hello and welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, i'm john vause. more than a week into the invasion of ukraine, it appears russia is moving into a more brutal military campaign, escalating attacks on major cities. [ siren ] air raid sirens were heard earlier in kyiv where it is now 8:00 a.m. there was at least one explosion a few hours ago on the outskirts of the capital. newly released satellite images from monday show some of the early impacts of the war. we're seeing homes with fire damage in a village north of kyiv, with craters dotting

nearby fields. a bridge there also destroyed. dense cloud cover has prevented most satellites from capturing ground images over the past few days. to the south, russian forces are finally in control of a key ukrainian city with the fall of kherson marked in red on the map here. officials there say fierce fighting left dozens dead. in the northeastern city of kharkiv, russian strikes hit at least three schools tuesday. there have not been any sessions since the invasion began and there has been no word on casualties at this point. a new round of talks between russia and ukraine could begin in the coming hours. the russian delegation says it's already arrived in belarus. no word from the ukrainian side. america's top diplomat heading back to europe for meetings with nato. the u.s. president has accused vladimir putin of trying to create divisions but says that will not work. >> they're alone, and they did what they did in my view because he thought he could split nato, split europe, and split the

united states. we're going to demonstrate to the whole world no one can split this country. thank you all so very much. thank you. >> our cnn correspondents are covering this conflict from washington to paris to western russia. they're on the ground in ukraine as well. scott mclean is reporting on the evacuation efforts in lviv. but first we will hear from cnn's chief security correspondent jim sciutto. >> reporter: russia's invasion of ukraine is gradually gaining ground. the mayor of the city of kherson in the south of the country, with a population of 300,000, has said that the city has now fallen under russian control, adding ukrainian forces are no longer present. the devastation inflicted across ukraine is only growing. russian strikes increasingly targeting civilians. president biden says it's deliberate.

russian forces moving on the capital, kyiv, from the north have stalled due to ukrainian resistance and their own shortages of food and fuel, say u.s. officials. the russian military has increased its rocket and artillery tacks against the capital and other cities. russian forces hit a television tower in kyiv, a school in the city of kharkiv, buildings in the town of eirpin. >> i'm seeing dead children. i'm seeing hospitals being bombed. i'm seeing churches being bombed. it's difficult. i'll do anything in my power to stop this aggression. >> reporter: the ukrainian military has not let up its resistance, nor have civilians. here a man waved ukrainian flags in front of russian tanks in

kherson, and the west is keeping up sanctions pressure on moscow. >> we're coming for your ill begotten gangs. >> reporter: president biden announced a new task force to investigate russian oligarchs during his state of the union address. today the u.s. announced sanctions on the russian defense industry and export controls on belarus as well. from where russia staged a large part of its forces for the invasion. >> 22 russian defense related entities will be designated, including companies that make combat aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic warfare systems, the very systems now being used to assault the ukrainian people. >> reporter: on the battlefield, the ukrainian military has now lost more tanks, aircraft, armored personnel carriers, and artillery than russia has. however, by russia's own admission, their losses are mounting as well. the defense ministry claims nearly 500 russians killed, but ukraine says that number is

actually nearly 6,000. >> translator: russian mothers are losing their children in a completely foreign country. >> reporter: ukraine and russia are still engaged in some diplomacy with delegations heading to belarus for a second round of talks. but both the u.s. and ukraine remain skeptical that russian president vladimir putin would negotiate for peace. >> we, of course, remain open to pursuing any reasonable path. but it's very hard to see any path when the bombs are dropping, the planes are flying, the tanks are rolling. >> when he's saying, i want peace, this means prepare to war. >> reporter: a million refugees have fled ukraine in just one week according to the u.n. high commission. more than half have headed west to poland. cnn's scott mclean spoke with evacuees boarding trains to leave ukraine. >> reporter: about a week into the war, it is finally starting

to get easier for people to flee the country. traffic is easing at land borders both by car and by foot. and here at the train station in lviv, trains are taking people into poland on a fairly regular basis. things are much less chaotic here now than they were just a few days ago, though it is far from a well-oiled machine. the people who are on this train here had to wait for several hours in very long lines, not knowing when or even if the train would actually arrive. what there is here is an army of volunteers and police officers to help things to run smoothly. they are now allowing foreign men and older ukrainian men to board the trains though women and children are still very much the priority. i spoke to one man who was in line not because he wanted to board the train but because he wanted to spend every last minute that he could with his wife and with his daughter. he waited in the line with them and then walked them right up to

the train platform right until their passports were finally being stamped. it was a very emotional good-bye because he doesn't know when he'll see them next. >> translator: this is war, and for me it's better that they will be safe. that's why i have to understand that they are in safety. >> translator: it is very difficult. i don't feel any emotions. i hope i will come back. i don't think it is going to be for a long time. i think everything is going to be fine when we'll win, i believe. >> reporter: now, while this train is bringing people from lviv into poland, there are other trains now beginning to arrive carrying humanitarian aid. scott mclean, cnn, lviv,

ukraine. >> the communication coordinator for the international committee of the red cross joins us now. thank you for being with us. i'll start with the obvious. you are still in ukraine, and by you, i mean all of you. everyone there who is part of the operation. so just how dangerous is it right now? how concerned are you that the russians are going to intensify these attacks in the coming days? good morning, john. yes, the icsc is in ukraine. we've been here for the past eight years, and we're here to stay. the humanitarian situation is very dire. we've seen in the report about people leaving, but there are millions also still in ukraine facing very, very difficult conditions, lack of electricity, basic essentials like food, water, et cetera. most of them are in shelters. most of them are on the move, leaving lives behind and only

carrying one luggage. so the situation is really dire. hospitals are overloaded, and if the intensification continues, then we really are witnessing a catastrophic humanitarian situation right now in ukraine. >> you're saying there are millions who have been internally displaced on top of the 1 million also who have fled the country. what are the living conditions like for those who have lost their homes or, you know, are seeking shelter with the icrc or other aid groups? what are they living like right now? >> well, many of them are seeking shelter in public shelters, a little bit everywhere in ukraine. metro stations as well are full of people. i mean the situation for these people -- these people are people whose life changed from one day to the other. they fled their homes. no food.

no water. we have mothers who don't even have formula or diapers for their kids. we have -- i mean our hotline is receiving calls for people wanting safety, for people in psychological distress. so the needs are huge, and for the icrc, it's very important to start responding. we started in mariupol and kyiv. mariupol, we visited shelters yesterday to distribute some food and essential hygiene items and water for more than 4,000 disp displaced people. in kyiv, we're giving medical equipment to hospitals much needed for trauma surgery, burns, gunshot wounds, et cetera. but it's very important also, security permitting, to be able to expand. we're already working in several locations in the east, but now that the conflict has spread, it's very important that humanitarian organizations like the icrc are given -- are

allowed to actually access the zones and the people most in need right now in ukraine. >> is there any indication at this point that the russians may not allow to you have access to the areas which they control? >> we are in talks with all parties concerned to be able to access those regions. we also call on everyone to give safe passage to civilians who want to flee the area as well they are in. this is an obligation for the parties under international humanitarian law, to facilitate humanitarian work but also to facilitate safe passage for civilians who want to get out of zones heavily affected by violence. >> we should make the point here, because it's very important, that we're talking about millions, millions and millions of people who are impacted, who have had their lives destroyed. in a couple of cases, they've died. but there are families now who

have done nothing wrong. they are innocent, and they are now the victims of this war of choice by vladimir putin. that's the part that seems so unfair for all of them. >> well, international humanitarian law is very clear. it's the rules that govern conflicts and wars. civilians, essential infrastructures that are critical for their survival, i'm speaking medical facilities but also water companies, electricity companies, et cetera, must be safeguarded under international humanitarian law, and this applies to all parties concerned by what's going on right now in ukraine. >> they're the rules. i guess they just have to be followed by all sides, and we'll see what happens. thank you so much for being with us. please stay safe and thank you for what you're doing. >> thank you. still to come, the massive russian military convoy heading to kyiv appears to have stalled. what the pentagon says could be

the reason. that's up next. also, fears growing that vladimir putin ready to escalate this brutality of his attack on ukraine using devastating weapons banned under international law. more on that in a moment. alright, so...cordless headphones, you can watch movies through your phone? and y'all got electric cars?

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. new developments on the investigation into the capitol riots. a new court filing, the january 6th committee alleges that former u.s. president donald trump and right wing lawyer john eastman were part of a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election. the filing states, evidence and information available to the committee establishes a good-faith belief that mr. trump and others may have engaged in criminal and/or fraudulent acts. the committee alleges eastman helped to orchestrate the plot and they're attempting to obtain his emails, something eastman has refused to hand over, claiming attorney-client privilege. back now to our breaking news this hour. one week after the russian invasion of ukraine began, the ukrainian president, volodymyr zelenskyy, claiming the morale of russian forces is now crumbling. he accused russian troops of looting grocery stores to find food. he says many of them are fleeing back to russia. here's more now from the ukrainian president.

>> translator: our military, our border guards, our territorial defense, even ordinary farmers capture the russian military every day, and all the captives say only one thing. they do not know why they are here. despite the fact that there are dozens of times more of them, the morale of the enemy is constantly deteriorating. >> meantime, the u.s. says the march of russian forces on ukraine's capital has slowed. the large russian military convoy on the road to kyiv remains stalled and has not made any appreciable progress in the last 24 to 36 hours. pentagon press secretary john kirby explains why. >> one, we believe the russians are deliberately actually regrouping themselves and reassessing the progress that they have not made and how to make up the lost time. two, we do believe that they

have experienced logistics and sustainment challenges, challenges that we don't believe they have fully -- that they fully anticipated. and, three, they are getting resistance from the ukrainians. >> ukraine is trying to hold off a russian attack on its second largest city, kharkiv. ukrainian emergency officials say the center of the city was pounded with massive shelling and bombing on wednesday. over the past several hours, videos and photos on social media show the city's assumption cathedral has been damaged along with at least three schools. cnn's fred pleitgen reports from just across the border from kharkiv. >> reporter: from my vantage point on belgorod, across from that major battlefield in kharkiv, it seems as though the russian military seems to be intensifying their campaign to take kharkiv. one of the things we've heard in the past couple of days was jets in the air. there seems to be a lot of activity by the russian air

force. the other thing seemed to be a lot of outgoing russian artillery but it seemed to be coming from areas closer to kharkiv than it had been in the days before. we know from the ukrainian side and from information that's verified by cnn, that there were several hits that kharkiv did take on wednesday, like for instance a school that was hit, an administrative billion, a police station, and also the university building in kharkiv as well. the ukrainians saying some of those were hit by cruise missiles, but certainly from our vantage point here, we did have the impression that there was a lot more outgoing artillery fire and rocket artillery fire here from this position and around this position as well. at the same time, the russians now acknowledging for the first time the number of casualties they say that they've taken so far as this campaign has unfolded. here's what the spokesman for the russian defense ministry had to say. >> translator: unfortunately, there are losses among our comrades who are taking part in

the operation. 498 russian military personnel have been killed. all possible assistance is being provided to the families of the dead. 1,597 of our comrades were wounded. >> reporter: what we have to point out is the ukrainians put the number of russian soldier who's have so far been killed a lot higher than that. they say so far around 6,000 russian soldiers have already been killed as this invasion has unfolded, and a u.s. official has told cnn that the u.s. puts the number at around 5,800. so certainly a lot higher than what the russians are acknowledging at this point in time. meanwhile, here near the kharkiv front, also on the ground, we're seeing the russians seemingly replenish their forces as this invasion continues. certainly some new forces seem to be coming in, and they're moving beyond the final checkpoint where we stand a lot of the time. and they're moving towards the area of ukraine and the area of kharkiv. fred pleitgen, cnn, belgorod, russia.

beyond the latest deadly conventional weapons of war, vladimir putin has other more terrifying options in his arsenal. the u.s. ambassador to the united nations warns russian forces are moving cluster and vacuum bombs into ukraine. both are banned under the geneva conventions. tom foreman shows us just how devastating these weapons can be. >> reporter: a massive blast lighting the sky and scorching the ground. military analysts can't say precisely which weapons russia is using, but this has some convinced moscow is stepping up the conflict in a terrible way. >> my guess is that that's a therm thermobaric weapon. it's a very devastating weapon. >> reporter: a cnn team spotted launchers for thermobaric bombs year the ukrainian border. they fire missiles which produce two blasts. the first rapidly filling the air with fuel vapor, the second igniting it with catastrophic effect, making some victims feel

as if the air is being sucked from their lungs. >> let's say you have people hiding maybe in a basement or behind walls. they would not be protected against something like this because the aerosols can get into the basement. they can move around walls and they catch fire, and everybody dies a pretty awful death. >> reporter: human rights watch is also pointing to debris as evidence that russians are launching cluster bombs, missiles that crack open in the air, flinging dozens of smaller, powerful explosives in all directions. >> if you were driving in your car and some munition landed on the roof of your car, you and your car would be done for. >> reporter: so far, analysts say many of the russian strikes appear to have involved common munitions such as targeted cruise missiles. but civilian sites have been hit either by design or by accident, and u.s. officials expect worse. >> the numbers ofwounded, the

humanitarian consequences will only grow in the days ahead. >> reporter: which brings us to that stalled russian convoy near kyiv, filled with artillery pieces, long a favorite tool of russian generals. analysts believe if those weapons get moving again and are placed around the city, they could rain devastating fire on military and civilian targets alike. some of these weapons can kill so easily and indiscriminately, many nations have pledged to never use them, and russia says it has not used them in ukraine. but then russia has said a lot about what it's doing in ukraine, much of which is proven untrue. tom foreman, cnn, washington. >> general wesley clark is a cnn military analyst and former nato supreme allied commander. he's with us this hour from boulder, colorado. general, thank you for being with us. so before this invasion began, there were some estimates out there that russia's military could be done with all of this,

could sweep through ukraine maybe in a couple of weeks. but now we're a week in, and they've taken just one major city. clearly this is not playing out as putin had planned. what are the problems here? what does he do next? >> yeah. well, the military may have planned -- the russian military may have planned to come in there and finish it in a week or two, but they didn't count on the warm weather north of kyiv. that land up there is not frozen, and so the russians have been road bound. this was their main objective. they wanted to sweep into kyiv, take it, and install a puppet government, and they just haven't been able to get there. they've also discovered that the ukrainians are pretty good fighters. they're, in fact, brilliant against an overwhelming force. and so the russians have had very, very tough going north of kyiv in large part because of fierce resistance but also because of the trafficability of the ground. it's been different elsewhere in the country not because the ukrainians haven't harder, but

because it's more amenable to open maneuver, and the russians have been able to move their forces. they've been able to mass their forces, and they've been able to more isolate some of the ukrainian defenders. so there is a russian move in the south that's moving up toward kyiv, and that is a major concern. >> there's also a situation as far as kyiv is concerned that you have russian forces encircling mariupol. you have kharkiv, which is under this heavy constant shelling as well. these two cities are in the east, and they could fall within days, maybe a little bit longer, but they will fall. some have suggested that then gives russia effective control of eastern ukraine, which cuts off the capital from ukrainian forces. so this could really quickly turn in putin's favor. >> so what russia really wants is they really want that corridor open through mariupol. that gives them the land bridge to crimea, and it also helps open the way to odesa.

so they would be able to then isolate kyiv and ukraine from any seaborne reinforcements. they're already controlling the black sea as it is. but they want that coastline, and that's one of their major axis of movement. the other is they're going to come up both sides of the dnipro river orders kyiv so they can reinforce the encirclement of kyiv. >> cnn also reporting that u.s. officials report russia will increasingly hit civilian targets and seek slow annihilation of ukraine's military. a warning of what is actually happening within ukraine itself by the russians. listen to this. >> we've seen videos of russian forces moving exceptionally lethal weaponry into ukraine, which has no place on the battlefield. that includes cluster munitions

and vacuum bombs, which are banned under the geneva convention. >> how devastating are those weapons if they're used in a high civilian population area or an urban area, and is putin capable of doing that? >> right. now, these cluster bombs, we saw them coming out of the rockets in kharkiv a couple of days ago. we understand the toss has been moved also. this is this flame thrower weapon, or the so-called vacuum bomb that's being used. they absolutely have no place on this kind of a battlefield. they're weapons of terror. they're being used against civilian targets, and they cause indiscriminate damage. and if you look at all this, it certainly looks like a war crime in the making to me. >> with regards to the ongoing military assistance to ukraine, the u.s. delivered hundreds of stinger anti-aircraft missiles

this week. that could bring back some bad memories for the russian president and many other senior officials in moscow. how effective could they be in this conflict in ukraine? >> i think the stingers and the javelins are proving to be incredibly effective in this battle. one of the things about the stingers is that they don't give a signature. so if you're on an aircraft flying at 20,000 feet, let's say, you cannot determine whether you're being tracked by a stinger or not. there's no way to do any suppression of air defense when you're being engaged by the stinger. but once the stinger gets a lock on, it's a very accurate weapon. it's very effective, and they have brought down a number of aircraft with them and helicopters. as far as the javelins are concerned, you lock it onto the target, 3,000-meter range, and it finds the target and attacks it and strikes it often from the top at the most vulnerable

points. so these weapons have proved remarkably effective. the javelin in particular has been effective in the north where the mobility is hampered, so the russian vehicles are moving more slowly. in some cases they're stopped, so they're perfect targets for a javelin standoff weapon. >> general wesley clark, as always, thank you, sir. >> thank you. russian anti-war protesters chanting their support for an elderly woman who was arrested in st. petersburg, wednesday. one of at least 350 demonstrators detained for speaking out against putin's war in ukraine. a local monitoring group says more than 7,600 protesters have been detained in russia since the invasion began. the protests have been noticed and received support from all around the world, in germany, tens of thousands rallied in munich wednesday. one said she's there to encourage russians to keep pushing back against the

invasion of ukraine. we'll take a short break. when we come back, almost a million people with no other option but to flee while others are traveling to ukraine, volunteering to join the fight. that story ahead. also an american couple with a newborn found themselves among those looking to evacuate ukraine. how they finally managed to make their way out of the country and to safety. that's next. >> when we first got out of the car, i was worried jake and i had made the wrong decision. it was pretty windy outside, and i'm sure the windchill was even colder than 30 degrees. to their new mini-van! yeah, you'll get used to it. this mom's depopositing money with tools on-hand. cha chching. and this mom, well, she's settining an appointment here, so her son can get set up there and start his own financial journey. that's because these moms all have chase. smart bankers. convenient tools. one bank with the power of both. chase. make more of what's yours.

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welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm john vause. new explosions have been lighting up the sky over the ukrainian capital as russia intensifies its attacks against cities across the country. this was the scene in southwestern kyiv earlier. and it appears russia has taken its first big prize, the strategic port city of kherson. after fierce fighting, the mayor says the ukrainian military is no longer in the city. meantime, america's top diplomat will soon travel to brussels for talks with nato and european allies. he says vladimir putin's intentions for ukraine are clear. >> virtually everything the russian government professed to be concerned about was not really what was at issue, for example, ukraine joining nato. what president putin has said loudly and clearly and has now demonstrated by the actions that russia has taken is that what this is about for him is ukraine being absorbed in one fashion or

another into russia. >> the capture of kherson has raised concerns for those living in nearby odesa. nick paton walsh is there with the latest developments along the black sea coast. >> reporter: it does appear a sea change has happened in the city of kherson. it's strategic because of where it sits, on an inlet from the black sea. but it appears that after days of seeing videos of russian troops circulating in the town, armored vehicles on freedom square, at one point confronted by one man waving the ukrainian flag, seeing russian soldiers moving shopping carts around full of goods, presumably looted, and also leading away local men at gunpoint, that there's been some sort of arrangement made between these russian soldiers and the ukrainian administration of that town. its mayor posting on facebook a statement in which he didn't mention russian forces by name but said armed men had been to

see him in his building and that essentially come up with an agreement of the various conditions for civilian life to continue in that town. a curfew, people moving around at daylight, and also pedestrians allowed to move around in ones and twos and ordered very clearly to obey the instructions of armed men. that's the russian soldiers, as i said, not mentioned by name but clearly the armed force now in that town because the same statement says that ukrainian armed forces have indeed left. the mayor says that the ukrainian flag will still be flying over his building, but it is unclear really if that is just entirely symbolic or a broader concession. this concerning because it shows how russia has designs on the daily lives of ukrainians in towns that it has fought over. it does appear there may have been some pockets of resistance inside of kherson to this russian move-in, bu.

that's concerning, of course, here in the key city of odesa because the pressure russia is putting on kherson is being translated into more pressure on to the next town and eventually on to here, the third largest city, a vital port that russia must control if it wants leverage over ukraine's economy. warnings of a potential amphibious assault grow day by day. nick paton walsh, cnn, odesa, ukraine. >> while the u.n. believes that a million people have fled ukraine in the week since the russian invasion began, but heading in the opposite direction is a small number of volunteers ready to fight for their country. cnn's melissa bell has details. >> reporter: this is the sound that valerie, like many in ukraine, woke up to on thursday. [ siren ] >> i thought i was still

drea dreaming. i couldn't believe my ears, but the sound was so persistent, i couldn't fall asleep any further. >> reporter: he'd arrived in kyiv just hours before after a marathon journey by road from his home in france, determined to see his ailing parents before war broke out. many routes by air already cut off. the russian invasion beat him to. an office worker back in france, within a day of the invasion, valery had joined the ukrainian armed forces. cnn is holding his surname as he fears online attacks from russians. >> nobody could realize that our neighbor, the brotherly people would attack us. nobody could believe that. what can i do when the aircraft -- when the russian aircraft are throwing bombs on the capital? i just couldn't stay inside, indoors, in four walls doing

nothing. so i came, and i joined. >> reporter: since the russian invasion, ukraine has seen an outpouring of popular defiance with tens of thousands of citizens receiving weapons from the government to join in the country's defense. >> first when i joined, first when i received the weapon, i felt this sense of nausea. >> reporter: this week has been a heady mix of emotions for volunteers like valery. >> if you go outside and see the eyes of the people who are queueing up to get guns as well, there's a lot of hope, and there is a lot of determination to defeat the enemy. ♪ >> reporter: on the other side of europe, prayers for valery and his comrades. worshippers filled the ukrainian cathedral in paris for its five sunday services. the parish has been gathering donations and compiling a database of hosts for ukrainian refugees they already fear will be forced to flee to paris. the aid comes in many forms.

>> translator: we keep in touch with them. we support them even if that's psychologically. we also try to help financially and if it's possible, we help. we care about all these situations, and we want to help. >> reporter: outside, andre collects funds for his two best friends before they head to join the fight in ukraine. the money, they say, will buy body armor. >> translator: it's a moment of great unison of all ukrainians, of all our diaspora around the world. >> reporter: like many we talk to, andre had been sent photos from relatives in ukraine. his 2-year-old godson sheltering in a basement. even here in paris, it's a stark reminder of how life in ukraine has been turned upside down. >> life was beautiful and shiny just two weeks ago, and it stopped being shiny and beautiful a couple of days ago when the russians attacked ukraine. >> reporter: melissa bell, cnn,

paris. an american couple was in kyiv to meet their new daughter, born to a ukrainian surrogate. like many others, soon after the russian invasion began, they tried to leave the country by road but kept hitting road blocks. eventually they abandoned their car, finished the journey on foot. what came next, we'll hear in their own words. >> after sleeping in the car overnight, we were within, we felt like about 20 kilometers of the border. after three or four hours in the car, we found out that we were -- we had moved just very little. so at that point we decided that it was going to be the warmest part of the day, and the only opportunity to make it to the border before nightfall would be to get out and walk. our biggest concern with our daughter being 4 days old was hyperthermia. it was really cold, but we felt if we didn't act then, we

wouldn't know how much longer it would be until we would make it across. >> when we first got out of the car, i was worried that jacob and i had made the wrong decision. it was pretty windy outside, and i'm sure the windchill was even colder than 30 degrees. but we constantly stopped to make sure the baby was warm enough and that she was breathing. as the walk went on, i realized that we had made the right decision. we just walked through miles and miles of cars that weren't moving at all. and so i knew at that point that our walk to the border was the best decision we made. >> the family, all three of them now back home safe in california. still to come here, the russian owner of chelsea says the popular football team now up for sale. we'll have all the details in just a moment. what you'll need, and help y you build a flexexible plan for cash flw designed to last. so you can go from saving... to living.

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western sanctions sent russia's economy into free fall, it seems they sparked an exodus of corporations. the and companies not cutting ties completely with russia are limiting their exposure. each day the list keeps growing. american express now among the latest, saying it was holding relationships with -- in moscow, the stock exchange will be closed for another day. the ruble remains under pressure after hitting a record low wednesday. meantime, oil prices have been surging amid global supply concerns. a rare chance to buy a storied english football club. only one previous oligarch owner. billionaire roman abramovich announced wednesday he's selling chelsea, saying the move would be in the best interest of the club, the fans, employees and sponsors. cnn's patrick snell has details. >> reporter: russian billionaire roman abramovich took control of the west london club back in 2003. now 19 years on, the 55-year-old calling his decision to sell

incredibly difficult. in a statement, abramovich revealing he's not asking for any loans to be repaid and that, i have instructed my team to set up a charitable foundation where all net proceeds from the sale will be donated. the foundation will be for the benefit of all victims of the war in ukraine. this includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims as well as supporting the long-term work of recovery. since taking over, abramovich has absolutely transformed the fortunes of a club who's last top flight league title had come in 1955. amid lavish spending, though, twice champions of europe and their top flight title drought snapped after half a century. chelsea's women's team now the dominant force domestically. last year forbes saying chelsea was worth $3.2 billion. compare that to the $233 million paid almost two decades ago.

>> it electrified the establish premier league. questions over his wealth persisted but in football terms there was no question that chelsea were massive beneficiaries. the biggest players, the first league title in half a century. the positioning of chelsea as a big player domestically and in the champions league. un without him, the club faces an uncertain future. >> reporter: abramovich's decision to sell chelsea comes after russia's invasion of ukraine. abramovich himself has not been sanctioned by the uk according to the sanctions list website. he maintains he's not an official political figure for russia. on wednesday, reports that a swiss billionaire wants to buy the blues, though the club not responding to cnn's request for comment on that. while chelsea's players booking their spot in the quarterfinals of the fa cup. just one topic of conversation afterwards, though. >> i think every decision he

takes is the right decision. it's -- it's his choice. it's his club, and that's not on me to comment. the guys talk about it. everybody talks about it. so, yeah, it is big news. let's wait and see. hope for the best. >> reporter: abramovich says he's selling in the fans and the club's best interest and that he's hoping to go to chelsea's home ground, stanford bridge, to say good-bye to everyone in person one last time. patrick snell, cnn, atlanta. according to a western intelligence report, chinese officials ordered senior russian officials to wait until after the beijing winter olympics before invading ukraine. u.s. officials believe the report is credible. china says it's a smear. the invasion began four days after the closing ceremonies. hmm. it's unclear whether president xi personally made the request when he made with vladimir putin at the start of the games. moscow and beijing later issued a joint statement condemning

nato expansion and saying their partnership had no limits. well, he made a name making people laugh, and now volodymyr zelenskyy inspiring the ukrainian people to stand strong against a growing russian invasion. how this war has turned an unlikely president into a worldwide hero.

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>> for some ukrainians that is the sound of safety, at least for now. a theater is a temporary home, they are providing supplies for the refugees and volunteer fighters. the commissioner says 1 million people have fled ukraine in the weeks since the invasion began. a large explosion lit up the sky a few hours ago as russia increases its attacks. it shows some of the earlier damage. homes can be seen, and a bridge also destroyed. russia's defense ministry says russian troops control carson after fierce fighting on thursday, this would be the first city to fall to the russians. ukraine state of a mid june

service -- for the regional police department was hit, the buildings were left in flames. russia pushes on brexit military offenses, the ukrainian president has remained defined. he has been an inspiration to his fellow ukrainians and tell him to stay strong against the odds. if you could have anticipated the transformation of this man. here is cnn's fred ike. >> we are all here, our military are here, citizens and society are here. we are all here defending our independence, our state, and it will remain so. >> ukraine president flat amir sullen ski in a show of unity in the streets of ukraine, the 44-year-old president refusing an offer from the united states to be airlifted out, telling the u.s. early on according to ukraine's embassy in ukraine to fight is here, i need ammunition not a ride. >> the enemy has marked me as target number one, my family is

target number two. for >> days zelenskyy has been leading the resistance using social media to call on ukrainians to fight. >> the world has seen that ukrainians are powerful, ukrainians are courageous. >> just this morning on his facebook page he posted this about russia's bombing campaign. >> they have an order to erase our history, our country, erase all of us. he >> went on to call ukrainians a symbol of invincibility. a day early zelenskyy got a standing ovation with the parliament for inspiring words like this. >> every square of today, no matter what it is called it is going to be called as freedom square. in every city of our country. nobody is going to break us. we are strong. we are ukrainians. >> zelenskyy has won the hearts of many around the world inspired by his resilience and

defiance. even world leaders once tentative about backing ukraine now stand with zelenskyy. some vowing to help him fight. germany's chancellor has promised to arm ukrainians and has halted the certification of the pipeline project which would bring russian gas to western europe. the u.s. and its allies also inspired by zelenskyy dealt a crippling blow by cutting the central bank from u.s. dollar transactions. and kicking key russian banks out of the swift global financial network. for his part, turkey's president invoked a 1930s convention that barr's russia from entering the black sea, limiting its naval operations. >> [interpreter] our main goal is to finish the slaughter. the enemy losses are very grave. >> the world today galvanized by a defiant leader who before becoming president was an actor. and comedian.

in april 2019, zelenskyy was elected ukrainian president, now the country's future may depend not only on his comedy but his courage. >> but we know we are defending our land and the future of our children. >> randi kaye, cnn. >> thank you for watching cnn newsroom i'm john vause, rosemary church takes after the break. you are watching cnn.

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