>>> THIS MORNING A STUNNING TRANSFORMATION ON THE
BATTLEFIELD. UKRAINE BREAKING THROUGH RUSSIAN
LINES NEAR KHARKIV AND RETAKING TOWNS THAT HAVE BEEN UNDER
RUSSIAN CONTROL FOR MONTH. YOU CAN SEE THEM RAISING A FLAG
IN ONE OF THESE TOUPS. LET ME SHOW YOU ON THE MAP
EXACTLY WHERE THIS IS TAKING PLACE.
EVERYWHERE YOU SEE IN YELLOW HERE IS NOW UNDER UKRAINIAN
CONTROL UNTIL A FEW DAYS AGO IT WAS ALL UNDER RUSSIAN CONTROL.
THIS HAS HAPPENED WITH STUNNING REPETTY INCLUDING YOU CAN SEE
RIGHT HERE, THE TOWN, THE CITY OF IZIUM WHICH WAS A KEY
CONQUEST BY THE RUSSIANS EARLY ON IN THE CONFLICT, THAT IS NOW
MOSTLY UNDER UKRAINIAN CONTROL. LET'S GO RIGHT TO CNN'S MELISSA
BELL LIVE IN KHARKIV THIS MORNING WITH THIS REMARKABLE
TURN AROUND, MELISSA. >> Reporter: JOHN, QUITE
EXTRAORDINARY. SOME 3,000 SQUARE KILOMETERS
THAT ARE NOW IN UKRAINIAN HANDS SAY UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES.
BUT REMEMBER THAT THIS IS REALLY HARD FOR US TO VERIFY BECAUSE OF
THE MEDIA BLACKOUT. JOURNALISTS JUST NOT ALLOWED TO
GET CLOSE TO THE FRONT LINES OF THOSE COUNTEROFFENSIVES.
AND YET, CNN WAS ABLE TO GET EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO THE TOWN
JUST TO THE NORTH OF ID YUM THAT YOU JUST SAW.
WHAT WE FOUND, JOHN, EVEN THOUGH A UKRAINIAN FLAG HAS BEEN RAISED
SOMEWHERE, IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE
FIGHTING IS DONE. THE TANKS SPOKE TO A HASTY
RUSSIAN RETREAT AS UKRAINIAN FORCES SWEPT EAST WARDS OVER THE
WEEKEND. TRIUMPHANTLY RAISING THE FLAG ON
SATURDAY. LOCAL POLICE FORCES PROVIDING
CNN WITH EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO A KEY TOWN NOW MEANT TO BE UNDER
UKRAINIAN CONTROL. WE STILL FEEL UNEASY BECAUSE WE
HAVE BEEN BOMBED FOR FOUR DAYS IN A ROW AND NOTHING IS CERTAIN
YET. WHICH ONLY BECAME CLEARER AS WE
HEADED FURTHER IN. A FIRST ARTILLERY STRIKE.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. THEN A SECOND.
MUCH CLOSER. THAT WAS THE SOUND OF ARTILLERY
LANDING JUST NEXT TO OUR CAR. OUR ARMORED CAR.
WE HAVE COME HOPING TO GET TO THAT FLAG TO SEE WHERE IT HAD
BEEN PLOTTED ONLY YESTERDAY, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS SUNDAY
AFTERNOON AND STILL THE SCENE OF SOME PRETTY FIERCE FIGHTING.
WE HAVE BEEN HEARING THE SOUND OF OUTGOING ARTILLERY FIRE.
THAT WAS THE SOUND OF INCOMING. TWO HITS DIRECTLY TARGETING OUR
CAR, SAYS THE POLICEMAN. TIME TO GO BACK TO WHAT WE HAD
COME TO SEE. THOSE PARTS OF KHARKIV REGION
FULLY UNDER UKRAINIAN CONTROL. WHERE AFTER SIX MONTHS OF
OCCUPATION, UKRAINIAN INVESTIGATORS KNOW ALL TOO WELL
WHAT THEY'LL FIND. AFTER BUCHA THAT WERE UNDER
RUSSIAN CONTROL FOR ONLY A MONTH.
YES, ACCORDING TO OUR INFORMATION, WE ARE RECORDING
WAR CRIMES IN ALMOST EVERY VILLAGE, HE SAYS.
THIS, THE BODY OF ONE OF TWO CIVILIANS KILLED IN LATE
FEBRUARY. AN EARLY VICTIM OF THE INVASION
AND EVIDENCE NOW OF WHAT SIX CONTINUING HERE IN EASTERN
KHARKIV, EVEN AS YOU SAW THERE THE FIGHT CONTINUES AND BITTERLY
FOR THE UKRAINIAN FORCES TRYING TO REGAIN GROUND, JOHN.
>>> THIS MORNING THE U.S. GROWING CONCERN THAT MOSCOW'S
WEAPONIZATION OF OIL AND GAS COULD CAUSE DIVISION IN EUROPE'S
UNITED FRONT AGAINST RUSSIA'S WAR ON UKRAINE.
IT COMES AS EUROPE FACES A TOUGH WINTER AND SKYROCKETING COSTS
AFTER RUSSIA SHUT OFF FLOWS THROUGH A KEY PIPELINE.
TELL US ABOUT THE CONCERNS. >> THEY'RE WARNING OF A TOUGH
WINTER. EUROPEAN LEADERS ARE SAYING
THERE COULD BE BLACKOUTS ACROSS EUROPE.
PEOPLE ARE TAKING TO THE STREETS TO PROTEST THE SKYROCKETING
ENERGY COSTS AND PRESIDENT PUTIN SHUTOFF FLOWS TO EUROPE LAST
WEEK SAYING HE WON'T TURN THEM BACK ON UNTIL SANCTIONS ARE
LIFTED. THE WHITE HOUSE IS SAYING RIGHT
NOW WE DON'T SEE ANY REAL SIGNS THAT EUROPEAN UNITY ON PUNISHING
RUSSIA IS FRACTURING AT THIS POINT BUT THEY'RE CONCERNED
THAT'S EASY TO SAY AND DO WHEN IT'S SUMMER.
BUT WHEN IT GETS COLD, THE RISK OF POLITICAL INSTABILITY
BREAKING OUT AS PRICES GO HIGHER IS A RISK.
THEY'RE WATCHING IT CLOSELY. THAT IS WHY LAST WEEK, WHEN
PRESIDENT BIDEN CONVENED ALMOST A DOZEN WESTERN LEADERS ON A
CALL, THAT WAS HIS CENTRAL MESSAGE, IT WAS ABOUT ENERGY,
ABOUT STAYING STRONG, ABOUT HOW THE UNITED STATES IS WORKING
REALLY AROUND THE CLOCK HERE TO TRY TO FIND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
SOURCES FOR EUROPE AS RUSSIA CONTINUES TO WEAPONIZE OIL AND
GAS AS A RESULT OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE.
THERE ARE LINGERING CONCERNS THAT EUROPE IS GOING TO NOT BE
ABLE TO COME TO SOME KIND OF AGREEMENT ON THE QUESTIONS OF AN
OIL PRICE CAP OR GAS PRICE CAP BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME COUNTRIES
IN THE EUROPEAN ALLIANCE SAYING IF WE DO ANYTHING ELSE TO MAKE
RUSSIA ANGRY HERE THEY'RE GOING TO CUT OFF WHAT LITTLE SUPPLIES
REMAIN TO ALLIES LIKE HUNGARY FOR EXAMPLE, AUSTRIA ALSO
CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHAT KIND
OF THING IS GOING TO BE THE LAST STRAW HERE IN TERMS OF ANYTHING
THAT BREAKS THE WESTERN RESOLVE HERE.
AS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT DURING THE BREAK IT'S HARDER BECAUSE OF
THE MOMENTUM THAT WE SEE RUSSIA HAVING HOWEVER WESTERN
INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS -- THAT WE SEE UKRAINE HAVING I MEAN.
BUT A LOT OF OFFICIALS ARE SAYING THAT IS ONLY GOING TO
STEEL PUTIN'S RESOLVE TO MAKE LIFE MORE MISERABLE FOR THE
EUROPEANS AS HE LOSES GROUND IN UKRAINE AND LIFE GETS HARDER FOR
RUSSIANS AS THEIR ECONOMY TANKS. >> HARDER TO PULL THE RUG FROM
AN ARMY THAT HAS THE MOMENTUM. GREAT REPORTING, NATASHA, THANK
YOU SO MUCH.