there are the last two ukrainian holdouts in luhansk. but ukraine is still sending in troops, including foreign-born fighters. the volunteers insist they won't leave without a victory. >> i am just a 22-year-old kid and i felt that is the right thing to do. we are gonna push the russians back. we are on the right side of history. so we are going to make sure all of us are gonna get back home with our families. vanessa: back in this country, much of florida is under a tropical storm warning tonight from the atlantic hurricane season's first named storm. up to 10 inches of rain is forecast. the system started as pacific hurricane agatha. it struck mexico last weekend. remnants are expected to re-form over the gulf of mexico into tropical storm alex. federal scientists report that the major driver of climate change has passed a milestone. as of may, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere were more than 50 times higher than before the industrial age. the greenhouse gas traps heat, and the national oceanic and atmospheric administration says

that is how the governor of the luhansk region described the situation. russia is intensifying attacks. ukrainian defenders are still holding out on the last stronghold in the city. the russian troops withdrew from harkey last month, the shelling started on again. this footage shows what was once an education building now in ruins. >> all of the national guard -- the strike was solely directed as a place of city infrastructure in order to intimidate civilian population. reporter: that intimidation takes the form of boards and weapons without mentioning ukraine, vladimir announced a new nuclear capable ballistic missile system would be ready for deployment by the end of the year. >> in addition to the new weapons tested on the battlefield, troops begin to receive missile-defense systems unlike any other. the heavy enter continental ballistic that was planned the first complex will appear at the end of the year. reporter: ukraine hopes a boost to its military arsenal may help it push back. kyiv says it's received only a fraction what it means. this was russ

if it falls, vladimir putin's military will control the entire luhansk region. despite heavy losses and slow progress, russia has continued to gain territory in the east. president zelenskyy says the donbas which includes severdonetsk is simply devastated. here he is. >> translator: as of now, nearly 20% of our territory is under the control of occupiers. almost 125,000 square kilometers. it is more than the territory of all the countries together. nearly 300,000 square kilometers are polluted with mines an unexbu unexun exploded ordinances. >> and there are no immediate plans to withdraw from severdonetsk. ukraine's military also reports heavy fighting north of sloviansk with russian shelling almost every minute. church of ukraine says three monks were killed by striking nearby. nada bashir is covering this for us. what is the latest in severdonetsk? >> reporter: president zelenskyy has acknowledged the significance losses, the 20% around mark of territory that is now in russian control. and of course severdonetsk has become the key focal point of ukraine's cou

. >> also this morning a new uk intelligence report says russia is likely to control all of the luhansk region here within two weeks. cnn's matthew chance is joining us live from kyiv. the question then matthew is what does this mean for the war ahead? >> reporter: well, i mean, it means that the -- the forces that russia is putting in to securing the luhansk region is enormous and that's where we've seen the focus of the military campaign shift very much to that city, we've been reporting on severodonetsk where the russians have owe patiently taken more than 80% of that city, it's the last big city in the luhansk region. so if it falls, when it falls, because there's very little doubt that the russians are recently going to take control of it fully, then it's going to enable moscow to declare a political victory to say, look, we have achieved part at least of our military objective because the luhansk region is half of donbas and they say donbas is the military priority for this invasion of ukraine. but the flip side of that is that the fact that russia is having to spend so many milit

capturing it effectively gives the kremlin almost full control of the luhansk region. it will need to advance in the nearby city of lysychansk, which has been facing increasingly heavy russian bombardment. russian separatists have told the queen enforces trying to defend both cities that resistance is pointless and futile. julia: united nations says israeli forces fired the shot that killed al jazeera journalist shireen abu akleh. the palestinian-american reporter was wearing a vest marked "press" when she was killed last month covering an israeli army rate in the occupied west bank also the u.n. human rights office says it was deeply disturbing that israeli authorities have not conducted a criminal investigation. israeli authorities, for their part, say the cause of akleh's death was impossible to determine due to the palestinian authority's refusal to conduct a joint investigation. reporter: a u.n. independent probe concluded friday that it was israeli forces and not palestinian militants who fired the gun shot that killed shireen abu akleh, an al jazeera journalist

it's the last city still in ukrainian hands in luhansk, one half of donbas. today, the mayor saying russian troops control half of sievierodonetsk with heavy street fighting. it's thought as many as 13,000 civilians are trapped in the town. the shelling so intense that evacuation missions have stalled. we joined territorial defense forces digging in towards the front line in donbas. there are positions like this dug in all across this region in donbas. the russians now are only a fewn thr anthis area is coming under increasing fire. the ukrainians determined to hold on, the russians determined to take this land. captain svetlana bogdanova admits they're taking losses, saying, "there are a lot of dead and wounded, but we know what we stand for and more will join our ranks." to help the ukrainians in their fight, the u.s. is likely to send multiple rocket launch systems into the country. president biden has been careful to say the u.s. won't provide them with longer range systems that have the ability to more easily hit targets across the border. >> reporter: d

by capturing the city russia would control almost all of luhansk. president biden is meeting with nato secretary general jens stoltenberg at the white house. on wednesday, stoltenberg held a joint news conference with cretary of state antony blinken who predicted the war would continue for many months. >> you can't predict how this is going to play out, when this is going to play out. as best we can assess right now, we are still looking amany months of conflict was to again, that could be over tomorrow if russia chose to end the aggression. we don't see any signs of that right now. amy: we are joined now by anatol lieven. he is a senior fellow at the quincy institute for responsible statecraft and author of "ukraine and russia: a fraternal rivalry." his latest piece in the atlantic is headlined "cold war catastrophes the u.s. can avoid this time." welcome back to democracy now! in your piece, you write that u.s. policy today is in danger of making some of the same mistakes of the early years of the cold war. the stages much smaller but the danger i

it's made up of luhansk and the donetsk area. we saw in luhansk in recent days, ukrainian forces saying they're going to have to pull out of the key city, sievierodonetsk. essentially russian forces bombing ukrainian troops into submission. this is an uneven war in every single way, isa. russia has more manpower. it has more weapons. one could argue it is willing to inflict more brutality, and you're seeing that play out on the front lines all along the east where ukrainian troops are on the back foot having to pull out again of a key city. sievierodonetsk, they seem on the edge of being encircled in another area. the sister city, again, in the luhansk region, part of the wider donbas, absolutely russia has the momentum right now on the battleground. on the ukrainian sides we're hearing there's 100 to 200 soldiers dying every single day all along those front lines. that they're running out of artillery in what is an artillery war. isa, you might ask, we keep hearing about military aid. why is that not helping? why is that not cha

for 104 days the intense battle for the east continues as russia escalates its attack, attacks on the luhansk region according to the governor there, the fight has worsened for ukraine. president zelenskyy said his forces are not giving up fighting there there may be more than 2500 ukrainian prisoners from the mariupol steel plant being held in the occupied areas of the donetsk and luhansk regions. the country is working to negotiate and bring them home. >>> new in north carolina a $3 million settlement has been reached following the death of andrew brown jr., a black man shot and killed by law enforcement in april of last year officers were serving drug offense warrants at brown's home when he tried to drive away. claiming they feared for their live they opened fire at him, killing him. his family claims that deputies acted with quote intentional and reckless disregard for brown's life this settlement waives all claims against officers now and in the future. >>> a federal judge is ordering the louisiana legislature to redraw the congressional districts because of racial gerrymandering they h

that's important because it means that 90% of the luhansk region will be in russian hands. just to put that in perspective for you, before the start of the russian invasion, those two breakaway people's republicans of donetsk and luhansk people's republic represented about 31% of the entire donbas region. tonight, we believe it's two-thirds of that region under russian control. >> today, the biden administration announced it will be sending the most powerful and advanced rocket systems to date as part of the u.s.'s 11th security package to ukraine. how important do ukrainian forces think these weapons will be? >> crucial, and i think a lot has been made of the question of their range, because ukrainians had been asking for longer range than what they received. but to give you an example here in zaporizhzhia, the russian positions are about 30 miles down the dnipro river, and what we have been seeing here over the course of the last 48 hours is heavy shelling of the settlements to the south of this. the weapons we're talking about that the state department confirmed ukraine

they're the last two ukrainian holdouts in luhansk. but ukraine is still sending in troops, including foreign-born fighters. the volunteers insist they won't leave without a victory. >> i am just a 22-year-old kid and i felt that is the right thing to do. we are gonna push the russians back. we are on the right side of history. so we are going to make sure all of us, we gonna get back home with our families. william: in washington, president biden said it will take a negotiated settlement to end the war. but he deferred to ukraine on whether to trade territory for peace. we will hear from ukraine's ambassador to the u.s. later in the program. back in this country, much of the florida peninsula is under a tropical storm warning tonight from the atlantic hurricane season's first named storm. people sand-bagged coastal properties today, amid forecasts of 10 inches of rain. the system started as pacific hurricane agatha which struck mexico last weekend. remnants reached the gulf of mexico and are expected to reform into tropical storm alex

but russian forces are making significant gains to the south of luhansk. the governor has said they put all resources into attacking these two cities, deploying reserve units to add to what they already on the ground, when ukrainian officials were saying they were outgunned and outmanned here. the u.s., finally weapons ukraine had long been waiting for, high-tech medium range rocket launchers, those have apparently made their way into ukraine. ukrainian officials tweeting earlier today they have received those, thanking secretary austin for what he described as a powerful tool. initially when president biden approved the aid package that included hemars, we knew there would be a lag before they could get to the front lines. they would have a three-week training period on those weapons so the question is, could they get to the front quickly enough to make a difference? that is still to be determined but they are physically here in ukraine. that's something ukrainian officials have been wanting to see more of, high-tech, medium-range rocket launch systems, m

almost all of the luhansk region is in moscow's control. russia's gains are relatively small, but the cities they now occupy won't be easily retaken, and that is why ukraine is asking for help to do more than simply be on the defensive. one wish has been granted by the us — precision—guided missiles, which can travel up to 45 miles — with a condition. the ukrainians have given us assurances that they will not use these systems against targets on russian territory. there is a strong trust bond between ukraine and the united states, as well as with our allies and partners. the kremlin has described kyiv�*s request for weapons as a provocation to bring the west into this war. ukraine has long seen them as crucial for its survival. james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. earlier i spoke to mark kimmitt, former us assistant secretary of state for political—military affairs. i started by asking him what the impact of the new weapons being sent to ukraine could have on the battlefield. they certainly won't change the game that we are now si

and they got hundreds of thousands of people out of luhansk oblask war zone. now people make this choice because they need it to save their lives. but it will mean they are subjected to intense propaganda push by russians. i was speaking yesterday to mayors of cities up north that have been in the occupied territories who are now in exile, and they said people evacuated from war-torn cities right now to the occupied areas are really worked over to try to convince them that it's entirely ukraine's fault that their cities were destroyed. and then they're basically stuck in those territories unless they have the money, which many don't, to make an enormous arc through russia into the baltic states back down through poland and back into ukraine, even though there may be 25, 30 kilometer, 50 kilometers away from government-controlled territory. >> it's just a tragic situation for so many people there. we're out of time. but thank you so much for talking to us about this, brian. >> thank you. >> russia's president stuck a defiant tone friday as vladimir putin aired

almost all of the luhansk region is in moscow's control. russia's gains are relatively small, but the cities they now occupy won't be easily retaken, and that is why ukraine is asking for help to do more than simply be on the defensive. one wish has been granted by the us — precision—guided missiles, which can travel up to 45 miles — with a condition. the ukrainians have given us assurances that they will not use these systems against targets on russian territory. there is a strong trust bond between ukraine and the united states, as well as with our allies and partners. the kremlin has described kyiv�*s request for weapons as a provocation to bring the west into this war. ukraine has long seen them as crucial for its survival. james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. our russia editor steve rosenberg has more on moscow's response. you will not be surprised to learn that moscow is very angry about this. today, president putin's spokesperson said that by sending these advanced rocket systems to ukraine, america was purposefully and dilig

that as long as the war continues in ukraine, especially in the breakaway republics of donetsk and luhansk, there'll be a risk of escalation. is president putin trying to build a new iron curtain? and if so, who wants to be behind it and who will resist? so, we've set the scene there and clearly there's plenty to discuss. let me introduce you to my panel. george khelashvili, a member of parliament from the ruling georgian dream party. he's also the deputy chair of the government's foreign relations committee. dumitru alaiba, an mp from moldova's ruling action and solidarity party, and he's chair of the parliamentary committee on the economy, budget and finance, and he's a strong supporter of moldova's integration with the west. tikhon dzyadko is a russian journalist who's editor in chief of tv rain, one of the last independent stations in russia and last year he left the country when the station was accused by the authorities of being anti—moscow. and dr sonja schiffers is director of the heinrich boll foundation, a german, state—funded, independent think—tank. she currently advises

in kherson and zaporizhia, but fierce street fighting is continuing in severodonetsk, in the eastern luhansk province, which has become the focus of russia's advance. nick beake reports from kyiv. the russian onslaught in the donbas region is relentless, bombarding ukrainian troops whose commanders now say they are outgunned and rapidly running out of ammunition. the ukrainian governor of the luhansk province claimed they could hold on to the besieged city of severodonetsk if western allies sent them enough long—range artillery. nice to meet you, ursula. what a pleasure to see you. you are welcome. meanwhile, in the capital kyiv, president zelensky was welcoming the head of the european commission and arguing the eu's future depended on letting ukraine into its ranks. translation: all of europe is a target for russia, - we are sure of it, and ukraine is just the first stage in this aggression. this is why a positive eu response to the ukrainian application for membership can be a positive answer to the question of whether the european project has a future at all. the commission's decision

yes, crimea, donetsk, and luhansk, are all ukraine. >> ukrainian ambassador to the united states, oksana markarova, i appreciate your time, thank you so much madam ambassador. >> thank you very much. >> up next, a stunning report on the republican plane to challenge the results of future elections in this country. that is straight ahead, stay with us. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ it's spring! claritin provides non-drowsy symptom relief from over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens, day after day. feel the clarity— and make today the most wonderful time of the year. live claritin clear. this is koli. my foster fail (laughs). when i first started fostering koli i had been giving him kibble. it never looked or felt like real food. but with the farmer's dog you can see the pieces of turkey. it smells like actual food. i saw a difference almost overnight. healthy poops, healthy dog, right? as he's aged, he's still quite energetic and youthful. i really attribute that to diet. you know, he's my buddy. my job is to keep my buddy safe and happy. ♪♪ get started at longlived

as you know, the luhansk area is the industrial heartland of ukraine. and the russians are bringing it to the ground. the focus of their attacks for the last several weeks now have been on the eastern front. they have concentrated most of those attacks on two towns. severodonetsk, which is the capital of the luhansk region, and its twin town on the other side of the riverbank, lychee sank's. if the battle for these two cities, that's with it's shaping the outcome of this war. that is why you are seeing such intense street fighting in severodonetsk. house by house, the ukrainian commanders are saying that the only time there is a low in the shelling is when the russians are reloading their weapons. it is with those shelves that the russians have taken out two bridges connecting severodonetsk and let's see shanks, and now they're targeting a third bridge to the ukrainian -- silicone cranes cannot get arms, ammunition to carry on fighting the russians. >> it's these fights that the russians are putting up, pushing the ukrainians back into smaller pockets o

the headlines: in eastern ukraine, the governor of the luhansk —— severodonetsk has been taken by the russians, a chemical plant has been hit. the prosecutor of the international criminal court has described ukraine as a crime scene, where they will be carrying out the biggest ever investigation. one week after the horrific school shooting in texas, our correspondent hears from parents who lost their daughter. cheering. after more than two months of full lockdown, shanghai eases its covid restrictions. and bts, the wildly popular south korean k—pop group, visits the white house to speak about the growth in anti—asian hate crimes in america. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. . it's 8:00 in the morning here in singapore, and 3:00am in ukraine, where it's reported that a russian air strike has hit a chemical plant in the embattled city of severodonetsk, releasing a cloud of dangerous gas. residents have been told to stay in bomb shelters to avoid the fumes. the ukrainians say russian forces now control most of severodonetsk, the main focus of the russ

you will see the liberation of all the donetsk and luhansk 0blast. that will hopefully take place soon. you ask me what the plan is. the plan was... the initial plan, the aims of the operation were announced publicly. that was neutrality of ukraine, demilitarisation and denazification of the country. and the liberation of donbas was the primary goal, which is being implemented at the moment. is russia going to stop using conscripts in this war? vladimir putin promised back in march that it wasn't happening. a day later, the russian defence ministry admitted it was happening. and the bbcjust last month spoke to a mother of two young sons, both of them conscripts who ended up fighting in ukraine. is that going to stop or not? there were reports in the beginning of the conflict, of the special military operation, that, indeed, there were a few conscripts that were in the army, not the people who served their own contracts. and that was immediately rectified. i do not know about any new cases of conscripts being sent to ukraine. but i know that zelensky

of the luhansk region, 100 and -- the governor of the luhansk region set a couple of days ago, the russians were in control of about 70% of that region. this morning he issued another statement saying the tightest slightly changed into ukraine's favor. and recaptured some of the key positions in severodonetsk. further west in the jonas region, the russians have also been hitting that area with heavy artillery. a monastery calls fire caught fire in that region. i'm centuries old monastery caught fire. and is raging. on president zelenskyy said about 300 people, were sheltering in the monastery, 60 of them are children. he says that four people have been killed in that monastery fire. four others have been very severely injured. once again, we are seeing that the russians are making very little distinction between civilian targets and military positions. as this battle continues with very little and insight. reverent. >> nbc's ali arouzi, thank you for that reporting. coming up, after falsely accusing democrats of planting poll workers to sway the 2020 presidential election, new reporting sug

yes, crimea, donetsk, and luhansk, are all ukraine. >> ukrainian ambassador to the united states, oksana markarova, i appreciate your time, thank you so much madam ambassador. >> thank you very much. >> up next, a stunning report on the republican plane to challenge the results of future elections in this country. that is straight ahead, stay with us. try. that is straight ahead, stay - [female narrator] they line up by the thousands. each one with a story that breaks your heart. with us. brought her pain. their only hope: mercy ships. the largest floating civilian hospital in the world. bringing free surgeries to people who have no other hope. $19 a month will help provide urgently needed surgery for so many still suffering. so don't wait, call the number on your screen. or donate at mercyships.org. ♪ got my hair got my head ♪ introducing new one a day multi+. a complete multivitamin plus an extra boost of support for your immunity, brain, and hair, skin & nails. new one a day multi+. imagine having to use the wrong tool at your job. (upbeat music) - let's get into the numbers. - wh

luhansk region important because it's half of donbas. the russians say they want the whole of donbas as a military priority. so once they establish full control, it will be a big political win for moscow, because it can say, you know, look, we've achieved 50% of our aim. but the fight has been, you know, very dirty, literally. we've seen these images of a massive plume of orange smoke billowing over the battlefield, after a chemical plant came under attack. both sides blaming one another. it's also been a scene of fierce fighting, as well, with the ukrainians making sure that the russians pay as high a price as possible militarily to gain control over that city. so, a very nasty struggle for that town, indeed. there's been fighting elsewhere in the region as well, but particularly, the counteroffensive that's been taking place to the south of the country. as russia has been focusing much of its resources to achieve that political and military win in severodonetsk, the ukrainians have been taking advantage of possible vulnerabilities to t

but they have made quite a slow but steady progress in luhansk. but the donetsk region is sort of where the battles may be shifting now. >> and general mccaffrey, there's a couple of really tough trigger points. one is odesa which now, according to reuters at least today, has been hit with some rocket fire, taking out a warehouse. a wood warehouse. where do you see this going if this becomes a length war of attrition as the u.n. secretary-general suggested this weekend it might well be? >> i'm probably an outlier. i disagree that this is longer run. this will be a strategic disaster for russia. putin has inadequate infantry, and intensifying russians to sending their sons to this war. they're only volunteers, not conscripts. i don't think you can keep it up in terms of military, manufacturing and smart munitions. in the short run, ukraine's in great peril. this has turned into a world war i battle slash of artillery forces. so we've got clearly the coalition of willing organized by the u.s. european command more artillery in there, high-range rock

almost all of the luhansk region is in moscow's control. russia's gains are relatively small, but the cities they now occupy won't be easily retaken, and that is why ukraine is asking for help to do more than simply be on the defensive. one wish has been granted by the us — precision—guided missiles, which can travel up to 45 miles — with a condition. the ukrainians have given us assurances that they will not use the systems against targets on russian territory. there is a strong trust bond between ukraine and the united states, as well as with our allies and partners. the kremlin has described kyiv�*s request for weapons as a provocation to bring the west into this war. ukraine has long seen them as crucial for its survival. james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. let's talk to our russia editor, steve rosenberg, in moscow. so these new advanced weapons systems that america has promised ukraine, how much is this going to escalate the conflict?— escalate the conflict? well, you will not be _ escalate the conflict? well, you will not

then you have the region around kherson. >> translator: so are you talking about donetsk and luhansk. i don't have this information about kyiv. the territories are acknowledged as sovereign states. they are referendums, as i said, reflecting the will of the people. >> if the russian president says what's going on in ukraine is taking back land that is intrinsically russian land and strengtsenning that land, can you please explain to me what does that mean, where does it end, and is that not a violation of international law? >> translator: you say i don't answer your question. you just don't like the way i answer it. i am answering it. perhaps it clashes with your vision. america says they are exceptional, and we said, this concept is wrong. but i can tell you that the u.s. troops are now in syria. nobody asked them to come. >> so, as the spokeswoman for russia's foreign ministry. meanwhile, anderson, the former president of this country, dmitry medvedev, questioned whether ukraine would be on the world map two years from now. the russians certainly not backing down. and one of the thi

they would have to take the —— cross the river and take luhansk which is not easy. river and take luhansk which is not eas . ~ :, :, river and take luhansk which is not eas . ~ :, ., ., easy. another warning from the un secretary-general _ easy. another warning from the un secretary-general about _ easy. another warning from the un secretary-general about food - secretary—general about food security. with so much ukrainian grain in silo, what are the prospects of getting it out of the country? i prospects of getting it out of the count ? ~ :, , , country? i think really quite slim, it seem, country? i think really quite slim, it seem. so _ country? i think really quite slim, it seem, so they _ country? i think really quite slim, it seem, so they are _ country? i think really quite slim, it seem, so they are getting - country? i think really quite slim, | it seem, so they are getting some out through road and rail, but really you can't match the quantity that would have normally been got out via sea, but the problem is at the moment ukrainian ships can't leave, because of a russian block

the territories of donetsk and luhansk are acknowledged as sovereign states. they're referendums reflecting the will of the people. >> if the russian president says what's going on in ukraine is taking back land that is intrinsically russian land and strengthening that land, can you please explain to me what does that mean, where does it end, and is that not a violation of international law? >> you say i don't answer your question. you just don't like the way i answer it. i am answering it. perhaps it clashes with your vision. america said they are exceptional and we said this concept is wrong. but i can tell you that the u.s. troops are now in syria. nobody asked them to come. >> so there you have the spokeswoman for the russian foreign ministry. that was actually just part of the exchange we had in total, that went on for at least ten minutes, maybe more, going back and forth. but certainly, the sense that we got, and that you get on the ground here, is that right now at this point in time, the russians certainly not looking to change course in what they're

luhansk region important because it's half of donbas. the russians say they want the whole of donbas as a military priority. so once they establish full control over severodonetsk, will be a big political win for moscow because they can say look, we achieved, you know, 15% of , 50% of that aim, but the fighting has been dirty. we've seen images of a massive plume of orange smoke billowing over the battle field after a tactical bomb gin a chemical plant under attack, both sides blaming each other. ukrainians also making sure the russians pay as high a price as possibility militarily to gain control of that city, so a very nasty struggle for that town, indeed. there's been fighting elsewhere in the region as well, but particularly, the counter-offensive that's been taking place to the south of the country. as russia has been focusing much of its resources to achieve that political and military win in severodonetsk, the ukrainians have been taking advantage of possible vulnerabilities to the south and trying to reclaim territory with some s

they say russia is likely to control all of the whole of the luhansk region, donbas, within two weeks. when up look at what's happening on the ground, do you think this is accurate, that russia is making these sorts of gains? >> well, i really do. i think the british intelligence is about right, but i think it's important to understand that the fight is for the entire donbas. the russian separatist pretty well control hluhansk so i thin it's important the battles are taking place showing the russians are gaining a bit, but i don't think this is going to end up being a strategic victory for the russians if they take luhansk back because the real goal is to take the entire donbas and they're nowhere near doing that now. >> that, of course, is the big point, zelenskyy saying russia controls 20% of ukraine. to anyone listening, that sounds like a lot. it is a lot. double to what they had claims pri to have the invasion, when they had just parts of the donbas and crimea. so you spent time with the general, commander in chief of the armed forces. what is his state of mind right now? >> well

the governor of luhansk said once they get that they can push the russians away from the front line. of course, those weapons are not going to be on the battlefield for at least three weeks, until the ukraine yians are fully trad on them. so it will be an intense fight from now to those three weeks and we'll have to see what happens once the ukrainians get those rockets. >> threats made by vladamir putin, are they greeting those threats with a shrug, with concern, what would you say? >> reporter: they're certainly concerned about them, especially given that they hit kyiv yesterday as well, right after he had made those threats. it's been over a month since they hit kyiv and then they sent a message out here. you talked to ukrainians. they say look, we're pretty sure once those rockets come onto the battlefield, the russians are going to want to make a point. they're going to want to hit areas they haven't hit before. that's something vladamir putin warned he would do. given the strikes yesterday, it's likely kyiv would bear the brunt of some of those hits in the very least. so they a

almost all of the luhansk region is in moscow's control. russia's gains are relatively small, but the cities they now occupy won't be easily retaken. that is why ukraine is asking for help to do more than simply be on the defensive. one wish has been granted by the us. precision guided missiles which can travel up to 45 miles, with a condition. travel up to 45 miles, with a condition-— travel up to 45 miles, with a condition. ~ . ., , ., condition. the ukrainians have given us assurances _ condition. the ukrainians have given us assurances that _ condition. the ukrainians have given us assurances that they _ condition. the ukrainians have given us assurances that they will - condition. the ukrainians have given us assurances that they will not - condition. the ukrainians have given us assurances that they will not use | us assurances that they will not use these systems against targets on russian territory. there is a strong trust bond between ukraine and the united states, as well as with our allies and partners. the united states, as we

the two oblasts, luhansk — which is nearly captured apart from this tiny pocket of resistance around severodonetsk — and another cityjust over the water, and then donetsk. but even in donetsk, the trenches i visited injanuary, in a place called avdiivka, which is a few miles away from donetsk, still they are fighting over this tiny little place which they captured and were then pushed out of in 2014. they are still fighting now. the russians haven't managed to capture even that. so, it's still a war, and wars can go on a long time, but there is still a huge amount to play for which is why western support is so important to back ukraine properly, which still, really, some countries are not doing. jeffrey, on that, ian was talking about the mood starting to change — do you detect that in canada, the united states? well, i think right now, the obsession is on the january the sixth hearings in the us. if you look at the american newspapers and newscasts right now, it's all about did trump commit treason? can he go to trial, etc? it's natural — we know this as journalists and as con

we heard from the governor of the luhansk region that his forces were making a tactical withdrawal. yesterday we got this remarkable news that there was a counteroffensive by ukrainian troops and they now appear to have taken back after the city. this was confirmed this morning by british military intelligence who say that the russian invasion at this point has stalled. as ever with these things, it is difficult to get accurate information. we have to listen to both sides and try and make a judgment, but if it is the case that the russian invasion has stalled, they can't even take this first city on in their temp two take the rest of the donbas, it would make you think that they will really struggle to achieve their objective of taking over the whole of the donbas. tens of thousands of british travellers are stranded at airports across europe by an estimated 200 flight cancellations over the weekend. many of them are families hoping to return home after half—term holidays. more than 100 flights to and from the uk were cancelled on saturday by a combination of staff shortage and ai

but this will not feel like liberation to many in luhansk. they region is in ruins. and ukrainian troops still hold the city of lysychansk. the ukrainians are now putting their hopes in new equipment from the west, especially these — himars, long—awaited precision launchers. they are said to finally be on the front lines, although too late for severodonetsk. joe inwood, bbc news, kyiv. figures just out show another increase in covid infections in the uk. more than 1.7 million people had the virus last week. our health editor hugh pym is here. another big rise in the numbers. how concerning is this? yes, ben, another significant increase yes, ben, anothersignificant increase picked up by the ons, the household survey, seen as the most accurate guide to what is going on. let's look at the may number in terms of infections in the uk last week. there were 1.7 million people in the uk estimated to have got the virus. that was an increase on the previous week of around 22%. now, that increase is quite a big increase but we should bear in mind that there was quite a big

, as russia steps up its bombardment of key cities in eastern ukraine, including lysychansk, in the luhansk region. the ukrainian government says the city could soon be cut off by the invading forces. the international energy agency has warned that europe needs to prepare for the possibility that russia may cut off gas supplies completely this coming winter. the head of the agency says he believes russia is strategically reducing supplies now to prevent european countries from stockpiling gas. now on bbc news, in a new series of take me to the opera, zeinab badawi travels to la scala in milan, italy, to follow four young singers as they are put through their paces. i have been an opera fan for decades and i want to share my passion with you. so i am on a mission to find out how opera is making itself fit for the future. i have come to italy, the home of opera, and to its leading opera house, la scala in milan. every aspiring opera singer dreams of performing here. i am meeting four young opera hopefuls reaching for the stars as they train at the prestigious la scala academy. i had to come t

russian troops are pushing into the last ukrainian stronghold in the eastern region of luhansk. the main road into the city likely remains under ukrainian control. it says russia continues to make steady local gains and enable heavy concentration of artillery. the british report also says russian forces are preparing to cross donetsk to advance into the neighboring region of donetsk. they sustained losses and need short tactical factual caupause for river crossing. they could lose some of the momentum they felt over the past week. meanwhile, ukrainian forces are stepping up in the southern region of kherson. russia claims the whole region under control. on wednesday, ukrainian state media quoted the governor assaying 20 districts in the north had been liberated. earlier in week, state media quoted a senior official, ukrainian forces have advanced 8 to 10 meters around kherson. the institute for the study of war says russia's concentration in seizing the eastern region continues to increase vulnerable iti ties in the kherson region. occupiers cut power supplies and cables. they'r

i spent six years in sievierodonetsk in the luhansk area. and for me, it's intensely difficult to watch. everything that i knew there be destroyed or occupied and placed under a regime of intense ideological pressure and terror by russian occupying force. >> he spoke with me a short time ago. >>> a dangerous heat wave is affecting much of the u.s. this weekend. we'll get the details from the cnn weather center, plus city officials in rome are waging war against electric s scooters. that's ahead. stay with us. provides an ununn on 24 hour dried-on stains. skip the rinse with finish to save our water. hi. i'm wolfgang puck when i started my online store wolfgang puck home i knew there would be a lot of orders to fill and i wanted them to ship out fast that's why i chose shipstation shipstation helps manage orders reduce shipping costs and print out shipping labels it's my secret ingredient shipstation the number 1 choice of online sellers and wolfgang puck go to shipstation.com/tv and get 2 months free do you have a life insurance policy you n

it was one of the last strongholds rather in the luhansk region, part of the wider donbas region and one of president putin's major goals here is to claim that territory. allow him to form land bridge to allow him to grab more territory that he claims is russian and not ukrainian. so, brute force here, land grab, that you're seeing in severodonetsk and those ukrainian troops are pulling back to the sister city where again ukrainian forces are outmanned, outgunned. doesn't look like they can hold that city much longer. leaving president putin one step closer of the wider goal of taking donbas. there's civilians caught the mid of this, of course. over 7,000 of them in severodonetsk. no clear way to pull them out. the main roads and bridges destroyed or inaccessible, so fears and concerns for them. moscow is also claiming they have been able to encircle 2,000 ukrainian troops so potentially you could have a mass prisoner of war situation there if that claim is true. and, yes, as these g7 leaders meet, they have to recognize that the ukrainian military simply cannot stand up to russia's