attack. And when we were driving away, this car came from behind and a guy stepped out when we were in a cross waiting to turn right. And just out of the blue just started shooting at us with an automatic rifle. He just -- he just basically tried to empty his rifle into the car. It went really quick.

KEILAR: And you were shot, Stefan, in the shoulder, as I understand it, and your photographer Emil (ph) was shot in the back but also in the leg with what sounds like a pretty severe wound. How is he doing?

WEICHERT: Yes. He was shot one bullet in each leg and then one -- well, two in the lower back region. And as you -- as you mentioned, I was shot here through the shoulder.

It was -- it was - it was -- it was crazy. I -- it's really hard to describe. We were sitting in the car, ready to take a right turn, and bullets just started flying past our head, you know, breaking the glass. It was extremely loud. And I quickly, you know, I decided to make an escape and turn right in full speed while the guy kept shooting at us.

And I remember that, you know, Emil was bleeding very severely from his right leg and I could hardly like use my right arm because of this bullet that went through here. So, I mean, we were just -- the car was smoking. Everything was -- was -- was completely like -- you can always say like panic, you know. You had to get away from whoever was shooting us. At the same time, the car was almost very close at setting out at any point. So it was really chaotic.

KEILAR: I -- look, I know you were marked as TV. I also know this was a really confusing situation that you were going through and it's even hard maybe to piece parts of it together. But the fact is, it's incredibly dangerous to do this reporting. And I wonder if you expected it to be so dangerous and also why it's still so important to do the reporting.

WEICHERT: Yes. It is extremely dangerous any time to cover a war. And to go to the city that we went to has always been a risk. But I think we -- we have to go back in time. And the time when we were shot at, nobody was reporting that there were -- that, you know, they were shooting directly at press, you know, at the -- at the -- at the -- at journalists working in the region. (INAUDIBLE).

We've seen, for example, the CNN here, as well, you know, covering Russian landings, you know, and filming all that kind of stuff without being shot at. But suddenly that changed. And I think the example with me and Emil was the first one where we saw the press were deliberately attacked. That's how I see it. I see it as a deliberate attack on the press.

And -- which was following by all these other incidents, as you also mentioned before. But I think that, for me personally, it was just a very important job to do despite the risk. But I think that now, looking back, if we knew the same things as we -- as we know now, I mean I think it's -- it's just much more risky to do now because the press seem to be deliberately a target at this point.

KEILAR: Yes, I think you're -- I think you're right, Stefan. I think that we're seeing this pivot where there's just a lack of consideration for civilian life, including that of journalists. It's playing out before our eyes. So glad that you are doing well, that Emil is doing well. And we appreciate you coming on.

WEICHERT: Thank you.

KEILAR: Dozens of babies born to surrogates are waiting to be picked up by their parents from a shelter just outside of Kyiv.

[06:35:03]

It's making it very difficult, as you can imagine, for new parents from all over the world to safely reach them.

CNN's Sam Kiley has that story next.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, the breaking news out of Kyiv. The capital setting a two-day curfew after the Russians strike residential areas like this. Destruction in apartment complexes. We're going to take you live to the ground.

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BERMAN: All right, the breaking news this morning, the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv setting a two-day curfew, this is day and night, as Russian forces escalate attacks against civilians. You can see these new images of destruction at an apartment complex. Four separate residential apartment complexes have been hit in Kyiv over the last 24 hours. We are seeing more and more pictures like this of civilians suffering.

[06:40:04]

We're also awaiting an extraordinary summit of sorts from the leaders of three key NATO nations. We're talking about Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. They're all headed to Kyiv at this moment to meet with Ukrainian leader, President Zelenskyy, there in the capital. A city under siege. Clearly a huge risk in that.

Meantime, in southern Ukraine, we have seen relentless attacks on this key port city of Mykolaiv in the south. An effort by the Russians to take over that key strategic port.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh filed from overnight from Mykolaiv. We want to warn you, some of this video is graphic.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Yes, we've seen during the night behind me, the sky occasionally light up from the continued rocket fires that go back and forth between the two sides here as Russia, it seems, is trying to move to the north of this strategic port and essentially encircle it, like we've seen in Mariupol further to the east. That would be deeply chilling for the third largest city in Ukraine, Odessa, which would be their next target.

But for the people living here behind me, it results in a daily barrage of rockets that seem to randomly hit anywhere, frankly. Yesterday, Sunday, our time, it was when we saw the bodies of nine individuals outside a supermarket who had been hit by perhaps a stray rocket or perhaps deliberate targeting of civilian areas. So hard to tell when we see so regularly rockets slam into residential areas. Their bodies lying outside a supermarket. The glass shattered there.

And I spoke to the recently made widow of one of the men who died there who as injured, she was herself, described seeing her husband, his head so heavily damaged, and describing how they'd been there buying supplies for the wake of their daughter, who'd also recently died as well. That's the kind of compound trauma that we're seeing among civilians here in Mykolaiv. And we saw today the volume of ambulances whizzing around here. It is quite extraordinary to see a population trembling, frankly, with the kind of heavy shelling that we're seeing at this stage.

The question really is, how is the balance of power between the two militaries around it? There seem to be claims again from the Ukrainians that they've managed to clear some roads, but there's also fears potentially of the Russians moving back in at some point.

This is so vital for Russia's project for the south here, for control of the Black Sea coast, that's part of their broader, perhaps far- fetched goal of a longer-term occupation of Ukraine. And Mykolaiv really all of that hinges upon here and there are deep concerns about what may lie in the days ahead.

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KEILAR: All right, Nick, thank you so much for that.

They are the youngest and they are the most vulnerable, trapped in the war zone that is Ukraine's capital. Babies born to surrogate mothers. Their new parents unable to come and pick them up because it's just too dangerous.

CNN's Sam Kiley is in Kyiv with the story.

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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is precious cargo. Not cash in transit but we caught baby Lawrence in transit to a new life. Born to a surrogate mother, under bombardment in Kyiv. He is raced through the Ukraine capital to a nursery in the southwest of the city. It's perilously close to Russian troops and easily within range of their artillery.

This is a gauntlet his new parents will have to run when or if they come here to collect him. For now, he'll be among 20 other surrogate babies destined, it's hoped, for new lives in Argentina, China, Spain, Italy, Canada, Austria and the U.S. Parting from the child she carried as a surrogate, Victoria is inevitably tearful. Her pain intensified by uncertainty.

VICTORIA, SURROGATE MOTHER (through translator): It is even harder that he's in a place where they're shelling. And when will his parents get to take him away because of it? It's really hard.

KILEY: This missile struck about 500 yards from the nursery while we were there.

KILEY (on camera): There are constant explosions we can even hear in the basement. And the Russian military is reportedly consolidating and planning to push in further into the city from the east. So, the future of these children is even more in doubt. How long will it be before it's impossible, completely impossible, for their new parents to come and rescue them. KILEY (voice over): The nannies here cannot join the exodus of civilians from Kyiv. These babies may be tiny, but they're the heaviest of responsibilities.

Antonina's husband and daughter have already traveled to safety 130 miles south.

ANTONINA YEFIMOVICH, NANNY (through translator): These babies can't be abandoned. They're defenseless. They also need care. And we really hope that the parents will come and pick them up soon.

KILEY: An Argentine couple collected their child the day before, but a combination of the pandemic and now war has meant that some have been stuck here for months.

[06:45:08]

DR. IHOR PECHENOGA, PEDIATRICIAN, BIOTEXCOM (through translator): It all depends on the strength of the parent's desire. I met with parents who came to Kyiv to pick up their baby. They had tears in their eyes. They had waited 20 years for their baby. And there are such couples who are afraid because there is a war going on here.

KILEY: These infants are oblivious to the doubts over their future and the dangers that they've already survived. There's abundant hope that it stays that way.

Sam Kiley, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: U.S. oil prices taking a plunge, but gas prices across the country are still high. So, we'll take a look at what's to come.

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BERMAN: All right, happening now, oil prices have plunged below $100 a barrel, fueled by hopes for progress, maybe unfounded hopes for progress, in talks between Russia and Ukraine.

[06:50:10]

Also, new concerns about coronavirus lockdowns in China, which could curb demand for fuel.

CNN's chief business correspondent Christine Romans joins me now with that.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Finally, finally some relief.

Well, let's look here at what oil prices are doing right now, really tumbling across the board. And you can see the entire oil complex is down here. Yesterday, you had U.S. crude fall below $100 a barrel. That was such amazing relief. We were at $129 last week. And now further down today. This is what that chart looks like. Look up there at $123, that close

at $123. We were real concerned and there was some hyperbolic talk about doubling oil prices from here and the impact of the Russian oil out of the market. You had $300 calls for oil. And since then it has just gone down here.

And that's going to mean relief at the gas pump for you. Last night gas prices fell one penny. It's not a lot. Look, and gas prices have soared very quickly. We've never seen them rise this quickly. But a lot of the experts are telling me 15 to 20 cents lower for gas prices in the next week or two. So, you're going to start to see some relief here at the pump here, finally.

BERMAN: Well, look, I mean, it's like a 20-point drop in oil prices.

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: In theory you would see a 20 percent drop in gas prices.

ROMANS: You would hope so.

BERMAN: You know, there are some accusations that the big oil companies are making money here.

ROMANS: So, the stark contrast here, right. You're going to have -- well, look at profits last year for oil companies. Mega profits. They'll probably be record. They'll be huge this year because these oil prices driving these profits.

I'd remind you, though, for those who are screaming about price gouging, exactly two years ago, less than two years ago, oil prices were negative $40 a barrel. The oil companies and the producers were paying people to take the oil off their hands because it was essentially worthless. So, we're in this bullish super cycle for oil. It means big oil profits.

I would say here, the most important thing for the energy companies to do for optics here, don't give all of this profit back to your shareholders. You've got to show that you're -- that you're investing in research and technology, right? That you're putting money in R&D and that you're going to try to figure out how to make this industry less reliant on fossil fuel and specifically less reliant on Russian energy.

BERMAN: When can we see the corresponding drop at the pumps if it does happen?

ROMANS: It should start happening in the next week or so.

BERMAN: Christine Romans, thank you very much.

All right, the breaking news this morning. This comes out of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. A two-day curfew there. We're talking about day and night. They want people in their homes except to go to bomb shelters. Why? Well, because of pictures like this. Escalating attacks on civilian areas. At least four apartment complexes hit. We're going to take you live on the ground.

KEILAR: And an employee at one of the Russian state TV news stations interrupted a live broadcast to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Now her whereabouts are unknown. New details ahead.

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[06:57:11]

KEILAR: Across the country, employers are ramping up plans to welcome workers back to the office. But with gas prices at record highs, this could cost commuters hundreds of dollars more.

CNN's Pete Muntean is live for us in Washington with more.

All right, tell us the bad news, Pete.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now the bad news here, Brianna, is that commuting is so much more expensive than it was just before the pandemic hit. In fact, gas back then, if you can remember, was about $2 a gallon cheaper on average. Meaning, this great return to work will take an even greater chunk out of wallets.

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MUNTEAN (voice over): Across the country, companies are welcoming workers back to the office. Just this week, tech giant Twitter opened its doors, along with banking goliath Wells Fargo, to its quarter million employees. New data from research firm Iinrik (ph) shows commuting has shot up 25 percent just this year despite soaring gas prices.

JOSE MORALES, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: Right now times are tough and I'm trying to make ends meet and stuff.

MARIA GARCIA, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: $6 has really impacted me.

SARAH KIRAKOSSIAN, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: It's not fair.

MUNTEAN: Sarah Kirakossian is turning to the L.A. Metro. In California, gas prices are among the highest in the nation.

KIRAKOSSIAN: It's very expensive. It's like an extra $200 a month just for my car. That's not including my daughter and my husband.

MUNTEAN: Moody's Analytics broke down the cost. It found that high gas prices will force families to spend another $1,300 a year, roughly 1 percent of the average household budget. Moody's analysts Scott Hoyt says that makes remote work even more enticing.

SCOTT HOYT, SENIOR DIRECTOR, MOODY'S ANALYTICS: They force people into the office. They're forcing them to incur, you know, a larger expense than they have in the past.

BILL EISELE, TEXAS A&M TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE: Covid has really been this great reset. MUNTEAN: Bill Eisele of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute says

the pandemic has proven to companies that remote work is possible and workers may still be able to push back.

EISELE: It's probably easier to have a conversation with an employer about, hey, this is really starting to notice this in my pocketbook.

MUNTEAN: Even still, the Biden administration sees the value in coming back to the office.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's time for America to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again with people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MUNTEAN: Bit of good news overnight. AAA says the national average for a gallon of regular gas fell to about $4.32. That's down a penny overnight, due in part to the fact that crude oil futures fell just below $100 a barrel for the first time we've seen in a little bit. That means, according to Gas Buddy, we could see gas below $4 a gallon in the coming weeks, Brianna. Relief can't come soon enough for these commuters.

KEILAR: Yes. I didn't think that I'd be hoping and praying for that, but I certainly am hoping for below $4.

[07:00:01]

Pete, thank you so much for the report.

And NEW DAY continues right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BERMAN: Good.