killed by the russian invasion. lviv has drawn hundreds of thousands of ukrainians seeking shelter away from the front line of the war. russia claims its action in ukraine is a special military operation and that it isn't targeting civilians. clearly the evidence proves otherwise. i'm pamela brown. your next hour of "cnn newsroom" starts now. >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. hello and welcome. i'm pula newton at cnn center. ukrainian officials say another russian general has been killed amid fierce fighting in southern ukraine. now, the military says five russian generals have now been killed since the invasion started. however, cnn cannot independently verify those claims, of course. now, on saturday officials in the united states did confirm

that russia launched hypersonic missiles against ukraine. this could in fact be a game changer. russia said they were used in a target ammunitions fire on friday. this is in fact the first time we know of the hypersonic missiles have been used in combat, and yet a new report from british intelligence says russian forces still have not managed to gain air superiority over ukraine. meantime, officials in the southern port city of mariupol say russian troops are taking residence to russia against their will. the city council says thousands have illegally been taken to camps and some moved to remote cities in russia. it comes as mariupol now faces almost constant bombardment. and new satellite images meantime show the devastation after the city's theater was bombed on wednesday. officials believe hundreds of people were taking shelter

inside when the attack hit, and despite russia's relentless attacks, ukraine's president says his people will continue to fight for their country. >> translator: ukrainians have proven they can fight more professional than an army that has been waging wars for decades in various regions. we respond with the wisdom and courage to the great number of their equipment and soldiers sent to ukraine. >> now, we're also learning new details about a call between russian president vladimir putin and turkey's president on thursday. according to turkish officials mr. putin laid out his list of demands for a peace deal. among them, ukraine cannot apply to join nato. and this is key as well. they're saying that their demands include a requirement that ukraine undergo a

disarmament process. meantime in southern ukraine officials believe dozens of soldiers were killed after a russian strike on military barracks. cnn's nick paten walsh reports now from mykolaiv. >> reporter: potentially one of the largest losses of ukrainian military life in this war so far. in fact what we do know is still relatively slight. i'm hearing from ukrainian officials certainly 20, possibly 30 or 40 soldiers lives may have been lost in this startlingly devastating explosion at two separate military buildings quite close to the city center of mykolaiv where i'm standing. one of those buildings torn, frankly in two by the blast. another reduced to rubble. we met some of the soldiers who were injured in that devastating series of blasts in hospital, bewillard one man lying there resighing the names of his friends, asking how they were. another man's whose legs had

been severely damaged reduced to tears. we understand the zwinjuries ma be close to 40 as well. and this is i say a military target but a sign again awhat we're seeing as a pattern of russia's behavior across the country. using heavy weapons, often guided missiles at this stage in the conflict to exact heavy price against targets. this one military but so often across the country here in mykolaiv it's been civilian targets that have been pounded by rockets. i we've seen in some of the residential complexes here the damage that has been done. that despite the fact russia appears to be losing ground against ukrainian forces. and we've seen that along the main road from here. mykolaiv down to kherson, which was the first city russia captured and remains the only city as well. there's two elements to this war, a persistent pattern on the

ground that russia is not gaining terrain. in fact, finding itself in a stalemate or even around here losing a part of the terrain it had gained. at the same time exacting a vengeful cost through heavy weapons and so much the time against civilian targets. and here in mykolaiv causing utter devastation so close to the heart of the city. nick paten walsh, cnn, mykolaiv, ukraine. >> you just heard nick there talk about the human cost. we want to show you a picture that tells the story how far ukrainians have to go to protect their loved ones during war. it shows a woman named olga you see her there nursing her 1-month old while she recovers in hospital. the hospital says olga shielded the child with her body after their home in kyiv came under fire. the mother sustained multiple injuries and underwent surgery.

thankfully you see the babely there. olga is fine. olga's husband, you see him there, that attack left him with wounds on his legs. a former ukrainian president is calling for sanctions on the russians who do president putin's pr bidding in his words speaking on cnn saturday. poroshenko argued for sanctions against what we called propaganda to promote the if invasion and also asked for weapons telling the west ukrainians are fighting your fight. >> during the last two week russian troops around kyiv did not ilprove one single meter because we have ukrainian armed forces we demonstrate and maybe they surprise not only putin but they surprise the world. we here fighting for the european security, freedom and democracy and for the global security and for you also. for the united states because my

request is, please, help us to save the world. help us to save europe. >> now, poroshenko also urged u.s. president joe biden to visit ukraine during his trip to a nato summit in brussels next week. joining me now susan glasser is a global affairs analyst and staff writer at the new yorker. good to see you as we follow these developments out of ukraine. in a new message ukrainian president reminded the world, right, that he believes what's going on in mariupol is an act, he says, of terror that will be remembered for centuries. and yet, susan, shouldn't ukraine and the rest of us really be braced for more? it does not seem a cease-fire is anywhere near reality right now. >> yeah, i think there's no indication at all of any meaningful intent on the part of russia to stop this murderous

war that they have launched. in fact, if you see president putin in moskow at this nuremberg-style rally, that's not indicative of someone who's about to go home. and so i think that, you know, the fear here is that mariupol is just a beginning of the kind of brutal destruction of the cities that seems to be what is the russian military play book for this conflict. >> you know, we already know, susan, that 1 in 5 ukrainians are displaced this time either in their own country or outside of it. it's only been a month. i mean, how much worse could this situation get? and what are the implications more broadly even for europe at this time? i remember when we had the refugee issue with refugees coming into europe from belarus. people had said, you know, belarus was weaponizing refugees. at this point in time the scale of this is just so much to try

and comprehend. >> yeah. i think you're absolutely right to point out that the refugee crisis not only is it vast and i think already exceeding what anyone thought was possible, but this is just early days. and if the assault on the cities continues, i think you're likely to see not just thousands more or even hundred of thousands more but millions more ukrainians. because remember there's a large number of ukrainians who are already internally displaced who haven't yet left the country and gone onto destinations outside ukraine, but i think the number i saw was as many as 10 million ukrainians are already internally displaced as, you know, total. and so that just suggests that we're early days of this crisis. and again, what worries me the most is that putin appears to be in an escluatory mode, number one. number two, as his defensive has stalled i think what you see is the russian military basically turning on their artillery on

civilian targets in the cities, that seems to be their actual war plan not to fight the ukrainian soldiers but ukrainians themselves and instill terror in the cities. >> you and have seen this before in chechnya. we understand where this is going and what russia means when they say they're going to escalate. giving shelter to the displaced both in and outside ukraine is becoming a challenge as we were discussing, but ukrainian mothers and young children were able to find refuge in a theater in a small polish border town. dozens of refugees are sleeping there side by side you see them there under borrowed blankets and fold out cots. this is just enormous. more than 3.3 million refugees have already fled ukraine. the u.n. as was saying says another 6.5 million people have been displaced inside ukraine. again, that's 1 in 5 ukrainians at this point. cnn's sal muabdelaziz looks at

what life is inside a shelter for those driven from their homes in vladimir putin's war. >> reporter: in peacetime this gym is where you'd see wrestling matches poenlsy, but now it's being used to house dozens of displaced people. as you can see no privacy here. people right beside each other. some of them have been here for weeks. i just want to show you, kneel down here and show you what their accommodations are like. this is just a basic wood pallet here. you can see that's just been laid down on this gym floor. and over it here is just very thin mattress, very thin bedding. by no means is this comfortable or ideal for any of the families who are here. many of them fleeing from some of the worst affected areas like kharkiv, kherson. can they've been sitting here for weeks with nothing but what they could carry on their backs. i've also noticed a few pets

here, peoples dogs and cats they were able to bring with them. i asked them what's the plan? are they going to move further west across the polish border, try to make it into the rest of europe? but some of them are waiting it out despite the horrific reports we're hearing from eastern ukraine hoping that they will be able to return home. in the meanwhile, of course as they stay here they're fully reliant on volunteers, we're told by the coordinators here. it's volunteers that are bringing this basic bedding that you see. it's volunteers that are bringing food, water and basic supplies. the lviv city council has visited recently, we're told. and they're working to bring more aid, more assistance, but you have to wonder how much longer can people live under these conditions in a place like this. >> our thanks to sal muabdel a ziz. now to come, chechnya, syria and now ukraine. why we should have known what vladimir putin's war machine

would do to the innocent civilians of ukraine. (vo) for me, one of the best things about life is that we keep moving forward. we discover exciting new technologies redefine who we are and how we want to lead o lives. basically, choose what we want our future to look like. so what's yours going to be?

, you know, one of the questions that the war in ukraine has been why did putin invade? among his explanations is that ukraine would join nato as he framed was an existential threat to russia, but british prime minister boris johnson now claims there's so much more to the story. he says mr. putin's real concern

is that russians could take a cue from ukrainians. listen. >> he has been terrified of the effect of that ukrainian model on him and on russia. and he's been in total panic about a so-called color revolution in moskow itself. that's why he's trying to snuff out freedom in ukraine, and that is why it's so vital that he fails. >> mr. johnson was making those comments, in fact, at a conservative party conference. now, before russian forces attacked ukraine, they were bombing syrian population centers like aleppo. years later survivors of the syrian civil war are expressing empathy for the people of ukraine. >> reporter: russia's vicious war in ukraine has shocked the world, but no one should be surprised. for years russia's ruthlessness played out so openly for all to

see in syria where countless civilians paid the price for putin propping up his ally. syria and where russia boasted about testing more than 300 types of weapons. it's also where it tested the world's limits, and there seemed today be none. its war has no rules. no one is spared, and no place is safe. russia's bombed hospitals, markets and schools. the u.n. called them war crimes, but no one has faced justice. russia denies its committed these crimes, but its cruel attacks know no bounds. even those rushing to rescue the injured have been targeted by its infamous double tap strikes. >> two of my team, my colleagues we will try to respond to save others. >> reporter: the white helmet survived one of russia's most brutal campaigns in syria as it

helped the regime besiege and bombard eastern aleppo into submission. his beloved aleppo was reduced to rubble. >> aleppo was like doomsday. i saw buildings collapse on the heads of of the families, member of the families, children. that weapon was used on civilians to target the shelters for the civilians. >> reporter: in the little that's left of rebel held syria the white helmets are on alert. there's a fragile cease-fire here. they also want to help ukraine. they know russia's play book all too well. >> they will bomb everything, and they will say we targeted place for soldiers, we targeted

ukrainian army. >> reporter: so many here feel the pain ukrainians are going through who shattered too many syrian lives. an english teacher with his baby girl by his side appealed to the world time and time again to save aleppo in 2016, but the world looked the other way. >> i mean, i don't know why the world is not learning. i mean not stopping russia in syria affected ukraine, and not stopping putin in ukraine will do the same in other countries. >> reporter: it's been more than five years since he was forced out of his home. life is not it same, he says, but life does go on. right now, he says, he just can't stop thinking of ukraine. >> none can understand ukrainians, none of the world, but syrian. none can understand them more

than syrians. we understand them more, and this is why i cannot -- nowadays i cannot teach well. i cannot do anything. >> the mistake of letting putin get away with it all, the impunity of syria that may have emboldened him to invade ukraine. many here feel their fate is now tie to ukraine. if putin is not stopped they fear russia will unleash hell here again to help assad re-claim what's left of this devastated land. >> reporter: cnn, istanbul. >> so with losses mounting on both sides after nearly a month of fighting russia has now unleashed an advanced weapon never used before in modern warfare. our military analysts will explain what that means for the war in ukraine. that's after a short break. ♪ come on. ♪

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and welcome back. i'm paula newton in atlanta. ukraine says a fifth russian general was killed last week in southern ukraine. cnn cannot independently verify that claim. according to the ukrainian military the general died in fierce fighting when ukrainian troops attacked russian forces occupying an airfield near the city of kherson.

the u.s. now confirms in fact russia struck western ukraine with hypersonic missiles similar to what you see there. last week's attack is believed to be the first time such a weapon has been used in combat. russia says it targeted an ammunitions warehouse. and there are now disturbing reports of the besieged city of mariupol as residents are being apparently forcibly taken to russia. the city council claims thousands of ukrainians have been rounded up by russian troops over the past week and taken across the border to remote locations in russia in so-called camps. ukraine's president says history will judge russia's actions harshly. >> translator: the besieged mariupol will go down in history as an example of the responsibility for war crimes. what the occupiers have done to mariupol is an act of terror that will be remembered for centuries. >> okay, we want to get some

perspective on this now and of course on the military situation on the ground with retired general and cnn military analyst wesley clark. thanks so much for joining us. you know, we keep hearing that the russian campaign is not going according to plan, and yet this is really only resulted in putin escalating further. now as we just learned apparently with hypersonic missiles, are they a game changer? and in your opinion does this signal a new phase-in the war? >> well, the truth isn't that the russian game plan hasn't worked. their plan alpha to run in and seize kyiv failed. their plan bravo to move into the country and take other cities is also failing. so maybe they're onto plans charlie right now, which is to bombard cities humanitarian crises and by the way show-off advanced weaponry to strike

precision targets if they can find those targets. we're going to have a seesaw back and forth battles. over the last couple of days ukrainian forces have taken the offensive northeast of kyiv. they've pushed the russians back. they've captured and destroyed a lot of russian equipment. they attacked the airfield in kherson, destroyed a lot of helicopters. on the other hand, the russians have struck the barracks in mykolaiv and killed according to news reports a couple hundred people. this is what's to be expected right now. this battle is in the undecided phase. it's going to be decided based on the strength of reinforcements that go to russia versus how much replenishment can come from the united states and nato allies. and if the countries of the west are not committed to putting those replenishishments in those anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems i hope moving forward on the mig issue to get ukraine

some air support than eventually the weight of the reinforcements, the 40,000 syrians and whoever else they're bringing in or whatever china does, it's going to weigh against ukraine. and and there's no really good peace solution, no diplomacy looks promising at this point. >> and that is sad but true. that is the evidence before us that really putin and russia are in no mood to talk. i want to look ahead with you to that nato meeting next week, though. and if you could please take us inside that room. you have been the nato commander. what could they be looking at in terms of trying to deter putin or even strike back at him especially if he ends up making moves in ukraine or outside of ukraine? you know, when you're a military planner, that's what you did, what kind of options could they be looking at because you know they're going to look at them next week. >> i'm sure those options have already been worked out by the nato military staff and supreme ally commander to europe and

might include artillery strikes, some limited missile strikes, maybe even a couple of air -- if russian forces in ukraine are in russia strike onto nato territory. but i think the biggest issue that i think is going to be -- i hope it will be discussed is how much risk we're willing to take to keep ukraine in this fight because in truth the best defense for nato is a strong ukraine that's resisting russia and bleeding russian forces down to nothing. if ukraine goes, it leaves just the thin red line of nato, and that front is four or five times larger than there was during the cold war. there are already plans published by russia how they're going to take the baltic states, and so there's no easy answer by saying, oh, well, let's just not worry about ukraine, let's just worry about nato.

that's not an acceptable answer for european security, and hope this is the issue really going to be on the table in the private session at the head of state level. >> i we'll see if we get more news out of that summit, but keeping on that topic you've spoken so forcefully about epithe last few days we keep talking about putin's moves but what about the united states and its allies? we've spoken about sanctions, sure. you and i both know, look, that's the long game. putin right now is on a very short, tight schedule. it's less than a month and he's nearly annihilated two major cities, several towns. we have 1 in 5 ukrainians displaced. do you think that those facts will be brought to bear at that nato table to perhaps make them a little bit more aggressive in the days and weeks to come? >> well, i hope when those facts are brought to nato and there's an valuation of it the nato military authorities and intelligence will take a more

realistic view of the risk. there's a long, long way to go between sending some fighter aircraft into ukraine and nuclear exchanges. and we just have to be able to see into this problem because if we can't then we'll face the same problem in nato are in taiwan or any other place against anybody who has nuclear weapons. mr. putin thinks he's found a loophole in the concept of deterrence that's used by the west, which says don't start a conflict or it might escalate to nuclear. hey, i'm going to start the conflict, if and if you get involved then i'm going to use the nuclear weapon. that's his loophole. we have to think our way through this. i'm sure that's being done in the white house or other places in western capitals, but it's urgent and must be discussed, i hope, at this nato summit. >> i don't have a lot of time, general clark. yale say again you were in their

shoes, what would you say to convince them if that's the route you want to go as nato commander? >> what i would say at the summit, general, you've got to take more risk. you've got to get more systems in. look, when israel was in trouble in 1973 president nixon ordered the pentagon to tell the forces in europe to give up their anti-tank weapons and then they'd be flown immediately into israel. we did that. even though the russians had escalated their nuclear status, we did that to save our ally israel. today as far as i can determine we're going through an elaborate paperwork process to transfer weapons, make sure their serial numbers are accounted for, make sure the charges are weighed against the budget and worried about everything. let's get those weapons in. it can be done. let's get them into ukraine so they can make a difference on the battlefield now. >> and we just gave our viewers

a stark reminder what's at stake when we showed them what happened in syria. general clark, have to leave it there. thanks so much as always. now a group of taxi drivers in spain wanted to do something, right, to try and help refugees thousands of miles away in ukraine. so they organized a convoy that crossed the continent and returned to spain. the 130 ukrainian refugees they transported had found a safe refuge from the terror of war. listen. horns blaring, people cheering. it's a heroes welcome for these bleary-eyed taxi drivers and the war-weary passengers. the end of the line for this convoy are about 30 taxis in a 40-hour round trip that covered more than 3,000 miles from madrid to poland and back. but it's also the beginning of a new chapter for the roughly 130 refugees from ukraine arriving

in the caravan. some had tears in their eyes and shouted words of gratitude as they entered a shelter in madrid. even drivers themselves say they were surprised by the reception. as one driver says, we are all very moved because of the welcome we had. we didn't expect it. he also says we're very tired. we have been driving nonstop. the convoy began as an idea by a group of taxi drivers waiting outside the madrid airport for customers on how they could help the people fleeing ukraine. taxi drivers raised about $50,000 for the trip to cover fuel costs and volunteered their time to bring supplies to poland and return with as many refugees as they could. the convoy's organizers say they are proud to bring so many people to spain but disappointed

there are still so many people who need help. organizers say the ukrainian embassy in madrid helped to select the refugees for the convoy, and the drivers say they hope to do another run soon. for many of them it's a ride they won't forget. one man says while on the road a commercial plane passed overhead and a frightened child looked at the sky and threw himself on the ground with his hands on his head. when it came for the final drop off there were plenty of hugs and thanks for the lift out of a place of hardship, for the lift in spirits and the hopefully new roads ahead for these passengers in need. ahead on cnn we're following a surge of covid-19 cases right across western europe that has health officials here in the united states on high alert.

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ukraine's national opera house is mourning one of its top dancers. his friends posted on social media saying he died after being injured by shelling. several international dancers including one of his old dance partners are trying to raise money to help ukraine.

>> reporter: effortless elegance and pal pabl passion. one of ukraine's finest ballet dancers. born in kyiv and a member of the national ballet before spending many years with the u.k.'s ren renowned royal ballet company. >> all my family saying the same thing that's it's surreal trying to escape driving, russian bombs falling on kyiv. it's impossible to understand. my father decided to stay back in kyiv. i'm so happy my mother made it to london after more than a week and several attempts to escape kyiv, so she will be here for the show. >> reporter: even teamed up with elena, she trained in ukraine and knows all too well the devastation of war. her former partner killed after shelling by russian forces.

>> he was one of the first partners i danced with when i was 15 in kyiv. my memory goes to how i knew them, how we met and danced together. i could not comprehend that reality right now happening. >> reporter: ballet's best from around the world have donated their time to be a part of the dance from ukraine to raise money. >> the show we're putting together has given a platform, a voice for others to join in. everyone is desperate to do something. something that usually takes six months took two weeks. so it's a 20-hour day trying to put this together and yet it's really worth it because it will save lives. >> if you had a message to the people of ukraine, what would it be? >> we just have to get through this hard times because there is light on the other side. there are people willing to help and open their doors and hearts and support in any way they can.

>> reporter: ivan and elena hope to help those suffering through the brutalities of war with the beauty of ballet. >> that's the world of arts and culture, but there's also been solidarity with ukraine in the sports world, an emotional finish at the world ath leices indoor championship. ukraine's top high jumper took gold. and italy pays tribute to the six nations. >> reporter: a golden moment of courage and inspiration at the world athletics indoor championships this weekend. ukraine sealing victory in the women's high jump and this as reported by reuters after spending days sheltering in a cellar before making a three-day trip of nearly 2,000 kilometers by car from her war torn homeland to get to bellgrade. the 20-year-old winning a gold

medal with a sensational first time clearance at 2.02 meters. >> i was always waited to win a medal but now it's gold medal for all ukrainian people, for all ukraine. i want to thank you for all our military who protect our country. because you protect country and i come to here protect country on the track. thank you. >> meantime the message from the pole-vaulter was clear with the words stop war displayed on her face. and a further show of solidarity for ukraine in the men's six nation rugby tournament this weekend. the italian team putting blue and yellow hearts in their jersey numbers and how the italians inspired shocking

defending champs. a late try before a sealed famous victory with a final kick. italy's 1-point victory ending a seven-year, 36 games, six nations losing run. this win meaning so much to their ecstatic players. and huge celebrations as paris' france overpowered england to win not just this year's coveted grand slam but their six nation trial since 2010. patrick snell, cnn, atlanta. and we will be right back with more news in a moment.

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a surge of covid-19 cases across western europe has health experts on alert for another wave in the united states, as well. cnn's polo sandoval has the latest. >> reporter: covid cases in western europe are ticking up, yet again. this week, the united kingdom and the netherlands saw cases jump nearly 50% over the week before. the uk's roughly 55,000 new cases a day is only a fraction of what the country experienced during a previous covid peak. and on sunday, germany will begin lifting most covid measures in spite of new cases hitting a record seven-day high.

more than 1,700 in that country. the rising cases abroad has the attention of american health experts who are asking if covid statistics overseas may offer a preview of what is to come for the united states. >> throughout this pandemic, we have followed the united kingdom and western europe by about three weeks. so what happens there typically happens here. >> reporter: dr. jonathan reiner interprets covid upticks elsewhere as a clear sign that the virus is coming back. >> what they are seeing is not a sort of resurgence of the original ba1 omicron variant. what they are seeing is a second peak now of ba2, the more transmissible variant. and that is now slowly starting to rise in the united states. and i expect that we will see a pretty definitive evidence of an increase in cases in the united states probably by the end of this month. >> reporter: other health experts caution the u.s. may not be as prepared for a potential ba2 variant surge. in the uk, 86% of eligible

people are fully vaccinated with 67% boosted. those figures significantly lower in the u.s. white house officials also detailed this week that covid-19 relief funding from the american rescue plan is running out. officials say more funds would be critical if a second booster shot is required. on thursday, moderna announced that it could seek fda approval for a second booster shot for all adults. polo sandoval, cnn, new york. for more on this, we are going to bring in dr. eric topal with scripts research. good to have you in, again, for your expertise. we definitely need it, once again. okay. ba2. um, we just heard that, likely, that means there could be more of a surge of it here in the united states. what do we know about this variant? and are the vaccines still effective against it?

>> well, good to be with you, paula. the ba2 is a sister of the original ba1 omicron. it has a lot of different mutations by the good thing is that vaccines with a booster are just as protective against it as the original strain or ba1. the problem is that it's about 40% more contagious. so even though it doesn't cause severe -- more severe illness, it's going to get to a lot more people as we're seeing in a lot of countries in western europe. >> now, if you've already had omicron, can you still get this subvariant? >> that's right. uh, there's some antibody response to the omicron ba1 that crossreacts to this ba2 but it's not great. it is a relatively weak antibody response, so yes, there can be infections that come, you know, after ba1 with this second lineage of the omicron. >> so given that, we could see

quite a substantial surge and this is at a time when restrictions are just beginning to lift, right, in some places, especially when you point to things like schools, do you think we have to look at this again? and believe me, you know better than anyone, the kind of covid fatigue there is around the world right now. >> right. there is no question about the fatigue. we're so sick of this. and there are some countries that have gone through ba2 transition, including south africa and india and others that didn't have a surge. so, we can hope for a bit of that. but as you point out aptly, the loosening of restriction, along with the waning of immunity from our vaccines also contributes to making that spread of the ba2 worse. so, we have to be careful about just loosening all restrictions because that's just gonna feed into the ba2 spread. >> yeah, and we heard in polo's report there, how stark it is that many people in the united states remain unvaccinated. i have to tell you, doctor,

anecdotally, i have heard from several people who -- who have this new variant. um, and yet they have had -- be they are fully vaccinated, even boosted. they're quite sick. not sick that they are aending ending up in hospital. but still, quite a severe kind of flu-like symptoms. how much should we worry, then, about what this could still do to vaccinated vulnerable populations? the older people that we have all been trying to shield for so long, those who are immunocompromised. >> right. such a great point. the 95% protection from hospitalization. that's the key. that's where you draw the line between getting sick or mild illness. the protection from that third shot is really the essential point. but, yes, there is no question that illness can occur with these omicron variants. 6 at 94% protection from death or having to be on a mechanical ventilator in icu. so, that booster the

essentiality can't be emphasized enough. and here, in the united states, we are at a very major disadvantage 'cause we only have 29% of our population boosted. and as you mentioned, the older people -- we have 65%, whereas many countries in europe that we just touched on are at 85 -- for booster -- 90%. and overall, 65, 70%. so, here in the u.s., we're much more vulnerable. >> and, doctor, don't have a lot of time left. but do you believe that we will be talking about this a lot more here in the united states in the next two or three weeks, given the data that you've looked at? >> it seems to be inevitable at this point unless we're extremely lucky. i wouldn't want to count on the odds are against us here. every other time -- that is, five other times that europe and uk warned us -- it came here. so, looks like it's going to do that again. >> yeah. and that -- that is your blunt and necessary assessment, dr.

to topal, and we certainly admire your perseverance. the rest of us are distracted. you are there, steady as you go and keeping us informed. really appreciate it. >> thank you. and i want to thank you for spending part of your day with me. i'm paula newton. stay with us. our coverage begins right after the break with our live continuing coverage. from ukraine. ever wonder what everyone's doing on their phones? they're banking, with bank of america. the groom's parents? they just found out they can redeem rewards for a second honeymoon. romance is in the air. like these two. he's realizing he's in love. and that his dating app just went up. must be fate. and phil. he forgot a gift, so he's sending the happy couple some money. digital tools so impressive, you just can't stop banking. what would you like the power to do? (vo) for me, one of the best things about life is that

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this is cnn breaking news. >> hello, everybody. i am hala gorani reporting to you live from lviv in ukraine. new developments this hour. it is just past 6:00 a.m., ukraine time. we are learning that 71 children from an orphanage in northeastern ukraine have been evacuated to safety after spending two full weeks in a basement sheltering from russian shelling. meantime, also new this hour, ukrainian officials say another russian general has been killed amid fierce fighting in southern ukraine. the military says five russian generals have been killed, so far, since the invasion started. however, cnn cannot independently verify those claims. on saturday, officials in the u.s. confirmed tha