Here's a
new video of Russian
soldiers appearing to abandon their posts
just south of Bakhmut,
a shell of a city
that has seen the most vicious
fighting of the past months.
Ukraine's president,
in an exclusive interview to CNN,
made it clear that when it comes to back
move, Ukraine is not about to retreat.
Vodacom more Morrison must show
this is tactical for us.
We understand that after backwards
they could go further.
They could go to kramatorsk,
to Slovyansk.
It will be an open road for the Russians.
After about two other towns in Ukraine
in the Donetsk
direction in the east of Ukraine,
the Ukraine sticking by
that and we've got new video
and out front of the one road
that could make all the difference
when it comes to
who ultimately controls back mount
a town that Russians thought
they would
topple easily in two weeks
but now has been a place
of hand-to-hand combat
for more than seven months.
So this road is the only supply route
for Ukraine's troops
into the besieged city.
It is a crucial route right now
covered in mud.
Cars and trucks have been blown to pieces
and they line that muddy pathway,
which is essentially what it is.
But this is what's keeping Ukraine going
and allowing it
to push back against Russian soldiers
who have been in continual disarray.
And even tonight, new videos.
Just listen to this one.
Lashing out at their superiors
which of course, is one infrastructure.
I am refusing to obey orders.
After we took on losses
in just three days.
One reason
being that our troops
are not trained properly
yet sent to the front lines.
Green wall means it's completely gone.
We are dying left and right.
Here's what's left of our company.
You can see only about ten
or a dozen men there.
But I am refusing to obey orders,
not just a complaint,
an actual refusal to obey orders.
It's not clear
whether Putin is listening to this
for his party's rarely seen in public
and rarely acknowledges
the horrible struggle
that his forces are facing
on the front line.
In a moment,
I'm going to speak to a reporter
who has exclusive new reporting
on Putin's whereabouts
and his lavish lifestyle
with his reputed girlfriend,
the former Russian Olympic
gold medalist Elena,
by the Russian independent journalist
Roman Bennett
reporting that
this luxury mansion in Val De
is where Putin often stays.
It's a home
he can often
get to by armored train,
reportedly now
his preferred way of travel,
as we've told you.
And tonight, we have images
reportedly of the interior,
according to Bowdon.
And the home is decked out in gold
from Putin's office to his bedroom,
which you can see here
to his so-called night cellar
with gold dining chairs.
And as for Putin's reputed girlfriend,
Elena Kabila,
a mansion was constructed
about half a mile from Putin's home
where she apparently resides.
Now, CNN cannot independently verify
these are images of Putin's homes
because the Kremlin guards
every detail of Putin's private life.
But publicly,
the Kremlin is struggling to silence
growing criticism
over the invasion and Putin's role in it.
Melissa Bell is OUTFRONT
live in Kiev tonight
to begin our coverage.
And Melissa,
what is the latest on the ground tonight?
Aaron, Ukrainian forces
continuing to hold on to Obama
despite the huge losses in infantry
to both sides as Russian forces move
ever closer to the city. Center.
But Ukrainian
attention tonight very much
focused on one soldier in particular,
a Ukrainian man
who went missing in early February.
Oh, three,
glory to Ukraine, where his last words.
Timofey Shahdara was his name
his courage and his silhouette
made iconic overnight
by his brutal execution.
An officer from his brigade telling CNN
that his death will not go unpunished.
It was a bullet just putting of
the 200 supervision
crew of a water bomb strapped to the Navy
water was my
thought
because going into the Ukraine starts,
as does my personal life.
I know I
The fate of is still in the balance
with dozens more attacks to
the north of the besieged city
and heavy losses
to the Russian side, say
Ukrainian authorities.
But efforts to encircle Obama, praised
by the Russian defense minister
after an unusual trip to his soldiers
in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
For those officers
this city is an important defense hub
for Ukrainian troops in Donbas.
Taking it under control
will allow further offensive actions
deep into the defense
of the armed forces of Ukraine.
The town
also at the heart of a tussle
between the Russian army and Wagner,
the mercenary group
planting its flag
closer to the center of Beirut.
Much of the fighting now street
to street, soldier to soldier,
as civilians cower in their basements
Fewer than 4000 now say
Ukrainian authorities,
including 38 children.
The ferocity
of the artillery
and mortar fire
that continue to pound the city
making it hard
even for soldiers to get out.
And as Moscow closes
in, more claims of so-called
Ukrainian terrorist activity
with staunch Moscow ally
Alexander Lukashenko
announcing the capture
of a Ukrainian Russian national accused
of trying
to sabotage
a Russian surveillance
plane at a Minsk airfield.
Without presenting further evidence?
No, still moving.
We identified and detained him to date.
More than 20 accomplices
who are on the territory of
Belarus have been detained.
Only last week,
Moscow accused
Ukrainian saboteurs of opening fire
on civilians inside Russia.
But even as the war of words
widens,
all eyes are very much on vast amounts.
And whether this symbol
of Ukrainian resilience will finally fall
even as a new one is born
However, long
air and Ukrainian forces
managed to hold on to Bermuda,
whether it is
a matter of hours
or days,
Kiev says that it has already achieved
its strategic ambitions.
And they were twofold.
First of all, degrading
the Russian war machine,
but also buying time
as they prepare for a counter-offensive
this spring.
All right, Melissa
thank you very much,
live from Kiev tonight.
And now, as promised,
I want to go to Roman Boulden
and he has a Russian
journalist and the founder and editor
in chief
of the Investigative Journalism
Site Project
which has been targeted
by the Russian government.
He left Russia after facing the threat
of a prison sentence.
Robyn, I really appreciate your time.
And I mentioned your new investigation
at the top of our program.
You are look inside Putin's real estate
empire personally inside Russia
and that of his reported girlfriend,
Alina Kabila,
with whom
he apparently has multiple children.
To what extent does Putin go from
to keep that relationship
and all that property
and lifestyle secret?
Yeah,
based on many facts that we discovered.
I can say that
Putin is absolutely 100% crazy
about the secrecy
around his personal life,
about his relatives
and specifically about Kabbalah.
Probably I would say that Kabbalah
biggest taboo in Russia.
And you have talked to ten to 12 people
in his inner circle and they all I mean,
they all know this is is what's happening
Yeah.
They all are sure that Putin
and Kabbalah is a family.
But at the same time, none of them
have ever seen
Gorbachev and Putin together.
There's a surprise.
And I can give you like three short,
very brief examples
about the secrecy around
Putin's personal life.
As we reported and as you mentioned,
there is an armored secret train
which is used by car, by event Putin
to get to the secret villas
in the old day region in northern Russia.
Second in 28, it was a Russian
tabloid called Moscow Correspondent,
which first reported
about the secret affair
between Putin and Kabbalah.
And this newspaper was forced to
stop operation
just in one day
after the story was released.
You can imagine in one day
and the third example, we found a story
about
top professionals from Switzerland there.
Then ecologists who assisted
Kabbalah to deliver babies,
and they were secretly
transported,
they would say, to Russia in 2019
just to help Kabbalah to deliver a baby.
And we're showing their picture there.
You were able
to even get pictures of them
and you shared these never before seen
photos of
what you say are
the interior of Putin's house.
All day.
You know, the
the night room is,
as you describe it, the bedroom,
all of this, the gold and opulence
on display everywhere.
Right.
An incredible
amount of of gold and godliness.
You say this actually tells you something
about Putin and the war in Ukraine.
Yeah, it's
my main personal conclusion
after this story was made.
We have a 70 year old man
he has a young girlfriend and small kids.
And this man loves gold.
Many Acholi and he loves his rich life.
Very much.
And does anyone believe that
this man is ready to start
the global
atomic, catastrophic global
nuclear catastrophe?
I don't believe Hmm.
It's very interesting
because you think he's
got too much at stake
and added personally.
All right. Well, thank you very much.
I appreciate your taking the time
and sharing all of this.
With us.
Roman, I mean, it's incredible
to see these images.