i'm amy goodman. russian president vladimir putin declared victory in mariupol after russian forces laid siege to the southern ukrainian city for nearly two months. putin's claim of liberation from variable came as fighters and civilians pulled up and a massive s steel factory complex. a marine commander of the remaining forces made a desperate appeal for international help with an evacuation. >> this is our appeal to the world. this can be the last appeal of our lives. we are probably facing our last days, if not ours. all of us coming variable, battalion of soldiers, more than 500 wounded and unders of civilians including women and children, take us to safety in the third-party state. amy: russia had been considering storming the still complex, but for now has opted to blockade it. the governor of luhansk says fighting is continuing along a 300-mile front line. russia's military has test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering nuclear warheads around the world. on wednes

i'm amy goodman. u.n. secretary-general antonio guterres has arrived in ukraine for talks with president volodymyr zelenskyy. the trip follows guterres' visit to the kremlin, where on tuesday russian president vladimir putin promised in principle that russia will allow civilians to evacuate from conflict zones. ukrainian officials dispute that, saying convoys attempting to flee through humanitarian corridors continue to come under fire. in mariupol, the commander of the city's remaining ukrainian forces pleaded in a new video for an international rescue operation to evacuate troops and civilians from the massive steel plant where they remain holed up against a withering assault by russia's military. >> there are hundreds of civilians, including tens of children. there are ny people with reduced ability, many elderly. there are shortages of water, food, ammunition, weapons, and military equipment. in in a southern ukraine, russian soldiers opened fire with stem grenades and tear grass -- gas on protesters.

i'm amy goodman. a pair of cruise missiles slammed into a residential high-rise in kyiv thursday, injuring 10 people. the attack came just hours after united nations secretary general toward parts of kyiv devastated by russia's invasion, just minutes after he wrapped up a news conference with the ukrainian president. zelenskyy said the timing of the missile attack showed russia was seeking to humiliate the 90 and everything it represents. gutierrez ran a rated said his priority is to enter moscow and keep set up evacuation and aid corridors in ukrne that are truly safe >> today ukraine is an epicenter of uearable pain. i witnessed death. vividly today around kyiv. the selfless loss of life, the massive destruction, the unacceptable violations of human rights and the laws of war. it is vital the international criminal court and other u.n. mechanisms conduct their work so that there can be real accountability. and because the german and austrian energy companies uniper and omv say they have agreed to ru

i'm amy goodman. russia has begun a large-scale military operation to seize the donbas region and other parts of eastern ukraine. earlier today, ukraine's military withdrew from the city of kreminna, which was home to abou18,000 people before russia'invasion. a regional governor said fighting has largely flattened the city and killed more than 200 civilians. elsewhere, ukrainian soldiers in the besieged city of mariupol holed up in a vast steel plant and were staging a last stand against russian forces. drone video shows thick clouds of smoke rising from the factory complex, which has been heavily daged by russian bombs. mariupol city officials said over 1000 civilians were hiding in undergroundhelters below the steel plant. other mariupol residents say russian troops won't allow them to evacuate despite weeks-long shortages of food, water and medicine. >> to be honest, we not well. i have mental problems after airstrikes. i am really scared. when i hear a plane, i just run away. we can't do the laund

i'm amy goodman. the russian military says it has launched hundreds of strikes across ukraine over the past 24 hours. russia claims it has destroyed 16 ukrainian military facilities in overnight strikes. in western ukraine, at least seven people died earlier today after russian missile strikes in the city of lviv. one blast shattered windows of a hotel housing evacuees from other parts of ukraine who had fled to lviv for safety. on sunday, five people died in a rocket attack in central kharkiv, ukraine's second largest city. the strikes comes as russia is escalating its offensive in the donbas region of eastern ukraine. russian troops have entered the town of kreminna. in the besieged city of mariupol, ukrainian soldiers rejected a russian ultimatum sunday surrender their arms or be eliminated. russia has seized most of the strategically located port city, but some ukrainian fighters have refused to lay down their arms. during an interview with cnn, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy said no one

i'm amy goodman. the united nations' refugee agency says five million people have fled ukraine since the start of russia's invasion. another 7 million people are displaced inside ukraine. russia has rejected a call from u.n. secretary general antonio guterres for a four-day ceasefire. he had called for the fighting to stop as orthodox christians in russia and ukraine prepare to mark easter this sunday. >> instead of celebration of a new life, coincides with the russian offensive in eastern ukraine. the intense confrontation of forces and firepower makes this inevitably more violent, bloody, and destructive. the onslaught and terrible toll on civilians we have seen so far would pale in comparison to the order that lies ahead. these cannot be allowed to happen. amy: he was speaking of front of the knotted guns culture at the united nations. this comes as russian forces escalate shelling in eastern ukraine in an attempt to capture the entire donbas region. in the besieged eastern city of mariupol, ukrain

i'm amy goodman. the united nations says more than 4.5 million people have fled ukraine since russia's invasion began 46 days ago on for every 24. on saturday, residents of government-controlled parts of eastern ukraine were urged to evacuate immediately as russia began a major offensive in the donbas region. satellite images show russia has amassed an eight-mile convoy of military vehicles inside russia east of the ukrainian city of kharkiv. over the weekend, russian president vladimir putin tapped aleksandr dvornikov to be russia's new battlefield leader in ukraine. the general most recently oversaw russian troops in syria, where he was accused of targeting civilians and medical facilities. in the ukrainian city of kramatorsk, the death toll has risen to 57 following a missile attack on friday on a crowded train station packed with civilians trying to flee the area. there were over 100 wounded. ukraine and russia have accused each other of carrying out the strike. on saturday, british prime minister

i'm amy goodman. russia has cut off natural gas supplies to poland and bulgaria as tension over the war in ukraine continues to escalate. the russian company gazprom said it suspended gas delivery because both countries refused to begin paying in rubles. the president of the european commission accused russia of using gas as a "instrument of blackmail." both poland and bulgaria rely heavily on russian gas. meanwhile, a series of explosions occurred inside russia this morning in three provinces bordering ukraine. at least one of the blasts occurred at an ammunition depot. this comes as germany has announced it will begin sending dozens of armored antiaircraft vehicles to ukraine in a marked shift of policy. on tuesday, u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin met with military leaders from 40 nations at the u.s. air base in ramstein, germany. austin vowed allied nations would do more to help arm ukraine. >> we don't have any time to waste. laid out clearly why the coming weeks will the so crucial for ukrain

i'm amy goodman. united nations secretary general antonio guterres travels to moscow today to meet at the kremlin with russia's foreign minister and its president vladimir putin. his trip comes as the u.n. struggles to bring humanitarian relief to civilians trapped by russia's assault on eastern ukraine. guterres will again press russian and ukrainian troops to silence their guns after his previous calls for a ceasefire were ignored. after the secretary-general's visit to moscow, russia's deputy ambassador to the united nations said a truce was unlikely. >> we don't think the cease-fire is a good option right now because the only advantage it will give is a possibly for ukrainian forces to recoup. amy: moldova's president has convened an emergency meeting of her nation's supreme security council after a series of explosions rocked a region near ukraine's southern border that's home to a pro-russia separatist movement. early this morning, twin explosions destroyed a soviet-era radio tower that was used

i'm amy goodman. russia's military says the flagship of its black sea fleet, the guided missile cruiser moskva, sank as it was being towed to port thursday, forcing some 500 sailors to abandon ship. the loss of the moskva was reported hours after ukraine's military claimed it had successfully attacked the warship with cruise missiles. russia contends the ship was damaged after a fire caused ammunition onboard to explode. this comes as "the washington post" is reporting the russian government has formally warned the biden administration to stop arming ukraine, claiming it is adding fuel to the conflict. russia has warned the governments of finland and sweden against joining nato, saying it's prepared to station more nuclear weapons in the baltic sea region in response to further nato expansion. the threat came as cia director william burns told lawmakers they should not discount the threat of russia potentially using tactical nuclear weapons in ukraine. we will have more on the war in ukraine after hea

i'm amy goodman. in an historic vote thursday, the senate confirmed federal appeals judge ketanji brown jackson to the united states supreme court, making her the first black woman and first public defender to serve on the high court in its more than 230 year history. vice president kamala harris, the first black woman to serve as vice president, presided over the vote as president of the senate. her scope on this boat, the yeas are 53, the nays, in this nomination is confirmed. amy: three republican senators supported jackson's nomination -- susan collins, lisa murkowski, and mitt romney. the only black republican senator, tim scott, cast a "no" vote. the final vote was delayed when republican senator rand paul remained noticeably absent. he eventually voted from the senate's cloak room because he did not meet the senate dress code of wearing a tie. in fact, he was reportedly wearing a windbreaker. three other republican senators also voted no from the cloak room in casual attire -- jim inhofe, jerry

i'm amy goodman. police in new york are continuing to search for a gunman who opened fire on a crowded subway train in brooklyn during rush hour tuesday morning. the gunman fired 33 shots after throwing two smoke grenades on the floor of the train. 10 people were shot and another at least 13 were injured. "the new york times" described it as the worst attack in the history of the city's subway system. the shooting occurred in the working class neigorhood of sunset park, which has a large latinx and asian immigrant population. police have identified a 62-year-old man named frank james as a person of interest in the mass shooting. investigators say the gunman left behind a bag on the train carrying fireworks, a hatchet, and two gas canisters indicating he might have been plotting a broader attack. they also found a u-haul key. new york governor kathy hochul spoke outside the train station tuesday. >> the people of the entire state of new york stand with the people of this community and say no more. no m

i'm amy goodman. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy addressed the united nations security council tuesday and blasted the united nations for failing to take action to end russia's invasion. he accused russian forces of executions, torture, and rape in the city of bucha where videos have emerged showing dead bodies ing in the street. >> due to the russia actions on the territory of my country, on ukrainian territory, most terrible war crimes since world war ii are committed. amy: the killings in bucha have led to new calls for sanctions. on tuesday, the european union proposed banning coal imports from russia. meanwhile, russia is continuing to deny it killed civilians in bucha. on tuesday, russian foreign minister sergei lavrov accused ukraine and its allies of spreading propaganda about what happened there. >> in recent days, the propaganda machine of the west and ukraine has been working purely to fuel hysteria over the video that was filmed as we understand by the ukrainian military, but the s

i'm amy goodman. russia faces growing global outrage as mounting documentary evidence reveals war crimes committed by russian troops in ukraine. on monday, ukrainian officials said the mayor of the town near the capitol keep was tortured and summarily executed by russian soldiers, along with her husband and son. local residents had the victims bodies were discovered bound and blindfolded in a pit. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy is addressing the united nations security council today as members review allegations that russian troops intentionally murdered civilians in the town of bucha, northwest of kyiv. >> for now, only in bucha, the number of casualties will probably be much higher when the entire town is checked. this is only one town, one of many ukrainian communities which the russian forces managed to capture. amy: that was the grading president zelenskyy who was addressing the u.n. security council today. zelenskyy and other ukrainian officials said images out of bucha showing russian

i'm amy goodman. russia's military's as a captured more than 1000 ukrainian marines after they surrendered wednesday. video was broadcast on russian state tv and appeared to show ukrainian soldiers marching with their nds up. ukrainian officials have not verified russia's claim of the mass surrender. russian troops have moved into the city center of mariupol, where some 100,000 civilians remain trapped with no power, water, telephone, or internet access and whittling supplies of medicine and food. this is a resident who survived weeks of heavy assault. >> why are they killing us? why are they destroying us? why do this to our houses? three 10 story buildings were burned completely. people are sitting in the basement. there is no sewer. plastic tubes started burning. 19 people are dead. and he can't thursday, that mayor of mariupol accused russian troops are bringing mobile crematoria to the city to burn the bodies of civilians killed during russia's assault. meanwhile, russia's black sea naval flagshi

i'm amy goodman. the pentagon says russia's forces are preparing to redeploy to eastern ukraine. ukrainian officials have urged civilians and the eastern region of luhansk to evacuate is the area comes under heavy fire from russian artillery. elsewhere, newly serviced video appears to show ukrainian soldiers executing a captured russian prisoner of war and an apparent war crime. meanwhile, human rights groups warn russian troops retreating from the eastern khaki region left behind a new type of advanced landmine triggered by sensors that detect people walking nearby cost of such interpersonal weapons are banned the 1997 mine ban treaty. ukraine became a party to the treaty in 2006, the russia and the united states have refused to sign on. the biden administration has announced new sanctions targeting russia's largest public and private banks, as well as two daughters of russian president vladimir putin. the latest sanctions, as attorney general merrick garland announced the justice department's first

i'm amy goodman. new satellite images appear to show mass graves outside the besieged southern city of mariupol in what ukrainian officials say is evidence that russia is burying bodies to cover up war crimes. the release of the images came as the office of the u.n. high commissioner for human rights said -- "russian armed forces have indiscriminately shelled and bombed populated areas, killing civilians and wrecking hospitals, schools, and other civilian infrastructure, actions that may amount to war crimes." meanwhile, a top russian general says his army is seeking full control over eastern and southern ukraine. russian news agencies quoted the commander as saying he's seeking to create a land corridor connecting russian-controlled crimea in the south with the eastern donbas region. the strategy suggests russia might be planning an assault on the black sea port city of odessa. president biden's has the u.s. will send another $800 million in military equipment to ukraine, including heavy artillery an

i'm amy goodman. ukraine is accusing russia of committing war crimes for killing civilians. over the weekend, ukraine regained full control of the kyiv region after russia troops retreated, leaving behind widespread devastation. a warning to our audience, some images of what happened maybe disturbing. in the town of bucha, dozens of dead bodies were found in the streets, some with their hands and feet bound. ukrainian officials say they also believe hundreds of more people have been buried in mass graves. this is anatoly fedoruk, the mayor of bucha. >> corpses of executed people still line the streets in jfk8. their hands are tied behind their backs. there were shot in the back of their heads. you can imagine what kind of wild listeners they perpetrated here. amy: on sunday, u.n. secretary general antonio guterres said he was "deeply shocked" by the images from bucha and called for an independent investigation. ukraine has asked the international criminal court to visit bucha to gather possible eviden

i'm amy goodman. russia has accused ukraine of carrying out an air strike in the russian city of belgorod, and what appears to be the first ukrainian air raid on russian territory since vladimir putin ordered his troops to invade ukraine six weeks ago. a regional governor said two workers were injured in the attack on a fuel depot, which triggered a huge fire that forced evacuations in parts of the russian city. in southern ukraine, the international committee of the red cross that it is traveling to the besieged city of mariupol to ensure safe passage for civilians who want to leave. it's not clear if the latest evacuation attempt is succeeding. previously come ukraine accused russian troops of firing on civilians attempting to flee the city. in northeastern ukraine, a russian missile struck a gas pipeline in a residential district of kharkiv on thursday, scorching nearby businesses and cutting off fuel supplies to tens of thousands of people. this is vera, a kharkiv resident who survived a russian a

i'm amy goodman. austria's leader met monday with russian president vladimir putin , warning after his visit to moscow russia set to intensify the brutality of its assault on ukraine. the chancellor said he spoke with putin for about 75 minutes, becoming the first european leader to meet with the russia president since the start of -- since latfebruary. tens of thousands of russian troops are amassing for a major new offensive in eastern ukraine aimed at capturing the entire donbass region. on monday, the ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy addressed south korea's parliament asking for military aid. he also said the death toll in mariupol was far higher than previously reported. >> mariupol has been destroyed. there are tens of thousands dead . even despite this, the russians are not stopping the offensive operation. they want to make mariupol a demonstratably destroyed city. amy: zelenskyy's claims could not be confirmed, as mariupol remains largely cut off from the outside world. on monday, mari

i'm amy goodman. emmanuel macron has been reelected president of france, defeating his far-right challenger marine le pen. macron won about 58% of the vote in sunday's election. about 41% of voters backed le pen. that's an 8% increase in her vote count five years ago. nearly 28% of french voters abstained. many french voters say they opposed both candidates. >> i won't be voting in this round, special enough for macron . he only thinks about the rich. and in the second round, not going to vote. i have come to do my shopping and that is more important than voting for macron or le pen. amy: u.s. secretary of state tony blinken and defense secretary lloyd austin traveled to kyiv sunday to me with ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. they vowed to give ukraine an additional $700 million in military aid. lincoln claimed russia has failed in its principal war aims. defense secretary austin says united states wants to see russia be "weakened." >> we want to see russia weakened. it has already lost a lot