>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. hello and welcome to all you watching us here in the united states, canada and all around the world. i'm kim brunhuber. i want to get straight to our breaking news. air ride sirens blasting through ukraine. in the past few hours they've gone off in both kyiv and dnipro where cnn crews also heard numerous explosions and volleys of gunfire.

air ride sirens also in lviv in the western part of the country. ukrainian authorities say overnight shelling cause damage in the northeast part of the camera. now a look at this. and this is the town of nikolai in southern ukraine, heavy shelling, indiscriminate targeting at civilian targets including a cafe and parking lot. you can even see the flash of orange. apparently the muzzle flashes from one of the guns. the british ministry of defense says the bulk of russian ground forces are around 25 kilometers from the center of kyiv, and a number of cities are encircled and continue to suffer heavy shelling. ukrainian president volodymyr

zelenskyy in a new video address urges his country men and women to keep up the fight. >> translator: today everyone is gaining glory for ukraine in his or her place, shows the world what ukrainians and are and what strength we are. hold your ground, hold on, we will win. >> drn has crews positioned around the world covering the story. this hour alone we'll hear from correspondents in paris, washington, moldova and poland. we begin our coverage with cnn's selma del aziz live in ukraine. what's the latest? >> reporter: this is a town that was a tourist place. it was known for coffee. it was a hub to come to here in ukraine. now it's been transformed into a central forward operating base.

there's not a theater that hasn't welcomed civilians and families in. why? alcohol is banned in this city. authorities say they want everyone to focus on the war effort. so restaurants, bars they're also making meals, handing them out to families scattered across the city. i can't stress to you how it feels. this is everything about lviv right now. you walk to any street, any town you're going to hear people on their phones, see volunteers handing out food, churching opening their doors, even camouflage for the front lines is being made right here by some volunteers. there's sandbags outside. for the last now we're heading into the third week of this war. for this last period this has felt like a safe haven, and so far it is exactly that, kim. but over the last couple of days the war appears to be getting closer and closer. we've seen the western offensive

for the russian military expand. more cities now being hit and struck. here in lviv we've heard air-raid sirens. that was an air-raid siren today that woke us up in the hotel. so there's a sense across this town that the war is getting closer and closer. >> you've participated a c compelling picture of a city at war. give us a sense of the morale there amongst the people. >> reporter: it's a very good question. ukraine is a big country. there are a lot of cultural differences in this country. sometimes you feel divides between east and west, but right now in lviv you have people from every culture. you played that video from president zelenskyy that feeling we can overcome this, we can triumph if we standby each

other. everyone and i mean everyone, kim, has put their daily life aside to try and help those who are here in this town. but, again, we're stretching into the third week. we're looking at more and more ferocious and indiscriminate attacks. i'm going to give you an example of that terrible bombing on the hospital in mariupol where seesaw pregnant ladies, newborn children being evacuated and bloodied. and it's those type of attacks that make you feel and make many families here feel there's no safe place, like anywhere could be struck at any tile. so you do wonder how long can people sustain this sense of unity, sense of strength. but also a lot of this, kim, is on a volunteer basis. we're talking about people giving their own homes, own doors, own money. so how long can these resources last, kim? >> good question. president biden told cnn there would be severe price if russia

uses chemical weapons in ukraine. now, he didn't elaborate further saying he didn't wish to speak out about the intelligence. but a member of ukraine has another concern about this intelligence, the nuclear. >> we've seen suffering from bombing, from starvation, dehydration, all other things. so they end up with the nuclear threat. i'm more concerned about the nuclear threat because what we see happening with the chernobyl plant disconnected from the grid. >> europe's fourth round of tough sanctions has just kicked in. russia will lose its most favored nation status in the european markets, that means no benefits being in the world

trade organization. the eu will also make sure russia can't use crypto assets to get around the sanctions. and finally europe is halting exports of luxury goods and won't import russian iron or steal goods. the u.s. and other g7 nations are taking similar acs. melissa bell joins us from paris with a closer look at the sanctions. take us through what they are and what was left out. >> reporter: well, this is, of course, the very latest round of sanctions, the latest attempt to really bring that pressure on vladimir putin, on the kremlin to try and see what can be done to try and change the course of events as they've been unfolding over the course of the last two weeks. you really sense that sense of urgency of global leaders. you've seen sanctions target the banking sector, that freeze of course on the assets of the russian central bank, all of which have led of course to that collapse in the ruble with

ordinary russians essentially seeing their wealth pause over the course of the last couple of weeks. and of course that in itself brings a huge amount of prexer. and then those are those targeted sanctions by instance into the european union that will target the oligarchs, those who have assets here in the european union. those announced last night target luxury goods and a look at crypto currency and how to prevent them from being used to get around sanctions brought so far. and the huge is the dependence on oil and gas. what they announced in versailles, the 27 european leaders meeting on thursday and friday, they'd seek to lessen that dependency over the course of the next five years. already some of the sanctions brought in means oil refining products for instance will not be getting in. so there will already be an

impact even on that sector. even if it is allowed for the time being to continue, europeans will be taking to remove their dependency by then. as you say the main focus going forward and i think this is what we're going to hear about over the course of the next week is really targeting trade. that is russia's ability to continue trading with partners as it has so far. each nation has its own procedures from going about this, removing russia effectively from the world trade organization will mean for instance any russian export will be subject to tariffs and will make them much more expensive, potentially unviable as exports and that should have a massive impact, of course, again on an already beleaguered economy, and that really is the focus for european, american, global leaders coming together. of course, kim, it should be remembered all these various sanctions from europe, united states, united kingdom who have by the way gone as far as to

announce that outright ban on russian oil, all of them have a cost of course for the countries imposing them. and if this continues and going ahead long-term, there is a risk of deglobalization, and all these supply routes being disrupted bringing a sort of global recession on. there is a cost right now, the calculation being made by the west it is worth paying if that pressure is brought to bear because of what's happening on the ground in ukraine. >> melissa bell, thank you so much. so what do these developments mean in terms of wider global diplomacy? let's bring in robert english, director of central european studies in southern california, and he joins us in los angeles. thanks so much for being here with us. do you have confidence in the ongoing diplomatic efforts? putin seems to favor turkey and israel as regulators. but even those recent talks have gone almost nowhere, i guess. you think offers by turkey and

israel to host putin and zelenskyy might actually get somewhere? >> for the moment, no. ukrainians aren't prepared to concede their territory. their demand is that the russians cease-fire and leave their country. the russians, the opposite. they demand that zelenskyy be replaced, the government capitulate and they consolidate their own imposed puppet government. there's no meeting of the minds here. so until something changes significantly on the battlefield that one side or the other feels compelled to make concessions the good offices of the turks or israelis won't make any difference. >> that's disappointing. as you point out there have been so many red lines for russia going back to those 1997 nato lines, de-armament of ukraine. all those things have led to secretary of state antony blinken and others saying russia isn't serious about negotiation.

has there been no sort of softening on any of those red lines that might indicate they're getting serious? >> you know, we've heard a cup of intriguing hints from both sides. zelenskyy said the ukrainians could consider commitment joining nato and maybe accept a non-nato neutral status. it wasn't official proposal but amusing but highly interesting because it would be a key concession to russia. russia for their part "the beat" they don't insist on zelenskyy's removal. there's still a huge gap, but those were two intriguing signs. we're still so far on the common core issue of get out of our country versus, no, we're staying. >> what do you think will be most responsible for pushing russia to make some concessions? is it the military side, the

battlefield, or is it the financial pressures that militia bell just outlined there? >> i'm afraid that on the military side they are prepared to slog it out. they're slowly grinding forward. they're accepting very heavy losses, but they have reinforcements. they've battened down the hatches at home, and it seems putin can keep pushing for the foreseeable future, are mean weeks before something would have to change. the economic side is more intriguing. these sanctions are hurting russia, and putin has no way of shielding his people from the effect of these sanctions for long. they will bite, and they will bite hard, but russians are a patient people. they've endured so much. the 1990s were a disaster, right? much worse than anything they're facing now, and i'm worried about our economic solidarity. your reporter, the lead in story, correctly noted that the

backlash in europe. in other words, the negative effects of those sanctions on the western economies are just now being hurt in higher fuel prices, higher commodity prices. that means slower growth. that means maybe even recession. supply chain interruptions have barely begun. on and on it will cascade and the cost of 2, 3, 4 million ukrainian refugees to house and feed it's going to be a lot of pressure on west, especially europeans. i'm not sure we have more endurance than the russians. >> that's a good point. here in the u.s. i mean soaring inflation, gas prices as well hitting people hard leading the biden administration to sort of be in that uncomfortable position of cozying up to countries from which it had tried to distance itself to a greater or lesser extent, venezuela, turkey, saudi arabia. >> good point. and that's only on account of

about three quarters, about 700,000 barrels, tlesz than a million barrels of crude oil and crude oil products a day that we're now stopping purchases from russia. what about the europeans? these sanctions that were announced are significant. for example, steel imports from russia will now be banned. guess what? europe imports between 5 and $7 billion in value of steel. what about the $150 billion in value of oil and gas? as the european commissioner said, they don't think they can phase that out until 2027. can the ukrainians wait that long? they could do it faster, of course, but then the disruption would be tremendous. so the intradependence is severe and very hard to disentangle. it's not just oil and gas. it's cobalt and palladium and so much more. >> as you say who's going to blink first? that's what it all comes down to. robert english, thank you so much for your time.

really appreciate it. >> you're welcome. well, school is still in session for some ukrainian students. we'll meet two refugee teachers who fled the country but are continuing to educate kids through remote learning. we'll look at that after the break. stay with us.

for people who could use a lift new neutrogena® rapid firming. a triple-lift serum with pure collagen.

92% saw visibly firmer skin in just 4 weeks. neutrogena® for people with skin. plaque psoriasis, the burning, itching. the pain. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to.

emerge tremfyant® with tremfya®... ask you doctor about tremfya® today. i have one desire. i want everything to finish as soon as possible and live in peace. >> translator: my favorite country is ukraine. we were under bombardment there, heavy bombardment. we did not ask for that. we had a good life. we do not know what they want interest from us. >> those were some ukrainian refugees talking about struggling with their plight. some ukrainian teachers are going above and beyond for the young students who are also refugees. cnn's ivan watson speaks to two educators leading remote classes

for the children in other countries. >> reporter: an all too familiar scene for parents who lived through the covid pandemic. children fidgeting through a zoom class about the solar system. the difference here, most of these ukrainian school kids are refugees reconnecting with their classmates and teacher online. in the last two weeks the students and their teacher fled to different countries to escape russia's invasion of ukraine. how old are your students? >> 7, 8. >> reporter: from poland nadia teaches her students online classes even though the school stopped paying her salary. none of us know what will happen next, she says, but these classes with my children are like a bridge to my past life in ukraine. they help us feel connected. wartime distance learning, there's a lot of this going on right now. do you think the online classes are helping these kids? >> very much.

it's helping them and meant tale helping to fill their routine that the life is still going on, that it's not the end of the world. >> reporter: alexander is a schoolteacher that fled the neighboring city. in the morning he teaches online. >> they were asking me before me asking them. >> reporter: in the afternoon he comes here, a makeshift school for ukrainian children in the moldovan capital. >> parents ask me to take a place emotionally for just two or three hours to escape. >> reporter: half of his online students fled across borders. the other half are still in ukraine. >> the first lesson in zoom i said you should domino. maybe your mother need help,

maybe mother's friend need help. i cannot change the world but i can change me and change like the mood of my mother, and it will be like a domino. >> reporter: these girls say they're looking forward to starting online classes with their ukrainian classmates on monday. she says she wants to find out where her classmates traveled to and to make sure that they're healthy right now. 8-year-old timoor and his f father artem, stayed behind in ukraine. were you surprised when his teacher said we're going to continue online learning in. >> honestly, yeah. i think they're feeling this strong connection with ukraine and then want to support us as much as they can and also a new generation of ukrainian people. >> reporter: a new generation that may grow up in exile, relying on technology to stay connected to their homeland.

>> if you'd like to help people in ukraine who may need shelter, food and water please go to cnn.com/impact, and you'll find several ways you can help there. well, they were forced to flee ukraine after russia launched its attack, but when these nigergen medical students got to border they say they suffered discrimination. we'll speak to them after the break. stay with us.

hundreds of people have come out to protest the detention of the mayor in southern ukraine. now, the moment when armed men

took the mayor away from city hall was caught on video friday. have a look at this. the coastal city has been occupied by russian troops since the early day of the invasion. protesters later gathered near the building chanting, freedom for it mayor. meanwhile, a new attempt is under way to bring food and medicine to the besieged city of mariupol. the city council says a convoy with 90 tons of supplies is now on its way there, but there's no word on whether russian troops will cooperate with this attempt. and there's no radioactivity around a nuclear research lab in the kharkiv despite damage caused by russian shelling. that's the word from the facility's director who says the outside of the research center took major damage friday. what he told reuters a nuclear tank inside the lab which contains 37 fuel cells is fine, but he says if the tank is damaged in the future, that could lead to a radioactive leak and severely harm the environment. according to u.s. defense officials russia has launched

more than 800 missiles since the beginning of its invasion more than two weeks ago. largely has been largely relying on so-called dumb bombs, and as we've been seeing these indiscriminate weapons can kill scores of civilians. >> reporter: u.s. officials who are closely tracking the mix of munitions that russia is using on its bruceal assault on ukraine says russia is relying heavily on less sophisticated indiscriminate so-called dumb bombs. it's a dynamic u.s. and western officials say could offer important clues about the state of russia's military. although they still say right now they don't know why russia hasn't used more guided munitions. there's a cup of theories here according to sources that we spoke to. one source familiar with the intelligence told us there are some indications russia has

already burned through the proportion of its arsenal it had allocated for this conflict, which could potentially bolster long stand speculation russia's stockpile of these weapons is relatively limited. we do know they're certainly more expensive and more complex to produce. another theory according to some outside analysts is that it's also possible russia is simply holding inventory in reserve for later in the cop flict or even as an emergency precaution in case russia finds itself in conflict with nato. it's also possible that russia's reliance on these older, less sophisticated weapons is simply part of a deliberately brutal strategy strategy designed to terrorize the ukrainian population and grind them into submission. at the end of the day no matter why there's no question that the cost of this indiscriminate bombing campaign is being borne by ukraine's hospitals, schools, by its apartment buildings, by

ukraine's civilians as well as its military. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy has accused russia's president of war crimes over the attack of ukraine, but is it likely vladimir putin would ever face justice of the hague. cnn's christian amanpour helped expose the atrocities of the bos bosnian war. here's what she said about ukraine. >> you do have to prove it was inintentional or the due consideration for civilian was not given. and certainly in those areas that was adjudicated, and these people were convicted of crimes against humanity and genocide and other war crimes, so they were sentenced to life in prison. and in terms of what's happening in ukraine you've heard the united states, europe, many,

many countries, many leaders accusing putin and his generals and officers of the same. and actually an investigation is beginning. the icc, the international criminal court, which russia does not belong to, has actually started an investigation because it was asked by 39 nations to do that. >> more than 2.5 million people have fled ukraine since russia's brutal and unprovoked invasion began, and some foreigners have reported discrimination as they try to cross the nation's borders. cnn's zen asher spoke with students about their escape through the war torn country. >> my feet were hurting. i could barely walk, but i kept pushing every second. >> i just lost hope like i'm not going to be able to cross this. >> reporter: born in nigeria the 24-year-old and the 17-year-old were both studying medicine in ukraine when russia's invasion

began. their lives in danger, each fled to the crossing on the ukrainian-romanian border. tay say what they experienced there was both unfamiliar and traumatic. >> initially, there were several lines of i think the best way to say it three lines in which there was one seemingly for the ukrainians, one for the indians, and then the africans were also set aside. i wondered why it should be like that while we're all trying to get out. >> i accidently -- actually it was an accident on my part, went to the uyapian side. instantly they told me to go to my side. >> do you think that there was a level of bias or a level of discrimination based on skin color as to who was being treated better at the border,

who was being -- you know, getting preferential treatment in term of admittance? >> issue ukrainian for instance or being another nationality, but you were white. it's almost as though you were fast tracked to the front of the gate. >> growing up in snigeria, growing up in an all black country, having never experienced any racism before did you understand what was happening, and why you were being set aside? >> i cried twice. i cried when i was in front and the border officials kept screaming, go back, go back. i was just so tired, and i was exhausted, and i cried. i cried a whole lot because i was cold and i did not understand what was going on. i wanted to give up several times but i kept reminding myself of my mom. >> reporter: eventually they managed to pass into neighboring romania. once they arrived at the

capital, bucharest, they flew back to nigeria, a place that hadn't been their home for some time. had it fully sunk in that you may not at least anytime soon get to go back to ukraine? >> i refuse to believe it. it breaks my heart. every time i see news somewhere else has been bombed or someone else has died i'm angry that my home was snatched from me. and second, i've been traumatized. >> it's my home. i spent six years there. we don't know -- we don't know what's next. >> there's growing concern over americans detained in russia. after the break we'll get the latest on their whereabouts and their health. stay with us.

nurse mariyam sabo knows a moment this pure... ...demands a lotion this pure. new gold bond pure moisture lotion. 24-hour hydration. no parabens, dyes, or fragrances. gold bond. champion your skin.

some of the most heart breaking stories in this conflict are of innocent children ravaged by disease who are now forced to flee the war ravaging their homeland. spain is now opening up its borders to care for these children fighting deadly illnesses. 25 ukrainian children suffering from cancer were blown aboard a spanish military train for treatment in madrid along with 22 other refugees. the children will be evaluated to see if they'll stay in hospital or removed to lodging provided by refugees. well, as people in ukraine flee their homes, they have to decide whether to leave their beloved pets behind or bring them along on a difficult journey. cnn's sarah schneider talks to anmal rescue center in poland

taking on pet refugees. >> reporter: this is moon. she is a survivor of war. medically what is wrong with her? is she sick? >> yes, she's sick. she's in bad condition. >> reporter: she's dehydrated. >> okay. >> reporter: she's scared. >> she has lots of problems, an pan, creitis, maybe worms. >> reporter: she also has a tumor that needs to be removed. she's not aggressive or she's just letting you do what she needs you to do. >> reporter: ois veterinarian must poke and prod her to find out just how sick she really is. everything is in this dog's ear, dirt, wax. >> we must clean for seven days. >> seven days you have to keep doing this. >> reporter: the staff at the foundation treats these dogs as their own.

it is a no-kill animal shelter in poland. hundreds of animals from war torn ukraine are being cared for here. the humans have not slept much since the war began in neighboring ukraine. they are just a few miles from the polish ukrainian border. the staff has been driving into war torn ukraine to save truckloads of shelter animals and pets people people simply couldn't carry across the border. in another room, more animals, different war stories. >> this is sasha. and she's from ukraine. >> reporter: a baby goat brought from ukraine with legs that needed mending. >> so we made this and feeding and we must keep her warm.

>> reporter: there you go, boy. sleepy baby. sasha is a newborn just seven days old. you can tell because he tries to nurse on my earlobe, biting down when no milk comes out. the doctors say without the care he got here he would have starved to death if left alone in ukraine. she would die if she wasn't here basically. oh, he would die if he wasn't here. the son of the foundation tells us sasha was dropped off here by a woman after she escaped from ukraine into poland but had nowhere to take him. but she left one instruction, she will be back to get him. she loves him. he's family. >> and i think this lady loves so much this animal. this animal is -- >> reporter: part of the family, no? >> yes, a part of family and

want them back. >> reporter: this a family affair. his daughter has been giving sasha the warmth and love he needs. these are just two animal war stories of hundreds. and more arrive every week. and every week these animals get top-notch care. to the staff here these war refugees are as important to care for as the human kind. sarah schneider, cnn, poland. >> there are growing concerns globally over misinformation that's coming from russia about the war in ukraine. this week russia's foreign minister even claimed the country, quote, did not attack ukraine. one refugee from the ukrainian city of sumy painted the remarkable picture while one relative in russia is hearing. >> she lives in russia. and when it started, the war i

called her, and i said mom russia attacked like ukraine. and she's like, no, like it's not true. she's like sending me, look, this is your army making war, not ours. i'm saying, mom, they're bombing. you know, i'm her daughter, it's crazy. we cannot live here. what is happening it's huge, it's war. and she's like -- until today she don't believe me. like she's my mother, i'm telling her what is happening and that we are going to shelters and we hear bombs, there is like attacks. and she said she's not believing me. so i stopped talking to her because, like, what can -- i can't -- if she don't believe her own daughter, she's totally brainwashed from tv, you know, because their tv is all about propaganda. >> as russia's invasion of ukraine grinds on, there's growing worry about the health and safety of three u.s.

citizens currently detained in russia. cnn's brian todd has the details. >> reporter: new concerns about the fates of three americans being detained in russia. basketball star britney griner we're now learning has been detained for 17 weeks. she's had no access to anyone from the u.s. government, he says, and it's not even clear where griner is being held. >> she should be allowed to come home as soon as possible and not become swept up in any of this larger context that's happening. >> reporter: griner was arrested at a moskow airport with what russian authorities said was cannabis oil in her lugger. they accused griner of smuggling narcotics, punishable by up to ten years in prison. members of congress and veteran diplomats are worried the two time olympic star could work against her as could her sexual orientation. griner is gay and married. russia has very strict lgbtq

laws. >> what i would expect the russians to do is use the fact her wife is making public statements and these are being reported in media and social media as propagandization of lgbtq plus rights which could be another crime they could hold against her. >> reporter: the parents of another detained american describes themselves as panicked in his condition. reed's parent say his physical condition has taken a turn for the worse. >> he's coughing up blood throughout the day, he has fever off and on over 100 degrees, and he has pain in his chest, just all the signs of tuberculosis. >> reporter: in a new statement reed's parent say he was told he'd be sent to a prison hospital, but when they were on the phone with him thursday he was summoned to a disciplinary commission, and quote, we fear authorities might send him back to solitary confinement instead. reed and pall wheeler was

convicted separately for crimes they both emphatically deny and have been detained in russia since well before the invasion of ukraine. wheeleneds sister gave cnn a fresh clue of his condition. >> he's doing as well as can be expected in a forced labor camp in the middle of russia. >> reporter: experts are now openly concerned about the future of these three americans given the tensions with vladimir putin in ukraine is only intensifying. >> we're at such a different level of confrontation with russia right now, they really are being used as pawns by russia. he's not going to harm these three, but he's not going to let them out of jail either. >> reporter: congressman collin allred says brittney griner has been in touch with her russian lawyer, and that lawyer has been in touch with her agent and family back home, and they know she's okay. cnn has reached out to the russian foreign ministry about information about griner's whereabouts and her condition. we haven't heard back.

for most pregnant mothers nothing is more important than the baby's safety. after the break you'll meet a ukrainian mother who not only left her country but the entire continent to make sure her baby will begin life far from war. stay with us. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy - even a term policy - for an immediate cash payment. we thought we e d planned carefully fofor our retirement. bubut we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. if you have $100,000 or m more of lie insurance, you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth. visit coventrydirect.com to find out if your policy qualifies. or call the number on your screen. coventry direct, redefining insurance.

well, we've heard many stories of chaos and tragedy in ukraine, but there is hope, too. take this, for example. a pregnant mother two weeks from giving birth who fled the violence in kyiv to deliver her child in new york city. brin gingrass has her story. >> we brought it here yesterday for my girl. >> reporter: this mom to be is in new york city after fleeing the violence in her hometown kyiv. she came here looking for safety. her due date just two weeks away. >> that's cute. >> reporter: she tries to not be stressed but it's not easy as she shows us pictures of the home she left behind.

>> last picture from peace life in kyiv. >> reporter: this is the baby's room. >> yeah. >> reporter: it's all pink, ready for the arrival from her little girl, the balloons for her baby shower held the night before the invasion. >> it was 5:00 a.m. in the morning, and i wake up with bomb -- >> reporter: the sound of a bomb woke you up? >> yes, yes. it was shock for me. we don't -- didn't know what we can do, what we must do. >> reporter: she and her sister initially decided to stay believing they'd be safe in kyiv even as they spent four nights in a bomb shelter with dozens of strangers and she said the hospital where she planned to give birth, bombed. >> i understand i need to move to safe place. >> reporter: what were you feeling through all of this?

you're nine months pregnant trying to escape bombing. >> a lot of stress. so i forgot about tall pain. >> reporter: it took four days for the sisters to reach poland and with some convincing from her friend she eventually came to the u.s. to give birth, bringing with her just a few newborn outfits she bought from a market in western ukraine. >> so i saved these things for memory and understanding never again. we want peace. we want to be safe. >> reporter: she says she realizes how lucky she is to be here as so many others are left behind. we called her friend who is a doctor at a maternity ward in kyiv. he told us babies are being born daily underground in a bomb

shelter. ana and alessia are working to help other women escape alongside a network they say of more than so many people who have ties. >> the only is how expensive in terms of life and destroyed cities and destroyed objects it's going to be. >> reporter: alessia now waits for her little baby to arrive. despite her country at war she remains hopeful that she'll return to ukraine soon and introduce her parents to their first grandchild, kyra, a name that fittingly means, strong woman. brin gingrass, cnn, new york.

>> and we'll close with another glimmer of hope amid the horror. a pregnant woman who survived the mariupol hospital bombing has given birth. there she was right after the blast, bloodied and injured as she fled the destruction. she was one of more than a dozen people injured in the attack. the great news is she's given birth to a girl. newly published photos you can see her in the hospital bed there, and the ukrainian ambassador announced the baby's name to the united nations security council. it's veronica. we wish veronica peace above all, of course. that wraps this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm kim brunhuber. i'll be back with more news coverage right after the break. you're watching cnn.

behold...unlimited wireless for only 30 bucks. that's pretty cool, but you know what's cooler? saving up to 400 bucks! exactly. and if we really want to take it up a notch... get all that and nationwide 5g included. oh nice shot, send that to me. i got you. break free from the big three and get connected to the nations most reliable 5g network. get the new samsung galaxy s22 series on xfinity mobile.

and right now, save big with up to $750 off a new samsung device. switch today. this is cnn breaking news. hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the united states, canada and all around the world, i'm kim brunhuber. i want to get straight to our breaking news. well, there's growing evidence that the russian bombardment of ukraine is intensifying as russia winds its attack across ukraine. in the past hour hours, air raid sirens have gone off in kyiv along with gunfire. listen to this.