asking your questions. world news tonight is next. tonight, breaking developments as we come on the air. russian forces moving in. say the russians have kidnapped the mayor of a key city, and tonight reports the russians are bringing biosuits into ukraine. the images coming in tonight, the mayor of mariupol describing the city as armageddon, where the maternity and children's hospital was already hit. shelling every 30 minutes. the capital of kyiv, images showing that massive russian convoy closing in the u.n. report. the russians hitting two airfields in western ukraine, trying to disrupt supply

shipments from enter the country. also tonight, new warning from the biden administration about russia planning a false flag attack. this time using chemical weapons. the russians now bringing those chem biosuits to ukraine. martha raddatz back tonight with what she's learning from her sources. tonight, president biden revealing he's suspending normal trade relations with russia. what this means. and the president is pressed today -- would the u.s. have a military response if putin launches a chemical weapons attack? mary bruce with the president's response. in moscow, the kremlin moving to make it illegal to log on to facebook or instagram in russia. what the russian people could face if they do it. james longman from moscow. here at home, we're also tracking this major winter storm from the south up into the northeast tonight. dangerous travel this evening and tomorrow and where they are concerned about possible overnight tornadoes.

rob marciano standing by to time it out. the alarming images tonight from near ft. lauderdale. authorities investigating multiple spring break overdoses. they say drugs laced with fentanyl, at least six people rushed to the hospital, including reports five are west point cadets. reports several in cardiac arrest. diane sawyer tonight. decades later, the new audio and video now unearthed unlocking some of the mysteries of the heaven's gate cult that gripped this skbournt the world. the tragic deaths of 39 people who thought a ufo would take hem to heaven. family members coming forward for the first time. what they reveal all these years later. and remembering the iconic actor beloved by generations of children. good evening, and it's great to have you with us as we near the end of another week together. we begin with russia's war in

ukraine. there is new evidence tonight the russians are repositioning their forces to encircle the capital of kyiv. some russian units now just nine miles from the city center. tonight, russia continuing to accuse the u.s. and ukraine of preparing to use chemical weapons. the u.s. warning the world that this is right out of the russian playbook, that the reality is the russians could be preparing to use them. in fact, tonight a senior u.s. official saying the russians are bringing chem biosuits to ukraine. russia kulconducting new air strikes on dnipro. and new air strikes in mariupol where they hit the children's and maternity hospital already. reports of shelling there every 30 minutes. the emergency services headquarter there is destroyed tonight, reportedly caught off communication to the outside world. the mayor calling it armageddon. new satellite images tonight of the massive russian convoy outside kyiv. once more than 40 miles long

largely dispersed and redeployed. new video of ukrainian soldiers engaging with russian troops, battling to regain control of a village near kyiv. tonight, president zelenskyy in a new message saying, if you want to find out russia's plans, you should look at what russia is accusing others of. a clear reference to russia accusing ukraine and the u.s. of potentially using chemical weapons. president biden was pressed on this today -- would there be a u.s. military response if russia uses chemical weapons? and what he said. mary bruce is standing by live at the white house with that. but we're going to begin tonight with abc's senior foreign correspondent ian pannell leading us off from kyiv again tonight. >> reporter: tonight, armageddon is how the mayor of mariupol describes the relentless siege and bombardment of his city. officials there say it's being shelled every 30 minutes by the russians and that most of the targets are in residential neighborhoods. >> the situation is awful. russian army continues to do

airstrikes, air bombing, artillery shelling. >> reporter: on overnight missile strike on mariupol's emergency services center reportedly cut one of the last lines of communication to the outside world. along the coast in mykolaiv, the mayor claims russians have been using cluster bombs, which disperse bomblets over wide areas. while the u.n. stopped short of saying russia has committed war crimes, it is now saying it's received credible reports of russia using cluster bombs in populated areas like kharkiv. the deliberate use of these weapons on civilians is a war crime. in nope dnipro in the east, more disturbing images of the aftermath of a russian air strike, this time destroying a shoe factory. an elementary school was also reportedly hit. even in cities that have fallen, there is still popular resistance. in melitopol, residents have been protesting the occupying russian forces. the mayor had been insisting publicly the city is still part of ukraine.

today, an advisor to ukraine's president claims this video shows the kidnapping of the mayor by a group of heavily armed russian troops. russian authorities tonight saying they've opened a criminal case against the mayor on charges of aiding terrorism. despite the dire situation in many parts of the country, there are ominous warnings today of how much worse it could get. amid fears russia might stage a chemical weapons attack in the country. the world health organization is urging ukraine to immediately destroy pathogen samples in labs because russia's war in the country risks an accidental spill. and today, moscow saying europe's largest nuclear power plant now belongs to russia. its forces took control of the facility last week after fighting that triggered concerns about a potential nuclear disaster. across ukraine, the russians are intensifying their attacks on major cities. air strikes expanding to two airfields in western ukraine. new satellite images show the russian convoy that once

stretched 40 miles northwest of the capital has dispersed and repositioned into attack positions and are as close as nine miles from the city center. there's been intense fighting near the outskirts of the capital. we've just seen what we think is an air intercept. you can see the streaks up in the sky there as -- we're not clear. was it russian jets? was it ukrainian jets? but that's the reality on the ground for people living inside of the capitol today. ukrainian president zelenskyy said today the country is reaching a breakthrough moment and is heading towards victory. but that may seem like a dream to many here. we're seeing hundreds, thousands of people now fleeing front line towns. most of these people are from the town of bucha. they've been hiding in their basements, caught in the middle of the bombardment. some are saying they've seen russian tanks and armored vehicles inside their village, and they've left with what little they can carry. many of them waving white flags

to signal that they are civilians and shouldn't be harmed. katerina sapsai managed to escape from bucha with her grandmother today before it got too late. surrounded by the russian army, the town's been bombarded since the start of the invasion. >> being without water and electricity for almost seven days is not fun, so -- >> reporter: wow! >> we decided to evacuate today. >> reporter: is there much >> reporter: is there much fighting going on there today? >> yes, you can actually see a lot of russian tanks and explosions. like, you go to bed every day with explosions. you wake up -- today at 5:00 a.m. i woke up if the sound of explosions, so, yeah, not fun. >> reporter: her grandmother, kateryna romanivna, has lost her home, left her village and is out in the cold. but incredibly accepting the uncertainty of her future. how do you keep you spirits up? what else can you do, she says? >> the resilience of the ukrainian people. ian pannell joins us again tonight from the capital of kyiv. ian, russian forces obviously relentlessly raising the pressure on the capital. where do things stand tonight? how close are they?

>> reporter: yeah, i mean, i think the kremlin has troops nine miles to the northwest of here. although they haven't pushed closer for days officials are seeing rear elements moving up to support them. we know they're about 50 miles from the city limits. i don't think they've got enough troops in place to encircle the city letcompletely yet, but tak kyiv is putin's primary and it feels like the net is starting to close in tonight. >> ian pannell, incredibly reporting again this week, and we so appreciate it. of course the growing concern within the biden administration -- is russia planning to use chemical or biological weapons? a senior u.s. administration official pointing to biosuits being brought to ukraine by the russians. tonight, martha raddatz is back inside ukraine with what she's now learned tonight. >> reporter: tonight, new and increasingly ominous signs the russian assault could take a

more brutal turn. a senior u.s. official saying some russian soldiers now bringing in chem biosuits to protect against chemical and biological weapons. fearing that false flag event meant to justify russia's own use of chemical weapons. today the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. slamming russia for spreading disinformation. >> we have serious concerns that russia may be planning to use chemical or biological agents against the ukrainian people. >> reporter: as russia now expands its attacks for the first time into western ukraine with those deadly missile strikes. this while its ground forces are closing in on the capital. the russians are beginning to make more momentum on the ground towards kyiv. >> reporter: a u.s. official saying for vladimir putin, everything depends on taking kyiv. but fierce ukrainian resistance, these images from the ukrainian defense ministry, capturing this

ambush of the russian convoy, is taking a toll. as many as 6,000 russian soldiers have died. another 15,000 wounded since the war began. and a u.s. official saying as much as one-fifth of the russian force now in operable, dead, wounded, or simply bogged down. the u.s. official calling it a fundamental failure in russia's planning and operations. but putin trying to adapt. the kremlin saying 16,000 fighters from the middle east, including syria, heading to ukraine to help them out. >> martha raddatz back in lviv. as you know there have been multiple reports of vladimir putin's frustrations with how this is going. some suggested he's furious with the fsb, intelligence teams. regardless, one thing is clear, this has not unfolded as putin thought it would. >> reporter: it certainly hasn't, david, and despite his

ground troops being bogged down, he can still inflict catastrophic damage with artillery fire and missiles, just like he did in syria with indiscriminant bombing. >> martha raddatz. martha, we'll be watching sunday morning. president biden tonight cutting after all normal trade relations with russia. the president was pressed, will there be a u.s. response if russia uses chemical or biological weapons? let's bring in mary bruce tonight. mary, how did the president respond? >> reporter: david, the president said russia would pay a, quote, severe price, but wouldn't say what that price would be. i've asked but the white house says it won't engage in hypotheticals. while the president would not give a definitive answer whether a chemical or biological attack would prompt the u.s. military, president biden today was emphatic saying they would not

engage with the russians in ukraine, saying that would be world war iii. >> in the russia, the kremlin making it illegal to log on to facebook or instagram in russia. what the russian people could face. james longman in moscow. >> reporter: vladimir putin's assault on free speech intensifying tonight. facebook's parent company meta is to be designated an extremist organization. people who login to facebook or instagram here could now be tried under the same laws as isis terrorists. moscow says it's in response to meta's easing of its hate speech guidelines, which allow ukrainians the ability to call for violence against russians fighting in their country. the move further limits russian access to non-state sanctioned information, but young people here will find a way. this is a shame, this young man says, but you can survive without it. the bloggers i'm following will all move to telegram and i'll follow them there. ekaterina kotrikadze is an anchor of the now closed liberal rain tv station, where staff walked out following a media crackdown. >> a lot of people just like me have lost everything because of one man's decisions.

so, yeah, it's horrible. >> reporter: she has now left the country for her own safety, and she tells me many young men are leaving, too, worried that even though putin has insisted there'll be no draft, they'll be called up to fight. >> if you fly from russia and you enter an airplane, you can see a lot of young men, single. i mean, they're traveling alone a lot of them because they're running, leaving behind their families sometimes. >> reporter: meanwhile here, 30 years of progress set back as more and more western shops close. more than 330 multinational companies have now suspended operations here. today, morgan stanley now joining household names like coca-cola and mcdonalds in the exodus. vladimir putin shrugging off the financial impact yet again today, saying russia will adapt. vladimir putin may miss the former ussr, but the difference is millions of russians now enjoy the modern comforts that he is now effectively ripping away from them. there are those who do idealize

the former soviet union, but there are many young people who never lived through and it they're desperately scared of what its return might be. >> james, thank you. back here at home tonight, to the major winter storm on the move from texas all the way up into the northeast. the threat of dangerous overnight tornadoes now. senior meteorologist rob marciano is timing it all out for us. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, david them looks to be an explosive tomorrow with wild temperature swings, till cal of march. look at the temperature alerts. ahead of this thinu g,meioned t. the low is over mississippi. tornado threat across north florida, georgia, carolinas tomorrow. d.c. and off the atlantic. heavy rain along the i-59 corridor. look at all the snow behind this thing. snow anywhere from a coating to a foot. everyone will feel the cold winds behind this system. david? >> tough weekend ahead. rob, thank you. to the alarming images coming in from near ft. lauder

dale, florida. authorities investigating a series of spring break overdoses. they say cocaine laced with fentanyl. multiple people rushed to the hospital, including five west point cadets. some of the patients in card yeyak arrest. here's erielle reshef. >> reporter: tonight, that horror unfolding in the middle of spring break near fort lauderdale. authorities say five west point cadets and two other victims were hospitalized after four people overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl. two more were exposed while performing cpr on their friends. a seventh person transported later in the evening. >> peek out the window, seen a em>> it's tremely, extremely potent. >> reporter: tonight, thits ncerned about moer o ods

the next couple of days, just basing what we're seeing with the fentanyl that was here. >> reporter: two of those cadets are on the west point football team. paramedics using narcan to revive the victims. west point says it's investigating. >> erielle reshef tonight, thank you. when we come back on a friday night, the deadly crash into an outdoor restaurant. later, remembering a icon for generation of children. it can't prevent triggers, like stress or changes in weather. you can't prevent what's going on outside, that's why qulipta™ helps what's going on inside. qulipta™ is a pill. gets right to work to prevent migraine attacks and keeps them away over time. qulipta™ blocks cgrp a protein believed to be a cause of migraine attacks. qulipta is a preventive treatment for episodic migraine. most common side effects are nausea, constipation, and tiredness. learn how abbvie can help you save on qulipta.

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finally tonight here, diane sawyer and her special later tonight. what she and her team uncovered decades later, some of the mysteries of the heaven's gate cult. 33 people died after a leader convinced them a ufo would carry them to the gates of hen. they left family be loved ones behind with so many unanswered questions for decades. >> sheriff with a search warrant demanding entry. >> on top of a table there's one body. >> we're going to begin with the strange suicide -- it's very strange. >> march 26th, 1997, america reels at one of the most bizarre stories in the history of cults and religion. >> grand total to 39. >> 39 people deceased. >> why were these people wearing homemade spaceship uniforms?

brand new nike sneakers? >> three to beam up. energize. >> 39 to beam me up, thank you. >> she goes, "39 to beam up," you know, and that -- i think that just said it all. i felt so sorry for her. >> yes, it is. it's a cult. i mean, it's the cult of cults. it's the cult of truth. >> for more than two years, we have been poring over the decades of old documents, videotapes, hundreds of hours of audiotape we have not heard before. witnesses start to come out of the shadows to talk with us about our central question -- how did wonderful people so much like our friends, our family end up ensnared in a cult? all of them convinced that this one man knows how to perfect them and take them through the gates of heaven on a ufo. >> doe is basically their god.

>> a god who wants them to erase gender, sexuality, private thoughts. >> heaven's gate was so extreme. >> and who were these followers before they walked through his door? dreamers. high achievers. a valedictorian and presidential scholar. she is lonely and follows them to the end. the brother of a famous heroine on "star trek." so many people vanishing into a cult, while their parents, children, lovers are desperate to find them. >> my parents were in the heaven's gate cult. >> my wife was yvonne. >> what happened to my brother? >> is he still living? i had no idea. >> i think, what a waste, all of those 39 people. what a waste. what a waste of talent and beauty. because they were good -- they had good hearts. these people were not malicious. >> diane's eye opening report, the cult next door, tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern right here. so many brave families >> building a better bay area,

moving forward finding solutions. this is abc seven news. anchor: federal investigators on the scene of a fiery crash in san bruno, still so any questions about what went wrong. the direct remains closed down. thanks for joining us. second anchor: abc7news was in san bruno today as federal investigators started searching through what is left of the train. caltrans is asking commuters to be patient. abc7news a reporter on al bernard has been at the site all day and joins us live with more. . reporter: still so many questions at the scene, as you can see the damage drain and the equipment, on track equipment still here. we have seen ntsb investigators all over the site today taking pictures engaged in what appears

to be long conversations likely about what went wrong on these tracks. investigators from the ntsb were seen coming every inch of thursday's tracks in san bruno where a southbound train collided with on track equipment including a crane used install electrification lines overhead. the biggest question for investigators, why was the equipment sitting on the tracks during the commute. any update on what might gone wrong? >> we are not going to know that until the investigation goes along. reporter: it sent five to the hospital. none of the injuries or life-threatening. passengers say the impact of the crash was terrifying. >> it was a very scary moment. we were all very anxious to gett off the train as soon as possible. >> my glasses are broken. reporter: