MEEK WHAT.
>> NBC NEWS' TOM COSTELLO, THANK
YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT REPORT.
LET'S GET RIGHT BACK TO THE
GROUND NOW IN UKRAINE.
ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S MOST
BELOVED ARTIST, SINGER ACTIVIST
JOINS US NOW.
WE SEE YOU'RE DRIVING, IF YOU
CAN, IF YOU CAN DESCRIBE THIS.
>> I AM NOT DRIVING NOW, HI,
CERTAINLY, I AM TRYING TO TALK
TO YOU BECAUSE IT'S DANGEROUS TO
DRIVE.
BUT THANKS FOR HAVING ME HERE
AND, FRANKLY SPEAKING, THE
SITUATION IS VERY BAD.
BECAUSE WE NEVER -- WE COULDN'T
EXPECT OUR NEIGHBOR WOULD IMPOSE
SUCH A BRUTAL WAR AGAINST US.
THEY'RE KILLING
THEY'RE KILLING WOMEN, CHILDREN,
SMASHING THE CITIES.
IT'S AWFUL.
I CANNOT SAY ANYTHING BUT WHAT
WE SEE THE BIGGEST CRIME SINCE
WORLD WAR II.
I'M NOT EXAGGERATING.
I MEAN IT.
>> SLAVA, WHAT WE'VE HEARD IN
THE UNITED STATES, MAYBE WE
DIDN'T UNDERSTAND AS MUCH
BEFORE, BUT WE DO NOW, IS JUST
HOW CLOSE UKRAINIANS HAVE BEEN
WITH RUSSIANS, HOW SO MANY
RUSSIANS LIVE INSIDE THE
COUNTRY.
YOU HAVE STORIES OF GRANDMOTHERS
GOING UP AND CONFRONTING RUSSIAN
SOLDIERS, AND THE RUSSIAN
SOLDIERS POLITELY ASKING THEM TO
MOVE OUT OF THE WAY.
WE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT UNTIL WE
GOT A BETTER GRASP OF JUST HOW
CLOSE YOUR TWO COUNTRIES HAVE
BEEN, THE NUMBER OF RUSSIANS
THAT LIVE IN UKRAINE.
>> I CAN TELL YOU THE
FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE, THOUGH
GENETICALLY YOU MAY FIND
RESEMBLANCE, BUT UKRAINIANS IN
BLOOD, THEY HAVE FREEDOM, AND
THIS IS WHAT DIFFERS US FROM
RUSSIANS, BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY
ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, TENDED TO BE
AUTOCRATIC, DICTATORIAL STATE IN
EVERY TIMES IN HISTORY.
UKRAINIANS ARE MORE LIKE
AMERICANS.
SO, WE LIKE FREEDOM, WE LIKE
ELECTIONS, WE LIKE ARGUING, BUT
THIS IS WHAT MAKES US STRONG.
WE ARE NOW FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM,
DIGNITY, AND OUR LAND AND OUR
CHILDREN'S FUTURE.
WE ARE FIGHTING AND WE WILL BE
FIGHTING UNTIL THE END.
>> SLAVA, WE APPRECIATE YOU
PULLING OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE
ROAD.
WE KNOW HOW DANGEROUS IT IS AND
YOUR JOURNEY.
THEY WANT AMERICANS WATCHING
RIGHT NOW TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT'S
HAPPENING ON THE GROUND AND WHAT
MORE YOU'D LIKE TO GET FROM THE
WORLD AND THE UNITED STATES.
>> THE MOST IMPORTANT THING --
FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO SAY
THANK YOU TO ALL AMERICAN E
PEOPLE AND TO AMERICAN, YOU
KNOW, POLITICIANS AND
GOVERNMENT, BIPARTISAN SUPPORT
OF UKRAINE.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
BUT NOW WE NEED MORE.
YOU'VE SEEN HOW CLOSE TO A
NUCLEAR DISASTER WE WOULD BE IN
UKRAINE MORNING, YOUR EVENING.
THANK GOD NOTHING REALLY BAD
HAPPENED, BUT WE ARE VERY CLOSE
TO THAT.
SO WE NEED TO STOP IT NOW.
THAT'S WHY WE NEED NO-FLY ZONE,
NO MATTER HOW IT'S
CONTROVERSIAL, BECAUSE IN MY
OPINION, TO IMPOSE -- SOME SAY
IMPOSING A NO-FLY ZONE OVER
UKRAINE CAN BRING THE WORLD
CLOSER TO WORLD WAR III.
I'M CONVINCED THE OPPOSITE OF
THE TRUTH, IF YOU DON'T DO THAT
AND PUTIN WINS, THEN HE'LL GO
FURTHER AND THERE WILL BE THE
DISASTER FOR THE WHOLE WORLD AND
EVERYBODY WILL REGRET THEY
DIDN'T STOP IT BEFORE.
IT LOOKS LIKE 1938 NOW, SO WE
URGE THE WHOLE WORLD, NOEFLZ,
AIR MISSILES, STRONG SANCTIONS. WE NEED TO STOP HIM NOW.
WE NEED TO STOP HIM NOW.
OTHERWISE IT WILL BE TOO LATE.
>> THE U.S. SAID NO-FLY ZONE.
IF THERE IS NO MILITARY
INTERVENTION FROM NATO
COUNTRIES, FROM THE UNITED
STATES, FROM THE WEST, WHAT
IS --
>> WE NEED PLANES.
>> -- GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE
WEEKS AND MONTHS TO COME?
>> WE NEED PLANES.
WE NEED AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM.
AT LEAST YOU CAN GIVE THIS.
UKRAINIANS WILL FIGHT TILL THE
END.
I'M SURE THAT FINALLY WE'RE
GOING TO WIN BECAUSE WE ARE ON
OUR OWN LAND AND IT'S JUST FOR
US.
YOU FOUGHT YOUR INDEPENDENCE
WAR.
THIS IS INDEPENDENCE WAR FOR
UKRAINE, WHAT WE HAVE NOW.
>> YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT
UKRAINIANS, MUCH LIKE AMERICANS,
LOVE FREEDOM AND EXPECT FREEDOM
FOR THEMSELVES.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE UKRAINIAN
CHARACTER?
SO MANY AMERICANS HAVE BEEN
MOVED BY IT.
ONE FRIEND TOLD ME, MY GOD,
THEY'RE LOOK LIKE THEY'RE
TEXANS.
NOBODY WANTS TO INVADE TEXAS.
BY THE WAY, THAT IS WHEN IT
COMES TO WAR, THAT'S A
COMPLIMENT.
DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS, DON'T
MESS WITH UKRAINE.
>> I AGREE THAT UKRAINE IS
TOUGH.
WE ARE VERY PEACEFUL BUT TOUGH.
WE NEVER FOUGHT ANYBODY'S -- WE
NEVER CONQUERED ANY COUNTRY.
WE'VE BEEN CONQUERED BY OTHERS.
BUT NOW IT'S OUR TIME.
WE WILL NOT ALLOW TO DO IT ONCE
AGAIN.
SO WE WILL FIGHT LIKE CRAZY,
EVERYBODY, MEN AND WOMEN,
TERRITORIAL DEFENSE, ARMY.
YOU KNOW, MOLOTOV COCKTAILS.
YOU SEE IT IN UKRAINE.
WE KNOW IT'S NOW OR NEVER AND WE
WILL DO IT.
ONE THING WE WANT FROM A CIVIL
CIVILIZED WORLD IS BE IMPRESSED
BY US BUT HELP US.
IF WE ARE NOT FIGHTING, THEN WE
COULD UNDERSTAND SOMEBODY'S
IMPARTIALITY.
BUT WE REALLY FIGHT AND WE
DESERVE IT.
>> SLAVA VACKARCHUK, THANK YOU
SO MUCH.
WE HEAR YOU.
WE ARE PRAYING FOR YOU.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.