Top Cuban Official Reacts to US Pressure in Rare Interview

Summary

Amanpour (CNN Podcasts)

Episode: Top Cuban Official Reacts to US Pressure in Rare Interview

Date: February 7, 2026
Host: Bianna Golodryga (in for Christiane Amanpour)

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Overview

This episode of Amanpour features a rare and exclusive interview with Carlos Fernandez de Cosio, Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister and top diplomat for US affairs, focusing on US pressure on Cuba’s economy, the longstanding embargo, and the prospects for bilateral dialogue. The episode also features segments on a powerful new Brazilian film about dictatorship, an investigative report on the recruitment of African men into Russia’s war in Ukraine, the influence of Kremlin propaganda in Russian schools, and archival reporting on the Olympics.

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Key Segments & Discussion Points

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1. US–Cuba Tensions & Prospects for Dialogue

(00:42–10:01)

• Immediate Crisis:

  • Cuba faces fuel shortages with days of oil remaining. The US has intensified its longstanding embargo, blocking oil from Venezuela, pressuring Mexico, and warning other exporters.
  • The embargo is causing severe blackouts and threatening the collapse of critical infrastructure.

• Cuba’s Openness to Dialogue:

  • Carlos Fernandez de Cosio states Cuba is ready for a "meaningful dialogue" but notes "there’s no set bilateral dialogue at this moment."

    “The US Government knows that Cuba is ready and has been ready for a long Time to have a meaningful dialogue with the US Government to deal with our bilateral issues.” — Carlos Fernandez de Cosio (03:09)

• Contradictions & US Leadership Goals:

  • Golodryga presses on whether recent Cuban statements signal a policy change, referencing harsher rhetoric the previous week.
  • De Cosio insists there is no contradiction, arguing:

    "The president…was calling the actions taken by the United States as they are. And he also said very clearly that Cuba is ready to have a serious and responsible dialogue..." (04:03)

• On Regime Change:

  • US politicians have explicitly called for regime change.

    “Cuba poses no threat to the United States. It is not aggressive… nor sponsors terrorism… The allegations that they used are not truthful… [but] our plan...would never be to change the government, what we have in Cuba, nor the system or economic or political system that we have in Cuba.” — Carlos Fernandez de Cosio (04:48)

• Economic “Choking” and Survival:

  • The embargo is described as an attempt to "choke Cuba economically."

    “They are attempting to choke Cuba economically…We have to take a look at our plans, how we use a great quote of austerity, stoicism, sacrifice, and try to overcome reality with the possibility of having very little…” (06:11)

• Non-Negotiable Red Lines:

  • De Cosio draws parallels: Cuba won't negotiate its constitutional system, just as the US wouldn’t either.
  • Suggests many areas for cooperation exist—in science, health, education, and people-to-people exchanges—if the US eases its "illegitimate pressure" (07:03–08:11).

• Rumors of US Plans to Oust Cuban Leaders:

  • De Cosio acknowledges historic US efforts for regime change, but asserts unity within Cuban leadership and society:

    “The Cuban government is united. It's united behind its president and it's got the support of the majority of the population…But as I said at the beginning, we are ready to sit down with the US and have a meaningful, serious and responsible dialogue.” (08:50)

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2. Film Spotlight: ‘The Secret Agent’ — Memory, Dictatorship, and Democracy in Brazil

(11:26–20:10)

• About the Film:

  • Oscar-favorite The Secret Agent is a critically acclaimed Brazilian thriller set in the 1970s under military rule. It explores themes of corruption, repression, and the dangers of forgetting history.

• Interview with Star Wagner Moura and Director Kleber Mendonça Filho:

  • Moura relates the film’s themes to recent Brazilian politics:

    “First thing that they do is to attack universities…academics, journalists, and artists…We cannot take democracy for granted.” — Wagner Moura (13:08)

  • Filho notes under dictatorship, anyone can feel like a secret agent:

    “Once the democratic system breaks down, any normal, honest citizen…may begin to feel like a secret agent… just because the things you stand for…can put you under persecution.” — Kleber Mendonça Filho (13:56)

• On Historical Amnesia:

  • Moura blames Brazil’s Amnesty Law for allowing past crimes to go unpunished and enabling Bolsonaro’s rise:

    “If we don't have our history told correctly…then we have a memory problem…Bolsonaro wouldn’t have been elected if it wasn't because of the amnesty law…” (15:03)

  • Filho:

    “Cinema is memory…But in my mind, it's really a film about amnesia…many societies…want to forget because it's not comfortable…” (16:47, 17:58)

• Contemporary Resonance:

  • Moura references calls in the US to “move on” from political crises, warning it enables societal amnesia:

    “The moving on thing, that’s what caused the amnesia in Brazil.” (18:13)

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3. African Recruits on the Russian Front Lines

(20:25–25:58)

• Investigative Report by Larry Madoo:

  • Shocking video shows African recruits conscripted by Russia to storm Ukrainian positions—often with just weeks of training, sometimes coerced or misled about conditions.

• Testimonies:

  • Families recount losing contact with loved ones pressured into active combat.
  • Salaries and promises of Russian citizenship often unmet; many African fighters face racism and abandonment.

    “So the only way to leave is to escape. Escape or you die. It’s only two ways.” — Patrick Koba, returnee (24:40)

• Recruitment Tactics:

  • Promises of bonuses and high pay are false; some are forced into contracts in Russian, without translation or legal support.
  • Suffering, injury, and trauma are widespread.
  • The Russian Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

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4. Indoctrination: Russia’s Propaganda in Schools

(27:21–33:28)

• Documentary ‘Mr. Nobody against Putin’:

  • Focuses on the covert footage of Pasha, a Russian teacher documenting his school’s forced transformation into a military recruitment center.
  • Pasha had to flee the country to get the footage out.

• Interview with Co-director David Borenstein:

  • Borenstein describes Pasha as an everyman teacher who wanted to show the world the reality:

    “He never wavered. He shot undercover…he had to flee Russia in order to get this footage out and put the film out into the world.” (26:34, 28:29)

  • The film reveals the orchestration of imperialist propaganda targeting the youngest Russians, including presence from the notorious Wagner mercenary group.

    “Putin has absolutely no intention of stopping with Ukraine…these lessons…preparation and creation of a new generation of kids…for empire and war.” — David Borenstein (30:32)

  • Teachers are left to choose between compliance, resistance, or silent complicity—a potent example of the “banality of evil.”

    “So many of the teachers…they’re doing it half-heartedly… they're going along with it, but they don’t believe in it…a potent example of the banality of evil.” (32:44)

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5. Archival: The Talent Search for 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics Performers

(34:40–36:42)

• Christiane Amanpour revisits a story on US high school singers competing for a chance to perform at the Winter Olympics opening ceremonies.
• Highlights youth, diversity, and aspiration in line with Olympic ideals.

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6. Good News Story: Australian Teen’s Daring Sea Rescue

(36:57–39:08)

• 13-year-old Austin Appleby becomes a national hero for swimming two and a half miles through challenging waters to raise the alarm and save his family after a kayaking accident off Australia’s West Coast.
  • Austin:

    “I was just thinking…not today, not today, not today. I have to keep on going.” (38:52)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On US–Cuba Dialogue:

  "We are ready to sit down with the US and have a meaningful, serious and responsible dialogue. And let's look at our differences, the real differences."
  — Carlos Fernandez de Cosio (08:50)

• On Memory and Democracy:

  "If we don't have our history told correctly, or if we have things like the Amnesty Law…then we have a memory problem."
  — Wagner Moura (15:03)

• On Forgetting vs. Accountability:

  "The moving on thing, that's what caused our…amnesia in Brazil."
  — Wagner Moura (18:13)

• On African Recruits in Russia:

  “Escape or you die. It's only two ways.”
  — Patrick Koba, survivor (24:40)

• On the Banality of Evil:

  "So many of the teachers…they’re doing it very half-heartedly…they’re going along with it, but they don’t believe in it. A potent example of the banality of evil."
  — David Borenstein (32:44)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Cuba crisis and US pressure: 00:42–10:01
• Brazilian film on dictatorship and memory: 11:26–20:10
• Russia’s African recruits: 20:25–25:58
• Russian school propaganda documentary: 27:21–33:28
• Winter Olympics performer archive: 34:40–36:42
• Australian teen sea rescue: 36:57–39:08

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Episode Takeaways

• Cuba’s leadership reaffirms resistance to US-imposed regime change, highlighting willingness for respectful dialogue but standing firm on sovereignty.
• Brazilian creatives warn of the dangers of historical amnesia, linking art, memory, and the defense of democracy.
• Investigative reporting exposes the human cost and exploitation involved in recruitment of African men for Russia’s war effort.
• Documentary filmmaking continues to play a powerful role in exposing autocracy and the indoctrination machinery, especially among youth.
• Amidst darkness, stories of individual heroism and global aspiration (Olympics, Australian teen) punctuate the program with hope.

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This summary captures all major points and notable quotes, arranged by topic and timestamp for easy reference.

Transcript

[Bianna Golodriga]

What is it about Australia that just hits different? Australia is where we shared our first.

[Anderson Cooper]

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[Bianna Golodriga]

And this is what, your fourth trip back.

[Anderson Cooper]

Australia has this incredible way of drawing you back.

[Bianna Golodriga]

The ocean, the people, the oysters. So good, so briny and delicious. And the possibility of exploring something new. Learn more about Zach and Laura's [e-mail] or and start planning the vacation of a lifetime. Hello and welcome to the Amanpour Hour. Here's where we're headed this week.

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

It's a failed nation now and they're not getting any money from Venezuela.

[Bianna Golodriga]

As Washington piles pressure onto Cuba and its already struggling economy, is regime change on the cards? My exclusive interview with Cuba's deputy Minister of foreign affairs from Havana and.

[Kleber Mendonça Filho]

The.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Secret agent, the Oscar darling that's triggering conversations about corruption, dictatorships and how we stop them. I speak with its star Wagner Mora and its director also you need to.

[Larry Madoo]

Escape or you die.

[Wagner Moura]

It's only two ways.

[Bianna Golodriga]

A shocking report revealing how African recruits to Russia's army are being fast tracked to the front lines. Then the Oscar nominated documentary showing how propaganda is grooming Russia's next generation for war. And the schoolteacher trying to expose it in Mr. Nobody against Putin. Plus the 25th Winter Olympic Games kick off in Italy. From Christian's Archive, the high stakes talent show that picked opening ceremony performers for the 1988 Calgary Games. I'm very nervous. I'm trying to keep my head straight. Welcome to the program everyone. I'm Bianna Golodriga in New York, sitting in for Christiane. Cuba has just days of oil left at current levels of demand, according to the financial times. The US ramping up its more than 60 year old trade embargo on the nation, blocking oil deliveries from Venezuela, pressuring Mexico to cancel shipments and threatening new tariffs on any country that sells oil to Havana. The Trump administration is choking off the Cuban economy one gas tank at a time because oil doesn't just drive Cuba's transportation infrastructure, it also powers an electricity system on the brink of total collapse, leaving Cubans struggling with blackouts. But could talks with Washington give Cuba an off ramp? President Trump thinks it can. So what does Havana have to say? In a rare interview this week, I spoke with Carlos Fernandez de Cosio, Cuba's deputy foreign minister and its its top diplomat for US Affairs. To be clear, is your government currently working or currently looking at a proposal or demand actually from the United States?

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

The US Government knows that Cuba is ready and has been ready for a long Time to have a meaningful dialogue with the US Government to deal with our bilateral issues. At the moment, we've had some exchanges of messages, but we cannot say we have set a bilateral dialogue at this moment.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Are these communications to quote the President, at the highest level?

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

Most things in Cuba dealing with the United States are linked to the highest level. It's a large issue for us. So there's no decision, no action taken that doesn't involve the high level of government in Cuba.

[Bianna Golodriga]

So here you are saying that Cuba is open to meaningful dialogue. It seems like a complete 180 from what your president was saying just last week, noting that measures take taken by Washington are, quote, criminal and genocidal in nature. Now you're ready to talk. What has changed is the pressure from the United States working.

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

The statement from our president, it was on January 9th, I believe he was calling the actions taken by the United States as they are. And he also said very clearly that Cuba is ready to have a serious and responsible dialogue with, with the United States that is respectful of international law and of course, respectful of our national prerogatives and sovereign prerogatives. There's no change in what he said.

[Bianna Golodriga]

The President of the United States as well as the Secretary here, Marco Rubio, have said that their goal, Marco Rubio has said this explicitly, would be regime change at some point. How do you respond to that demand?

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

Well, the first thing to remember is that on the Measure announced on January 29, they claim that Cuba is an emergency to the US because we pose a threat to the United States. Cuba poses no threat to the United States. It is not aggressive against the United States. It's not hostile. It doesn't harbor terrorism, nor sponsors terrorism. There are no foreign military bases in Cuba, contrary to what is alleged, with the exception of the one existing in Guantanamo, the US Base. Cuba has no traffic in drugs or illegal drugs that would harm the United States, nor there's organizing crime in Cuba, nor organized crime uses Cuba as a platform against the United States. So the allegations that they used are not truthful. Now, the Secretary of State has said that he wants regime change and it's been his policy and the policy of many anti Cuban politicians in the United States for a long time. I don't know what the reasoning today of the government is when they speak of talking with Cuba because of course, our plan and our idea and our objectives would never be to change the government, what we have in Cuba, nor the system or economic or political system that we have in Cuba.

[Bianna Golodriga]

So what are you going to do to stop the United States, if that is their ultimate goal.

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

They are attempting to choke Cuba economically, as they have been trying to do for the past over six decades. I would say at this moment they are threatening countries with tariffs to harm them if they in use of their national prerogatives, they export fuel to Cuba that will pose a great harm to Cuba. It is the aim to cause as much harm as possible to the people of Cuba. We have to some extent take a look at our plans, how we use a great quote of austerity, stoicism, sacrifice, and try to overcome reality with the possibility of having very little, a lot of limitations, I would say, in the possibility of importing fuel.

[Bianna Golodriga]

What is the red line that Cuba will not cross to get more oil flowing into the country?

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

I think it would be similar to the ones that the US Has. We're not ready to discuss our constitutional system, as we suppose the US Is not ready to discuss their constitutional system, their political system, their economic reality. And as a sovereign nation, we have the same beliefs at the US but there are many other issues that we can discuss that can be useful for both countries and that could help even the countries in the region in several areas, the ones I raised, but also in science, also in health, also in education, but also Cuba is in a process of economic transformation that has had many difficulties precisely because of the pressures and the economic warfare coming from the United States. I am sure that if we sit down and if US Were ready to ease the very illegitimate pressure it puts on Cuba, we could evolve in a way so that Americans could travel to Cuba, which today is prohibited by their government, could do business in Cuba, which today is prohibited by their government, could visit Cuba, could do tourism in Cuba, which today is prohibited by their government.

[Bianna Golodriga]

The humanitarian question that's been raised in the fallout of completely choking off the country from gas reserves, et cetera, and oil. And President Trump responded by saying that he thinks he can work a deal out. That is similar language that we heard from President Trump prior to his seizing of Nicolas Maduro and now putting his number two, Delsey Rodriguez, in place and in power. So what is to stop or prevent that same type of chain of events from happening in Cuba? How do you know that the United States is not currently working or speaking with somebody in your government to take out your leadership and put them in place?

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

They've been trying to do that for a long time. To speak of Cubans of different types of the Cuban government is united. It's united behind its president and it's got the support of the majority of the population. So they could try to do that. I cannot doubt if they try to do it. They've been attempting to do it in Cuba and in many parts of the world. Again, it's also, also something very illegitimate. But as I said at the beginning, we are ready to sit down with the US and have a meaningful, serious and responsible dialogue. And let's look at our differences, the real differences. What are the issues of Cuba that bother Americans? What are the issues of Cuba that truly might be thought of causing harm to the majority of American citizens, to harm their standard of living, their security, their peaceful, their neighborhoods? What real issues do harm them? And what issues can be there that can allow the US to work with Cuba, to do business in Cuba, that can be profitable, to work with Cuba together for peace and tranquility in our region? What stops them from doing that? I think that would be a very broad agenda between the two countries.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Carlos Fernandez Dicosio, thank you. Thank you so much for joining us.

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

Thank you.

[Bianna Golodriga]

And you can watch our full conversation [e-mail] straight ahead for us, a movie about dictatorship and memory that you won't soon forget. The acclaimed star and director of Oscar favorite theater, Secret Agent. Join me. And later in the program, a shocking report on how Russia is recruiting Africans to fight on the front lines against Ukraine. We hear from some of the men themselves. What is it about Australia that just hits different? Australia is where we shared our first.

[Anderson Cooper]

Kiss, where we fell in love. That was 18 years ago now.

[Bianna Golodriga]

And this is what your fourth trip back.

[Anderson Cooper]

Australia has this incredible way of drawing you back.

[Bianna Golodriga]

The ocean, the, the oysters, so good, so briny and delicious and the possibility of exploring something new. Learn more about Zach and Laura's [e-mail] and start planning the vacation of a lifetime.

[Anderson Cooper]

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Time, 50% off regular price for new customers. Upfront payment required $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for 12 month plan taxes and fees. Extra speeds may slow after 50 gigabytes per month when network is busy. See terms. Welcome back to the program. Now a timely exploration of corruption, autocracy and how we remember it in one of the most acclaimed films of the year, Oscar favorite the Secret Agent is a visually stunning, superbly acted thriller set in the late 1970s Brazil under military dictatorship, greed, graft, secrecy and violence, all against the backdrop of carnival. Star Wagner Moro won the Golden Globe for Best Actor and is nominated for an Oscar, while Kleber, Mendoza Filio won Best Director at Cannes. They join me from New York. Wagner Gabbar, thank you so much for joining us. What an incredible film. What a powerful film. I understand why it's getting such global praise. So congratulations to the both of you. Wagner, your character, Armando, one of them, he also plays Marcelo, and that's his assumed identity. He is a man on the run. He is a man trying to save his son and start a new life. He's also an academic. Tell us about his character in that specific era.

[Wagner Moura]

Well, it's interesting. We kind of experienced that feeling again in Brazil, like when Bolsonaro was the president, which is when the first thing that they do is to attack universities, you know, academics, scholarship, journalists and artists, you know, and we both, as very vocal artists against that particular government, suffered lots of consequences of what we were saying, and especially what we were doing with our. With the things that we do. These kind of things make me always make me think of, like, how we have to. We cannot take democracy for granted.

[Kleber Mendonça Filho]

And I'd just like to point something out. I think that once the democratic system breaks down, any normal, honest citizen in a society may begin to feel like a secret agent, just because the things you stand for and the things you think and say, and you could be an academic or a journalist or an artist, that will immediately put you in the position of being under persecution. So I think a lot of the idea for the Secret Agent and the title the Secret Agent came from the notion of society breaking down and you having to deal with a situation where the values are upside down.

[Wagner Moura]

Yeah. The majority of the victims of dictatorships are not freedom fighters, are not people that are trying to overthrow a government or regular people.

[Bianna Golodriga]

You have said before that you think it was the Amnesty Law that actually brought Bolsonaro to office. Explain the dichotomy there. Because unlike a military dictatorship, and as you even acknowledged, he was democratically elected.

[Wagner Moura]

Yeah, but it's a matter of memory, I think, you know, like, if we don't have our history told correctly, or if we have things like the Amnesty Law. The Amnesty Law was a law that we have in 79 in Brazil that basically forgave all the torturers and Killers and people that did very despicable things to civilians in Brazil. If we have things like that, and if we make people believe that attempting against democracy or attempting against human rights is something that's okay, then we have a memory problem. And we had that in Brazil for decades, for centuries. I would say our history is based on many beautiful things, but also it's based on Brazil is the last country in the Western world to abolish slavery. So we live with many contradictions in that country. So I really believe that Bolsonaro wouldn't have been elected if it wasn't because of the amnesty law, as right now we are finally getting even with our memory. When we sent Bolsonaro to jail and we sent military for the first time in Brazil, we sent people that military, people that attempted against democracy to jail. So I truly believe that they, the new generations of Brazilians, are going to grow up with a different sense of understanding of our history and of our memory.

[Bianna Golodriga]

You mentioned memory. Memory plays a key theme in this film. And you go back and forth between the 1970s and then more present day. Talk about the role of memory here in that genre, why it's so important for you to give it voice.

[Kleber Mendonça Filho]

Well, I'm fascinated by the idea that cinema is memory. Each film will be put away in a cinematic and will become a piece of archive. The conversation we're having right now will hopefully become part of an archive to be seen in the future. And I think that's one of the basic premises in the film. The story we're living now is our own story in the present time. But there might be someone listening in the future. And the story of Wagner's character in the film is in fact just a fragment in the future, which helps you understand the country and how society evolves. But there was a lot of discussion around the secret agent in many countries and in Brazil and here in the US about being a film about memory. But in my mind, it's really a film about amnesia. And many countries and many societies, in fact, they want to forget because it's not comfortable or it's not political to remember.

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

So.

[Kleber Mendonça Filho]

I really believe that one of the stronger aspects of the film is really about amnesia without giving anything away from the plot. But towards the end, I think that's a very strong point that the film makes.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Oh, for sure.

[Wagner Moura]

I just saw. I just saw Donald Trump saying that he. That America should move on with the abstinent thing. You know, we should move on.

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

I think it's really time for the country to get onto something else.

[Wagner Moura]

No, I don't think America should move on. I think America should check that out, you know, and go deep on what, what that means and the people that are involved in that. The moving on thing of it all. That's what caused our, the amnesia that in Brazil.

[Kleber Mendonça Filho]

That. And once again, let's move on.

[Wagner Moura]

Let's forget about, let's just, you know, let's start over. Let's, let's have a fresh start.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Keep it in the press right now.

[Wagner Moura]

Yeah.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Final question to you. Brazil does seem to be having its moment right now. And it's interesting that this film comes a year after I'm still here also beautiful film. Oscar winning film there. Just why do you think the world is so. And it's also set during the same time period. Why do you think the world has turned its eye to Brazil now and really begun to try to understand that era in the country?

[Kleber Mendonça Filho]

Well, it's quite a, it's, it's really wonderful that in two years we have two strong films, and these are Brazilian films which come from a very particular period of repression. In, in my case, I have talked to Valter Salis about this, but in, in my take is that we react to whatever is happening. I think, in fact, this is a very strong moment to make films, to write, to be a journalist, you know, not only in the west, but also in Brazil, in Europe, because there is something happening. And I think it's a strong moment for us to do something.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Thank you, both of you.

[Kleber Mendonça Filho]

This is great. Thank you for having us. It was great.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Appreciate it. Thank you.

[Kleber Mendonça Filho]

Thank you.

[Bianna Golodriga]

After a break. As Russia becomes increasingly desperate to feed its war machine, African recruits say they're finding themselves on the front lines after just weeks of training.

[Kleber Mendonça Filho]

I asked my Russian partner for first.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Aid, but he turned hostile. Welcome back. This week, the second round of trilateral peace talks began with Russia, Ukraine and American negotiators in the United Arab Emirates. These come as Ukraine's energy infrastructure is bombarded by Moscow in the midst of a bitter winter. And Russia, Russia faces a mounting human cost as well. According to a recent report, Russia has suffered some 1.2 million casualties, about double the amount the Ukrainian military has sustained. The Kremlin is taking desperate measures to supply its forces and is recruiting men from abroad. In this report, Larry Madoo speaks to some men from Africa who say they got far more than they bargained for. What is your name?

[Larry Madoo]

This disturbing video appears to show an African recruit in the Russian army with a landmine strapped to his chest. He is being Ordered to storm Ukrainian positions on the front lines. A Russian speaker hurls a racist insult to the man, saying he is being used as a can opener to breach an enemy bunker.

[Bianna Golodriga]

I didn't see it.

[Larry Madoo]

It is so traumatizing.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Francis is my son.

[Larry Madoo]

CNN traced the man's mother to Kenya. She hasn't been able to reach her son since October 2025, but she recently received another video of him from an unknown Kenyan number. Be careful, you guys, because people are being taken there and you end up being taken to the military and you are taken in frontline, frontline battle and there is true killings. Francis is a trained electrical engineer who was promised a civilian Russia, but his family says he was forced into the Russian army and to the front lines in Ukraine. How long was the training? Three weeks. They had only three weeks of military training.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Only three weeks of military training.

[Larry Madoo]

Had he ever been in the police or in the army in Kenya?

[Bianna Golodriga]

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Larry Madoo]

Do you know where Francis is? I don't know where he is. I was told he's in Ukraine, but I don't know specific whether he's there or not. Francis is among a growing number of African men currently fighting for Russia. Though exact figures are unknown, some Africans in the Russian army glamorize their life on social media, encouraging their countrymen to join. For those of you in Africa, in Nigeria, that want to come and join the Russian army, it's very, very easy and very good. No stress. This Canadian man posts dance videos and brags about how much money he makes. My salary, go fee feed your father.

[Anderson Cooper]

Go fee feed your mother, go fee.

[Larry Madoo]

Feed your family for like two years.

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

Three years, my salary.

[Larry Madoo]

Where are you now? Can you say where you are? CNN spoke to a dozen African fighters currently on the front lines in Ukraine. They described being forced into a deadly war, racism from Russian commanders, and unpaid salaries. Many say they were made to sign military contracts in Russian without lawyers or translation. Nearly all told CNN they were desperate to escape but felt trapped. Patrick Koba is one of the lucky few. He has made it back to Nairobi after escaping the Russian military. He is still carrying shrapnel in his body from a Ukrainian drone ambush.

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

It hit me down here, but my.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Food backpack saved my life. I didn't get burnt in my back because of my armor vest, but it tore my pants and burnt my buttocks and legs.

[Larry Madoo]

Patrick is a carpenter who says he was only given basic military training.

[Bianna Golodriga]

I asked my Russian partner for first aid, but he turned hostile.

[Larry Madoo]

So after you've been hit by a Drone and the grenade. You asked for help from your partner? Yes. And he sent you away?

[Kleber Mendonça Filho]

Yes.

[Larry Madoo]

He want to kill me. I have to run. My brother Patrick fled to the Kenyan embassy in Moscow while on leave to recover from his injury. So the only way to leave is to escape. Escape or you die.

[Wagner Moura]

It's only two ways.

[Larry Madoo]

CNN has seen adverts, messages and recruitment documents aimed at foreign fighters. They offer Africans sign on bonuses of $13,000, salaries up to $3,500 a month, and Russian citizenship after a year. They are lying to people the money that they tell people they pay. That is not true. Desperate for work and with a baby on the way, photographer Charles Njoki signed up to the Russian army hoping to avoid active combat. He believed his skills as a drone operator would keep him at a safe distance. Instead, Charles says he was pushed onto the front lines and was wounded by a Ukrainian drone. He says a rescue team refused to come, forcing him to drink his own urine to survive. You feel that the Africans were being sent to the front deliberately?

[Bianna Golodriga]

Yes.

[Larry Madoo]

So you didn't get the money, you didn't get the citizenship.

[Bianna Golodriga]

And I'm here suffering.

[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

I have a knee.

[Larry Madoo]

I have an issue at my spine right now. There's some water. I need to go and be removed. Russian recruitment networks in Africa have gone underground after recent crackdowns. But despite growing suspicion from locals, recruits are still signing up. Laramidowo, cnn, Nairobi.

[Bianna Golodriga]

The Russian government has openly acknowledged recruiting foreign fighters, including Africans, to serve in its army to fight in Ukraine, and has publicized cases in which some were granted Russian citizenship after their service. However, Russia's Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry did not respond to CNN's request for comment on allegations that some African recruits were misled or coerced into fighting. And ahead for us, just how deep does the Kremlin's propaganda machine go? We hear about one teacher who caught on camera the government's attempts to influence the minds of Russia's youngest.

[Anderson Cooper]

He never wavered. He shot undercover, and at the end, he had to flee Russia in order to get this footage out and put the film out into the world.

[Larry Madoo]

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[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

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[Larry Madoo]

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[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

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[Larry Madoo]

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[Carlos Fernandez de Cosio]

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[Bianna Golodriga]

Welcome back to the program. As we've seen, the situation in Russia's military is dire. And so. So the Kremlin's propaganda wheels keep on spinning, even working to influence the minds of children. A new Oscar nominated documentary is revealing what's happening behind the closed doors of a school. One small town Russian teacher recorded what he saw and secretly got the footage out while fleeing the country. Co director David Borenstein joined me from Miami. David, I have to tell you, I was blown away. And Pasha, wow, what a brave individual. You know, heroes come in all shapes, forms, sizes, backgrounds, personalities, and he definitely proves to be one here. He calls himself a nobody. He's not an activist. He works at a school in the same city in town where he grew up, the same school where he attended. He's a teacher trying to do his job, but in terms of resistance. Just talk about what his work, what his determination to get this video made says about him.

[Anderson Cooper]

Well, he was committed to showing the world what was happening in his school. He's the kind of teacher at that school that I think a lot of us all know. He's the kind of guy that a lot of the students would hang out in his office, and that's because he made them feel comfortable. Kids that didn't fit in were often hanging out in his office. I had a teacher like this and when I first saw footage from Pasha's classroom, I immediately saw what kind of person he is. But throughout the next few years of changes that came as a result of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, his school was basically turned into a recruitment center for the military. And, and he just followed it all the way through. He never wavered. He shot undercover and at the end he had to flee Russia in order to get this footage out and put the film out into the world.

[Bianna Golodriga]

There are clips in this film, not only is it stunning how quickly everything changed once the war began, but the recruitment effort itself, including members from the notorious Wagner mercenary group. Let's play a clip from that.

[Anderson Cooper]

It's heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking as a teacher to see your kids go through this and to be treated as expendable. I think there's one more thing that footage like this tells us. If you look at the propaganda classes that are being taught in schools right now in Russia, you'll see that Putin has absolutely no intention of stopping with Ukraine. One of the common themes in every single one of these lessons that you see is the preparation and the creation of a new generation of kids and future soldiers who are committed to empire and war.

[Bianna Golodriga]

And you really have two ends of the spectrum. On one extreme, you have someone like Pasha who not only is just disgusted by this, but speaks out against it and is recording it. And on the other extreme is a teacher who really feels that he's supportive. That teacher, who is super awkward and it's obvious not well liked by the students, not nearly as much as Pasha is, is then awarded teacher of the year and given a free apartment. My real focus are those teachers who are somewhere in the middle who may be more aligned with Pasha but are too fearful to speak out. Let's play a clip of that one teacher who won the apartment and teacher of the year first.

[Anderson Cooper]

What.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Your reaction to him and then my earlier question about those teachers who fall somewhere in the middle.

[Larry Madoo]

Right?

[Bianna Golodriga]

Yeah.

[Anderson Cooper]

So many of the teachers just, you know, they're literally reading from a script and you can see that they're doing it very half heartedly. I think that you're right to say there are a variety of reactions. You have Pasha, who gave up so much to show the world what was happening. You have Pavel Abdulmanov, who we just saw, who performs the propaganda with Gusteau. But the vast majority just go along with it half heartedly. It is, it is a pretty interesting and potent example of the banality of evil. They're going along with it, but they don't believe in it. And I think that actually is a nice and important characterization of the Russian system.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Well, please give Pasha our best again. This was an incredible and it's such an important documentary to make. Congratulations again on this very important film and the nomination for an Oscar.

[Anderson Cooper]

Thank you.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Up next, it's kickoff time for the Winter Olympics. We go back to the 1988 Calgary Games when Christiane met some of the performers vying to sing at the opening ceremonies. I've always dreamed about going to the Olympics. Welcome back. Skiing, skating, snowboarding, and more. After a four, four year wait, it is time for the Winter Olympics. Nearly 3,000 athletes from all over the world have descended on northern Italy to compete and inspire in these global games that began more than a century ago. But the athletes aren't the only ones gearing up for the big days. All the performers are as well. It's their hard work that goes into those epic opening and closing ceremonies. Back in 1988, Christiane met a few of those vying to win spots at the Singers to kick off the Winter Games in Calgary.

[Christiane Amanpour]

The Olympic opening ceremony is always a big deal for the performers. It is perhaps even more important than the Competition it heralds. This is the music they'll sing to during the grand finale opening day sponsored by the Coca Cola Company. The search for for singers began last fall. Six finalists were picked from 4,000 high school entrants across the United States. A live audition before the press and a panel of judges would determine the two winners.

[Larry Madoo]

I've always dreamed about going to the Olympics.

[Anderson Cooper]

I think I could represent the United States pretty well.

[Christiane Amanpour]

From baritone to tenor, they gave the performances of their lives. Waiting to find out was almost as bad as waiting to go on.

[Bianna Golodriga]

I'm very nervous. I'm trying to keep my head straight, but I'm going to try to just make music and then if they like it, that's good.

[Christiane Amanpour]

In the end, Janet was the female winner. What made the difference?

[Bianna Golodriga]

Maybe expression. I think I had more contact with the audience.

[Christiane Amanpour]

For the male winner, 17 year old John McVeigh. Winning wasn't everything. It was almost disappointing to not know.

[Larry Madoo]

That all six of us couldn't be there. It's okay though.

[Bianna Golodriga]

We got a chance to do this.

[Christiane Amanpour]

It's not just American singers who are headed for Calgary. The Olympic chorus will be made up of members from 5 continents and 30 countries. From Argentina to the USSR to China. Competitions like this one have been going on all over the world to choose the 58 other Olympic singers who'll perform February 13th. But why pick high schoolers for the honor?

[Kleber Mendonça Filho]

This is a wonderful idea. It's completely consistent with the Olympic ideals.

[Bianna Golodriga]

Of excellence and youth.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Christiana monpour, cnn, new york.

[Bianna Golodriga]

What a great archive story. Gotta love 80s hair, right? Well, when we come back, the 13 year old boy who made an extraordinary race to save his mother, brother and sister lost at sea. That's next. And finally, an inspiring and almost unbelievable story this week that's captured the world's attention. In Australia, 13 year old Austin Appleby has become a national hero after mounting a daring rescue when he, his mother and his younger siblings were swept off the country's western coast while kayaking. Austin swam for two and a half miles through dark seas and high waves and strong winds to make it to shore, even ditching his life jacket at one point because it was slowing him down. He then sprinted another mile just to get to a phone where he raised the alarm, saving his mother, his 12 year old brother and his 8 year old sister who had drifted close to 9 miles off the coast by the time they were found. Here's what he told CNN affiliates, the seven Network about his rescue. I was fighting rough seas because I thought I saw something in the water and I was really scared. I was just thinking. I was just thinking in my head, like thinking I was going to make it through. But I was also thinking about all my friends at school and friends of my Christian youth. And yeah, I just said, all right, not today, not today, not today. I have to keep on going. Just extraordinary courage. Bravo, Austin. Well, that's all the time we have. Don't forget, you can find all of our shows online as podcasts, on CNN.com audio and on all other major platforms. I'm Bianna Golodriga, New York. Thanks so much for watching. What is it about Australia that just hits different? Australia is where we shared our first.

[Anderson Cooper]

Kiss, where we fell in love. That was 18 years ago now.

[Bianna Golodriga]

And this is what, your fourth trip back.

[Anderson Cooper]

Australia has this incredible way of drawing you back.

[Bianna Golodriga]

The ocean, the people, the oysters. So good, so briny and delicious and, and the possibility of exploring something new. Learn more about Zach and Laura's [e-mail] and start planning the vacation of a lifetime.

[Anderson Cooper]

Hey, I'm Anderson Cooper. On my podcast All There Is, we explore grief and loss in all its complexities. You'll hear deeply moving and honest discussions with people who have faced and are living with life altering losses. My guest is writer poet Megan Fowley who was married to the poet Andrea Gibson. Andrea died last summer after a years long battle with cancer. Is grief different than you thought it would be?

[Bianna Golodriga]

Yes, it is. I don't think that I thought that I would be able to have as much joy as I've had. I guess if I wasn't able to find joy and laughter now, I would have missed the point of Andra's messaging.

[Anderson Cooper]

Talking grief, building community. That's what the podcast is all about. This is all there is. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.