RUSSIA STRIKING OUT
AGAINST ANOTHER VITAL ROUTE FOR
SHIPPING FOOD FROM UKRAINE TO
COUNTRIES IN NEED.
MOSCOW ATTACKED PORT FACILITIES
ON THE DANUBE RIVER OVERNIGHT,
NEAR NATO MEMBER ROMANIA.
EVER SINCE RUSSIA BLOCKED
UKRAINE FROM USING THE BLACK
SEA, UKRAINE HAS BEEN EXPORTING
GRAIN ON THE DANUBE, VIA
ROMANIA.
IN THE MEANTIME, IN KYIV, LOCAL
OFFICIALS SAY THEY LAID DOWN
SEVERAL RUSSIAN DRONES.
WE WILL GET YOU BACK TO CNN'S
NICK PATON WALSH, ON THE GROUND
FROM ZAPORIZHZHIA, IN SOUTHERN
UKRAINE.
NICK?
>> THESE STRIKES A SIGNIFICANT
MOMENT FOR THE NATO ALLIANCE,
THIS IS AS CLOSE AS RUSSIA HAS
GONE TO HITTING A NATO MEMBER.
THE GREAT FACILITIES, STORAGE,
PORTS, AND OTHERWISE ON THE
BANKS OF THE DANUBE THAT
SEPARATE ROMANIA FROM UKRAINE.
THAT, COUPLED WITH STRONG
PROTESTS LAUNCHED BY POLAND
WITH WHAT THEY SAID WAS --
MILITARY HELICOPTERS GETTING
INTO THEIR AIRSPACE, DOES MARK,
IT, SEEMS A BID BY THE KREMLIN
TO TAUNT THE NATO ALLIANCE TO
ITS --
THEIR NARRATIVE SUGGESTS MAYBE
THAT IS THE CASE.
INSTEAD, IF BACKING WITH
MILITARY ASSISTANCE AND
TRAINING UKRAINE, BUT A LOT OF
THAT IS FOCUSED ON THE SOUTH.
AND THE INTENSE
COUNTEROFFENSIVE THE UKRAINIANS
ARE PUSHING HARDER INTO, AND WE
HAVE EXTRAORDINARY FOOTAGE OF
THE --
TWO DIFFERENT FATES OF SOLDIERS
ON THE FRONT LINES, A UKRAINIAN
SAVED BY A DRONE,
EXTRAORDINARILY, BUT ALSO A
RUSSIAN COMMANDER ABANDONED, IT
SEEMS, BY HIS UNIT, DECLARED
DEAD IN RUSSIA, YET SURVIVING
AND RECEIVING UKRAINIAN CARE.
HERE'S THE STORY.
>> IT IS USUALLY ONLY THE
DEADLINE HERE, IN THE CRATERS
OF UKRAINE'S SOUTHERN FRONT.
BUT SOMETIMES, A GLINT OF LIFE
SHINES.
THIS DRONE SPOTTING A UKRAINIAN
SOLDIER, SERGEI, SEPARATED FROM
HIS UNIT.
WOUNDED IN THE CHEST AND LEG BY
SHELLING, HE FILMED THIS AS HE
LAY ALONE, BLEEDING.
HE FEARED, WHATEVER FIGHT TO
LIVE HE PUT UP WOULD NOT BE
ENOUGH.
HE LATER TOLD CNN FROM HIS
HOSPITAL BED.
>> TRANSLATOR: I WAS READY TO
FIGHT FOR MY LIFE, AND I, DID
LAYING THERE UNDER THE BLAZING
SUN.
I REALIZED I WAS TOO CLOSE TO
THE RUSSIANS, AND YOU EVEN
START TO LOOK AT YOUR GUN IN A
DIFFERENT WAY.
>> BUT THE DRONE OPERATORS HAD
OTHER PLANS.
THEY ATTACHED WATER, MEDICINE,
AND A NOTE TO THE DRONE, AND
SENT IT BACK.
IT FOUND HIM AGAIN, AND DROPPED
THE PACKAGE.
BUT HE DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WAS
FRIENDLY, OR A RUSSIAN BOMB.
>> TRANSLATOR: ALL THE TIME OF
HIS CRAWLING, A DRONE WAS
ALWAYS HOVERING ABOVE.
WE DIDN'T REALIZE IF IT WAS
FENDER FOR.
IT WAS A LOTTERY.
>> THIS IS THE MOMENT HE
REALIZES THE DRONE MAY SAVE
HIM.
THE WATER AND MEDICINE KEPT
COMING, EASING THE PAIN THAT
WAS VISIBLE, EVEN FROM UP HIGH,
AND THEN, HE CRAWLED BACK TO
SAFETY.
>> TRANSLATOR: THE COMBAT
MEDICS WHO GAVE ME FIRST AID
WHEN THEY FOUND ME WERE VERY
SURPRISED I SURVIVED FOR TWO
DAYS WITH A PIERCELAND.
>> HIS RECOVERY --
TALKING NOW OF A NEW LIFE WITH
GREATER VALUE AND PURPOSE.
THEY DON'T WANT TO LEAVE ANYONE
BEHIND, SAID THE DRONE
OPERATOR.
>> TRANSLATOR: EVERY LIFE IS
IMPORTANT TO US.
I COULD NOT LIVE WITH MYSELF IF
WE JUST LEFT SOMEONE BEHIND IN
THE FIELD.
[SOUND OF ARTILLERY]
>> PROBABLY ONLY SEVERAL MILES
AWAY, SALVATION WAS UGLIER.
HERE, --
ON A RUSSIAN POSITION.
[SOUND OF ARTILLERY]
>> IT IS FEROCIOUS, AND
EVENTUALLY FORCED A DOZEN
RUSSIAN TROOPS TO PULL BACK.
ARTILLERY HAD INJURED THE
RUSSIAN COMMANDER BADLY, AND
THE RUSSIANS LEFT HIM BEHIND,
PRESUMING HE WAS DEAD.
BUT THIS VIDEO SUPPLIED BY
UKRAINIAN FORCES SHOWS, THEY
FOUND HIM ALIVE.
HE RECEIVED MEDICAL TREATMENT.
WE ARE NOT NAMING HIM FOR HIS
SAFETY, BUT HE WAS LATER
AWARDED A POSTHUMOUS MEDAL,
ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN MEDIA
REPORTS.
LEFT BEHIND, AND DECLARED DEAD
BY HIS COMRADES.
THE UKRAINIANS WHO FOUND HIM
SAY HE MAY HAVE WISHED HE
DIDN'T SURVIVE.
WE SAID, DON'T TRY ANYTHING OR
YOU'LL DIE, HE SAYS.
AND HE ASKED US TO SHOOT HIM.
WE OFFERED HIM A CHANCE TO DO
IT HIMSELF, BUT HE SAID, HE
COULD NOT DO THAT.
HE'S AN ENEMY, AND I HAD NO
REAL DESIRE TO SAVE HIM, BUT
ORDERS ARE ORDERS, AND THEY
HAVE OUR GUYS, AND WE CAN SWAP
PRISONERS.
AS A HUMAN, ANOTHER SAYS, I WAS
SHOCKED THEY LEFT HIM BEHIND,
BUT AS A SOLDIER, I KNOW MY
ENEMY, AND I KNOW IT'S NOT AN
UNCOMMON PRACTICE FOR THEM.
THE OPPOSITE FATES ON DIFFERENT
SIDES IN THESE WIDE, UGLY,
EXPANSES OF VIOLENCE.
>> BECKY, IT'S FAIR TO SAY THE
CASUALTIES ON BOTH SIDES DURING
THIS SOUTHERN PUSH IN THE
COUNTEROFFENSIVE ARE QUITE BAD.
GRUELING FOR UKRAINE, LIKELY
EXPERIENCING, VISIBLY
EXPERIENCING A LOT OF PRESSURE
FROM ITS NATO SUPPORT TO
ACHIEVE RESULTS ON THE
FRONTLINE.
IT IS SLOW, MINDS IN THE WAY,
PROGRESS REPORTED TO SOME
DEGREE DAILY, WE DON'T HAVE
FULL TRANSPARENCY AS TO HOW FAR
UKRAINIAN FORCES HAVE INDEED
GOTTEN, BUT CERTAINLY, THE
LOSSES, AS YOU CAN SEE THERE,
SIGNIFICANT.
BECKY?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
NICK, APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED.