— think it is focused primarily on crimea and donbas? not the whole of ukraine, crimea and donbas? not the whole of ukraine. the — crimea and donbas? not the whole of ukraine, the ultimate _ crimea and donbas? not the whole of ukraine, the ultimate goal _ crimea and donbas? not the whole of ukraine, the ultimate goal would i crimea and donbas? not the whole of ukraine, the ultimate goalwould be l ukraine, the ultimate goal would be to cut ukraine from the red sea. they have already —— much from the black sea. further to 0desa. i do not think he will achieve that by the victory day on the 9th of may and he wants to present a victory to the russian population through his propaganda channels but it is key it might clear mariupol is the main point no through donbas.- might clear mariupol is the main point no through donbas. there is talk of world _ point no through donbas. there is talk of world war _ point no through donbas. there is talk of world war iii _ point no through donbas. there is talk of world war iii and - point no through donbas. there is talk of world war iii and t

are you going to win the fight for the donbas? >> translator: for us, the battle for donbas is very important. it is important for different reasons. for the reason of safety. first of all, our grouping that is located in donbas is one of the best military we have. it is a large grouping. and russia wants to encircle them and destroy them. it is nearly 40,000 people. it is 44,000 professional military men who survived a great war from the beginning of 2014. this is why it is very important for us to preserve that part of our army that is one of the most powerful. this is why it is very important for us not to allow them to stand our ground. because this battle, and it can happen so there will be several battles, and we don't know how long it is going to take, it can influence the course of the whole war. because i don't trust the russian military and russian leadership. that is why we understand that the fact that we fought them off and they left and they were running away from kyiv from the north, from chernihiv, and from that di

donbas? and can we get the weapons where they need be? >> the package of weapons i think the president is talking about is absolutely sengsal, which are howitzers, the antiaircraft systems, the antiship missiles, the ability to provide armored cars, personnel carriers and tanks. i think probably the most expeditious way to do this is to make sure that our allies in the warsaw pact are providing their weapons. they have those weapons and it's a lot closer for them to deliver those heavy weapons to the ukrainians and we can replace those weapons for our allies. that's probably the most expeditious way to get the weapons necessary to the ukrainians and have it happen sooner rather than later. >> why hasn't the ukrainian military yet been able to take out the russian artillery in the missiles that have been pulverizing smoe some of the towns? >> i think they're beginning to get the weapons. it takes training to be able to operate these kinds of sophisticated weapons. and we are training them. i t

a campaign to seize the donbas region, weaponry on the move. a campaign to seize the donbas region, an weaponry on the move. a campaign to seize the donbas region, an attempt weaponry on the move. a campaign to seize the donbas region, an attempt to weaponry on the move. a campaign to seize the donbas region, an attempt to salvage some kind of victory after significant losses in the north. another stage of this operation is beginning, and then i'm sure it will be a very important moment of this entire special operation. villages like this one are becoming the new front line of this war. russian forces have stepped up their bombardments. a small bomb squad has been called into diffuse unexploded ammunitions, they have to work carefully quickly. there are more and more people needing their services. translation: needing their services. tuna/mom- needing their services. translation: , ., , translation: the enemy has started deploying _ translation: the enemy has started deploying these - started deploying these munitions in large numbers, and quit

what is the significance of the donbas region? >> russia s been supporting pro-russian separatists since 2014 before this campaign began. russia recognized officially the independence of these students statements, and actually the official reason for going into ukraine is been the need to defend and expand the territory to the administrative pre-war territories. so now they are trying to do that apparently. again, there is this talk about the may 9 deadline. i do not believe there was a deadline. there is no deadline at all. the thing is russia is caught in a very serious situation and will try to do its best to break out of it, so may 9 does not play much of a role. there will be a parade in moscow, but that is it. right now it russia and ukraine are in the midseason of the situation. the winter campaign is over. the summer campaign did not begin. the ground is still wet, there was a lot of rain. right now to get answers will be slowed by definition, because we have to rely on roads, which on donbas are bad and they are in a bad

and admiral kirby talked about donbas as well. i want it show you the terrain there. flat. wide open areas. these helicopters they were discussing, the u.s. is sending to help ukraine, why? >> well, couple of reasons. those are mi-17 transport helicopters. they can put a large number of troops in, so if they have to reposition troops quickly from point a to point b, they can use those. second, many of them are equipped with rocket launchers, so they can put hellfire missiles on, which is what every tanker fears. >> every tank fears that. >> exactly. >> you see this as a major tank battle. >> if they have -- if they can get into that area, with armored vehicles, that's a big if right now, i would expect to see both tanks and mechanized infantry fighting each other. >> i'll pull up the map of donbas so people can see, what other major change in the russian military over the last few weeks, it is now under unified command. this mission under unified command. tell me how important that is. >> well, it is very important. i've written a

if it is focused on the donbas?— from. if it is focused on the donbas? ~ ., ., , donbas? the most likely scenario is that the russian _ donbas? the most likely scenario is that the russian forces _ donbas? the most likely scenario is that the russian forces will - donbas? the most likely scenario is that the russian forces will try - donbas? the most likely scenario is that the russian forces will try to i that the russian forces will try to cut off our troops which are currently located in the area of kramatorsk, along the contact line of the recognised quasi republic. they have been allocated there since 2014, when the war started. this was our first committed military units. russia will try to bypass it from kharkiv in the north of ukraine. and from the site, from the area of mariupol. they will likely try to cut us there. we are preparing to premeditated this.— cut us there. we are preparing to premeditated this. thank you very much for talking _ premeditated this. thank you very much for talking to _ premeditated this. thank you very much for talking to us. _ the h

in the donbas. again, i would remind this is an area of the country that has seen fighting the last eight years. this is a terrain that both sides understand and know and the ukrainians, it's not like they ever left the donbas and racing to get there in the last few days. they have been through throughout this invasion and continue to fight very strongly for places in the donbas. we have seen indications that the ukrainians have defended bravely and been able to secure certain villages and towns in the donbas. >> and i have a questions about u.s. troops training ukrainianing on the howitzer. we heard the training could start this week. just wonder if there's additional details look how many u.s. troops will be involved is where this will happen. some essential details like that where is this held closely by the pentagon. >> we'll obviously -- let me back up. it is true that we believe we'll be able to begin a process of training ukrainian armed forces on the howitzers that will be shortly heading ov

they won't have to as far to go in the donbas to resupply, refuel their forces in the donbas. they have a long border with that part of ukraine. they are adding combat capability in that part of ukraine. it's smaller piece of ground than what they have been frying to operate in over the last three to four weeks. they still have a lot of combat power to use there. it's also, terrain they are comfortable with. they have been fighting over the donbas area for eight years. their commanders, troop, there's a familiarity with the cities and the towns and the terrain that they didn't necessarily have when they were trying to come at kyiv from the north. >> i know senior defense official has put the estimation around 80% to 85% in the past couple of weeks. is that around the same now? >> you mean of the amount of combat power they still have available? >> i don't want to get into percentages and specific data here on their dom bat power from the podium. i would just say we still believe they have the vast majority of their combat power available to them. even with the losses. they had

that is in the donbas, helping raise funds for evacuations now from the donbas. that does it for our show. democracy now! has an immediate opening for a news writer producer. ÑçÑqÑqÑqÑqÑÑÑÑ#Ñ#wwÑ?Ñ? cwÑçÑqÑqe

, , . ., donbas region. they expected to get even heavier. _ donbas region. they expected to get even heavier, that _ donbas region. they expected to get even heavier, that russia _ donbas region. they expected to get even heavier, that russia will- even heavier, that russia will further ratchet up its offensive in the east. russia basically took the decision to abandon their attempts to take this city, kyiv, and to focus on that offensive in the east on the eastern front in donbas, and thatis on the eastern front in donbas, and that is certainly what they are doing. they have been raining down artillery, mortars, bombs from the air, onto ukrainian positions in trenches and bunkers on that eastern front. the ukrainians are admitting that they have taken heavy casualties, although they are also saying that they have inflicted what they called colossal casualties on they called colossal casualties on the russians. but as far as president zelensky has said, you know, it goes on, the defence of this country goes

and these pictures are from donbas, far. and these pictures are from donbas. but _ far. and these pictures are from donbas, but odesa _ far. and these pictures are from donbas, but odesa hasn't - far. and these pictures are from donbas, but odesa hasn't fallen far. and these pictures are from i donbas, but odesa hasn't fallen or donbas, but 0desa hasn't fallen or we haven't seen a battle for 0desa, we haven't seen a battle for 0desa, we are looking at what is happening in moldova and in transnistria and andrew ask, how do the russians supply their trusts in transnistria, given there is no access to the sea and the only borders are with moldova and ukraine, both enemies. moldova and ukraine, both enemies. moldova is not an enemy in the sense ukraine has, the russians have had troops in transnistria since 1992 and it declared itself a russian speaking republic and the lugses put so—called peacekeeper troops in there, they have been instructed by there, they have been instructed by the un to remove them because they have no authority and they have ignored that. it looks a

this is now the sight and sound of the donbas. severodonetsk, another city and another target for russia's unrelenting bombardment. we tried to enter to speak to families taking shelter, but the thump of artillery was steadily coming closer. explosions let's go. well, wejust came here to go to a shelter, but there's shelling a bit close to us, and so we've had to move out. a lot of crump of artillery going on at the moment. nothing appears to be sacred when russia wages war. this, one of the holiest sites in the donbas, but that didn't save svyatogorsk�*s historic monastery from being scarred by a russian air strike. this was once a popular tourist destination. now it's just another town from which people flee. translation: what can i say? i'm overwhelmed with grief. i'm 70 years old and i've nowhere to live. the few who've stayed behind have to queue for food. they're notjust hungry, though, they're scared. translation: i cry every day. what kind of god would allow this to happen? i cry every day. what kind of god should we ask

they want to literally finish off and destroy donbas. destroy everything that once gave glory to this industrial region. just as russian troops are destroying mariupol, they want to knock out other regions. >> russia was also intensifying its assault on ukraine's second largest city, a warning, this index the video is graphic. the northeastern city of kharkiv came under heavy shelling on sunday. at least five people were killed and 20 injured in the attack. to the east, the governor is urging all civilians to evacuate, saying they are, quote, no safe places left. ukrainian officials expect the written offensive to begin soon. >> russian's unrelenting assault has kept the port city of it mariupol in ruins. russian forces announced they were closed on the city for entry and exit on monday . and warned that the menu remained would be, quote, filtered out. the ukrainians are not backing down despite the onslaught. ukraine's prime minister said on sunday, the city is still had not fallen. ukraine's foreign minister said the situation may be a

we and encircle ukrainian forces in the donbas. ~ , ., ., , donbas. we should say that it is the russians who _ donbas. we should say that it is the russians who say _ donbas. we should say that it is the russians who say they _ donbas. we should say that it is the russians who say they have - donbas. we should say that it is the russians who say they have now - donbas. we should say that it is the i russians who say they have now taken what they called the urban area of mariupol, we haven't been able to independently verify that but i think most people we have spoken to today do think that if it hasn't happened quite yet it will happen soon. there is a small stronghold of defenders still in a steelworks in mariupol. what is likely to happen to them? ~ , ., , to them? well, it is a very interesting _ to them? well, it is a very interesting question - to them? well, it is a very i interesting question because mariupol has enormous symbolic importance to this war and the last defenders in the steelworks are the keepers of the ukrainian flame in mariupol

they won't have as far to go in the donbas to reinforce and resupply, refuel their forces in the donbas, because they have a long border with that part of ukraine. and they are certainly adding combat capability in that part of ukraine. it is a smaller, again, piece of ground than what they have been trying to operate in in the last three or four weeks, along three major lines of progress. now they have concentrated it and still have a lot of combat power to use this. it's also, as i said earlier, te rain they're comfortable with. they have been fighting over the donbas area for eight years, so their commanders, their troops, there's a familiarity with the cities and the towns and the terrain that they didn't necessarily have when they were trying to come at kyiv from the north and chernihiv from the north and so we would expect that they're going to try again through their own familiarity with the train and the mistakes they have made, they'll try to overcome them. >> has there been any big fluctuation within the last week or so, or last short period of time? i know a senior defense of

they reconcentrated and regrouped them and put them into donbas. in order to have something they want to achieve there, they need to double or triple the forces. that's what they're doing throughout the last weeks. so now, yes, i can only confirm what my president said. the battle over donbas started. it will be a real difficult battle. but ukrainian armed forces while concentrated there, most of them have the experience of eight years of war in donbas with russia. the open war started in 2022. but the russian aggression started in 2014 when they captured parts of don baas. so now this is the final battle for them. they have to make a symbolic victory. they will be trying to do this but my president is absolutely right. our forces will right to the end. they know how to future. they will definitely win. >> as you know, the u.s. says the city of mariupol is still contested with ukrainians fighting very hard right now. how big of a blow will it be if mariupol falls? >> well, yes, ukrainian armed forces are still there in mariupol. and they are strugg

donbas. if they are not going to fully take the city but simply purports a bit under siege, can they withdraw the troops? what happens then? this is a significant development, the implications of which will be crucial over the coming weeks. indie crucial over the coming weeks. we will aet crucial over the coming weeks. we will get reaction to those claims in a moment. what about the people, the civilians? over100,000 a moment. what about the people, the civilians? over 100,000 still in the city, there are reportedly up to 1000 people actually in this steel plant? 1000 people actually in this steel lant? , , ., ., ., 1000 people actually in this steel lant? , ., ., ., plant? yes, we understand a lot of those people _ plant? yes, we understand a lot of those people are _ plant? yes, we understand a lot of those people are the _ plant? yes, we understand a lot of those people are the families - plant? yes, we understand a lot of those people are the families and l those people are the families a

have seen the russians are focusing a lot of strikes on mariupol and on the donbas area. there is where the preponderance of their activity seems to be centered. i can't speak for like today, but we have seen in recent days and weeks the russians using their service -- surface combatants to fire missiles on shore, but i couldn't tell you how many have landed in mariupol or what the specific targets were, but it has been their practice to supplement their airstrike activity with cruise missiles fired from surface combatants. >> to questions. on india, concern that we had two plus two, the defense minister and -- were here. is there any breakthrough as far as the u.s.-india relations and where india stood at the u.n.? john kirby: all the ministers had a chance to visit yesterday at the meeting. i poured -- i would put you more specifically to the transcript of the press conference because they have the things they talked about the secretary was proud to announce we signed a new space situational awareness agreement with india just yesterday. he had a chance to talk to the d

the donbas, is it the donbas pre-invasion or new lines he sketched out? it's funny, that's what i focused on. now, he is resetting expectations for domestic consumption. so he can get the donbas, or some part of it, and go back home and say, "hey, we won. we did exactly what we wanted to do. i'm not the weakest man in europe. russia is not the sick man of europe. our army is not a third rate army. we came ask acomp and accomplis mission," even though, of course, the rest of the world will know he's lying. he is resetting expectations and downplaying them dramatically. >> i agree, joe. in that sense, it is clear progress. what's really happening now is whether he can do it. it is not a foforegone conclusi that he can hold what he has, much less expand it. then there is the question of what can president zelenskyy live with? it is not what it was seven weeks ago. because of the atrocities we know about, because of the atrocities, i fear, joe, we're going to learn about, my sense is their willingness to compromise on certain issues is much less than it was.

it will be the battle of donbas. putin is committed to trying to connect crimea to donbas. and in their assessment, the ukrainian government's assessment, they don't have the weapons needed to fight that war. i'm not a military expert, i don't want to pretend that i know but i hear from them thank you for what you've done and we need more. and we should remember they need different kinds of weapons, heavy artillery, tanks, to fight this new kind of battle on an offensively way. they've been fighting for six weeks. they've probably taken much bigger casualties than we know and i think a lot of their equipment has been damaged. they need replenishment as fast as possible. >> mike, i'm going to jump in. we're going to go to the pentagon. here is john kirby. >> particularly in chernihiv, moving into into belarus and we're seeing movement eastward now back into russia. we still believe that the goal here for them -- so they have none of those groups that were a raid in the north are now in ukraine. our view, our assessment is that they've all left. and they're beginning this eff

now it seems the battle for the donbas region has begun. according to ukraine's top security official, a 300-mile-long front line, almost 500 kilometers, came under attack by russian forces monday, and for the most part, that defensive line held. the pentagon now believes 76 russian battalion tactical groups have been deployed in the south and the east. 11 added in the last few days alone. each btg consists of up to 800 troops. that means tens of thousands of russian soldiers. but ukraine's president says despite being outnumbered and outgunned, his country will not give up without a fight. >> translator: no matter how many russian servicemen they're bringing in, into that area, we will keep on fighting and defending, and we will be doing this daily. >> it's not just eastern ukraine being targeted. western ukraine here in lviv, which was a relative safe haven has now come under attack monday. ukrainian officials say at least four missiles hit this city, killing seven people, wounding 11 others. russia claims it destroyed a weapons depot nea

region, you know, whereas— annex the donbas region, you know, whereas now— annex the donbas region, you know, whereas now it has been a far more futi-scate _ whereas now it has been a far more full—scale invasion of ukraine than was expected, and in the course of the intervening period, russia has made _ the intervening period, russia has made some pretty bad strategic errors~ — made some pretty bad strategic errors. they went from this very ambitious — errors. they went from this very ambitious five pronged attack right from the _ ambitious five pronged attack right from the start instead of doing what most expected which was to focus all that power— most expected which was to focus all that power on the donbas and the black— that power on the donbas and the black sea. — that power on the donbas and the black sea, and as a result, that enter— black sea, and as a result, that enter very— black sea, and as a result, that enter very effective defence, they have degraded a large part of their army~ _ have degraded a large part of their army the — have degraded a large

regardless of the russian refocus on the donbas we're not slowing down. that stuff continues to move. it's going to continue to move. we've said as much as we can as fast as we can, and we made it. and the reprioritization of the russians on the east hasn't had an effect on our ability to help coordinate the delivery of massive amounts of security assistance from the united states and other nations into ukraine. that flow still continues. courtney? reporter: sorry. my question's been answered if you hear me. my question's been answered. thanks. sec. kirby: well, thanks, court. go ahead, sylvie. reporter: you said that the fighting is continuing in mariupol, but the pro-russian troops in this region just said this morning that they took the port. and the ukrainian army said that are still in mariupol, said that they don't have any more ammunitions. so do you, is it your assessment that mariupol is falling? sec. kirby: i told you our assessment as of this morning was that the city was still being fought over. i don't have more up-to-date information than th

it's not just strategically in donbas. it would give a connection town to crimea, which they have wanted for a long time. sadly, these are the last forces they have in mariupol. i would be surprised if they were able to hold out much longer given the work that's been done the last few weeks. >> what a full-scale war would look like is what i asked you. you can tell me a little bit of something that happened in the persian gulf. >> people are looking at the donbas and think the russians will just attack east to west. >> full frontal attack. . >> full frontal attack. there's another way they can do it. we held the nose, as we say, of the enemy there. and then we had that lightning strike, the development of the iraqi forces there. by holding them in place, we essentially captured and surrounded and caused the entire force to surrender and try the get theplss back into iraq. . >> can you show me what that would look like in donbas right here. . >> if they do it that way, you have significant trench lines. this has been fought

that's a similar story in donbas. the governor says the russian forces are attacking from all directions with intense artillery. new damage shows some of the damage in eastern ukraine. you can see multiple buildings torn apart. these scenes playing out less than 40 kilometers from a town, crimea. this next video is graphic and may be hard to watch. this is the northeastern city of kharkiv. a barrage of russian shelling left at least three people dead and 16 people injured on tuesday. the city's mayor says civilian areas have been under enormous pressure. those attacks on civilians will forever taint russia's history. >> translator: forever the russian army will be written in history as the most barbaric army in the world. the targeted killing of civilians and this is just a trademark of the russian army and this will truly mark the russian federation as the source of evil. >> krimatorsk is one of the russian cities coming under fire. >> reporter: just a few minutes after 3:00 in the afternoon in krimatorsk, a missile

in mariupol, a strategic port on the edge of the donbas, separatist fighters backed by russia have been trying to seize an indsutrial complex, but the city's last defenders have been holding out, along with hundreds of civilians. 0ur correspondent catherine byrhanga sent this report from close to the eastern front line. russia unleashed its long anticipated assault on eastern ukraine, thousands of troops backed by heavy weaponry, on the move. it's a campaign to seize the donbas region, an attempt to salvage some kind of victory after significant losses in the north. another stage of this operation is beginning and i'm sure this will be a very important moment of this entire special operation. villages like novoselivka are becoming the new front line of this war. russian forces have stepped up their bombardment. a small bomb squad has been called in to defuse unexploded munitions. they have to work carefully, but quickly. explosion there are more and more people needing their services. translation: the enemy has started i deploying these munitions in large l numbers and quite a few of th

the donbas region. officials in luhansk, part of that area, urging civilians to evacuate. they say before it is too late. and officials in donetsk and kharkiv also warning of intensified fighting today. joining us now, cnn national security analyst and former cia chief of russia operations steve hall. steve, just talk to us about this region where we were just told by a senior ukrainian official he expects fierce fighting over the next two weeks. >> yeah this is going to be the next focus on the part of the russians, this, and, of course, trying to construct that bridge across the south of the country over to odesa. but we have to remember this war has been going on a long time for the ukrainians. going on since 2014. and so they, for them, this is not a new war zone. this is a place where they have been active, they might have some advantage there. as more russian forces circle around, get relocated from the western part of the country and start moving into this area, yeah, i think it is going to get -- the fighting is going to get very heavy. >> mark milley, chairman joi

they added that phrase, in the defense of donbas, in recent days. so that means the bigger, larger military objectives of the war, swallowing up all of ukraine because ukrainians aren't real, just russians with an accent, that's off the table. de-nazi-fication, that's off the table. seizing the major cities, that's off the table. the russians lost the battle of kyiv so now they're shifting to the last possible thing they can do, liberation of donbas. remember for eight years they've had separatists that they've been supporting in parts of these two regions already, so this is a really small objective compared to where they were 55 days ago. but yes, it's all focused here, all in now, and they will do what they can to try to achieve that objective by may 9th. that i think is the new objective. i'm not going to pretend to predict that will how it will go. i would encourage people to stop knowing how the ukrainians will fight. a lot of people were very wrong 55 days ago. let's see how they fight in the next battle for donbas. >> i understand what you'r

that could be recommitted up toward the southern flank of donbas. along the line i think we have to talk about in many ways aspects of world war i, world war ii. we've all seen recent footage of russian multiple rocket launchers trundling up. classic stuff that we would have seen from the cold war, preparing for the fulda gap. and they're going to fix and fire a lot of ordnance on the ukrainians. in turn, though, the ukrainians will have their drones. they have increasingly agile with a counterbattery and they know the ground. both sides know the ground reasonably well. it will be a gigantically logistically challenging piece for the russians because they have to -- they're bringing a lot of stuff on. and here's the intangible, the x factor in many ways. what is the -- what is the spirit, what is the motivation of the russian troops compared to the ukrainian troops on that line? how much grit and staying power? because this will matter. and i would submit a number of those troops that have brought down from belarus and the kyiv front and around actu

this is now the sight and sound of the donbas. severodonetsk, another city and another target for russia's unrelenting bombardment. we tried to enter, to speak to families taking shelter, but the thump of artillery was steadily coming closer. we just came here to go to a shelter, but there is shelling a bit close to us, and so we've had to move out. a lot of crump of artillery going on at the moment. we travelled north to svyatogorsk, once a popular tourist destination. now, it'sjust another town in the donbas from which people flee. translation: what can i say? i'm overwhelmed with grief. i'm 70 years old and i've nowhere to live. the few who have stayed behind have to queue for food. they're notjust hungry, though — they're scared. there is now a strong military presence in this town. just a few miles down the road, russian forces are advancing from the north. a ukrainian soldier shared this drone footage of how they were trying to slow down the russian columns, blowing up a bridge. but they know more will be coming. translati

region that is in the luhansk and donbas regions. they've been at war with the separatists for eight years but they are not experienced to deal with this level of intensity. we are hearing reports from some regional ukrainian military authorities that they believe in a sense that this russian offensive has already begun. that essentially, they are trying to soften the ground and are now trying to push across the front lines as they launch this three-pronged attack. coming down from the north, from the city where the has been heavy fighting, pushing up from the south, and also, trying to push in from the east. i should add that ukrainian forces have been fighting back. they have been launching counter offenses. they claim that they took back several villages. but in the past few days, we've traveled to a couple of towns in these areas. a lot of people are desperate to flee and simply don't know how to do that in terms of having the money, the means, the infrastructure to get out. people to look after their homes. other people are simp

then they have not been successful in neither taking donbas, nor kyiv. and then, because they have met much stronger ukrainian resistance than they expected and then they are now changing, regrouping. but this is not a withdrawal. it is actually just another way to wage war and -- and -- and we see that the shelling continues and we see that the, you know, suffering continues. so the war continues. it's not withdrawal from the war. >> so, the donbas is an industrial reegion in the east where moscow-backed separatists have been fighting ukrainian military since 2014. if this region falls under russian control, big picture here, what does putin actually win? >> putin wins a corridor from the crimean territory that he took back in 2014 along the black sea coast connecting it with the donbas in the east. so, this large strip of ukrainian territory from the southeast to the east, adjacent to russia. something that strategically could be defensible and it's a much smaller piece of ukrainian territory, of course, than he wanted originally. um, so he gets a smal

, _ other routes in and out of to donbas, so that will be the key battle — donbas, so that will be the key battle but it hasn't really started yet and — battle but it hasn't really started yet and so far the ukrainians are holding — yet and so far the ukrainians are holding the russians at most of the three _ holding the russians at most of the three of— holding the russians at most of the three of four area, the the lines of offensive — three of four area, the the lines of offensive that the russians have tried _ offensive that the russians have tried to — offensive that the russians have tried to establish so far.- tried to establish so far. these ictures tried to establish so far. these pictures are — tried to establish so far. these pictures are from _ tried to establish so far. these pictures are from donbas, - tried to establish so far. these l pictures are from donbas, odesa pictures are from donbas, 0desa hasn't fallen but we are looking at what is happening in moldova, and in trans nhs are. andrew asks how do the russians supply their troops there, given there is n

the battle for the donbas region now underway according to president zelenskyy. cnn's chief international correspondent, clarissa ward, is joining us from nepro covering this battle in the east. cl you've been reporting from towns in eastern ukraine under heavy russian bombardment. what do you expect to see now now that president zelenskyy says the battle there has begun? >> reporter: this has been anticipated for some time and certainly as we have been traveling around, some of these cities and towns in the donbas region, there has been a massive intensification, a lot of these places getting pummelled. as they were preparing for thi ukraine's top security officials saying today that this morning, for the first time, those russian forces tried to push across those front line positions through kharkiv, luhansk and donetsk. they were only able to break through in two towns. take a listen to what president zelenskyy had to say about the beginning of this offensive. >> russian forces have started the battle for donbas for which they've been preparing for a long time

this is now the sight and sound of the donbas. severodonetsk, another city and another target for russia's unrelenting bombardment. we tried to enter to speak to families taking shelter, but the thump of artillery was steadily coming closer. explosions let's go. well, we just came here to go to a shelter, but there's shelling a bit close to us, and so we've had to move out. a lot of crump of artillery going on at the moment. nothing appears to be sacred when russia wages war. this, one of the holiest sites in the donbas, but that didn't save svyatogorsk�*s historic monastery from being scarred by a russian air strike. this was once a popular tourist destination. now it's just another town from which people flee. translation: what can i say? i'm overwhelmed with grief. i'm 70 years old and i've nowhere to live. the few who've stayed behind have to queue for food. they're notjust hungry, though, they're scared. translation: i cry every day. what kind of god would allow this to happen? i cry every day — what kind of god should be

the battle under way in donbas. please remind people why does russia want or need the donbas region so much? >> first and foremost, vladimir putin needs the donbas because at the very least, he must leave this conflict with nothing less than having conquered and probably annexed or taken over at least controlling the donbas. if he doesn't do that, it's going to be really hard for him to explain, not necessarily to the russian people, although that will be part of it, but more to the powers that be in russia, his inner circle, the oligarch. why it was worth spending all of his blood and treasure and this negative impact geopolitically on russia for anything else. of course, he should and wants to take the entirety of ukraine. that would sell the case strongest to the russian people but it's still, i think, very much up in the air as to whether or not he'll be able to do that. if he doesn't take the donbas, i don't know what the future is for vladimir putin. probably not very positive. >> good point. general, as barba

and it is in his advantage to push ahead in the donbas. he's got a military advantage in donbas, he's lost face one —— phase one, but he'll reasonably do well in phase two. ~ ., he'll reasonably do well in phase two. ~ . , ., ~' he'll reasonably do well in phase two. ., ~ ., ., he'll reasonably do well in phase two. ., ~ ., ., ., , two. what you think nato pots moves could be? i don't— two. what you think nato pots moves could be? i don't nato _ two. what you think nato pots moves could be? i don't nato will— two. what you think nato pots moves could be? i don't nato will change - could be? i don't nato will change its name could be? i don't nato will change its game much. — could be? i don't nato will change its game much, the _ could be? i don't nato will change its game much, the bigger- could be? i don't nato will change i its game much, the bigger question is, but will the west do? will washington and london do? the ukrainians need aeroplanes and fighterjets as soon as possible, the biden administration needs to stop sending

matt rivers, thank you. >>> in donbas, u.s. officials say there has been no major territorial gain for russia so far since the start of this new push. but new video shows parts of towns severely damaged by recent strikes. we're told u.s. officials believe russia is probing attacks to test ukrainian defenses. cnn international correspondent phil black filed this report from kyiv. >> reporter: ukrainian government says that it believes russia's new offensive operations in the east of the country, the donbas region, that that operation is already under way. but the first attempted advances by russian forces appear to be probing, testing, they are characterized by western officials as limited, a prelude of much greater operations to come. but they have been repelled many times by ukrainian forces so far. the expectation is that at some point imminently russia will attempt to use vast numbers to overwhelm ukraine's defensive positions. it will apply and commit powerful force to a condensed area to drive through ukrainian lines, to e

a scene repeated across the donbas region. the key port city of mariupol in ruins after weeks of heavy fighting. russian forces are now in near-total control. one of the last bastians. a ukrainian commander says hundreds of civilians still trapped inside the city are now as well with the last ukrainian fighters. the fierce fighting has been in the south and east. western cities are coming under attack as well. lviv, where i am right now, was hit by at least four different missile strikes monday morning as we were on air. video captured one missile streaking across the sky. ukrainian officials say at least seven killed, 11 injured in those missile strikes. president pooind expected to hold a call with allies, as well as efforts to hold russia accountable. it kmz as u.s. state department reportedly considering label russia a state sponsor of terrorism. that is according to a senior-administration official. it is a designation that, so far, has opinion reserved for north korea, iran, cue ba, and syria. one of the cities hit by ru

he claims the ukrainians to genocide in the donbas region. i think he believes he is winning the war >>. >> the austrian chancellor added that he thinks putin believes he knows exactly what's going. on putin worn him in german saying that he thinks the war be better if it ends earlier rather than later. what exactly is the austin chancellor say about concerns that president putin is going to resort to nuclear weapons? >> well kristen, the nuclear question has been appointed concern for weeks now. but according to chancellor nehammer, he said he can say for sure whether or not putin would resort to using some sort of tactical nuclear weapon if he was backed into a corner. and of course, he also noted that putin, in his conversation with him clearly understood the threat that such weapons would pose. but also, in particular, understood he could use these weapons to threaten the rest of the world. so clearly, an understanding of the leverage of having to use these weapons. opposed to the western world we've, heard from kremlin that russia would

there are a smaller area inside the donbas. so, it will be interesting to see what course of action he chooses to show some success before victory day on may 9th. >> a pentagon official, a senior pentagon official, has said that fighting in the donbas, between the ukrainians and russians will be like a knife fight because both sides will be familiar with the terrain, which is more rural and open area. how do battle tactics change in a place like the donbas? >> first of all, jake, i think we've got to recognize that they've been fighting there for the last eight years. so, that's a pretty torn up area, as it currently stands. they're all dug in. so, the knife fight analogy is correct, but i don't think we're going to see this straight attack to the west that people are projecting. if you take a look at that map you've got up there, standard russian tactics would have them attacking from the north and south behind the ukrainian lines to try to envelope them, as we call that tactic, sort of isolate them and then reduce them. i don

russian forces have stepped up their offensive in the donbas region of eastern ukraine. ukraine's allies say they will send more military support, with the us promising supplies of artillery weapons. the international monetary fund gave its verdict on russia's invasion of ukraine on tuesday, saying it was sending economic shockwaves around the world. the military conflict comes as many countries are already trying to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, and as china continues to impose covid lockdowns in huge cities like shanghai. the global forecast for growth has been cut down almost a whole percentage point, to just 3.6% this year. the russian economy is predicted to shrink by 8.5%, and ukraine's economy is expected to contract by more than a third. and that, according to the imf, means no major global economy will grow as much as previously forecast for 2022. with his analysis from washington, here's our economics editor, faisal islam. just as the world appeared to be recovering, another unprecedented economic shock has hit — the war in ukraine. severe setback to

donbas stop.— trying to escape across the donbas stop. talk us through our donbas stop. talk us through your concern _ donbas stop. talk us through your concern the _ donbas stop. talk us through your concern the russians . donbas stop. talk us through | your concern the russians may really intensify the invasion and the don best region in the east, what are you hearing about that? i east, what are you hearing about that?— about that? i don't think it will happen. _ about that? i don't think it will happen, we _ about that? i don't think it will happen, we look- about that? i don't think it will happen, we look at. about that? l don't think it | will happen, we look at the map, we already know it was claimed and announced initially ijy claimed and announced initially by the russian authorities, then by the ukrainian president and the governors of the donetsk oblast region he said people, leave, donetsk oblast region he said people, them, donetsk oblast region he said people, them will they rel

of course, the focusl currently is on the donbas, but he'll go? of course, the focus - currently is on the donbas, but the war is still continuing in other parts of ukraine. how will this phase of the war, in your view, shape this conflict? 50. phase of the war, in your view, shape this conflict?— phase of the war, in your view, shape this conflict? so, i agree with ou shape this conflict? so, i agree with you that — shape this conflict? so, i agree with you that this _ shape this conflict? so, i agree with you that this is _ shape this conflict? so, i agree with you that this is a - shape this conflict? so, i agree with you that this is a new- shape this conflict? so, i agree with you that this is a new war. j with you that this is a new war. russia failed in the war to take ukraine, so not want to take the donbas, which they think they can do if they have enough forces. i actually don't think they do. they will continue to terrorise. putin is going to continue to show all the cities as far as lviv to q as part of his operation to keep forces

forces have now fully withdrawn from northern ukraine — according to uk intelligence — but the eastern donbas region suffers heavy shelling and rocket fire overnight. violence inflicted by russian troops on one ukrainian town is descibed as �*more horrific�* than first reported — with claims civilians were held undergound. there were people here, including dozens of children, who were living amongst corpses for hours, sometimes days. the chancellor rishi sunak describes reports about his wife's tax arrangements a smear campaign — and insists no rules were broken. easter break travel disruption — thousands face significant delays at airports ahead of the big getaway. around 16,000 women are developing post—traumatic stress disorder after suffering a miscarriage in the uk. and five—time champion tiger woods return to competivitve golf on day one of the masters. russia is shifting its focus from the north of ukraine — towards the area in the south and east — known as donbas. this morning — the uk's ministry of defence confirmed that russian troops have now "fully withdrawn" f

the donbas is emptying fast. we enter the town of lysychansk, already being targeted by russian artillery. now a ghost town. this was a children's centre. books and clothes now strewn amongst the rubble. but down in the basement, we found a few seeking shelter — the poor, the frail and the old. even before this war started, russian—backed separatists were occupying part of the donbas, and it soon became apparent that pro—russian sentiment hasn't died here, despite their bombs. translation: i'm sorry, | but it is my understanding that this land was sold. they're destroying our. donbas to give the land away to the americans. the americans bought it— to place their nuclear weapons here. back above ground, we did find one woman, valentina, who did blame president putin for the destruction of the town. translation: putin is to blame for the war. l he gathered this army here. why did he do this? but our guys did nothing. they said they were exercising. "exercises" my ours. the russian offensive around the capit

active in the donbas region. they press the wagner group to put -- to add to their recruiting totals and move those contractors in to the donbas. so we -- certainly we have seen more kinetic activity, more operations in the donbas. clearly they are definitely putting a priority on that part of the ukraine. we have not seen out of the forces that are repositioning out of kyiv, we have not seen them be reintroduced back into the fight. >> you have any iications that these recent atrocities in bucha were carried out by the mercenary groups sent in or wide scale at the recruit left, the conscript level that is taking place in various cities? >> we don't know who committed these atrocities or what level or what the chain of command was. clearly, you know, we certainly do not refute that they happened. >> you talk about the difference in the kind of military aid now going from the draw down weapons that are already -- off the shelf weapons that you can send over. will you ever be going back to that and will there be a