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Hala Gorani Tonight
Biden Travels To Extraordinary NATO Summit; Madeleine Albright Dies At Age 84; Zelenskyy Asks Japanese And French Lawmakers For More Support; Biden Heads To Europe For High-Stakes Meeting With NATO, E.U. And G7 Allies; Tornado Tears Through New Orleans, Killing One; Taliban Postpone School For Older Girls; Kherson Resident Descriptions Life Under Russian Occupation; Ukrainians In Turkey Try To Block Russian Oligarch's Yacht. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired March 23, 2022 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:00]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello and welcome, I'm Lynda Kinkade at the CNN Center. Tonight, the Ukrainian military pushes back
against Russian invaders. We look at the state of the battlefield. It comes as Joe Biden heads to Europe for what is one of the most important trips
for U.S. President in decades. What he and NATO allies hope to achieve.
Also ahead this hour, we remember the first female U.S. Secretary of State after Madeleine Albright dies at the age of 84. Well, the mayor of Kyiv
says Ukrainians are ready to fight for every building and every street, saying they would rather die than kneel to Russian invaders. He says Russia
is escalating attacks on the capital even as Ukrainian forces made gains in nearby towns. Kyiv's mayor says one person was killed when a parking lot
was shelled, but that didn't stop him from holding a news conference on the streets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR VITALI KLITSCHKO, KYIV, UKRAINE: This is near to broadly, open information, from the west of Ukraine, from the north, and behind the
leadership, and there is big battle. And from official sources releasing information, right now they have small city Makariv and almost whole Irpin
already in the control of Ukrainian soldiers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: In the south, new aerial footage shows the absolute devastation of Mariupol, a strategic Russian target. Ukraine's prosecutor general says
the constant bombardment there isn't war, calling it instead genocide. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says some 7,000 people escaped Mariupol over
the past day, but he says one group traveling along and agreed evacuation route was captured by Russian forces.
Well, I want to go live now to Ukraine, CNN's Ben Wedeman is following developments tonight from Lviv. Good to have you with us, Ben. So, this
counter offensive we're seeing by Ukrainian forces is impressive despite fighting a much bigger and much better resourced military. They do seem to
be reclaiming some territory.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, actually, Lynda, when you speak to people here, some would joke that the Russian
military is the second most powerful military force in the Ukraine at the moment. What we are seeing does appear to be the biggest Ukrainian counter-
offensive so far. Now, we understand that claims are being made, that about 80 percent of the town of Irpin just outside of Kyiv has been retaken.
That's significant, and Makariv as well, another town outside of Kyiv has been retaken, although that has not been confirmed yet. But certainly, the
numbers, the estimates that we're hearing from for instance, NATO officials who are saying that as many as 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in
the last four weeks of fighting. They also estimate that somewhere between, in total, 30 to 40,000 Russian soldiers have either been killed, wounded,
captured or missing.
And this certainly does put some truth into this joke about the second largest army in -- or rather, most powerful army in the Ukraine at the
moment that's going around.
KINKADE: Yes --
WEDEMAN: Lynda?
KINKADE: That's certainly -- it certainly is incredible what the Ukrainians have been able to do over this past month of fighting. I want to
ask you, Ben, about some of the people you've been speaking to in Lviv, people who have fled other parts of the country. They've escaped and then
they're now internally displaced in Lviv. What are their biggest fears right now?
WEDEMAN: I think their biggest fears, Lynda, are about the people they left behind. Keep in mind that, for instance, men between the ages of 18
and 60 are not allowed to leave the country. So the 3.5 million people who have left Ukraine are leaving behind brothers, husbands and fathers and
what not. And therefore, they're worried about them, and of course, many of the men have gone to volunteer to fight against the Russians.
So even those who are internally displaced that we've spoken to, that seems to be their main concern. By and large, it would appear that adequate
housing, shelter rather, is being provided to the displaced in terms of humanitarian supplies.
[15:05:00]
Those have been -- who have been able to get out of places like Mariupol, which is under essentially a medieval siege by Russian forces are well
taken care of in terms of food and medicine and other supplies. But really, I think their worries about their loved ones who they've left behind,
Lynda?
KINKADE: Yes, no doubt, those worries exist. Ben Wedeman for us in Lviv, good to have you, thank you and stay safe. Well, it's a busy day for the
Ukrainian president on the diplomatic front as well. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, first spoke to the Japanese parliament, he thanked Japan for its support
and asked for more. Mr. Zelenskyy also warned of reports that Russia might be preparing a chemical weapons attack, hours later, he addressed French
lawmakers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): You know what freedom, equality, fraternity is. Each word is important. I sense
this and Ukrainians feel this. We expect from France, from your leadership that you can help to ensure that Russia seeks peace to end this war, this
war on liberty, equality and freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, the diplomatic push comes ahead of a critical NATO Summit in Brussels on Thursday. U.S. President Joe Biden is on his way there. The
G7 and the European Union are also meeting that day. Well, our chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour is in Brussels and joins us now.
Good to see you, Christiane. You just did an exclusive interview with the European Council President. What else is Europe willing to do right now to
end this war. What was your key take-away?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, they definitely are, Lynda, keeping the squeeze on and keeping a united front. And that is
something they believe has really surprised Vladimir Putin and the economic impacts of these unprecedented sanctions are really being felt. Of course,
there is more that can be done and there is more that the Ukrainians are asking for in terms of sanctions.
He did admit to me that unlike the United States, Europe depends much more on Russian energy. And so, he said they have to be intelligent sanctions.
And this sort of subtext to all of that is that, you know, they need the Europeans to find alternative sources before they can completely do a ban
if they plan to do that on Russian energy. But he also said that he felt Vladimir Putin had miscalculated throughout, from the moment his troops,
you know, invaded Ukraine. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES MICHEL, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COUNCIL: Probably, they thought that the EU would be immediately divided, that we would not be able to take
united decision. This was also a mistake. Probably, they would have felt that the United States and the EU would not be able to be exactly on the
same page and to strengthen these allies.
It means that what's important? We must make sure that Putin will be defeated. It must be the common goal. This is a question of situation for
the future of Europe and for the future of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: And that is, you know, a really important statement to say blatantly and nakedly that the goal is to defeat Vladimir Putin, and it is
not just about Russia and it's not just about Ukraine, it's about the whole world. And the rule of law and freedom and democracy and all those things
that sovereign territorial entities should be allowed to decide for themselves.
So, he was very clear that he is, you know, inviting obviously President Biden here for this summit and also, of course, Biden would be here for the
NATO Summit and also there's a G7 meeting at NATO. They're going to be talking about re-posturing NATO forces, and that, we've already heard
there's a plan underway to put them in four more different locations in NATO countries in eastern Europe.
And we also know that quite a lot of new military aid -- and I just spoke to the Ukrainian EU ambassador is reaching Ukraine, and they attribute that
as well as the spirit and the fighting resistance of their own forces to what Ben was talking about, pushing back the Russians in some areas and
holding out. Tomorrow will be 4 weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine.
KINKADE: Certainly, a big day of talks which we will be following closely. Christiane, I also wanted to ask you about another issue. We just had news
of the death of Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. Secretary of State, we're going to have more on her career later this hour.
[15:10:00]
But I just wanted to ask for your take on her incredible legacy.
AMANPOUR: Well, first female Secretary of State, but what a life she had before she even came to that. You know, top diplomat of the United States,
and when she actually did become the top diplomat in the United States, she basically told the administration -- I mean, I'm paraphrasing, but, you
know, I'm in this chair now and we are going to decide to do things. And what she was talking about was in fact the last time this kind of war raged
in Europe.
And that was the war I covered, it was the war in the Balkans, my generation saw what happened there, and we were eye witnesses. And it's
very much history repeating itself now in Ukraine. And Madeleine Albright stood up as Secretary of State and said that as America, as the liberal
world order, as Democrats, we cannot allow this onslaught to go on in Europe. It was the first time since the end of World War II.
And you know, it's just being brought to my attention that she wrote an op- ed for the "New York Times" in late February, this is just weeks before she died today in which she spoke about Ukraine, I just want to quote it. She
said that "Ukraine is entitled to its sovereignty no matter who its neighbor happens to be. In the modern era, great countries accept that and
so must Mr. Putin. That is the message undergirding recent western diplomacy.
It defines the difference between a world governed by the rule of law and one that's answerable to no rules at all." And you know, she didn't just,
you know, endure and flee communism, but before that, her family fled the Nazis, and famously, Madeleine Albright was not told by her parents and her
family that she was Jewish until she was Secretary of State, imagine that. She didn't know her whole life, and when she was asked about that one, she
said "knowing that you're Jewish is one thing, then finding out that 24 members of your family have actually died in concentration camps is
horrific, and that is the harder part I think to absorb."
So, she had all of that history and when it came to being the leading diplomat in the leading country in the world, she put all her cards on the
table and fought for what's right. And she can see, and we can see why the allies, the democratic world are fighting for what's right in Ukraine right
now.
KINKADE: Yes --
AMANPOUR: Lynda?
KINKADE: And as you pointed out, Christiane, she was making that case as recently as last month, and Madeleine Albright has passed away at the age
of 84. We will cover more on her death and legacy later in the show. I want to thank you, Christiane Amanpour in Brussels. Thanks so much for joining
us.
Well, as the Russian war on Ukraine moves into its fifth week, there are a few places where it appears Ukrainian forces are pushing back. In and
around Kyiv, Russia's efforts to encircle the capital have been static for more than 2 weeks. In the last few days, Ukrainian forces say they have
regained control of the town of Makariv and are putting growing pressure on forward Russian positions in Bucha and Hostomel.
To the east, Russia's efforts to link up gains to the southeast of Kharkiv with territories they've held since 2014 in Ukraine's far east, a focus on
Izyum. Now, there are reports of Russian set-backs there, and in Kharkiv itself, the city has been massively damaged, but has not been captured. In
the south, the area between Kherson and Mykolaiv remains a focus of the Ukrainian counter-offensive which has inflicted heavy losses on Russian
forces at the airport just north of Kherson.
Well, as Ukrainian troops counter-attack Russian forces around the capital, the mayor of the suburb of Irpin, and which is just outside the capital
says that 80 percent of that town remains under Ukrainian control. Well, CNN senior international correspondent Sam Kiley is in Kyiv and joins us
now live. Good to have you with us, Sam, so we -- you are in the capital and there certainly has been some intense fighting on the outskirts.
Ukrainians seem to be doing quite well, especially holding that town of Irpin.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Recapturing the town of Irpin is what they're claiming there, saying they've launched this counter-
offensive, they had lost most of the city -- rather town of Irpin, they've recaptured it and they are going very much on the offensive. Now, it has
been very heavily pounded. We can hear it at least 10 miles from that location where we are now, all day long today, all day yesterday, there has
been more as night has fallen here of this artillery duel I think probably going on there, it's very difficult to know exactly what the situation is.
[15:15:00]
On top of that, the Irpin river has flooded. That is something to the advantage of the Ukrainians because it helps prevent Russian forces from
being able to get across that river and into or even behind the lines of the attacking Ukrainians. Very significant development though, as you were
saying in the introduction there, they've also been pushing elsewhere in the north to Hostomel and also Makariv which they claim to have captured
from Russian forces yesterday.
All part of a counter-offensive being launched out of the Ukrainian capital, Lynda, because they want to be able to establish what they're
calling three lines of defense. They want to be able to push the Russians back, reinforce their positions and then hold them off from being able to
capture the capital or indeed encircle it.
Key to all of this, though, will be the position of Belarus. If Belarus were to come into the war on the side of the Russians, which is something
that is with deep concern, not only to the Ukrainians, but to the international community, that could tip the numbers and the fire power in
favor of the Russian invasion forces, and threaten once again, Kyiv. But for now, at least, in this area, they're enjoying something of a counter-
attack.
They're much more concerned about the future of the operations in the east of the country, particularly along the Donbas area, the area seized by the
Russian-backed rebels back in 2014. They've got a very -- the Ukrainian forces have got a large number of forces concentrated there, and there's a
concern that as -- if they -- if the Russians drive from the south and drive up north from Mariupol, they could be encircled and trapped there.
Lynda?
KINKADE: All right, Sam Kiley for us, keeping an eye on the battle within Ukraine. Good to have you with us live from Kyiv. Well, still to come
tonight, a lifeline out of Ukraine, but a new life of uncertainty. We are live at the Polish border with Ukraine as a refugee crisis reaches levels
no one could have imagined.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Running for their lives, even if it means leaving everything of their lives behind. That's the story that's being repeated millions of
times over as more and more Ukrainians flee the horror of warfare. The United Nations says more than 3.5 million Ukrainian residents have now
become refugees, and around double that number are displaced within the country itself.
[15:20:00]
Most people have headed to Poland, which has been praised by the U.N. for its enormous humanitarian support. As well as the violence, it's important
to note other reasons why people are being forced to leave. In some places, such as Kherson, authorities say food and medical supplies have almost run
out. The U.N. recently said the destruction of Ukraine's infrastructure has already cost more than $100 billion, saying that 90 percent of the country
could freefall into poverty.
Well, for the very latest on the ground, I want to bring in Melissa Bell who is near the Polish-Ukrainian border. And Melissa, you've had another
busy day there seeing refugees, fleeing Ukraine, arriving in Poland. Now, of the 2 million Ukrainians arriving there.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, according to European Commission president, Lynda, it is now a Ukrainian child that is entering
the European Union every single second. That gives you an idea of the huge numbers that are crossing borders like the Polish one that we're speaking
to you from tonight, and the pressure that is being brought to bear not only on Poland, but much further afield as the systems begin to be put in
place to get some of these large numbers of new arrivals from the border here in Poland, further inland to Warsaw and then on to Europe -- other
European countries.
And that is what the European Commission is trying to sort out, how they can be tracked, kept an eye on, helped and then allowed to be somewhere
where they can have access to education and health. But of course, that takes time. And in the meantime, it wants the emergency here that needed to
be dealt with. This border also is where so much of that humanitarian aid going into Poland has been going through.
You mentioned a moment ago, those collapsed infrastructures within the country, the supply chains that have been broken and then, of course, the
besieged towns themselves that are fast running out where they haven't already of food, medical supplies that are urgently needed to treat the
wounded at almost everything you can imagine. The equipment to get drinking water available to people.
There's those emergency situations in the towns themselves and the country at large, that is now so dependent on the humanitarian aid that's coming
through borders like the one here in Poland, but also from other European countries. This is a country almost entirely dependent on that. Now, this
humanitarian crisis very much going to be at the heart of discussions that will take place in Brussels tomorrow where President Joe Biden now on his
way to Europe will be speaking, of course, with NATO counterparts, European leaders as well, G7 leaders.
And his aim, really, is going to be to try and keep that cohesiveness that we've seen on the parts of allies in the face of what is happening in
Ukraine and against Russia. So, they're going to be talking about the humanitarian needs, they're going to be talking about how better to
coordinate themselves to deal with that humanitarian issue.
But they're also going to be looking at how they can continue to keep that momentum, that cohesiveness together in terms of sanctions, in terms of
military aid, in terms of deterrence. They're going to be hearing tomorrow for instance, at that NATO meeting, Lynda, from President Zelenskyy
himself, journalists won't have access, but NATO leaders will be having a listen to what he has to say and what we know he is likely to ask for is
more military help.
A great deal has been given already, a lot more, he needs at this stage, we know that they are running out of ammunitions, we know that he's looking
for more of those anti-tank weapons that have proven so efficient in the fight against Russia over the course of the last few weeks, and that's
likely something he's likely to urge NATO leaders to do tomorrow. Again, this border important because that is where so much of that military aid
comes through.
So, the question of tomorrow is really going to be about allies remaining resolved in the face of that Russian aggression and united in their efforts
to help Ukraine, and of course, the aim of everyone as President Biden heads here to Europe, Lynda, will be to try and put an end to the war
itself in order that this humanitarian catastrophe can be dealt with, but put a stop to as well, Lynda.
KINKADE: And we will be following those meetings tomorrow and bringing those events live as they happen. Melissa Bell for us on the Polish-
Ukrainian border, thank you so much. Well, starting life as a refugee shaped Madeleine Albright's career and public service. And we are now
learning that the first female Secretary of State has died, she was 84 years old. Madeleine Albright pushed for the expansion of NATO.
She helped steer western foreign policy after the cold war. And just weeks ago, she sternly warned Russia that invading Ukraine would be a historic
error. CNN's Richard Roth looks back at her legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As a diplomat were tack and treading gingerly on contentious issues or the norm, Madeleine Albright was
never one to mince words.
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: This is not cajones, this is cowardice.
ROTH: Whether it was her colorful use of language condemning Cuba for shooting down U.S. pilots or her strident assessment of the leader of Iraq.
[15:25:00]
ALBRIGHT: I don't think the world has seen except maybe since Hitler, somebody who is quite as evil as Saddam Hussein.
ROTH: The Iraqi dictator was said to be so incensed by Albright's verbal attacks, he published a poem in Iraqi newspapers, calling her an
unrelenting serpent. Albright's response was one of quiet defiant. From that moment forward, she wore a broach in the shape of a serpent at every
meeting with the Iraqi leadership, and she began using her pins as she called them as a way of sending subtle messages without uttering a single
word.
Born Marie Jana Korbelova to a Czechoslovakian diplomat, Albright and her family fled the former Czechoslovakia after the Nazi invasion in 1939, and
later found safe haven in the United States in 1948. She became a U.S. citizen, married media tycoon Joseph Patterson Albright and her three
children all while working on her PHD and learning multiple languages. In 1982, Albright took a prestigious position as professor of international
affairs at Georgetown University. But it was the shock of her husband asking for a divorce around that same time that changed the course of her
life.
ALBRIGHT: There was an identity crisis. As it turns out, I think those next ten years were the ones that were the most influential.
ROTH: She poured herself into her work, becoming foreign policy adviser to then presidential candidate Bill Clinton in 1992. Clinton, in turn, tapped
her for the post of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations after he won the White House. As U.N. ambassador, Albright became known for her tenacity and
determination to elevate U.S. interest at the U.N., through what she called aggressive multilateralism.
ALBRIGHT: We must summon the spine to deter the support to isolate and the strength to defeat those who run roughshod over the rights of others.
ROTH: She pushed hard for U.S. boots on the ground in the Balkans. The U.S. administration shows diplomacy instead, a decision that came at a
costly human price. An even bigger regret, the failure of the U.S. to intervene to stop the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
ALBRIGHT: I, Madeleine Korbel Albright --
ROTH: Lessons learned from her past and the present, as Albright cemented her place in history becoming the first ever female U.S. Secretary of State
on January 23rd, 1997. And the Kosovo conflict erupted in 1998, Albright lobbied forcefully for NATO's intervention. The NATO-led effort helped
Kosovo gain independence from Serbian control. And the ICC indicted Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes.
ALBRIGHT: Never again will there be massacres and mass graves.
ROTH: Through it all, Albright's experience as a refugee who found the American dream was omnipresent in her life.
ALBRIGHT: My life reflects both the turbulence of Europe in the middle of the century and the tolerance and generosity of America throughout its
existence.
ROTH: In her later years, Albright's comments in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton backfired.
ALBRIGHT: There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other.
ROTH: She apologized for the timing of her so-called undiplomatic moment in a "New York Times" op-ed and seized the opportunity to make a passionate
case for gender equality, by saying, "my hope is that young women will build on the progress we have made, but that will happen only if women help
one another. And for those who do that, there will always be a special place of honor."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE (voice-over): Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade, good to have you with us.
President Biden is on his way to Brussels, he will meet with NATO allies, European Council and G7 leaders before traveling to Poland, the meetings
come at a critical time, military officials say Russia's invasion of Ukraine is at a stalemate leading to fears of what Putin will do next and
how the West and NATO can respond.
The U.S. government formally accused the Russian military of committing war crimes in Ukraine. Secretary of state Antony Blinken says credible reports
show deliberate attacks on civilians with apartment buildings, schools and hospitals as targets. CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson
joins me now from Brussels.
Good to have you with us. So this is President Biden's first overseas trip since the war began. We've already heard the White House -- or the Pentagon
provided the White House with a series of options, including additional troops into NATO countries. NATO also expected to agree to additional
defense spending.
What can NATO do to halt the bloodshed?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It can come up with a plan to continue to maintain those increased force presences in the eastern
countries of NATO that it currently has.
Of course, the additional troops have been sent in on a quick deployment to bolster the countries and the clear message to Russia is, as those
deployments become more permanent, they're given more a permanent footing, the weapons, the materiel those troops would normally use.
In the past the equipment rotated through, troops rotated through, so you need to make preparations to have the greater numbers of troops in the
country. We're talking Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Poland as well, with a significant number of NATO troops, making
it a clear NATO plan to maintain those numbers.
And, of course, make sure that the NATO members continue to provide Ukraine with the defensive mechanism to continue to hold back Putin's offensive and
even roll it back in the country.
Because that military message, military determination from NATO nations, is what ultimately may have an influence over Putin's decision to continue his
aggressive war in Ukraine.
KINKADE: And Nic, what are the limits of NATO?
Because any more support to Ukraine could come with risks, could escalate the situation.
Russia certainly doesn't want to see NATO peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, right?
ROBERTSON: Oh, and they've made that very clear. We heard from Dmitry Peskov and foreign minister Lavrov both saying that would be a calamitous,
dangerous, reckless thing to do. NATO's position at the moment is to consider what can be supplied without being perceived as being directly
engaged in the fight.
[15:35:00]
And at the moment, it is what is termed as defensive weapon systems for sort of shoulder-launch surface to air missile systems, the Stinger,
Javelin, antitank missiles.
Also what Ukraine principally wants is air defense. The Pentagon, just over the past couple days, said that Russia does not dominate the skies at the
moment and air defense capacity is going to keep that lack of Russian control of Ukraine skies.
That air defense support is going to keep that posture, if you will, in Ukrainians' hands and that's going to require more sophisticated, longer
range, surface to air missile systems such as the S-300 surface to air missile system, a large system, certainly not man portable, to take down
Russia fighter jets as they come into Ukraine.
How NATO does that, how it supplies them, which nations provide them, how they're brought into the country, those will be the difficult things
because Russia made it clear that those supply lines will be part of their target list.
So how to achieve that without NATO military personnel being killed because, of course, that would bring about a potential Article 5 situation.
So these are the red lines for NATO, these are the difficulties. That's what these meetings now and in the coming weeks and months will figure out.
It's not easy but that's the task at hand.
KINKADE: Yes, many challenges ahead. International diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, as always, thanks to you, coming live from Brussels.
Anatoly Chubais, an influential economist, who's been a Kremlin insider for decades, has quit, reportedly over Ukraine. Russian state news noting his
resignation, citing an unnamed source. If confirmed this would be the most prominent protest by a Russian official against the invasion so far. CNN's
Nina dos Santos joins us now from London.
This is the most senior official to date who's not only left the government but seems to have left the country.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: That's right, he's a huge figure and as you pointed out in the introduction, he's one of a number of
economists that helped shepherd Russia away from the Soviet days to free market economics, a raft of privations which gave rise to an important
oligarch class, with this interesting relationship with Putin over his 20- odd year tenure, more redefined by him putting this grand bargain, by which these oligarchs don't interfere in politics but then get to keep and enjoy
wealth perhaps even outside of Russia.
It's the halt of that nexus of the business and politics relationship that, of course, these international sanctions, ratcheting up by the
international community in crescendo, is trying to cleave open.
And the first sign it has been affecting some people like Chubais, who is a big business figure as well. I interviewed him many times over the years,
particularly in the early 2000s when he was at the helm of the energy monopoly.
And talked about how Russia was a great place for international investors to invest in, particularly the former state-owned companies. Then he went
on to become the head of the Russian technology ventures as well before recently taking up this post, which wasn't inside the Kremlin but still a
government post, which was to sort of steward Russia toward the international sustainable development goals.
But he resigned from that position, also left Russia and, according to various other news agencies, they believe he might potentially be in Turkey
with his wife.
Now just going back to what you were saying earlier, him being the most current senior Russian figure to criticize the war in Ukraine, I would
point out there was another technocratic, sort of former member of the government, once deputy prime minister, a Western-facing member of the
Kremlin elite a few years ago.
Arkady Dvorkovich, five days ago, had to resign from the Skolkovo Foundation, kind of like Russia's answer to Silicon Valley outside of
Moscow, after he also criticized Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine -- Lynda.
KINKADE: We'll leave it there, Nina dos Santos there for us in London. Good to have you with us.
Still to come tonight, a powerful tornado has brought damage, destruction and death to southern Louisiana less than a year after Hurricane Ida tore
through. More on the damage and storm ahead.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:40:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: Welcome back.
In the southern U.S., thousands of homes and businesses still without power after a tornado blasted through New Orleans overnight. Rescuers still
searching for people who may be trapped under the debris. And while there is no official tally of the number of casualties, at least one person has
died, several other injured.
Well, the dark funnel cloud tore through several New Orleans neighborhoods and also brought with it heavy rains and powerful winds to Mississippi and
Alabama.
With the final day of confirmation hearings for U.S. President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson faced another round of intense
questioning from Senate Republicans. Democrats gave her a chance to push back on Republican criticism and a chance to explain her place in history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I do consider myself, having been born in 1970, to be the first generation to benefit from the
civil rights movement, from the legacy of all of the work of so many people, that went into changing the laws in this country so that people
like me could have an opportunity to be sitting here before you today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, investigators recovered one of the two so-called black boxes from the Boeing passenger jet that crashed Monday in southern China.
Chinese aviation authorities confirmed it's the cockpit voice recorder, which could help determine what caused the crash,
The China Eastern Airlines flyer was carrying 132 passengers and crew over the mountainous terrain when investigators say suddenly and drastically
plunged. No survivors have been found so far.
We have rights, we are humans.
Why are they playing with our future?
That was the reaction of one of many heartbroken girls in Afghanistan today. Taliban rulers made an abrupt U-turn, delaying the reopening of
schools for girls above the 6th grade. They were due back in the classroom today for the first time since August.
According to state-run news, girls must now stay home until an appropriate school uniform is designed. Listen to what one student told reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When I heard the news yesterday, it was very pleasant, I swear to God I was in tears.
[15:45:00]
But today I'm heartbroken. What should I say? I can't say anything. What should I say, what should I do? We're also girls. We're also from
Afghanistan. We're also human beings. Why shouldn't we go to school? My heart is crying blood. Until when? It's been 186 days we haven't been in
school. Why? Why, what is our sin?
I don't know what to ask for, what to say and what to do. We have to do whatever they tell us to do. I request the Islamic Emirate, please, reopen
schools.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: Welcome back.
A senior U.S. Defense official says Ukrainians are fighting to take back the southern city of Kherson. It remains to be the only city in the Ukraine
under Russian occupation. I spoke a little earlier with Tetyana, a young woman who lives there, who describes what life was like before the invasion
and what it's like now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TETYANA, KHERSON RESIDENT: First (INAUDIBLE) days it was the most hard because I was woken up by the loud noises outside.
I just thought who would do a firework in the morning?
But then I started to read my chat with my friends, saying that it's war began. I was completely shattered, I was shocked. It's very hard for me to
understand that, in the 21st century, it could happen to us, to civilians, people who just was living their life in a beautiful city and trying just
to do their best to be good people.
That's all. I was shocked. It's very hard.
KINKADE: It's just hard to believe that you're living under Russian occupation. You sent us in a video that I'd like to show our viewers, of
what life was like in your city before the war began, if we could play a bit.
Just describe it for us. Describe what your city was like.
TETYANA: So I live in Kherson for eight years now and I've seen no about this cities and other Ukrainian the organism (ph). I was sharing (ph) a
lot, working a lot. I was like to spend time with my friends.
[15:50:00]
To see Ukraine in all of its beauty. So my biggest problem at that time was the quality of life and (INAUDIBLE) and I didn't get how happy I was before
the war started. So ...
(CROSSTALK)
KINKADE: Just, if you can, Tatyana, describe what your city is like now, the sounds that you hear.
How often do you get out of your apartment to get supplies?
TETYANA: I'm not out often, because I have severe panic attacks. So I can't go outside without somebody. I'm really scared of loud noises and a
lot of noises have came out now. It's frightened me away.
So I'm really, I'm shaking just thinking about it. For now, my city look a little bit like -- (INAUDIBLE) and there is not a lot of people going
around. They may be afraid to go out but I see people, they're living, they're still going to the (INAUDIBLE), to the groceries to buy some food.
But they haven't a lot of products, to be honest, because Russians don't allow humanitarian aid to come to the city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing their country, carrying with them something they can't leave behind: trauma. The WHO says
half a million of those who have made it to Poland suffer mental health disorders and emotional distress.
For one family, weeks of uncertainty have ended with a joyful reunion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tucked away in the back of the train station in Przemysl, Poland, we see the latest train from Ukraine
arrive, filled with families escaping war.
And it is where we find Tatiana Trut (ph) and her husband, Vitaly (ph), waving joyfully at one of the carriages. This train is carrying special
cargo.
Through the metal barricades, Tatiana (ph) sees her son, two sisters and their three children, walking off the train. She's waited three
excruciating weeks for this moment.
You have a very big smile on your face, I imagine that you are very happy right now.
(voice-over): "Yes," he says, "it's very scary there. And we've been waiting for them for a very long time."
Tatiana (ph) also tells us they could not leave for a long time.
The family tells us their journey to get to Poland was a path through death and destruction. They live in a small village south of Kyiv. They say the
only road that Ukrainian civilians could use to escape was constantly attacked by Russian forces.
He says, "There was shelling from both sides. Everyone who wanted to leave by car was simply shot. We were afraid that if our family decided to leave,
we would lose them. We waited a long time for the military to allow it.
"We waited for the Russian troops to be removed so that our family could leave. And we succeeded. We immediately told them to go."
This was the escape route; the sisters' father drove them in his car from their village to the city of Mykolaiv. From there, they jumped in a minibus
helping families escape to Odessa. That's where they boarded the train that brought them to Poland.
The area this family escaped has seen brutal warfare the last three weeks. Tatiana (ph) was in Poland working and couldn't return home in time when
the war broke out. She says her son often told her about hearing military planes flying over their home and missiles exploding.
Finally, the family is reunited outside the train station. In the moment, it seemed unnecessary to ask Tatiana (ph) what this moment meant to her.
Sometimes hugs and kisses speak far louder than words -- Ed Lavandera, CNN, Przemysl, Poland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, finally, youth versus yacht: a superyacht linked to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has faced off against a group of young
Ukrainian protesters. Now this happened off the coast of Turkey.
The group included members of the Odessa Children and Youth Sailing School. The coach telling CNN that blocking the yacht was a decision the whole team
made together, saying, quote, "We just want to show everyone who Ukraine is."
[15:30:00]
They waved Ukrainian flags and signs reading "no war." The yacht has since managed to reach a dock.
Well, that's all for this hour, I'm Lynda Kinkade, thank you so much for watching. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is coming up next.
END
