polity most as to come, i cannot describe my feeling when i returned and played in the old city despite all dish, there's a hope of happiness that the city will come back in my favorite melody was composed while i was the refugee and turkey. no, i completed it in muscle and called it ashes. now, how it is played by the orchestra? much of the old city remains the ruin 5 years after i saw was crushed hair. but from the ashes, people here hope of a future in tune did morrison's former glory from a job with other fear, most of old city. ah, this is our desert, these your top stories, as, as of people, as stranded in the ukrainian port, city of merrier poll, that's being bombarded by russian forces as they try to seize control. several buildings have been reduced to rubble with russian troops now reportedly approaching the city center. ukrainian president vladimir zalinski has spoken in

the last hour and as again called meaningful peace and security talks with moscow, nevada's patrol issue, but truly also blue muscular. you know, this is time to me out this, this is the time to speak of stuff just time to restore territorial integrity and justice for ukraine induction. otherwise, the losses of russia will be such that you won't have any resources to get up after that ukrainian capital. keith has also been hit by russian selling part of a russian miss our, his residential building in padilla ski district of the city magin decrease have been searching for survivors in the wreckage. several russian rockets have hit an aircraft maintenance plant near the airport in the western city of live city is so far escape the worse if the bombardment seen elsewhere in ukraine. it has become a safe haven for refugees fleeing parts of the country that have come under russian assault. us president joe biden has warned his chinese counts apologizing,

paying that there will be consequences if beijing provides material support to russian forces, attacking e cray. the lead a spike on the phone for nearly 2 hours. china has so far, refused to condemn russia's invasion of household, a dialogue. we have a range of tools that could be considered and sanctions are certainly one tool in the toolbox. i'm as they are for other countries as well, even if we as we have not outline specific consequences and we'll, we'll communicate those directly to china. and of course, with our european partners and counterparts. russell president vladimir putin as prize the moon ukraine as a success said a concert in moscow. he appeared before lodge crowds who gathered to celebrate 8 years since russia alex crania. as your headline news continues off the inside story counter feet blue cheap them sometimes dangerous copies of the real thing have been found all over the world. i mean,

even the most expensive premium products. it's a secretive and deadly multi $1000000000.00 business. we found one problem was about one 3rd or stay in a in us, which was just an incredible finding. during raids on one of the most notorious mafia gangs in calabria, italian police found consignments of fake olive oil made from industrial lubricants that were being exported to the united states. the main thing that we do when we carry out criminal investigations is to reconstruct the money flow and the flow of goods and connect these together. it office breeds does profits that are easy to make and hard to ignore. perhaps it means that all of us should be a little more vigilant about what we put on our plates. as russia is war in ukraine, stoles, russia, messiah and artillery continue to bombard several cities,

but none have been captured after almost a month of fighting. so what is the kremlin military strategy and can it's objectives be achieved? this is inside story. ah hello and welcome to the program. i'm for the back table. the war in ukraine, which russia hoped, would be over within days, is now into its 4th week. russian tanks and military convoys remain at a standstill outside the capital. keith, the kremlin, has yet to capture any of ukraine's biggest cities. despite attacks by land, sea, and air. they've targeted mainly residential areas throughout the week, as well as an out ring of popular support for ukrainians, advanced weapons and aid from nato countries,

and others are helping stole russia's advance. despite the battle ground setbacks, russian president vladimir putin has shown little sign of relenting rob mcbride reports from live if. if ladyman puts in, of russia had early hopes of his russian forces, achieving magnificent victories over the ukrainian army of them being welcomed into ukrainian towns and cities or by populations. glad to see russian forces here than those hopes are quickly disappearing. just as the snows and frosts are giving way too, as spring here in eastern europe and time is not on the side of the russians, and many of the forces that came down from the north have been largely bogged down on a long columns in roads, in the north of the country, or from the south, we have more success being found by better equipped units coming up from the crimea, as that may be, are better trained and better motivated that have seen victories against ukrainian

force is falling back. but the russians have found that in the towns and cities they have taken over, they are still facing a strong resistance from people who simply do not want them there. and time is not on the side of the russians, as putin becomes more of a pariah in the eyes of the world. president j. lensky, of the ukraine. his stature seems to grow by the day. and the longer that the russian forces are bogged down the more vulnerable they are to the growing resistance and strength of the re, ukrainian military fed by recruits from home by volunteers from abroad. and of course, all now using increasing amounts of this sophisticated military hardware from the west, the anti tank missiles, the anti aircraft missiles, all of them increasingly targeted now at russian forces. rob mcbride for inside story. ah,

while sr bringing our guests for today's inside story in keys, we have alexi heron who is a professor of politics at keith mor healer academy. he's also the head of re it at the democratic initiative. foundation thinktank in london, unarmored fever, an expert on russia and duration affairs. she is also the author of through times of trouble. conflict in southeastern ukraine, explained from within and in washington dc were joined by doug crain. he is an assistant director at the eurasia center of the atlantic council that cus thinktank . welcome to your thank you for being with us on inside story alexei in key. let me start with you. if you could tell us about the situation on the ground. ah, as this conflict enters its 4th week, are we seeing a change in russia strategy since the initial invasion? well, 1st of all, i would like to, well, basically your correspondent, the describe the situation quite correctly. so rational forces stole,

they exhausted their demoralized. and in this situation, what groceries doing, they are starting to kill, to kill civilians, to shell civilian objects. and there's many evidence also a lot of the do a lot of for those, they do not spirit maternity houses. so children, hospitals, and other places they are blocking duplication corridors. they are preventing humanitarian corner boys to the besieged scene is like hurricane or muddy hooper. and actually russians were saying that they are going to liberate russian speakers . they turned around and speaking seat is light car, you and money who pull in a total in destroy, it boomed and destroyed. so this isn't that now over russia to intimidate doing them, it being severest to intimidates a vest,

to intimidate ukraine and to intimate the as a world community, it was the threat of nuclear war. right? so by the way, i would like i would like to have, excuse me, i would like to actually, while i'm talking to use it is a alarm. so people, it's necessary for people to go to a bomb shelter. and about 2 days ago i residential place, just one kilometer from me, was hit by russians near i did there the end and that the bombings have been it could have become frequent in recent days. in keith, as we seen and heard my correspondence on the ground. lexi, thank you for telling us about the situation there. russia has denied, of course targeting civilians. let me come to you and i am at viva. in then, a british military intelligence has said, russia's invasion has largely stoled on all fronts, with russian forces making minimal progress on land sea or in recent days. but

president putin has again denied this, saying that the operation is going to plan well. what is the reality of the situation as you see it? yes, i would like to say i'm torn exceed out. i have a full support and sympathy with light and we are of course, very sad and choked with so please accept them as kind of hotmail. i was all to, to think it is a little of what, you know, the past present the brief rat he come up mountain the old address. leave some people on the day when that is this huge concert in moscow showing so that, that it's yeah. what, what does it actually, you know, my strategy has been so he has present the brain from, it's not it's out of question,

but i don't think that we can make any final assessments and say that this is something which is definite. normally they would have been several bethel plants, several operations, maybe some of them would be more believe to go with a little bit of a minute for a precious some of it was more kind of combination and so with would become pool or assault. so put in a has chosen the high risk strategy, but he does not mean the alice strategies don't exist. what does normal pattern of behavior is 1st, to pissed, the opponent, but need to calculate that only economical whatever means, way for a spawns. it will only this response, pause, and then take the next step. now we're seeing that kind of pause and hulu ation stage. he is also thinking how things would progress before the

next kind of strategy, p activate ok. so i, you say we're in the pause and evaluation phase of this, a russian strategy, doug crane. what are your thoughts? well, what do you make of this strategy? we're seeing a shift towards a great, a use of artillery and miss on strikes. again, city such as chris on car cave and mary paul of course, which has been besieged. what does that say to you about? what is to come next in the conflict? sure, thank you. and in 1st i want to echo anissa words alexi. i wish you nothing but at safety right now, and i hope that you're ok. it's incredible that you're joining us as air raid sirens are going around you. i wish you nothing but safety as, as for russia strategy right now, it seems like what alexi had mentioned before the attempt to intimidate ukrainians with massive bombardment and shelling of cities and civilian targets is spot on. i think that we can all recognize by now that ukrainians are not going to surrender

to russian domination. so even if russian forces were a bit more effective in their campaigns and were able to seize major cities like yours, i think that we can see now they would not be able to hold them so easily. we already see and see like your son, where occupiers are being met by demonstrators ukrainian operations forces us special operations forces are also waging a significant operations. you know, they recently rescued the captured merit, political and, and freed him. so these attempts to bomb civilian targets such as the mario ball feeder, which was bomb, does this week, where 1000 civilians whiting there. these are attempts to try to talents of ukrainian people and physically eradicate any resistance, right? we'll see though that, that, that's not going to be so effective. i not say the strength of the ukrainian resistance. i certainly caught many people by surprise, including the russians. what do you think has worked to their advantage?

well, look, this is surprise only for those who, who do not know ukraine didn't for there is also a pull in the ukraine who didn't follow events in the ukraine and who was so called fortune understand us believe the those who believed in the russian mis boat everything which was done by russia since 2014. because a, you know, ukrainian better. it grew in 2014 after 1st russia ukraine. and let me in mind that, that set time ukraine was thought of a non block country official and russia. wally the agreement, so it increased ukrainian patriotism which includes not only ukrainians, but also ethnic russians or jews. and as it groups which are in the ukraine, so also bulls,

shoulds of ukrainians are going to resist agreeing. an army was significantly transformed since 2014, but put in apparently he didn't want to believe it. you know, this is a system of the decision making in the ship state. nobody is willing to submit him or to heal situation on the ground. so put a miscalculate, he saw the us, he saw the ukrainians, would be happy to meet the russian soldiers. he misunderstood and miscalculated ukrainian, army ukrainians to side. and he also miscalculated for international support to ukraine as well. right. interesting. you say that i know you said before that we are in the past about a past phase of this strategy. now the russian strategy, do you think we are going to see a significant shift of this strategy moving forward and well the ukrainians be able

to maintain an active defensive military effort which have been able to do so until now? well, the last part of your question is really, i think has been answered by on it. say, i can tell you from my perspective, we need to take the peace negotiations. direct. nish talks between ukrainian and rational. seriously, we should not dismiss them. we should not be treating them with skepticism or put in as all was a lie, it all was in the end and in some kind of peace deal. this soon. it and some peace deal. the better for the people of your credit. so full support for negotiations, they have been hopeful was for both science. we do not want to corbin too much of them, let them do their job. we'd need to take it seriously. they probably

have to be some compromised cranial slave as well. so let but a little so happening. i mean, the bombardment continues a seizure variable continue, so it's hard not to be skeptical about whether the talks can achieve anything. i have a different goals and i studied conflicts and was for almost 30 years of my profession like we bill not have that kind of ideal piece which comes from yes. everybody comes down sitting down to the decision table, takes out there. know they are going out, that's kind of what you're really making up. there was no real piece comes out of the what it comes from within the war. and that's if we look at was if you got sloppy, how croatia and so they made peace. well through the force of arms, yet craner, so have to be displaced, lead here,

but india to come to make peace. and this piece is lucky. so should not be trying to say that this will be so kind of priest team, please deal. we're every will be, is one of the civilized will each other? well, all just sit down according it will be a massive groups. ok, well, not a message. well, let's take a look at rushes, recent military operations and how they compared to this current one in ukraine, russia's entry into serious civil war in 2015. for example. our help turned the tide in president bush halifax, favor. russian force has relied heavily on intense bombing and indiscriminate air attacks against residential areas. in 1999 russian forces invaders chechnya for the 2nd time in 5 years, then they shifted towards greater use of artillery and messiah strikes against major cities. and they also cut off supply lines between cities. the capital of grossey was leveled in the fighting 20 years earlier. the then soviet union invaded

neighboring afghanistan in an attempt to reinforce a new pro soviet regime in cavil. the soviets counted on a short term military operation, but never sent enough soldiers to deal with stiff resistance by afghans and thousands of foreign fighters. a dog. let me come to you and ask you about, ah, you know, the scale of russia's military involvement in, in ukraine compared to a, 1st of all the entire capacity of russian forces. and compared to these recent conflicts without syria or even going as far back as the afghanistan war. how has russia fed? what, what is different this time around for? so this warren, ukraine is perhaps more similar to soviet involvement in afghanistan and russia's wars in chechnya. then compared to involvement and syria, it's similar to syria in the fact that they are leveling cities and committing serious atrocities against civilians. but it's different from that because the,

you know, syria did not have such major ground campaigns from the russian forces or afghan to stand in. chechnya were long grinding wars against insurgencies. eventually that lasted for years and, and sucked up a major drain from a mosque. s forces. this is something that unfortunate while, while it's still very early in ukraine, this war is only entered it's 4th week. now, i think that all indications point to that this is something that could stretch on for quite some time. we've already seen that russia's forces are inadequate for what they're trying to accomplish in ukraine. that's why syria is sending something like 40000 syrian troops to assist them. russia is trying to bully belushi and forces into joining them. rushes, asking reportedly china for ammunition for food because the food that it's centered soldiers into war with some of it expired decades ago to know that russian forces

were wholly unprepared for what they're finding here. i think that they expected something maybe more similar to what the us experienced in afghanistan as it withdrew the taliban. last year, swept rapidly across the country, the government fled, and the government flaps and the taliban quickly swept into power. that seems like something that the russians may have expected here. unfortunately, it's not the reality improved seriously miscalculated, ah, i, your thoughts about, they say, do you agree? is russia repeating the same mistakes as it did in past operations, whether in afghanistan or awfully? yes, and now i think the 1st thing is it's too early a to dismiss our effort on me and the fire power. so the grouping they can to supply. so let us kind of not saying that they're defeated in kind of a 30 days lease. yes. yeah, but i have been to afghanistan, 2 girls made tour and they pulled the homes. what can syria, what the chechnya has seen these places and talked to people who actually lived

a little bit was so a bit of kind of hand hands on experience there. to some extent they were all quite different. the away chess now was horrible miscalculation, but remember, the russian army at that time was a cost group army and they sent into battle field. a lot of completely i'm experienced and unwilling. once good. there was also a big opposition within russia and within the russian military to the company. yep . okay. in that they would not the really quite sent ground troops. so the only way little tactic was too warm, grossly from the ear. ok out sick when it was different because russia started involvement in for a liberal only towards the end of 2016 when the war was on already ranging for

4 years. and there were multiple actors in walk in. it is also a, so a lot of difference as you say, and let me come to your legacy how the tactic used in syria western circle and besieged rebel held areas and pound them from the air and from artillery batteries any any, and exhaust really that the defenders and any civilians who had managed to escape this is not quite what we're seeing yet in ukraine, but how long if it is the case, how long will the ukrainians be to hold on as long as nests? again, if we mentioned even you know, worst case scenario and it's really difficult for me to imagine that you will surrender, but we will continue fight. you know, there's no question about citizen decisiveness of people. you know, also were recently pulls held in ukraine. 90 percent are supporting the

government, 85 percent or is going to take arms to defend the current. so let me compare this conference. i will give you the figures. ok, so in 10 years war in afghanistan to soviet union lost 15000 soldiers, 15 souls. okay, now according to ukrainian official statistics, russia lost the see. justin city. ok, maybe ukrainian statistics is a little bit higher. americans, east americans are talking about $77000.00 soldiers killed russian soldiers at minimum. minimal. ok so, but you can compare 15000 for 10 years in the canister, and let's take 7000 in 3 weeks down. this 7000 is more

then z u. s. last in again. and for 20 years. so the losses which are os or her curse. i incredible ration never, never had such losses as a gown. okay, so the statistics of course would be denied by russia. let me ask all 3 of you. one last round of question. everything is denied every single night, but of course russia is not waging war against the green and there are shades not getting civil. ok, not that bad, but let's, let's say i'm, so let me ask you a final round of question to each one of you. we have very little time left. let me start with you, doug. what are the possible scenarios for, for the outcome of the battle? will russia be able to gain full control of ukraine? i think there's 2 options here that could really happen. first put in,

if he was smart, he would recognize that there is no political victory to be had in ukraine that ukrainians are more motivated to win this war than the russian soldiers are. and they're more willing to go farther than the russians if he was wise and wanted to preserve his rule. he would end this war, he would stop the killing. he would try to save the world. you know what, you put these sanctions on russia and isolated us because of this war i've ended the war with these sanctions must bring companies back to russia and you'll try to preserve his rule that way. and actually, i don't think that's what coons going to do. okay, i could put you your thought, sorry, running out of time, i apologize for interrupting you. i know your thoughts. what do you see as a possible outcome of this conflict? so put in this is not a war on about ukraine. this is put in confrontation with the west. it depends what kind of concessions the west is prepared to give him. and if the west gives him

something, which will sort of set this by him, then ukraine will span. if not, we're going to see a very lovely and very distraught and possibly what local bait. ok, and i think it's a battle with the west alexi you. hi, chris black, you know, thank you and i thank you for that. next bill you have the last word. how does this? and so here here i totally disagree was my russian gold book because it's not the same with russia service. it's not the result of come from dish. quoting says this crazy deal to crash. you agree? because result, ukraine, you cannot restore some kind of the soviet union or the rational employer. so point in the saying that ukrainians do not exist as a separate nation, that ukrainian state is for you. so he would like to crush you agree? we're going to defer. and i seen it adds and those to be put in will

be, it would be necessary for him to, to withdraw. he cannot win school, you know, he cannot win. ok, thank you so much. thank you for your thoughts on this very interesting discussion program. alexey her on on. i'm a driver, kane, thank you for joining us and, and thank you for watching. you can always watch this program again any time by visiting our website at al jazeera dot com for further discussion. go to our facebook page at facebook dot com forward slash ha inside story. you can of course, also join the conversation on twitter handle is that a j inside story from mutually back to bring the whole team? thanks for watching bye for now. argentina's world life is being jeopardized by industrialized agriculture and

uncontrolled cattle grazing to reasonable takes you want a journey into the e better national park to explore what's being done to protect nature and meet some of those determined to work on. we wilding argentina, talk to al jazeera in the field, examining the headline. what is the situation there right now? it's worse than any kind of night that you could have a good read, unflinching journalism. what is it telling us about india? it's telling us that we're going down a very, very being restored sharing personal stories with a global audience. here i am meeting with people sharing the same struggles. sharon, same stories, explore an abundance of world cloth programming on al jazeera. it is murdered. when you throw a fire bomb in to someone's home and the sheets long, fresh with, you know, a not insignificant in numbers got insignificant ideologically the insignificant,

even as a crime getting very significant. by the do you think the government's a defacto policy? thou shalt not kill part of the radicalized youth series. on al jazeera i, molly, inside and doha year. top stories on al jazeera, russian forces are advancing in marty pole in south east and ukraine. the black sea ports has been surrounded for weeks and has endured a relentless bombardment. stephanie decker reports from above. mary appalled. looks like it's had the life sucked out of it. people's homes now frozen in time, eerie carcases, of war, and on the ground. even the dead get no.