our ben wedeman is there, not merely near the front lines. he and his team have actually been on them, in the areas where the russian shells are dropping, to document life in a once peaceful city. >> reporter: a portend of things to come on the road to lysychansk, a city that has been under fire for months. a school serves as shelter for dozens of residents. this woman shows us where they sleep, the only light provided by our camera. everyone is outside, she says, because it's too dark and hard to breathe down here. outside, they wait as soup cooks over a fire. there's no gas, no power no, water, she tell mess. they have nothing. most are old, tired, terrified, and beyond despair. i'm alone, says 82-year-old masha, my legs are tired. i can't go anywhere. this woman is leaving. we thought it would calm down, but it only gets worse and worse, she says. i can't take these sounds anymore. natalia is leaving too. the windows in my house are broken, she says, there's a huge crater by my house. it's the end of the world. the sunny weather belies wha

ben wedeman is in kyiv. >> reporter: that's right. russian forces are slowly gaining ground in the east of the country. isn't checking le. she's getting graded on her green investments with m merrill. a-plus. still got it. (whistle blows) your money never stops working for you with merrill, a bank of america company. big game t today! everybody ready? alexa, ask buick to start my enclave. starting your buick enclave. i just love our new alexa. dad, it's a buick. i love that new alexa smell. it's a buick. we need snacks for the team. alexa, take us to the nearest grocery store. getting directions. alexa will get us there in no time. it's a buick. let's be real. don't make me turn this alexa around. oh my. it's painful. the buick enclave, with available alexa built in. ask “alexa, tell me more about buick suvs.” right now, we're all feelin' the squeeze. we're having to get creative. find a new way. but birthdays still happen. fridays still call for s'mores. you have to make magic, and you're figuring out how to do that. what you don

ben wedeman, cnn. >>> let's bring in now colonel cedric leighton, a cnn military analyst, and retired u.s. air force colonel. so good to see you. it's heartbreaking to see what people are still enduring there. those cities in eastern ukraine that ben wedeman just reported on, i mean, they're devastated and you see the people who have survived it are saying i've had enough. i thought maybe it would get better but it hasn't. ukraine says russia continues to bring in reinforcements in the east. can ukraine continue to defend the east any longer? >> well, fred, it's really going to be difficult for them, and you know, as much as your heart goes out to these people in luhansk and some of the other cities that ben was talking about, it really is pretty clear that this is a very difficult situation for them. the civilian population there is at great risk. you know, it's very obvious, you know, with no water, no power, you know, no conveniences of modern life, they have basically been forced back into the 18th century, and that's something that most people quite frankly in the 21st century ar

ben wedeman, cnn, kyiv. >> our thanks to ben wedeman for that report. >> let's bring in right now former u.s. ambassador to ukraine, bill taylor. ambassador taylor, you just saw one depiction of the horrible loss of life inflicted by russia against the ukrainian people in that piece. ukraine has also had some positive momentum recently. ukrainian officials say their navy forced russia's fleet in the black sea to retreat about 65 miles. ukrainian forces say they have killed another russian general, and a military official on the east says ukrainian forces have retaken half of donetsk, although the situation is changing every hour, every minute there. where do you think we are, where do you think ukraine and russia are in the larger picture of the war? >> jake, i think what we're seeing is a slugfest. it's a tactical slugfest. in particular, severodonetsk as you just described where it goes back and forth, ukrainians counterattack. the russians unleash unbelievable bombardments from the air, from air strikes, from cruise missiles, from long range artility. it is horrific. and it goes back

ben wedeman reports. >> a portent of things to come on the road. a city that has been in the line of fire pour months. a school payment serves as shelter for residents. tatiana shows us where they sleep. the only light provided by our camera. everyone is outside now, she says, because it's too dark and hard to breathe down here. outside they wait as soup cooks over a fire. there's no gas, no power, no water, lydia tells me. we have nothing. most are old, tired, terrified and beyond despair. "i'm alone" said 82 years mash shachlt my legs are tired. i can't go anywhere. this woman is leaving. we thought it would calm down, but it only gets worse and worse, she says. i can't take these sounds anymore. natalia is leaving too. "the windows in my house are broken," she says. "there is a huge crater by my house. it's the end of the world." the sunny weather belies what has become a postapocalyptic existence. residents line up with unfiltered water so they can wash and flush toilets. almost four months of war no end in sight, frustration flares. where's ou

i'm ben wedeman, cnn reporting from kyiv. >> the u.s. has provided ukraine with millions of dollars worth of weapons and humanitarian aid, but it's refrained from any direct involvement in the conflict. now the general in involve of u.s. cyber command has publicly committed for the first time that the u.s. has been engaged in cyber operations in support of ukraine. now the exact nature wasn't disclosed except that they included offensive, defensive, and information operations. the white house's national cyber director offered this explanation. >> he's correct in what he said, which was not in any way, shape or form breathless. it was just a statement of fact. and the statement of fact is seiber is an instrument of power, whether it's financial sanctions, whether it's lethal materiel applied. what we're trying to do is assist the defense of the ukrainian people. cyber as an instrument of power can and should play a role in that. >> and for more on this, i want to bring in kierein martin who is the former head of britain's national cyber s

let's get live to ben wedeman live for us. what's the latest, ben? >> reporter: the latest on those two americans is not good. they're being held in the donetsk people's republic. that's that pro-russian breakaway part of ukraine, and the problem there is that we have seen in the past they have put these -- on the ninth of june they found -- and the worry is that in the donetsk people's republic, they do have the death penalty. in russia, there's a moratorium on the death penalty. if they are put on trial, there's a danger that they will be found guilty and will be sentenced to death. now, those death sentences on the other two, the two brits and the moroccan are not been carried out, but there are no indications coming from the officials in the donetsk people's republic which is recognized by nobody but russia, that they will be pardoned any time soon. meanwhile on the front, the situation is increasingly dire for the ukrainian defenders, a town on the eastern outskirts of donetsk has been captured by the russians. meanwhile, russian forces are adva

ben wedeman, thank you very, very much. stay safe over there in the war zone. >> turning now to the kremlin's latest efforts to try to justify this conflict to the russian public. our senior international correspondent fred pleitgen has more from moscow. >> a display of patriotism on russia day. russian president vladimir putin handing out medals just days after he likened himself to peter the great. claiming like czar peter 300 years ago, in ukraine, russia is taking back land that is rightfully russia's. >> translator: he went there to take it back and strengthen it. that's what he was doing. it seems it has also fallen to us to take back and strengthen territories. if we take these basic values as fundamentals, we'll prevail in solving the issues we're facing. >> after stating at the start of the war that russia has no intention of occupying ukraine, kremlin tv now is amplifying the new slogan, taking back and strengthening. >> translator: we all need to explain to the ukrainians we are not playing. we, as our president

ben wedeman on the scene in kyiv. thank you very much. >>> let's get the big picture right now, where the war stands 100 days in, brian todd is joining us along with cnn's military analyst retired major general james "spider" marks. >> how have they gained more ground during the course of the conflict. >> no better way than with a map. general marks, we will show viewers as we get 100 days into the war what the map looked like on march 5th. general. this is the way it looked. russians pinching in on kyiv from at least three sides and held some territory in the northeast. this is the way the map looks today. now, general, how have the russians changed their strategy? where are they making their biggest gains right now? >> yeah, well, brian, what's really happening is the russians back in the early part of the war tried to invade with too few forces along too many avenues of approach, in other words, they tried to bite off more than they could chew. they determined that in very short order because they underestimated th

ben wedeman, cnn, foggia. >>> and just ahead, this sign spotted in california, that's right, $8 gas. >>> and spotting the warning signs in troubled teens. the profile of a school shooter, next. if your moderate to severe crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms are stopping you in your tracks... choose stelara® from the start... and move toward relief after the first dose... with injections every two months. stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. feel unstoppable. ask your doctor how lasting remission can start with stelara®. janssen can help you explore cost support options. ♪("i've been everywhere" by johnny cash) ♪ ♪i've traveled every road in this here land!♪ ♪i've been everywhere, man.♪ ♪i've been everywhere, man.♪ ♪of travel

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cnn's ben wedeman is in kyiv with the latest. >> reporter: russia's invasion of ukraine is now hit the 100-day mark. the critical battle is now in the eastern donbas region. ukrainian officials concede that russian forces now control up to 80% of the city of donetsk. until now the eastern most city under kyiv's control. severodonetsk has been under intense and steady russian artillery bombardment for weeks and weeks and weeks now. most of the civilians have fled the city, but as many as 800 people are still huddled in bomb shelters in the city's chemical complex. elsewhere in the donbas region, russian forces are massing for renewed offensive against the city of slow va yans. they have shattered moscow's ambitions to bring ukraine to its knees. friday ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy vowed in his words that victory will be ours, yet victory or just an end to this is still nowhere in sight. i'm ben wedeman, cnn, reporting from kyiv. >>> australian military analyst malcolm davis says fighting in eastern ukraine will likely remain static the next few weeks. russia appears to have l

conditions seem nearly as dire in eastern ukraine where ben wedeman went looking for signs of life in cities on the war's front lines. >> a portent of things to come. a city that has been in the line of fire for months. a school basement serves as shelter for dozens of residents. tatiana shows us where they sleep. the only light provided by our camera. everyone is outside now, she says, because it's too dark and hard to breathe down here. outside, they wait as soup cooks over a fire. there's no gas, no power, no water, lydia tells me. we have nothing. most are old, tired, terrified, and beyond despair. i'm alone, says 82-year-old mosha. my legs are tired. i can't go anywhere. liudmila is leaving. we thought it would calm down, but it only gets worse and worse, she says. i can't take these sounds anymore.oken, she says. there's a huge crater by my house. it's the end of the world. the sunny weather belies what has become a post apocalyptic existence. residents line up for unfiltered water so they can wash and flush toilets. almost four months of war with no end in sight, frustration fl

cnn's ben wedeman is there with the latest. ben, the russians have been making these steady gains. >> reporter: yes, in lyman we saw it last month, and most recently in the towns around severodonetsk. the russians now control most of that city, but they're also gaining control of some of the areas around it as well and they're also apparently advancing from the south. we were there just a few days ago, there was intense artillery activity outgoing as well as incoming, we were obviously on the ukrainian side but certainly the intensity of the fighting in that area is getting worse. there are growing concerns about the fate of those two americans who had joined the ukraine i can't be army, alexander drueke and andy tai ngoc huynh. both from alabama. they were appeared on what's known adds rt, russia today, russian propaganda network that said that they were in an internment center in the donetsk people's republic, that's the pro russian break away part of ukraine. the worrying thing of course is that we saw on the 9th of june two

ben wedeman, stay safe over there thank you very much for that report. let's dig deeper right now with retired u.s. lieutenant general mark hertling. thanks for joining us. if that is indeed the reality, the so-called land bridge, how significant is that? >> i'd question the reality, wolf, quite frankly. russia is claiming this. but from many assessments, that f-14 highway that goes from to crimea is not cleared. there is still active resistance and insurgencies going on in every single major town along that route. and if that was one of the russian original objectives, they have failed miserably. they have destroyed that area, as you can see from these pictures that you're showing right now. 10 the ability to not only destroy an area, but then to occupy and secure it are three different things. the russians have not been able to occupy and secure. they have met with great resistance from the ukrainian territorial fighters and the ukrainian army. so this is still a heavy fight going on. and i would guess even in cities like kherson and mykolaiv where the

cnn international correspondent b ben wedeman is near the war. these are alarming charges here with the broader pattern of the russian military. tell us what we know. >> reporter: at this point, the details are fairly sketchy. we heard this is a claim made by the special ukrainian representative for russian-occupied crimea where they say 600 journalists and activists are being held in some sort of underground prisons that apparently or so it's claimed and we can't obviously verify this that this underground facility is equipped with torture chambers, and in fact does dove tail with a lot of what we've heard of these facilities where ukrainian soldiers, civilians, activists, journalists are being held. now, we're in sloviansk, it has come under bombardment over the last few weeks. in fact, we're at a spot. right behind me here, a missile damaged a week ago. a week or ten days, russian forces perhaps when they're done with the battle in severodonetsk could focus their efforts here. why this town in particular? because it's very close to kramatorsk.

cnn's ben wedeman is live in eastern ukraine for us with the latest. ben, even during this visit from french president emmanuel macron, there's been some tension between him and volodymyr zelenskyy. >> reporter: yes, there's been a lot of tension, for instance, between french president emmanuel macron who publicly said that russia should not be humiliated. ukrainians are thinking that's the last thing anybody should be worry being at the moment. there's tension with the german chancellor olaf schultz because germany has been rather slow at providing advanced weaponry to ukraine as well. so yes, it's not necessarily a meeting that is full of love, but nonetheless, it's significant that the leaders are italy, france and germany, the three largest economies in western europe are visiting the country, and visiting with president zelenskyy. we should also point out that the president of romania is in kyiv as well. now, we did hear the french president say that ukraine must be allowed to win, that's a fairly unequivocal statement that there's going to be sup

wolf. >> ben wedeman, stay safe over there. we will be in touch. appreciate it very much. >> and joining us now, the former-ukrainian prime minister, prime minister, thank you so much for joining us. as you know, president zelenskyy just made an unannounced trip to some of the most heavily bombarded areas in the eastern part of ukraine. is ukraine on the brink of losing the last city standing in the luhansk region? could the entire donbas region actually fall to the russians? >> no. but the situation is deteriorating and russia made an incremental gains in the east of ukraine. look. we are outnumbered -- we are outnumbered with the artillery, 1-20. and it's important for us to get heavy weaponry as quick as possible, so the situation is not an easy one. uh, but i do believe that we have enough, both, weaponry and will and guts to deter russian' offensive. but once again, i want to -- not to underestimate the russian' capabilities. russia is still capable of launching an offensive against ukraine. and that is the reason why it is so important to get

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ben wedeman, cnn, eastern ukraine. >> ben, thank you for that report. >>> up next -- we have the first look at a trump documentary that has captured the interests of the january 6 committee. >>> plus under indictment, a democrat once this close to becoming governor of florida now in trouble with the law. >>> and president biden calling for a gas tax holiday. but is congress listening. with a plant-based adaptogen, helps alleviate streress on skin. so you can get back in synync. new dove men. a restorative shower for body and mind. dry skin is sensitive e skin, too. and it's natural. treat it that way. aveeno® daily moisture with prebiotic oat is proven to moisturize dry skin all day. you'll love our formula for face, o. aveeno®. ♪ whenever heartburn strikes get fast relief with tums. it's time to love food back. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums ♪ my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ it was time for a nunormal with nucala. nucala is a once monthly add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma that can mean less oral steroids. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can

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cnn's ben wedeman joins us now live. ben, you've been following this war for some time. what does it look like out there? >> reporter: looks grim, jim. even though over the weekend ukrainian officials said that they had regained ground in the city of severodonetsk, it appears that as of today they're starting to lose ground again. officials are saying that the russians are sparing none of their men and nonof their equipment to try to gain control of that strategic city. and they have been pummeling it for weeks and weeks. i was back there in mid-april and it was already coming under severe artillery bombardment and that seems to be continued. despite all of this there are still thousands of civilians trapped in that city, but because of the intensity of the bombardment many of them can't leave, but given the uncertainty about the situation many people are leaving this area in general. in fact, as we were driving eastward we saw long lines at check points of cars of people fleeing to the west. one person who did actually come to the east overnight was president volodymyr

cnn's ben wedeman is in eastern ukraine. ben, just how intense is the fighting there in eastern ukraine right now? >> yes. about an hour and a half drive from here, fighting is intense. we've seen ukrainian and russian forces going back and forth trying to gain control of that critical city which has been a battle ground for weeks and weeks. i was there much of the month of april, and there was still back then intense russian bombardment on that area. now, overnight president zelenskyy actually went to that area. not to the city of seveodonetsk. a city that overlooks it, very much within range of russian artillery, and his visit underscores how much importance the ukrainian government is putting on this critical battle here. and to refer to what bianca was talking about, what the ukrainians desperately need in this battle, where the russians are taking full advantage of their numerical superiority when it comes to artillery is they want the long-range missile systems that the united states and the uk have said they will prov

let's get to ben wedeman in key ef f-- kyiv for us. what's the latest? >> well, the latest really is that all eyes are focussed on the situation in the east. in a city that i was in in april, and back then it was taking a daily pounding from russian forces. but the ukrainians were able to hold on, but it appears that the russians are using their massive advantage in terms of artillery just to pulverize that city, pulverize the resistance, only about 20 % of this city is still under ukrainian control. and we've heard from the ukrainian general staff today that russia is assembling more forces to take a strategic town just about a 25 minute drive north of that city, and that would be where they have tried in the past to take that city. it does appear that the russians have given up their ambitious plans, certainly kyiv couldn't be more peaceful at the moment. they have given up on plans of taking kyiv. the country as a whole, but definitely the east is taking the brunt of the artillery from the russians at the moment. >>> ben wedeman live in kyiv. thank yo

>> ben wedeman in kramatorsk. stay safe over there, ben. thank you for all your excellent, excellent very courageous reporting. we are grateful. let's discuss consist what's going on with the former u.s. ambassador to ukraine, bill taylor. ambassador, thank you for joining us. first of all, how concerning is it to hear a individual wrote now circulating on pro-russian channels appearing to show two americans who are missing in action in ukraine? >> it is troubling, wolf. you can't count on good treatment. it's not clear if these are russians for these are the separatists. that are under the russian control. in either case, they are doing bad things. we know what they've done in previous court cases, sentencing to death. there is no indication that that's the case yet, but i don't have to worry. it's troubling. >> the kremlin is denying any knowledge of the whereabouts of these three americans, two former marines, one former army soldier. how likely is it that the u.s. can secure the release of these american fighters? >> we will do everythi

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ben wedeman is on the ground in the eastern ukrainian city of kramatorsk. what are the families of these two fighters saying about their missing loved ones? >> well, alex's mother and andy's fiancee both say they last heard from them on the 8th of june when they told them that they would be unavailable or offline for a few days, presumably that they were going to be going on a mission. and shortly after the combat that their comrade described, as you mentioned, they went out to try to find either bodies or find them if they were wounded. they found nothing. the following day, a russian propaganda channel on the telegram messaging application claimed that two americans had been captured outside kharkiv. now, the u.s. embassy in ukraine says they have no information if these two men have been captured. a state department spokesman says that they're monitoring the situation, that they're in contact with ukrainian authorities, but had no further comment. now, this incident is worrying because last week, on the 9th of june, a court in the pro-russian breakaway r

here is ben wedeman. >> reporter: american's symbol, american weapon. ukrainian troops try out new equipment, u.s. supplied m-4 rifles fresh out of the box. away from the frontlines, these soldiers are preparing to join the battle raging in the east. this exercise is designed to give ukrainian forces these new weapons. this gunfiring italian bullets. but we're told that there is not enough western ammunition. and not enough weapons either. even in this drill much of the firepower dates back to the soviet sera. ukrainian forces are slowly losing ground in the battle for the eastern donbas region. morale here is high. >> good morning vietnam! >> reporter: yet no one believes these rifles will halt the russian advance. >> this is not enough. >> reporter: ukrainian officials say russian artillery outnumbers their artillery at a ratio of perhaps more than 10:1. used to deadly effect in the city of severdonetsk, now almost completely russian control. big guns, not small arms, could help ukraine turn the tide. >> i can protect myself as a soldier with this wea

ben wedeman visited ukrainian soldiers firing on russian positions with powerful u.s.-supplied howitzers, the sape type of long range gun russia claims they have destroyed today. it's unclear how many, it's obvious ukraine needs more weapons and quickly. >> new rounds soon to be loaded into the breach. these ukrainian troops wait for the order. they're preparing to fire this gun ukraine has received more than 100 m-777 howitzers, but we have seen steadily the russians are gaining more and more ground. this helps, but it may not be enough. with sophisticated u.s.-made and supplied 155 millimeter howitzers like this, ukraine hopes to counter russia's massive superiority in firepower. that superiority has allowed russian forces to push forward, subjecting cities like sievierodonetsk to intense bombardment. this drone footage shows russian tanks entering the town just outside sievierodonetsk. outnumbered and outgunned in the east, ukraine has warned russian forces may soon intensify their attack. this artillery is firing rounds with a range of around 20 kilometers or 12 1/

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cnn's ben wedeman this morning is live for us in sloviansk. i understand you are hearing air raid sirens and a sense the russians aren't that far away? >> yeah. we're in sloviansk where the russians are to the northeast of us here and air raid sirens have been going on most of the day and we've been hearing fairly regular blasts. nonetheless, the few people left in this city are trying to get on with daily life. right behind me is a center where people are able to pick up diapers, baby formula, and other food for very young children. people are leaving this city. we watched earlier today as two busloads of people left the town. they're not only leaving because of the threat of an imminent russian attack, but also the fact that there's no running water, there hasn't been running water since about ten days in this town. often times there's no electricity. and cooking gas is in short supply as well. in fact, we've heard from ukrainian officials that the front line outside of sloviansk is, in their words, under constant fire, and unlike in severod

cnn's ben wedeman visits now ukrainian soldiers preparing for battle on the front lines. they say the weapons they have are not sufficient. >> american symbol, american weapon. ukrainian troops try out new equipment, u.s. supplied m-4 rifles fresh out of the box. away from the front lines, these soldiers are preparing to join the battle raging in the east. this exercise is designed to allow the ukraine forces to use the western weapons. this is a 50 caliber machine gun firing italian bullets. there's a problem, though. we're told there's not enough western ammunition. and not enough weapons either. even in this drill, much of the firepower dates back to the soviet era. ukrainian forces are slowly losing ground in the battle for the eastern donbas region. morale here is high. >> good morning vietnam. >> yet no one believes these rifles will halt the russian advance. >> this is not enough. >> ukrainian officials say russian artillery outnumbers their artillery at a ratio of perhaps more than 10 to 1. used to deadly effect in the city of severodonetsk, now almost completely

ben wedeman reports that ukraine is enduring the worst days of the war since the fall of mariupol. >> reporter: new rounds soon to be loaded into the breach. these ukrainian troops wait for the order. they're preparing to order this gun. ukraine has received more than 100 m-777 howitzers, but the russians are gaining more and more ground. this helps, but it may not be enough. this sophisticated u.s.-made 155 millimeter howitzer, ukraine hopes to counter russia's massive superiority in firepower. that superiority has allowed russian forces to push forward, subjecting cities like severodonetsk to intense bombardment. this drone footage shows russian tanks entering this town, just outside of severodonetsk. outnumbered and outgunned, ukraine has warned russia may soon intensify their attack. this artillery is firing rounds with a range of around 20 kilometers, or 12.5 miles. the target, we're told, russian armor personnel carriers. thanks to the americans, we can win this war. but we need more artillery and more ammunition. or in plain english -- >> we need your help. >> reporter: his com

ben wedeman, please stay safe. thanks so much for being with us. >>> georgia republicans and allies of the georgia governor kemp are trying to keep donald trump from interfering in their races. >>> and why is the justice department prosecuting former trump aide peter navarro but not former chief of staff mark meadows and his deputy dan scavino? findnding the perfect designer isn't easy. but, at upwork, we found her. she's in austin between a dog named klaus and her favorite shade of green. it's actually salem over. and you can find her right now on upwork.com whenhe world is your workforce, finding the perfect project manager, designer, deveper, or whomever you may need... tends to fall right into place. find top-rated talent who can start today on upwork.com (burke) a new car loses about ten percent of its value the minute you drive off the lot. or more. that's why farmers new car replacement pays to replace it with a new one of the same make and model. get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. ♪ w

joining me now from kyiv with more, cnn senior international correspondent ben wedeman. you know, we've been covering this conflict for months now. what are you hearing from the front lines? >> that the situation, jim and poppy, is getting ever more dire in the eastern part of the country, particularly in the cities of severodonetsk. i spent a lot of time there in the month of april and even back then, it was getting mercilessly pounded by russian artillery and they have been trying for weeks and weeks to take over that key city, and it appears at this point they may control as much as 70 to 80%. there are still apparently 800 civilians in a basement in one of the -- in a large chemical factory there. in fact, we were in that basement back in april and the people were desperate for help, for food, for medicine, for relief, but it appears that the russians are now -- perhaps they've learned lessons from the catastrophe that was their operation around kyiv that they're using massive amounts of heavy artillery, simply to turn that area into a wasteland and then perhaps to t

cnn's ben wedeman and his team take us inside some of the heaviest fighting in eastern ukraine and talks to the residents, most of them elderly, who hoped to get out. many, however, cannot. we want to make it clear is not from near the front lines. ben is on the front lines. that's next. ♪ ♪ ♪ (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ are the stars out tonight? (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ ♪ alexa, play our favorite song again. ok. ♪ i only have eyes for you ♪ i am a business hotel. i eat, sleep, and breathe efficiency. i expect my bed sheets to be as crisp as my spreadsheets. i'm looking for someone who appreciates high rois and even higher rpms. must like hard work, punctuality, and a good firm handshake. if you're someone who likes earning rewards as much as earnings reports, i would be honored to be your perfect somewhere. ♪ ♪ >>> before the break we were discussing the war in ukraine, and new video that appears to show two americans held captive there. fighting is particularly intense in the east of the country where russia is trying to grind away wins and territory near its border. ou

. >> ben wedeman, thank you very much. stay staff over there. to our viewers, thank you very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. >>> "outfront" next, a deluge of evidence that's what a member of the january 6th committee says it now has. this is the doj reportedly drops multiple subpoenas in its investigation. >>> plus, a bad sign for trump? two candidates he endorsed were blown out in last night's primaries. as another candidate, dr. oz, erases mention of trump from his website. how tight is trump's grip on the zb gop? >>> and i'm going to talk to the fiance of one of the americans being held tonight in russia. let's go "outfront." >>> good evening. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, ramping up. the justice department is ratcheting up its investigation into january 6th. according to "the washington post" tonight, federal agents issued subpoenas on people in at least two states. part of a growing probe into how trump supporters tried to use fake electors to overturn the 2020 p

. >> cnn's senior international correspondent ben wedeman is live in kyiv. this new intel assessment warns that russia is likely to control all of the luhansk region in two weeks. are ukrainian forces making advancements other places? >> reporter: yes, if you see around the area of kharkiv they have been able to push russian forces back, and also in kherson in the southern part of the country they have made advances as well. what we're seeing the clearly the russians have prioritized the donbas region, and are using their advantage in terms of numerical advantage with artillery to really pound those areas to smithereens. i was in that area back in april, and back then they were pounding that city. and it's just intensified since then. however, this british intelligence assessment -- let's keep in mind that western intelligence agencies were wrong when it came to their assessment of ukraine's ability to fight the russians. they expected that the russians might take this city, kyiv, which is nice and peaceful at the moment, within days, and the entire country

cnn's ben wedeman standing by, live in kramatorsk ukraine. what does this new threat from putin mean? >> reporter: what's interesting is you quoted him as saying if the united states and uk supply ukraine with these long-range systems, they will expand their sort of range of targets here in ukraine. the problem is it's not if. we heard last week that the united states is going to do it and this morning we heard from the british defense ministry that they are going to supply similar weapon systems as well. now, in the past president putin has made similar threats over western aid, arms assistance to ukraine and the consequences weren't as grave as were expected. but over the weekend on sunday morning kyiv saw its first air strike or rather missile strikes in weeks and that was on a railway facility just outside the capital and british intelligence is interpreting that attack as perhaps an attempt by the russians already to try to stop the delivery of western arms to the ukraine. these arms are desperately needed in this part of the country, pa

cnn's ben wedeman is in ukraine. so heavy fighting continues and ukrainian officials say the situation there is changing every hour. so what's it like now? >> reporter: at the moment we understand from ukrainian officials that their worses are on the defensive, losing ground, in the city of severodonetsk, a city that's been under intense russian bombardment for weeks. they entered the city, and by the end of last week the ukrainians themselves were saying the russians controlled 80% of the city. and over the weekend there was a ukrainian counter attack, but this morning the russians are regaining lost territory in that city where it really is an intense battle. we're told that the russians are following a scorched earth tactic, that there is street-to-street fighting, and amongst all of that, there are thousands of civilians still stuck inside, huddling in bomb shelters, in basements. but because of the intensity of the fighting, they're not able to leave. now, the russians are taking full advantage of their numerica

. >> ben wedeman, appreciate it. >>> up next, republican candidates for congress who once seemingly pushed q-anon conspiracies. what do they say about it now? find out ahead. making friends again, billy? i like to keep mymy enemies close. guys, excuse me.e. i didn't quite get that. i'm m hard of hearing. ♪ oh hey, don't forget about the tense music too. would you say tense? i'd say suspenseful. aren't they the same thing? can we move on guys, please? alexa, turn on the subtitles. and dim the lights. ok, dimming the lights. dad, when is the future? um, oh wow. um, the future is, uh, what's ahead of us. i don't get it. yeah. maybe this will help. so now we're in the present. and now... we're in the future. the all-electric chevy bolt euv with available super cruise™ for hands-free driving. - dad. - yeah? do fish get thirsty? eh. find new answers. find new roads. chevrolet. "peace of mind." such a big, beautiful idea. and for us at booking.com this means - free cancellation on most bookings. it's a bit functional. but we'll gladly be functional. so you can be free. booking.com booking.yea

. >> yeah, ben wedeman in kramatorsk, ukraine, thank you so much. joining us is bunny drewky, the mother of one of the americans being held captive in ukraine. you just saw his picture there. thanks for joining us. short video clips of your son have appeared on russian media. we had seen and are choosing not to broadcast the video because they show him speaking under duress. he does look to be in relatively good shape, but he does reveal his captors had beaten him a few times. he also addressed you personally in one of the videos. tell us your response to seeing these videos, from hearing from him? >> you can see the one where he addressed me directly really made me happy. i play it over and over and over again. especially right before i go to bed. it's just -- i'm sorry. it's just wonderful to hear his voice and see him. i have chosen not to look at those other videos because they are propaganda. before alex left, he told me that he needed to speak very directly and frankly with me, that if he were captured, they would be forcing him to make statem

. >> let's go straight to cnn's ben wedeman joining us from kramatorsk, ukraine, with more. cnn has decided not to show the videos of the two american captives. what do we know about where they are and who is holding them? >> well, they are, we believe, in the donetsk people's republic. that's a pro-russian breakaway part of this country. and of course, we have seen there's various interviews have been conducted with them. one of them, a 50-minute edited interview on rt, previously known as russia today, that state affiliated, state-sponsored channel iprussia. they were also interviewed by a serbian pro-russian youtube channel as well. and in that interview, alexander is asked how have you been treated? and he says, i have been beaten several times. now, they went missing on june 9th after a battle outside kharkiv in eastern ukraine. so that's basically all we know at the moment. now, the russians initially denied any knowledge of their whereabouts. obviously, they have appeared on russia today as well as other forums that, yes, the russians are sort of de facto acknowledgin

>> ben wedeman, thank you very much. >>> let's bring in the former nato supreme ally author of the new book enkitaled "to risk it all, nine conflicts and the crucible of decision ," admiral, thank you so much for joining us. there is a top military defense official who says this is an artillery war and we are losing in terms of artillery. that is a direct kwoes. how did it get to in a point after all the u.s. and other allied assistance to ukrainians? >> the key here, wolf, is quite simple. we need to be listening to what our ukrainian allies, partners are saying, and providing them what they need. and i hear loud and clear the signal, get more artillery to the front. i will add to that, what we need is those longer-range surface to surface missiles, the so-called american haymars, there are other variances to this which can reach beyond that almost static artillery frontline and get back at the russian logistics, cut off their ammunition, that's the strategy we need to pursue. the administration is moving those himars. our british allies, other nato countries are moving those. it need

ben wedeman is "outfront." >> reporter: american symbol, american weapon. ukrainian troops try out new equipment. u.s.-supplied m4 rifles, fresh out of the box. away from the front lines, these soldiers are preparing to join the battle raging in the east. this eexercise is designed to custom ukrainian forces to western weapons. there's a problem, though, we're told there's not enough western ammunition. and not enough weapons, either. even in this drill, much of the firepower dates back to the soviet era. ukrainian forces are slowly losing ground in the battle for the eastern donbas region. morale here is high. >> good morning, vietnam! >> reporter: yet no one believes these rifles will halt the russian advance. >> this, this is not enough. >> reporter: ukrainian officials say russian artillery outnumbers their artillery at a ratio perhaps more than 10 to 1, used to deadly effect in the city of severodonetsk, now almost completely under russian control. big guns, not small arms, could help ukraine turn the tide. >> if i can protect myself as a soldier with