Amanpour and Company

MATTHEW, THAT WAS SOME DRAMA THERE, AND YOU CAME FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE AIRBORNE PARA TROOPERS. WHAT TRANSPIRED FROM THAT ENCOUNTER, AND WHAT MORE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE ENCIRCLEMENT OF THE CAPITAL WHERE YOU ARE? >>

Reporter

WELL, YEAH, IT WAS AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER, I CAN TELL YOU THAT, CHRISTIANE, BECAUSE WE WERE PROCEEDING TOWARDS THAT AIR BASE, WHICH WE KNEW HAD BEEN THE SCENE OF SOME FIGHTING BETWEEN RUSSIAN AIRBORNE TROOPS AND UKRAINIAN FORCES, BUT WE'D BEEN TOLD BY UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS THAT THE AIRPORT WAS -- THE AIR BASE WAS BACK IN UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT CONTROL, SO WE WENT THERE ANYWAY TO THE GATES. THERE WERE SOLDIERS AT THE GATES DIRECTING TRAFFIC AWAY, AND I WENT UP TO THEM, I SAID, LOOK CAN WE DO A QUICK LIVE SHOT ON CNN, THEY WERE LIKE NO, NO, IT'S FAR, FAR, TOO DANGEROUS. THIS WAS IN BROKEN RUSSIAN THAT WE WERE SPEAKING IN, AND I SAID, LOOK, WHO'S IN CONTROL OF THIS AIRPORT? IS IT THE RUSSIANS OR THE UKRAINIANS? AND THEY SAID WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I SAID WHO IS IT? WHO'S IN CONTROL? THEY SAID IT'S THE RUSSIANS. I SAID TO THEM, WHERE ARE THE RUSSIANS? AND THEY SAID, WELL, WE ARE THE RUSSIANS, AND SO I KNEW AT THAT POINT, I LOOKED DOWN AT THEIR INSIGNIA AND REALIZED THAT THESE WERE THE SPECIAL FORCES, THE AIRBORNE TROOPS THAT HAD BEEN SENT IN BY VLADIMIR PUTIN TO SECURE THAT AIR BASE A FEW HOURS BEFORE AND HAD FOUGHT OFF A DEFENSE OF IT BY THE UKRAINIAN MILITARY FORCES THERE. AND PUSHED THEM RIGHT BACK. YOU SAW SOME VIDEO YOU JUST PLAYED THERE OF A FIREFIGHT THAT BROKE OUT IN THE MINUTES AFTER WE SPOKE. WE TOOK COVER, OBVIOUSLY, AND, YOU KNOW, AND CAUGHT THAT GLIMPSE, DID THAT LIVE REPORT WITH THOSE RUSSIAN TROOPS, THE FIRST GLIMPSE THAT WE'VE HAD OF THEM BASICALLY FACE-TO-FACE IN THIS MASSIVE, NATIONWIDE DIPLOMACY PSY -- IT'S NOT JUST THERE, CHRISTIANE, THEY'RE BASED IN OTHER PLACES. THERE ARE UNITS LIKE THAT AT AIRSTRIPS, AT OTHER PLACES IN ARE STRATEGIC LOCATIONS AROUND THE CAPITAL. IT RAISES CONCERNS THAT WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE IS THAT RUSSIAN FORCES ARE SURROUNDING THE CITY. IN FACT, THAT'S WHAT UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS SAY THAT THEY NOW FEAR, WITHIN DAYS THAT COULD HAPPEN, THEY SAY. THE PLAN THEY FEAR IS THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN'S GOING TO COME IN, HE'S GOING TO TOPPLE THE LEADERSHIP HERE, AND HE'S GOING TO INSTALL A PRO-RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT. THAT'S WHAT THEIR CONCERN IS TONIGHT. >> YES, AND WE'VE HEARD THAT FROM INTERNATIONAL OFFICIALS AS WELL. AND JUST BRIEFLY BEFORE I LET YOU GO, HEARING NOTHING MORE TONIGHT, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU MIGHT BE HEARING SOMETHING IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, BUT RIGHT NOW IS IT QUIET WHERE YOU ARE? >> YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S QUIET IN THE SENSE THERE WERE NO BIG EXPLOSIONS BEHIND US, BUT I'M HEARING JETS IN THE SKY. NOT RIGHT NOW BUT OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MINUTES I'VE BEEN HEARING JETS PASS OVERHEAD. I'M ASSUMING THEY'RE RUSSIAN JETS BECAUSE UKRAINIANS JUST DON'T HAVE THAT CAPABILITY. LET'S SEE WHAT THE COMING HOURS BRING. >> YEAH, THE RUSSIANS WE'RE TOLD HAVE TOTAL SUPERIORITY OF THE AIR RIGHT NOW. >> YEAH. >> MATTHEW, THANK YOU SO MUCH.