. i'm aaron burnett. this is cnn. >> hello and welcome to our viewers in the united states and of course all around the world. i'm rose mary church.

>> and erroll burnett. coming in this hour. tough new sanctions against russia. >> a choice that russia and president putin in particular has made. >> why some now believe that russia hasn't been more isolated since the end of the cold war. also ahead. >> well the area around here seems to be completely abandoned. right now amid all the destruction there doesn't seem knob any signs of life. >> a rare look inside gaza, a city devastated by weeks of the israeli air strikes. you heard a brief clip. u.s. president barak obama says it's not a new cold war but a effort to make russia realize that ukraine has the right to determine its own future. >> and they have announced the toughest sanctions yet on

russia, punishment for its support of rebel forces in eastern ukraine. white house correspondent reports. >> reporter: the u.s. with europe ratchets up the pressure on russia. >> the united states is imposing new sanctions in key sectors of the russian economy, energy arms and finance. we're blocking the exports of the specific goods and technologies to the russian energy sector, expanding sanctions to more banks and defense companies and formally suspending credit to russia and financing for development projects in russia. >> the administration today clear this condemnation of russian's actions. >> they have displayed appalling disregard for human dean decency. >> as russia continues even know to move heavy weaponry over the border and fire on ukraine from

russia. so instead of getting involved in the conflict economic pressure is the west's only weapon. like the u.s., europe is now frozen out certain banks. putin cronies and russia's access to technology benefitting its oil kanes. >> russian's actions in crane and the sanctions we've already imposed have made a weak russian economy even weaker. >> the white house is also adding pressure by accusing russia of violating a reagan gorbachev era arms control treaty that bans ballistic missiles. obama has written a letter to putin about it. the timing has nothing to do with ukraine but admits there are worries about those weapons been used or falling into the wrong hands. >> despite all of this just 12 days after the downing of a

passenger plane there is still talk of the diplomacy. >> it's not a new cold war it is a very specific issue regarding russia's failure to recognize ukraine can chart its own path. >> reporter: a capitol flight is a big one. a you will this investment money leaving russia. keep in mind the desired effect of all of these sanctions over a pooerd of months now is a change putin's strategy and so far that has not changed at all. michelle kah sin ski, cnn the white house. well emerging markets editor is looking at these new sanctions very close and joins us us now from abu dhabi. just how severe is this round of european sanctions compared to the two previous rounds? >> reporter: well it took about four months for the european leaders to rev up their engines and had a lot of criticism for

moving too timidly in the last four months but fair to say the third round is the most severe. led by the largest count flis europe trying to build momentum against the 28 countries of the european union. germany, france, italy and the u.k. they all have major trade recession relations with russia so this is not a simple process. let's break down what is perhaps the most severe. the financial sector. michelle talked about it. but this is addressing big state-run banks like spare bank and btb, whose ceos by the way are very close to vladimir putin. this will limit their ability to raise capital within the london and u.s. financial markets. they hold anywhere from half a trillion to three quarters of the trillion in debt or raised money if their ipos as well. also industrial target as well. the import and kpexports of the arms, dual use technology that can be used in high-tech sector

but also military. and finally targeting the energy sector as well. this is tricky for the european union because more than a third of the natural gas supplies that come in come from russia. and the state run oil company has ventures with the exxon mobile and italy and bp. bp owns 20% of the ross nef. so this is not an easy thing because of the dependency on oil. but europe finally moving ahead to get in lock step with the white house here and trying to send a signal to putin, come back to the bargaining table. we don't like what we see right now in ukraine especially. and finally here we see this one final category rosemary. the eight krone niss we're waiting to come through here. the announcement coming later from brussels but probably eight close people to putin will be

part of the sanction's regime as well. that's why we have the screen darkened right now. those who have supported the efforts in ukraine and helped finance it as well. that will come later today on wednesday. >> so a number of sanctions there. but just how much damage, john, will the sanctions inflict on the russian economy? and are there complaints coming about a loss of business? as you mentioned it was tough for you were europe to get to this point. >> i indeed. it is fair to say the sanctions if they are left this place and the european sanctions have a three month window so they can be revoked later in the autumn. but they could tip the russianchy into -- economy into recession. the russian bank -- i went back and looked at forecasts for the last 6 months. the original target was 1.5 to 2%. so the cloud so far is

undermining investment going in. and as you suggested here there's been a lot of capitol flight going out at the same time. you brought up this issue of the european companies. in the last 24 hours we saw bp and i talked about its investment into rosnef complaining about the fact if it continues it will undermine its relationship with a very large company. -- suggesting now it needs to see daylight. sales are starting to drop. volkswagen. siemens. pepsco as well. in fact it's worth noting. this is an economy that's pulled in $250 billion in foreign direct investment in the last three years alone. european and u.s. companies have gone in. and now they are looking at the political problems and saying did we make the right move? and it's fair to say that this cloud of uncertainty will probably hold back future

foreign direct investment and the big question is does it bring vladimir putin to the bargaining table. his popularity at home has never been higher. it's ranking about 80% right now because the economic sanctions have not hit his constituencies yet. but as this drags on they certainly will. >> it's going to be interesting to see the impact of these sanctionings because of course there aren't really a lot of other options at this point. >> well the fighting in eastern ukraine has now spread to donetsk, where shells struck an apartment block in the city center. >> international inspectors hoping to visit the crash site to malaysia airlines flight 17 never even made it out of donetsk on tuesday because of the violence. peyton walsh brings us up to speed. >> for inspectors trying to reach the crash site of the mh 17 this town is the major

headache. separatists hold it, but barely. wi we saw him exhausted and unsure how close the ukrainian army was encircling them. this man a looter they say seen jumping through fences. they say he ran from shooting. led away perhaps to dig the trenches. for four days oleg and his cat simone have endured the blasts. i heard a jet approaching he said. i don't know what they used to shoot but it was heavy caliber. when you hear you just run to the basement he shouts and now they bomb the peaceful people, why in? to make us run away. this apartment hit by shelling. beneath it more militants rag tag unwilling to be filmed. one told us he was fight for his town. and then quickly the quiet broke. it's getting closer. we're now hearing what sounds

like exchange of artillery beginning between two sides. it is time to move back away from here. we left along with many other locals, some on foot all now fleeing down a road the inspectors want to travel up. this, what awaited them when atried to reconnoiter the site unsuccessfully later that day. another complication, when in the city center of donetsk, the war suddenly widened. three shells hitting this apartment block at noon killing at least one. locals came to stare at signs their city was now in the firing line. this is exactly what this city of nearly a million people feared the most. that the violence swirling around it but not actually touching it has now come straight to people's homes. we don't know who fired. but militants had a base nearby. one saying that the army may have targeted that. this isn't really a military

unit though he says, we're the security service with only pistols. we try to evacuate people but we don't know when they will push the button next. even the eerie dead of night brings no solace. donetsk people hoping the night will pass. we move just north of donetsk now where we find our senior correspondent in the kharkiv. matthew, good morning you do. osce and other officials now turned back three days in a row because of the clashes near the crash site. will they make another attempt today? what will it take to at least hold the gunfire so they can at least access the crash location? >> that is a good question. and our understanding that for a fourth successive day the international investigators, the dutch and australian team here

and has been trying under the escort to get to the site will again attempt to make that journey to that area, despite the fact there's been fierce fightings, we just heard in that report raging around the area. not specifically in the crash site itself but in the towns very close to it. overnight the united states again calling on russia to use its influence with the pro russian rebels that control the crash site at the moment to allow as much unfettered access to those international investigators as well. the security situation has not allowed that so far. also it is important to remember that the ukrainian army is engaged, as we saw there, in ab offensive around those towns surrounding the crash site. and the dutch prime minister has made a call to the ukrainian president petro poroshenko asking him to halt his offensive

to allow international investigators so get access to the site as well. it seems the ukrainian military is attempting to cutoff the rebels in that donetsk region but while the fighting takes place of course it makes access difficult the not impossible. >> precisely and a big question mark how much does petro poroshenko really control as far as stability in the region. what it will take to get things to calm down long enough. we'll check in with you matthew for updates. thanks very much. we'll have much more on the malaysia airlines disaster later this hour as well. including a look at whether vladimir putin has any real influence over the rebels we just spoke of accused of shooting down the plane. but first focus on gaza with the tour of the military

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. welcome back everyone. palestinian health officials say at least 20 people were killed when israeli forces she would a school in northern gaza. it is looking into the incident and comes after hamas rejected yet another proposed cease fire. >> the u.n. says it found militant rockets stashed inside a u.n. school for a third time. >> palestinians report more than 1200 killed and 7,000 wounded in the past three weeks. u.n. saying anywhere between 70 oto 80% are civilians. israel report s reports.

among targets israel says four mosques where hamas weapons were stored. but there were many others. we toured the area and this is the report. >> reporter: crossing the boarder from israel and the destruction is everywhere. the buildings still standing seem deserted. the area seems to be completely abandoned. the only vehicles on the road it seems are ambulances that have been pre-positioned in case there is an air strike nearby and they need to get to the windows. but right now amid all the destruction there seems to be ono signs of life. firefighters can't get close enough to put out a blaze in the gaza's only power station. israeli military says it wasn't a target. >> i've gone through the air force and ground forces and haven't been able to confirm if it was idf activity.

>> without electricity many water pumps are no longer working. sewage systems too have been damaged, raw effluent is flowing into the sea. despite the israeli offensive this man still opens his small shop every day. but now he sit there is in the da dark this is not fair. we have children. hospitals need power he tells me. israelis are not human. everywhere there is long lines. especially for bread. and temp rers beginning to fray. after waiting for hours someone tried to cut in line. this man told me we want the situation to end because of our families and children. along with hamas rockets and tunnels israeli is also targeting hamas leaders. >> this is all that's left welfare the home of the most

senior hamas political leader in gaza. once a four story building reduced to rubble. known was home at the time of the air strike but the message is clear. >> and just across the road from the gaza home of the president of the mahmoud abbas a mosque was hit. the military campaign might still be far from over. >> now as the attacks rage on and the death toll mounts both sides are engaged in a public relations war. for example each side is using videos to convey respective messages. this from hamas which purports to show hamas militants raiding

a tower and killing savages. >> there is no way that cnn can authenticate the video. but it does match up with information we do know. for instance hamas claims this shows an attack on israeli soldiers by militants using a tunnel on monday. the israeli military confirms there was an attack. they say five of its soldiers were killed. hamas says it killed ten. the use of the tunnels is becoming more of a reason for the war than even the threat of rockets the rocket threat has been pretty much knocked out as a result of the success of iron dome. but the idea of the tunnels, in other words the concept that a terrorist could pop up in an israeli home really scares people here, whether it's real or not. so many israelis are very heavily backing the ongoing conflict. it is over 80% of israelis still

support what is happening inside of gaza. meanwhile israel released voold of its own leaflets being dropped. it is doing all it can to limit the civilian casualties. the leaflets say whether to stay indoors or evacuate. even something called a roof knock, a non lethal explosive that warns people that the next will be real. israel is well aware of the amount of the criticism being launch eed against this country because of the number of civili civilian. but israel is also sending a clear message to enemies. if they think they can attack israel and hide behind a civilian population to do it, israel is essentially saying they better think again. martin savage, cnn jerusalem. all right. must have more news to get to

when cnn special coverage continues. >> but first china's security chief comes under investigation. the highest ranking official targeted in an apparent corruption crackdown. this year'! 'cause it's crabfest at red lobster! dig into a succulent selection of crab entrées. like new crab lover's trio! with sweet snow crab legs, split king crab, and jumbo lump crab over savory shrimp. crab three ways! all on one plate. or try new jumbo lump crab over wood-grilled salmon. experience crabfest at red lobster today. only for a limited time. come in and sea food differently! ♪ [music] defiance is in our bones. defiance never grows old. citracal maximum. easily absorbed calcium plus d. beauty is bone deep. caman: thanks, captain obvious. wouldn't stay here tonight.

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this is new york. hey little guy, wake up! aw, come off it mate! geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance. welcome back. chinese state media report police shot at mob killing dozens of people monday. >> quite a scary story. a group described as the knife wielding gang reportedly

attacked civilians and government officers in the western region. but important to keep in mind long-standing tensions between han chinese and muslim uygurs. attacks there earlier this year killed dozens of people. >> and rocked political circles with the announcement that one time security chief is under investigation. he's the most senior figure ever caught up in a corruption probe. more on what it all means. >> in a one-sentence announcement the ruling party dropped a political bomb shell. yongkang now investigated for suspected serious disciplinary violations likely ensnard as part of a massive anticorruption drive. >> i think the significance of

the move on the part of the chinese government is that there will be a departure in a policy they have had for many years of not taking action against people of the very top of the chinese leadership. so yongkang is one of the nine top people in china and to bring him down is significant. >> he was china's security czar a powerful figure in the community. from his days heading up china's state oil industry, his immense wealth. for months close associates have been investigated by the party. president jinping promised he could target those. and now it seems he is secure enough to go after his biggest tiger yet. >> the fact he has done this shows he feels he is in a very strong position. and i certainly think xi the

strongest leader china has had sin sin since -- >> disgraced form party -- who was sentenced to life in prison last year for corruption. critics say by removing jo xi takes a political threat out of the picture. polit ti politics or not yongkang is a biggest figure to have these actions taken against him. we are going to turn back to the situation in gaza when cnn special coverage continues. and look a look at el axa tv, the message it is sending and israel's response. >> the deadliest ebola outbreak spreads to health workers and an

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welcome back to our viewers here in the u.s. and around the world. >> we want to check the head lines. the u.s. and european union has slapped russia with a top new round of sanctions. they want russian president putin to end his support for the fighting in ukraine. the new sanctions target weapons banking and economy industries. shelling in donetsk hit this apartment building and kept investigators from leaving the city. >> another cease fire rejected by the military wing of hamas. hamas wants an end to israel's military operation and blockade of gaza. zeal says it won't stop until

it's safe from the tunnels used by militants to attack israel. >> the death toll continues to rides. palestinians report more than 1200 killed and 7,000 wounded inth past three weeks. israel reports 53 killed in military operation and three civilians killed by rocket fire into israel. as the battle continues there is another fight taking place as well. this is for hearts and minds of the palestinian people. >> hamas run el axa tv is at the forefront turning out it's own brand of news calling condemnation from israel. >> el axas tv a combination of news and entertainment. the theme of hamas rising up against israel is a near constant undercurrent.

they fighters tunnel into israeli, attack and sneak back and return home as heros. this is used to broadcast messages directly interest from hamas leadership. the first encouraged people to act as quote human shields. the news anchors also toe the party line. how many children has hamas skilled? zero. how many women? zero. how many children has israel killed? over 400. how many did they hit? thousands, saying later, all the martyrs are civilians. all of them. they a began to broadcast in gaza in 2006 shortly after hamas won a landslide victory in

elections. in 2007 they garnered international scrutiny with this children's program featuring a mickey mouse like character named forfor, who was killed by an israeli interrogator. beyond the clear hamas profgd propaganda, they also broadcast from the field. often first on the scene of air strikes broadcasting some of the most searing images of this conflict. the israelis say these are propaganda, and effort for hamas to garner sympathy around the world. and part of the reason israel targets the headquarters. saying in part they were used to incite palestinians against israel. all right. we want to take you to these live pictures from gaza.

just hearing at this point you can see the smoke there. we've heard there's been a large explosion there in gaza of course. it's in the morning there and we have been watching the situation there. we've been doing this special coverage. we're showing you the information that we have regarding these air strikes and of course this ground incursion on the part of the israeli defense forces going into trying to track down these tunnels. they know there are 31 at this point. but as far as they know, the number is greater than that. from the israeli military point of view, they want to get in while they can and get rid of and destroy these tunnels. but of course the ramifications have been enormous on the ground there in gaza for the civilian population. over 1200 people now dead. a large pores portion of those civilians. so looking at the live pictures from reuters. apt this point we don't know

exactly what has been hit there but we can see there the plumes of dark smoke in the aftermath of this large explosion in gaza with these live pictures coming to you now. so we will of course endeavor to get more information and bring it to you as we cover this cycle of violence that just continues in the middle east. we've seen the possibilities of cease fires come and go. the latest cease fire on the table has been rejected by hamas military. the leader of hamas military there. and at this point the diplomatic effort continues. we know that u.s. secretary of state john kerry is there trying to find some option to put this on the table. egypt wants to play a role in this. but at this point they have been unable to do it and of course the fighting continues. and the deaths on both sides of the equation continue.

of course we know 56 israelis have died at this point. mostly israel soldiers. and then of course as we mentioned on the other side in gaza, a large civilian population has died as a result of this cycle of violence. we will continue to watch for this. all right. well for information on how you can help people on both sides of this conflict, be sure to go to our website. there we have posted detailed information on organizations which are assisting civilians caught in the violence. go to cnn.com slash impact. let's get you the latest out of libya now. militants there have stormed the special forces base in benghazi forcing solders to flee. a plane crashed in the fighting as well l t pilot was able to escape.

tripoli have seen heavy violence over the last few weeks. canada is the latest country to pull its diplomatic staff out of count country. >> and the latest on the ebola virus. a doctor leading the fight against oh bole in west africa died from the disease. dr. khan from sierra leon fell ill least week. also claimed its first american life. patrick sawyer became infected in liberia where he worked for the government, before traveling to nigeria, where he died. his journey further complicates the attempt to keep the virus spr spreading around the world. >> collapsed shortly after arriving at the airport in lay goes last week. the died on friday. now authorities are scrambling to identify other passengers who

may have come in contact with him directly or indirectly. they say it is a long list. >> we are actually looking at contacts over 30,000 people. because any and everybody that's contacted this person is going to be treat as a suspect. >> on monday authorities shut down and quarantined the hospital where sawyer died. some staff have been put in isolation. algeria also put all ports of entry on red alert. >> states and federal government are up in arms to ensure the virus does not escape and no nigerian is infected with the virus. >> homes to some 21 million people are nervous and fears the virus could spread are growing. >> certainly serious diseases are only a plane ride away but the key is to be prepared to recognize it, prevent it and contain the spread.

>> health experts say the chances ebola will reach europe or the u.s. remain small and efforts should stay focused on west africa. >> the way is to contain nit the countries at the places where people are really getting infected. >> for now nigeria is hoping they are not the next nation to see an explosion of ebola. now so far the outbreak has been centered further west in africa. talking about countries like begin ny given nooe givenny sierra leone and others. most are in guinea as you can see outlined on this map. 319 have died. and sierra leone the death toll is 224. and next to me in liberia ebola climbed 129 lives.

liberia has now closed most land borders and stepping up screenings at airports. for more on the symptoms of the virus and how it's spreading here the chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta. >> bole can start very vague. make a headache or fever. often redness in the eyes. rashes. ultimately it gets progressively more severe. abdominal pain or feeling really tired. unable to even get up out of bed. that's one of the signs that really raises suspicions. many times they have a clotting disorder where they start to bleed because the blood is not clotting. the way you know for sure is doing a blood test. and that is what's happening many places right now. the thing is you might see symptoms very quickly, within a

day or so. or it could take up to three weeks. but we know of people who were fine early in the morning and by the end of the day they were dead. ebola likely came from some wild animal. and after all these they are still not sure which. although they suspect it came from fruit bats. once it infects human being, then human beings can start to spread it from person to person. and that is not transmitted through the air. it is not something you breathe in like the flu. but it is something that can be in a small amount of body fluid. and if that is contaminated with the virus it can infect other people. it could be that people travel more than they used to when they go to capital cities with big airports. there is a lot of people in

those places. it could also be there is a distrust or a mistrust of the medical establish. so people may be less likely to get care or admit they have symptoms and less likely to get diagnosed as a result until it is too late. so i think there is a lot of things at play here. but we live in a globalized world where these infectious diseases can just spread more rapidly than ever before. we know that once somebody starts to become sick, any even minuscule microscopic amount of body fluid from that person could infect other people. there just has to be a no tolerance policy wrart to that. you have stories of family members cleaning the body even after a loved one has died and getting infected that way. that has to be stopped and that's part of education campaigns. not only with doctors going in.

but also the local doctors in these areas who are sometimes much more trusted. as far as the rest of the world goes within airplanes and other places of travel they need to implement policies where they check temperatures and ask questions before people get on a plane to reduce the risk someone with ebola gets on an international flight. but that is almost impossible to mike ironclad. it is likely we're going to see people with ebola travel to all sorts of parts of the world including the united states. that will likely happen in the world in which we live. but it is a question of making sure it doesn't continue to spread after that. >> great to hear dr. gupta walk us through some key questions and answers. it's so highly infectious and

many places in rural africa the tradition is to bury the victim quickly and before it is discovered. so it spreads very quickly. >> and how it's been reported in america is it's a plane flight away. first the u.s. and europe work up tough new sanctions for russia. >> up next a look at how the pressure may be starting to effect russian president vladimir putin. back in a moment. try alka seltzer reliefchews. they work just as fast and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. mmm. amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. man: [ laughs ] those look like baby steps now. but they were some pretty good moves. and the best move of all? having the right partner at my side. it's so much better that way.

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we've been discussing this hour new sanctions levied against russia by the u.s. and eu. they are sure to test the political capital of russian president putin. he is of course facing mounted criticism for his support of rebel forces in eastern ukraine particularly now after the

downing of the flight 17. >> he's careful cultivated a tough image abroad and at home. but who hazard the real vladimir putin? >> reporter: post mh 17 he's front page news. western media trying to get a sense yet again of just who he is. snippets of his daily routine. late breakfasts always with cottage cheese. a regular daily swim and a sweat before the power day begins. in the new yorker a tale from joe biden about this meeting. i'm looking into your eyes biden recounted and i don't think you have a soul. mr. putin's reply, we understand one another. putin's critics have long since given up anything even resembling compassion from their

president. in -- the moscow theater siege in 2002 when russian special forces killed 130 hostables che takers. these incidents quickly forgotten by a public seduced by their strongman president. when moscow annexed crimea russianed cheered. his popularity now well over 80% despite or maybe because of the dirty little war which russia purportly funds and arms in neighboring ukraine. >> i had a fear that putin lights a fire he has loses control of. these ethnicen claifs there is a rising type of the nationalism and nationalism can be a very dangerous instinct and impulls. >> so far the a strategy meat

with russian stone walling a policy putin seems to have carried over from the days with the kgb. in an interview with cnn hillary clint said russia would only understand tough action. >> if united states and europe don't present a united front i think he's the kind of man that will go as far as he can get away with it. th. i think hi's cautious much to be pushed back but there has to be a push to make that happen. >> so far seemingly happy to take his country down the path of the self isolation and risk losing face with the west. whils in eastern ukraine the battle rages. cnn moscow. >> the u.s. state of california is caught in a major drought. >> yeah and that makes this waste of water all the more pafrfpafr

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part of l.a.'s famous sunset boulevard is getting drenched. more than 30 million liters of water gushed from this busted water main near the university of california los angeles. four buildings have been flooded. authorities have rescued several people. >> this is extremely dangerous and exactly what we're afraid of. we've had somebody in the water and they got swept off their feet and with the current pushing them they got trapped under their car. so this isn't something you want to go and play and have a good time in the water. there is a lot of debris. the ground has been undermined. it's very dangerous. >> and this comes at a bad time for california. the state is in a massive and ongoing drought. last year in fact was one of the

state's driest ever. so unwelcome development there. >> yes just looks bad all that water at a time like that. and talking of water, for more on the drought situation, los angeles and world weather and parts of europe, meteorologist -- joins us now from the cnn weather center. >> pretty devastatie ining scen. as erroll touches on there. but we know 100% of the state of california this severe drought or worse at this point. and severe of course comes in second place in the scale of 1 to 4 with exceptional being the worst case scenario and 36% of the state in that exceptional drought zone. so this is the last thing you want to see when we know nearly 37 million liters of water lost here in this region. but this is polly pavilion in

los angeles. the bruins playing here. the volleyball also takes the courts across this region. the soccer stadium also taking on water. but polly stadium, from 2010 to 12, $133 million renovation was put in place here. beautiful venue and you look at the scene of course. this image snapped a few hours ago showing the damage across the region. and a lot of work to be done over the next several days. but i want to draw your attention back to the atlantic ocean. south america on the left hand corner. 70% chance for this to become tropical storm bertha in the next couple days. the likely scenario as we head to the month of august, the prevailing winds -- certainly travel plans, something worth noting waez head into late next

weekend. tracks take it off the eastern seaboard and the gulf of mexico. modest clouds across the region. look at the footage out of romania. significant flooding. we know several people reported to have lost lives. hundreds fled after these flood ourds waters around towns in romania. southwest romania where a month's worth of rainfall came down in some locations. very wet scenario. and of course a very warm setup in recent days of the rainfall totally quite impressive when you look at numbers. upwards of the 150 mm or six inches in portions of romania where about three inches came down in slovenia and other areas. leave you with incredible images here. mysterious craters to tell you

about. several craters in an unknown origin really. a lot of folks spotting them across portions the vast majority being located above the arctic circle. russian state television reporting a giant hole popped up across this region. this is a gas rich area across the peninsula. temperatures dropped to some 50 degrees below celsius or a lot of theories where the origin. some think it is missiles. others aliens or just a gas explosion. >> and you could fit a house in these holes and it is curious what is making them emerge. >> popping up above the arctic circle, absolutely. >> what do you think? >> i think gas hassing something to do it. understood ground explosions

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