hello, everyone. coming to you live from lviv in ukraine. the cease fire proposed by russia was meant to take effect and an hour ago. in five hard hit ukrainian cities. including the capitol. we do not know if it is being honored. or how long it might last. the cease fire is meant to give civilians an opportunity to evacuate by humanitarian corridor. under the kremlin plan most of those corridors would lead through russia. and ally belarus. where of course many refugees do not want to go. the ukrainian president reportedly calling russia proposal immoral. and it was loudly condemned by

the united nations. monday russia ramping up bombardment of key ukrainian cities. this is just a sliver of the damage in kharkiv. and in -- where residential neighborhoods are not being spared. un human rights officials say more than 400 civilians are confirmed dead. since the attacks began with about 800 others wounded. numbers are likely under estimates. in northern ukraine, the blue world church caught fire after alleged russian military strike there. one of the priests says a shell hit the dome. russian troops shot at houses. and the fence was riddled with machine gunfire. nobody was there thank god. ukraine president has been seen in his office for the first time since the russian invasion began. and he had a defiant message once more. >> we are all on the ground. we are all working.

everyone is where they should be. i'm in kyiv. my team is with me. the territorial defenses on the ground. the servicemen are in position. our heros. doctor, trance porters. diplomats. journalists. everyone. we are all at war. we all contribute to our victory. which will definitely be achieved. >> ukrainian military digging in. this artillery unit firing at russian forces north of kyiv. the pentagon says that giant russian convoy meanwhile outside the capitol is still stalled in place. >> we know we are defending our country. and the enemy should know we're always on guard. >> there's a feeling of strength at the enemy clearly cannot resist. we're defending our children. the troop clearly is on our side. good is on our side. ukraine will last forever.

victory. >> the pentagon says nearly all of the combat power that the russian president amassed for his invasion outside ukraine is now inside the country. all the images posted online appear to show the russians in suburb west of kyiv has been hammered in recent days. police say another 2,000 people were evacuated from there on monday. we have word moments ago an air strike killed several civilians. near the city of sumy in northeast ukraine. russian shelling has trapped hundreds of thousands of civilians in what is left of the city and towns. many now without food, water and electricity. moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians but scenes across ukraine challenge that claim. on a daily basis.

>> clearing up the broken debris of a shattered home. the devastation caused by a russian attack on a residential neighborhood. the small ukrainian town. 50 miles south of the ukrainian capitol. is nowhere near the front lines. it has felt the rage. and the pain. of this war. >> all right. we have come inside one of the houses. affected by random artillery. or rocket fire. into the residential neighborhood. you can see just how shattered lives of the family here were. >> the windows have been blown out obviously. all the belongings are left behind. gone into hiding. what seems to be the people who lived here.

a family, children. apparently they survived this. which is good. but of course when you look at the situation and the way russians have been shelling residential areas across the country, so many people haven't survived. this is interesting. come have a look. it's the bedroom. you can see over here. the bunk beds. the roof has fallen down onto the top of the when the shell hit. of course in the panic, in the evacuation. the kids have left their toys. it shows you that no matter where you are, in this country with russia attacking cities across it. lives have been shattered. >> a close friend of the family

who were nearly killed in their beds here. god father to the three children. who escaped with their lives. he has one request. for the united states. >> please, close the skies over ukraine. he begs. if we can contact nato. and ask them this. everything will be fine. otherwise he warns putin will cross ukraine and threaten the whole of europe. >> the bunker. it's terrified children. the singing ukraine's national anthem. that keeps them calm. russia invades a whole generation of ukrainians is being united. by this war. together as they shelter from the horrors above. >> the united nations says more than 1.7 million people have

fled ukraine. for other countries. since russia invaded. the crisis is expected to get so much worse. the european union foreign policy chief warning they need to prepare for five million refugees from ukraine. as the russian bombardment intensifies. tens of thousands of ukrainians fleeing to another former soviet republic. more than 82,000 refugees are in moldova. that many more have passed on their way to other countries. in europe. cnn senior international correspondent reports. >> the fastest growing refugee crisis in europe. since world war ii. spilling across the border of the former soviet union. more than 1.7 million ukrainians leaving everything behind. and now relying on the kindness of strangers. people like this grandmother. who says a russian strike destroyed her family home. on friday.

>> i never thought the day would come when we would have to run away with these little kids. holding her four month old granddaughter. nearly everyone here left their husbands, fathers and sons behind. to defend their home. mothers with young children now on their own in a foreign country. >> imagine if you had to pack up your children. your pets. your belongings. into a single suitcase. and flee your home and your country. on a moments notice. that is what is happened to all of these people. moldova a small relatively poor former soviet republic opened its doors to the refugees. providing free transport. hot meals. and shelter to tens of thousands of ukrainians. says the country's prime minister. >> three-fourths of the refugees are actually staying with families. a lo of the ukrainians have friends or relatives in moldova.

also regular people have just taken in ukrainian families. and invited them into their homes. >> complete strangers. >> yes. >> this woman is traveling alone. she came from kyiv. and it took nine days to get here. she has family waiting in moldova. >> the woman is headed to meet relatives here. in an arena in the moldova capitol. >> this is one of the consequences of russia invasion of ukraine. hundreds of ukrainians who have taken shelter in a stadium. in moldova. this a temporary stop a place to pause and process their new reality. >> these women tell me they still can't believe the russian military would shell and bomb their home city. a city where almost everyone speaks russian. after all, putin claims he is protecting russian speakers. from ukrainian nationalists.

>> they say look, look at where the russian speaking people are. they are all sleeping here. >> this observation echoed at the border. by 65 year-old grandmother. >> we watched the russian tv channel. and they have it all backwards. they say the russians are heros defending us. look here. how they're liberating us. is this a liberation? she asks. if i'm running away with a little baby like this. she joins the crowd lining up into waiting vans. one of tens of millions of ukrainians now facing a very uncertain future. >> joe is the spokesperson for the un international organization for migration. he joins me now. from moldova. thanks for doing so. i was reading on the web site a

couple days ago. you wrote one day they were calmly going about their business. the next their worlds were turned upside down. that really does sum up what's happened to million of ukrainians. how bad is the humanitarian situation? >> let me tell you new figures i have directly from our data teams. with the border police. 273,500 people have crossed into moldova. about half of them are staying in the country. the rest are going across. that's accurate information. what was seeing is a painful picture of families broken families. from across the border. men have to go back. going as far as the borders with their families and walking back. into a very uncertain future. and sending families to an uncertain future in moldova. and further. today international women's day.

and there are women looking after their families across the country and the that ukrainians have got into. they're in need of great help. one thing of course they need material aid. and we have heard about the needs, food and water. warm clothes. blankets and so on. people need protection. families are being ripped apart. they don't know when they'll see their partners again. it's a very sad situation. and what we're also doing is capturing -- >> sorry. i didn't mean to interrupt. there's a delay. i apologize. talk about that. it's hard for most people to grasp the level of our upheaval. they sit at home and watch this. leaving your home your city, your life. with whatever you can carry. then leaving your country. try to describe what these people are going through on an individual basis.

>> it's absolute turmoil. it's just always been especially kyiv. european city. to think people have to flee there under fire. it's just something unthinkable. for people. i was married in kyiv. so it's -- friends are still there. families have been torn apart. the other thing that's apart from material aid and cash. is solidarity and kindness. we work under the principles of humanity, independence. and neutrality. the entire population of europe and the world has to embrace those principles. and really show solidarity and kindness to people. they are people like us. who as you open your the speech

with. the futures some other country. no matter how long this continues people need work, children need to be educated and people need healthcare. it's moldova just two and a half million people. will place a huge burden. the opportunity that enormous issue here. we're working with the might see a couple hundred people across during the day. now talking about 20,000. in one day. we're working to help get them to open new border posts. and resourcing mobile document readers. and authorities know where people are. and what their needs are. >> you make a great point about

moldova. 270,000 who passed in. that's like 5% of the population. it's a small country. the resource burden is huge. the reality is the depending on what happens in the weeks and months ahead. this could be a years long problem. for ukraine and europe. some people might not be going home for a long time. >> that's true. we hope for a positive out come. even if people can go home. what do they go home to? people have left in huge numbers and will need all the things for daily life. that we need to survive. wonderful things are happening across europe. the city is giving free transport to the ukrainians. people are opening up all the airbnb for ukrainian refugees and very concerned as well that third country nationals people around ukrainians passing

through. into moldova. 25,000 third country nationals. coming from 140 i think different nationalities. leaving ukraine. and for people who have maybe students or workers or citizens. they're leaving the country and have a very uncertain future. they will be especially vulnerable. >> it is a massive problem. it's likely to get bigger. we hope that the generosity and patience of neighboring countries and all of europe endures. we're out of time. i appreciate it. it's great to get perspective from moldova. thank you for the work you're doing. so far more than 40,000 of our viewers here have helped raise more than $3.2 million.

to help ukraine in need of shelter and food. if you would like to donate and join them, go to cnn.com/impact. still to come on the program a war of word between russia and ukraine. at the un. the russian somehow claiming they are not bombing civilians. ukraine ambassador says russian diplomats need mental help. that's coming up. my plaquque psoriasis... ...t.the itching ...the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. my psoriatic arthritis, made mjoints stiff, swollen...painful.

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frank is a fan of fast. he's a fast talker. a fast walker. thanks, gary. and for unexpected heartburn... frank is a fan of pepcid. it works in minutes. nexium 24 hour and prilosec otc can take one to four days to fully work. pepcid. strong relief for fans of fast. welcome back. heavy fighting between russian and ukrainian forces broke out in a broad area from the north to the west of kyiv. on monday. russian forces appearing to have attacked several areas to try to push further to the ukrainian

capitol. cnn went to a kyiv train station as ukrainian families hurried to escape the assault. >> at the kyiv central train station today, crush of people trying to escape. russian forces hit closer to the capitol. many here have just been evacuated from the hardest hit areas. few know where they are going next. her family made it out of the kyiv suburb. earlier this morning. leaving behind her 81 year-old grandfather. >> he didn't want to come with us. he decided to stay. he's old and can't run very fast. we had to leave so quickly. i don't know what's happening there now. it's so scary. this is what we remains of the place she calls home. burnt out vehicles.

entire apartment blocks destroyed. >> i don't understand how you can shell peaceful people. we never wished harm on anyone. we have relatives in russia. they just want to erase ukraine from the face of the earth. >> it's that fear that is fuelling a sense of desperation. >> the minute they announce the next train, going west, you can see everybody is scrambling to get on it. >> down below the platform is packed. people remain calm. they rush in to help an exhausted elderly woman who has fallen on the track. close to departure time, confusion sets in. another train arrives. people run across the track hoping to catch it. finally the train to lviv arrives. pushing and shoving. people jostle for space. let the women and children go first. one man shouts. another weeps as he hugs his

wife good-bye. i love you. he calls out. he waits for the train to leave. eyes locked on the window. for what maybe his last look. >> heartbreaking. earlier from kyiv. as the humanitarian crisis deepens in ukraine. rush facing strong criticism at a un security counsel meeting. over attacks that have killed civilians. fleeing the war. russian ambassador firing back claiming radical groups are to blame. >> we emphasize that safety for civilians in ukraine is not a problem for russians. we're not bombarding them. rather ukrainian radicals and nazis holding hostage hold towns and cities. making use of citizens as a human shield.

not allowing them to leave. despite the fact there are humanitarian corridors and a cease fire. >> ukraine ambassador to the un says it is russia that has blocked the attempts to evacuate civilians through humanitarian corridors and it was appalling that russian troops opened fire on evacuees. and offered this advice to russian diplomats. >> it's not only the russian diplomats. who need mental assistance. also those who posted today this text. foreign minister. the goal of russia is special military operation. is to stop any war that could take place on ukrainian territory. or that could start from there.

russian embassy in london, ret retweeted by the russian foreign minister. let me remind the russian diplomats. that in london in case of need for mental health. you can dial this line. 111. >> now cnn joining me now from london. to talk more about the humanitarian corridors. the cease fire is meant to be up. what do we know? is it holding? >> according to the news agency which is a russian state owned media organization. they appear to be claiming the cease fire is holding. but you have to remember that these four humanitarian corr corridors proposed are on russian terms. they have to make a difficult choice.

immoral choice president zelenskyy put it yesterday. essentially the russians have offered here is a way out. but to russia or to belarus. so people escaping kyiv can head north to belarus. or people escaping other cities like kharkiv which is really badly besieged in south could head east. that would be taking them to russia. the west is deeply skeptical about the routes. because the last three days, cease fire attempts to set up humanitarian corridors have failed with civilians having been killed in shelling. again question marks of whether or not that shelling was deliberately targeted as the civilians. they ran for safety. and russia is just heard there was very much pressed on this issue. claimed some might say that the attacks on civilians as they were trying to flee were by

bandits essentially. various armed groups. now obviously the situation at the moment is that people have to make a very difficult choice. the west doesn't necessarily want these people to have to make the type of choice. they rather see people have the chance to go west. to lviv. where it's safer. and aware of the possibility of pictures of the refugees heading east to russia greeted and being part of the propaganda machine that russia might use to try to explain what's going on in ukraine. to its people. >> yeah. president zelenskyy had exactly that thought. forcing people to go to russia where russian tv cameras will be and portrayed as beneficiary of russian is catching in his. good to see you. we'll take a quick break here.

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more on our top toir this hour. we have just learned ukraine and russia have agreed ton a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the northeast city. which has seen heavy fighting in recent days. no word on four other corridors proposed by russia.

which would include kyiv, kharkiv. meanwhile we have learned that at least nine people were killed by russian bombing over night. in sumy. according to to ukrainian officials. and ukraine president remaining defiant appears in his office on monday. for the first time since russia invaded. he says he's not leaving. and he is not afraid. >> here i am. i'm staying here. i'm not hiding. and i'm not afraid of anyone. >> the un reporting more than 1.7 million refugees have fled ukraine. in less than two weeks. and warning lt number could reach 5 million. a staggering number. european union officials agree monday meanwhile to examine ukraine, georgia and moldova to join block. the european counsel president sharing a similar message on twitter. saying the group will discuss

ukraine application in the coming days. it's a significant step toward eu membership for the country. but it maybe largely symbolic. since the process of joining can take years. for more i'm joined by there in brussels. what does it actually mean for ukraine? >> well it's going to take a very long time. as you said leader are going to be discussing this over the coming days when they meet near paris on thursday. and they could choose to take up ukraine candidacy application. or they can punt the issue to the european commission. for them to do a fuller review. which could take anywhere between a year and a half to two years. so this is a very slow moving process. it is obviously something that ukraine has been pushing for over the last several weeks and months chl especially since the beginning of the invasion. you recall president zelenskyy gave that very emotional speech

to the european parliament last week. to fast track ukraine candidacy. to join the european union. but this is not something that is going to happen over night. we were speaking to members of european parliament last week, many of whom very skeptical this is the kind of process that the european parliament should be focusing on right now. rather than focusing more on the actual instant needs of the ukrainians now fending off russians. focusing on humanitarian support and weapons provided to ukraine. ukrainians say look, we can do both at the same time. we can be fas tracking candidacy into the european union and giving our people this kind of moral boost. showing them if we get out of this, if we get to the end of this conflict. we will have proven ourselves as member of europe and we feel european. the union is saying that they also consider ukraine to be part of the block. they consider them to be

european and support the aspirations. it is a long process that could take up to a decade. previous nations who tried to become member states have been waiting for well over a decade. so this is very delicate process. it's a very delicate situation. there are other nations that want to join the european union. that have been membership status on hold. as the european union examines their legal, political and financial application to join. ukraine now saying this is more urgent for us than anyone else. not least in order to show the russians that we are part of europe and united with the west. >> yeah. indeed. in brussels, appreciate the reporting. thanks so much. live in ukraine. in lviv. in the west of the country. let's go now to atlanta. for our continuing breaking news coverage. >> thanks so much.

stay safe. countries are doubling down on russian sanctions as attacks in ukraine escalate. it will be one of the first conflicts for south korea new president. to navigate. after the election this week. we're live in seoul just ahead. n had autism, his future became my focus. lavendnder baths calmed him. so we made a plan to turn babath time into a business. ♪ ♪ find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com

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welcome back, everyone. world bank has now approved a $723 million emergency financing package of loans and grants for ukraine. it battles russia assault. the bank is set to work on

another support package in the coming months. and plans to provide further support for ukraine neighbors in a growing refugee crisis. japan frozen assets of 32 russian and belarus officials and oligarchs. furthering sanctions over the invasion of ukraine. the country central back and sovereign funds are becoming increasingly isolated from the rest of the world. with new sanctions by south korea expected to take effect on tuesday. cnn joining me now from seoul. good to see you. what more are you learning about south korea new sanctions? designed of course to apply pressure on russia to end the war on ukraine. >> what south korea appears to be doing at this point is try to keep in step with the united states. with other countries as well. increasing the economic sanctions on russia. what they announced on monday which comes into effect today. they said they'll suspend t

transactions with russia central bank. and two sovereign wealth funds. a week after they said they were seven major russian banks they would not be dealing with. they signed onto ban them from the swift system. and they have pledged about $10 million humanitarian aid to ukraine. they're trying to match what the united states and others have been doing up until this point. they have said that exports controls will be put in place. strategic goods not going to russia. and included belarus in the ban. >> less than 22 hours away from elections. how are the leading two candidates likely to handle police cal issues -- police cal issues? >> neither of them have political issues? >> neither of them has foreign policy experience. he would be a political not

having been a politician in the past. when it comes to ukraine and russia. they have to hit the ground running. let's look at the two leading candidates. >> one of these men will likely be the next president of south korea. human rights lawyer turned governor. on the liberal side. former state prosecutor and political novice on the conservative side. they have to deal with the north korea that appears more concerned with testing weapons than talking. neither candidate has foreign policy experience. the engagement current president has sought with minimal success. >> we need dialogue as well as sanctions. we need incentive as well as disincentive. the most important thing is secure trust. >> he believes sanctions should be eased only after denuclearization is complete. hinting at a preemptive strike

if he sees signs of an offensive launch. >> north korea only improved nuclear capability and disregard dialogue. i will prepare a peace treaty only when and if they move towards complete denuclearization. >> for years south korea has been walking a tight rope of a strong security alliance with the united states. and growing economic relationship with china. the next president may feel more pressure to choose. >> all the talk that we have to be balance between the united states and china. and obviously the time and the period for that kind of tradition is ending. >> he believes he can strike a balance. >> we are moving the u.s. south korea alliance into a more comprehensive one. we cannot ignore the economic relationship and geographic cal proximity to china. >> looking for stronger ties to

the u.s. and installment of a ballistic missile system. >> south korea and united states fought together to protect freedom against the tyranny of communism. >> gender equality is a key issue. a unique clash of those pushing for more equality for women. and so called antifeminists claiming discrimination against men. promising to abolish the ministry of gender equality and family if elected. lee has been more vocal on women's rights. a third candidate from the justice party is expected to garner young female support. polling numbers have been low. leaving a close battle between conservatives and liberals. >> of course voting issues taken into act will be the economy,

housing, real estate issues, and employment. this comes as well as we are seeing close to record number of new covid-19 cases here in south korea. there will be many procedures and restrictions in place as people are voting to try to make the process safe. >> all right. many thanks for that report. appreciate it. in ukraine a separate race for safety coming up the push to save cultural treasures from russia's offensive.

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updating our breaking news. just minutes ago we learned that ukraine and russia have agreed on a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the northeast city of sumy. which has seen heavy fighting in recent days. no word yet on four other corridors proposed by russia. which would include the cities of kyiv and kharkiv. meanwhile we have learned that at least nine people were killed by russian bombing over night. that is according to ukrainian officials. and it has become clear there's a dwindling number of safe places to take refuge in ukraine. civilians consider options for escaping the relentless i tacks. there's a separate effort to protect what's left behind. we report on the rush to safeguard the country's

heritage. >> reporter: racing against time to save ukraine cultural treasures. among them, a thousand year-old bible. ancient man script. the fastest way to save them from the threat of russian bombardment. when russian missiles hit the holocaust memorial in kyiv. national museum director realized no place was safe. from his now empty museum he tells us why he order the the emergency storage of the city entire collection. >> we see how russia is shelling residential areas. and people evacuating. they guarantee they wouldn't. now we can't trust them. we need to take care of our heritage. this is our national treasure.

>> it's not just about saving priceless works of art, this is the country's spiritual heritage. they have run out of the space in the basement. even religious sites fear the worst. this mass at lviv cathedral was one of the last before its giant stain glass windows were boarded up with steel plates. praying for protection in a war where it seems no place is sacred from attack. in lviv, ukraine. and thank you for your company. cnn coverage of the desperate situation in ukraine continues. after the break.

. hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the united states and right around the world. i'm isa soares. we are following breaking news coverage of the war in ukraine just ahead right here. >> it is not clear to us that all of the soldiers that russia has put in the ukraine realize that they were actually going to invade ukraine. >> ukraine is independent. >> there are far more people coming over by foot than we have seen since the beginning of this. >> i just want t