>> hello, and welcome to our viewers around the world this hour and also in the united states. i'm hala gorani reporting live from lviv in ukraine. we are seeing more signs of progress in ukraine's counteroffensive against russia exactly one month since moscow launched its brutal invasion of this country. a senior-u.s. defense official says ukrainians have pushed back russian forces on the front lines east of kyiv up to 35 kilometers, or 21 miles, in one day. now, northwest of the capital, cnn teams witnessed this barrage of outgoing fire wednesday night. ukrainian forces have been fighting to take back territory from russian troops in the kyiv suburb of irpin. the mayor says ukrainian forces now control 80% of the city. 8-0. we are now getting new video from the city of chernihiv that's about 144 kilometers, or 90 miles, northeast of kyiv which has been the scene of

intense shelling by russia. you can see rubble in the streets. obviously, very badly damaged buildings. firings still burning. the mayor said the city's cemetery is unable to handle all of the dead. and these images are the first coming out of the east of the country after days of fierce fighting. absolute obliteration. bodies were seen in the streets, widespread destruction. on wednesday, ukraine's president issued a global call to action, urging people around the world to take part in demonstrations in support of his country. >> from this day and after that, show your standing. come from your offices, your homes, your schools, and universities. come in the name of peace. come with ukrainian symbols to support ukraine, to support freedom, to support life. come to your squares, your

streets. make yourselves visible and heard. say that people matter, freedom matters, peace matters, ukraine matters. >> all right. a call to action to the world, really. meantime, the american president joe biden in brussels for what will be a full day of emergency summits there. more sanctions are expected from the g7 and european council meetings. nato leaders will gather in several hours, and will approve the deployment of four additional battle groups to protect the alliance's eastern borders. contingency plans for russia's potential use of chemical or nuclear weapons will also be discussed. that is really a nightmare scenario for everybody. president biden was asked about that particular possibility as he left the white house. >> president, how concerned are you about the threat of chemical warfare right now? that russia will use chemical weapons? how high is that threat? >> i think it's a real threat.

>> i think it's a real threat. meantime, the u.s. has taken the major step of formally accusing russia of committing war crimes in ukraine. now, to be clear, this is an official assessment that russian troops have violated the laws of conflict by launching indiscriminate attacks that harm civilians, and by deliberately targeting civilians as well. the u.s. state department specifically cited the recent shelling of a mariupol maternity hospital and the bombing of a theater that was marked with the russian word for children in letters visible from the sky. the u.s. says it will keep gathering all of this evidence, but that a court must ultimately determine criminal guilt. cnn white house reporter kevin lip tack joins me now live from brussels in a moment. but first, i want to start with retired u.s. army general and cnn military analyst dana pitard. thanks for being with with us. i want to start with you, dana. first of all, we are seeing some counteroffensive around kyiv that are pretty effective. they are pushing russian forces

back on the ground. however, and i should say, by the way, that you are also the author of "hunting the caliphate," i'm sorry i didn't see that book pop up there. what is your assessment of how effective they can be without more either anti-aircraft weaponry or some sort of air exclusion zone? >> well, good morning, hala. they have been effective, to an extent, with the weaponry that they have. their courage and their tenacity. but to be able to really stop the russian offensive, which is temporarily culminated around kyiv, um, they are going to need more. right now, the russian forces are still moving in the south and reaching many of their objectives. obviously, mariupol is one that has not been reached. but temporarily, russian forces around kyiv have been halted. so, in order for ukrainians to continue on with a counteroffensive, they are going to need more assistance.

>> yeah. what kind of assistance? >> well, there is a number of things that can be done. you know, the equivalent of the -- the berlin airlift as far as supplies, weaponry, and ammunition, um, is something that ideally president biden can help do and help orchestrate in his meetings with -- with nato leaders. um, that can certainly be helpful. um, the other thing that can be done that is different than what's been done so far, i think it is time for nato maybe under the auspices of the united nations, but to declare western ukraine as a humanitarian assistance zone. and what does that mean? that means west of kyiv, all the way down probably as south as odesa would be designated as a humanitarian assistance zone with nato troops, led by the united states, enforcing that. also, a no-fly zone over western ukraine. now, it'll be minimal contact

with russian forces because russian forces really are not in western ukraine but that would send a signal, first of all, to help refugees and the civilians in the corridors going into the humanitarian assistance zone. also, letting russia know that at some point, nato is going to insist on stopping the fighting in the future. >> okay. that would kind of be like dipping your toe into a no-fly zone, right? a humanitarian assistance zone over western ukraine would still require nato forces to shoot down any russian aircraft, drone, whatever in the skies above that -- above that -- that part of the country. >> yes, it would. and -- and western in ukraine. and nato would have to of course send warnings to russia to stay out of that area. and that's he where potentially there could be tension and conflict. but russia has its hands full right now in eastern ukraine with ukrainian forces. >> uh-huh. so let's talk about what these

nato allies, the eu/western allies can do in addition to what you listed there. on the ground, to help ground forces because the -- the russian troops are taking some absolutely huge losses right now. what -- what do you make of what's going on, on the russian side, first of all? >> the russian side, we know that there are morale issues. um, there are logis logistical problems. there are command and control issues. you know, 20 years ago, commanded a brigade, multinational brigade in kosovo with russian troops and one thing that was very noticeable was that their junior officers and their noncommissioned officers like their sergeants did not take the initiative. so they were always waiting for orders from higher officers. and many of those officers and leaders are being picked off and killed by ukrainians, which is causing some of this malaise on

the part of the russian forces. >> uh-huh. so, which means what in the ground gr grand scheme of things, in the war effort itself on the russian side that there is such low morale, heavy losses in the thousands on russian troops on the ground. also, high-ranking military officers are dying as well on the battlefield. what does that tell us about where they are in their effort now a month in when they presumably thought they could just blitz their way into kyiv, take over, and install a puppet government? >> yes. operationally around kyiv, that's why they have temporarily come to what we call an operational culmination. but that is temporary because though their morale is low, their capability is still high. and their lethality is still high. so at this point, it looks like the russian forces are -- are waiting for more assistance either from outside of ukraine, from belarus, or from russia to reinforce what they have. they are also waiting for the

forces in the south to finish in reaching their objectives so that they can in fact be reinforced. now, the ukrainians cannot allow that. they must use what we call interior lines to continue to hold the line against russian forces in the south, continue to hit hard russian forces that have temporarily been -- been held up around kyiv. >> all right. thank you so much for this analysis, dana pitard. also author as i was mentioning at the top there of "hunting the caliphate, america's war on isis and the dawn of the strike cell." thank you for joining us. let's turn now to brussels and kevin liptack is there with the very latest. joe biden landing in brussels. emergency meetings. it is obviously a very, very historically sensitive time now for this western alliance as russia continues its assault on ukraine, kevin. >> reporter: yeah, it certainly

is and the nato leaders will be gathering here really in a matter of hours, and when you think about it, hala, usually officials have months and months to prepare for these kinds of summits. this one really came together in the last several weeks. and so, officials from the united states and from european governments have really been scrambling behind the scenes to put together this package of announcements that the leaders are hoping to unveil today. president biden made it known that he wanted to meet face to face for the first time since putin invaded ukraine, and that is exactly what he'll do today. most of this meeting at nato will be behind closed doors. no cell phones in the room, even limiting the number of aides really underscoring the sensitivity of these talks at nato. and when those leaders sit down, they will discuss nato's force posture along the eastern flank of the alliance both in the short-term and you mentioned in the opening, the increase of these four battle groups in those southern countries on the eastern edge of nato. they will also discuss long-term changes, more permanent changes

to the force posture in nato when the president meets with the members of the g7, he'll discuss sanctions. he is set to announce new sanctions on members of russia's parliament. also, new list of oligarchs to come under sanctions. and he will also work very importantly to plug some holes in sanctions that had been used to evade what is already in place, and then he'll come where i am to the european commission to discuss the big issue here is the energy european dependence on russian energy. the president has been very forceful behind the scenes in encouraging europe to lower its dependence on russian gas and oil. he is set to make announcement before he leaves brussels about providing russia with some liquified natural gas from the united states to help ease that burden somewhat. but of course, the question looming over all of these talks is whether it will have any effect on vladimir putin. u.s. officials have been frank that he feels backed into a corner, and they are worried about what he will do next.

will he use chemical or biological weapon? or would he even use a nuclear weapon on the battle ground in ukraine? and that is something that leaders will certainly discuss at all three of these meetings today, potential contingencies should that occur, making sure that they are all on the same page should that happen. it does raise the question, does that change the threshold for nato involvement in ukraine? that is something that had been certainly off the table until now. but the use of those weapons would, of course, change the calculus of the leaders here in brussels. so, the president certainly has a stacked agenda. stakes really could not be higher for him here in brussels today, hala. >> all right. and for the really all of us as well, if there is even any possibility some of these weapons could be used, kevin liptack in brussels, thanks very much. we will stay in touch with you as you continue to cover these extraordinary meetings taking place in europe. nato officials estimate as many as 15,000 russian soldiers have

been killed in the war on ukraine. that is a staggering number. thousands more obviously wounded. others missing. the city of dnipro has largely been spared from the fighting, but it is collecting the bodies of russian soldiers and burying its own war dead all while trying to keep the city running. and a warning, our report from cnn's ivan watson contains some graphic content. >> reporter: the military cemetery stands on a wind-swept field on the outskirts of the ukrainian city of dnipro. rows of graves, a reminder of the stark reality ukraine has lived with for years. all of these crosses mark the graves of ukrainian soldiers killed fighting against russian-backed separatists in the donbas region since 2014. and these are new graves for ukrainian soldiers killed since russia invaded ukraine on february 24th of this year.

my guide here is michael, deputy mayor of the city of dnipro. yeah. >> very, very young men. very, very young men. >> born in 1997? >> yes, yes, yes, yes. really hard for us, for our city, and for people from ukraine. >> reporter: nearby, rows of freshly-dug graves that are, so far, empty. these are preparations in case there are more casualties? >> yes. >> reporter: this deadly war presents a bizarre challenge to ukrainian officials, like lisa. on the one hand, they have to fortify city defenses and support the armed forces. and at the same time, provide basic services, like garbage disposal and running city buses. >> if you look on our street now, we have clean street. >> reporter: how do you manage a city and fight a war at the same time?

it's complicated, he says, but we have experience because this is the second war we've fought against russia. the ground war has yet to reach the eastern city of dnipro and its population of nearly 1 million inhabitants. sometimes, the city looks almost normal. though, there is a strict 8:00 p.m. curfew, and instead of advertisements, billboards defiantly curse at the russian military. these days, city officials carry guns. this is because of the war that you have weapons? >> yes, yes, it's normal for me. it's normal for me. >> reporter: why is ronald reagan, his portrait, in your office? >> yes. because these guys, he is a very charismatic guys and these guys destroyed soviet union. >> to see another side of the conflict, the deputy mayor brings me here to one of the city's morgues to see a parked refrigerator truck.

>> in this fridge, we have 350 dead russian soldiers. in another morgue, we have 400. i cannot open this truck because in this truck, this fridge truck, a lot of dead guys. i don't want to show his face, his legs, his any pieces of body. >> reporter: he says all of the dead russian soldiers gathered from front lines across eastern ukraine are stored here in dnipro before eventually being shipped to kyiv. why is the ukrainian government collecting the bodies of russian soldiers? >> we cannot leave these body on our fields, on our streets, or in other place. it's not normal. >> reporter: as we speak, we hear something in the sky. what's that noise?

where do we go? >> over here. >> just now, we had a little alert because there was a sound that michael says was -- sounded like a russian drone. war dead and the threat of enemy drones. part of everyday life now in eastern ukraine. ivan watson, cnn, dnipro, ukraine. and still to come. a norwegian paramedic says he had to do something to help people escape the war in ukraine. we'll have more on the lifesaving service he and so many others are offering. plus, facing a very uncertain future while clinging to mementos of the past, we will look at some of the prized possessions that refugees take with them at the last minute before fleeing their homes. we'll be right back.

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despite the millions of people that have already fled ukraine, there are countless others still trying to escape russian attacks. one norwegian volunteer paramedic now makes daily trips to ukraine to help as many people as he can flee to poland. cnn's ed lavandera has his story. >> reporter: the air-raid sirens no longer startle diederich. >> the sirens are telling us it's no danger anymore. >> reporter: with that, he eases the nerves of a mother and her two children. he's just picked up at the train station. tonight, he will drive them to poland. diederich struggles to explain how a 27-year-old from norway has found himself driving an ambulance through the streets of lviv.

>> that's the most difficult question actually. >> reporter: he is part of a volunteer team evacuating critically-ill hospital patients and refugees from ukraine. >> i just wanted to help. do something not sit at home and just look at everything on the tv. >> reporter: most days, diederich drives into lviv from poland with an ambulance full of medical supplies, and distributes the loads to hospitals facing grave shortages. zorana is the medical director of the saint nicholas hospital in lviv. she says since the start of the war, her hospital has been overwhelmed treating everyday seriously ill patients. >> bring medicines, some equipment which we need so much. that's why we are thankful for him and his team. really dream team. >> reporter: hospitals are struggling to handle all the patients needing critical lifesaving care.

that's where diederich's team comes in. >> we have just delivered a lot of equipment to that hospital and to another hospital. we went to the train station and picked up a few refugees, as well. >> reporter: he's lost count of how many patients and refugees he's driven out of ukraine. >> i have helped a lot of kids, women, and children who needs to go out of the country. and in the places we are getting the people, they don't have anyone else. for right now, they only have us. >> reporter: diederich and his team of paramedics and nurses have spent almost three weeks crisscrossing the city, answering any call for help that comes in. how stressful is it to drive around ukraine right now? >> oh, my god. it's horrific and it's not possible to explain. >> reporter: this area of western ukraine has seen just a few russian air strikes since the war started nearly a month ago. but russian forces have targeted hospitals and civilians in

eastern ukraine. diederich knows he's driving into potential targets. it's a risk he's willing to take. is doing this worth dying for, for you? >> yeah, it is. because it's so meaningful what i'm doing. when i see these crying children who are really sick and needs to get out, i -- i feel a responsibility. >> reporter: for diederich gunnestad, it feels like the road to saving ukrainians goes on forever. ed lavandera, cnn, poland. well, the determined resistance that the russian military is facing in ukraine that surprised so many people, by the way, is echoing the bitter fighting that the soviet army faced 40 years ago in afghanistan. a closer look at the two conflicts. how they are the same, how they are different when we come back.

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the raging conflict in ukraine is now one month old. that's hard to believe. russian losses are mounting daily. a ukraine fighters are outnumbered and outgunned, for sure, yet they have managed to stall the russian juggernaut and they have even begun to regain territory. nato officials estimate at least 7,000 russians have died in battle so far, and say the actual number could be as high as 15,000. the ukrainian military is claiming some successes at pushing russian forces away from the capital. this photo shows ukrainian forces in kyiv firing at russian positions outside the city. but russia's bombardment of the southern city of mariupol goes on. thousands of civilians are trapped there among the ruins. this is unbelievable.

this is an aerial shot of mariupol. i mean, it reminds you of the worst devastating conflicts in east aleppo, for instance, some of that reminds me. the u.s. on wednesday formally accused the russian military of war crimes. now, if nato's estimates are correct, russia's war casualties after just one month in ukraine may be as high as all ten years of the soviet-afghan war in the '80s. cnn's nic robertson has that story. >> reporter: nearly 43 years ago, moscow ordered troops into afghanistan. over the following decade, some 15,000 soviet red army soldiers would die there. their war and eventual retreat led to the collapse of the soviet union. today, the death toll of russian troops in ukraine could already match those killed over ten years in afghanistan.

498 dead in the first week of war according to russia's defense ministry and despite no update since, nato officials say after a month of fighting, the russian death toll is now as many as 15,000. across dozens of russian cities, more than 15,000 people have been arrested for protesting the war. recently, anxious parents of troops have begun showing up. putin's achilles heel is the perception soldiers are dying unnecessarily. it's why his tightened reporting laws swamped russia with kremlin prop began did did a and it's why the ukrainian military shows off battlefield gains, like knocking out russian tanks or captured russian soldiers because they know bad press back home is what got the red army out of afghanistan. what sucked for the soviets in

the '80s was the afghans' determination to fight for their homeland and that the united states supplied the afghan fighters with stinger surface to air missiles. the shoulder-launched weapons turned the tide of the war. russian helicopters were easy prey. they lost air superiority and, with it, the will to endure high casualties and anger back home. two years after a pullout in 1989, the economic cost of war overpowered the ailing soviet economy and seven decades of communist rule collapsed. afghan parallels with today's war in ukraine are clear, like the afghans, the ukrainians are ferociously battling to save their homeland from moscow's army. and as they did with the afghan fighters, the u.s. and allies are supplying the ukrainian army with u.s.-made stinger missiles

to shoot down russian helicopters and jets with success. >> the air space skebted and it's contested because the ukrainians are making it that way and they are being very smart about how they are marshaling and using their air defense resources. >> tank busting u.s. made javelin missiles are also helping ukraine keep putin's army at bay. russia's enemies, if not russia, have learnt the lessons of the afghan war. no one yet, though, predicting the collapse of putin's power. nic robertson, cnn, brussels. well, i have more from lviv ukraine at the top of the hour. first, though, let's bring in john vause in atlanta. john. >> hala, thank you. the coming day, we will see an unprecedented trio of high-level summits. nato, g7, european council. all meeting in brussels and the u.s. president will be at all three with a focus of maintaining unity with european allies, as well as a unified response to russia's invasion of ukraine. when president biden addresses

his fellow nato leaders, he is expected to urge them to stay the course, increase the pressure on russia. also, make good on their new commitments to boost defense spending. emergency summit is expected to approve four additional battle groups in hungary, romania, bulgaria, and slovakia. the former-u.s. ambassador to nato, and co-author of "the empty throne, america's abby addition of global leadership." welcome back to "cnn newsroom.." >> great to be here. >> so here is more now on nato's deployment of forces from the u.s. permanent representative to nato, julie anne smith. >> this is a nato-wide effort. this is not just a handful of countries coming together. we've seen almost every member of the alliance step forward and move troops, ships, fighter jets into central and eastern europe to ensure that we're all collectively addressing the security needs of those allies on the eastern flank.

>> so compare now to just a few years ago when you said the alliance was experiencing the best of times and the worst of times. the worst because many countries just weren't spending what they had to on defense. so how would you describe the alliance today? and did putin essentially breathe new life into nato like never before? >> yeah, it really looks like that. i mean, vladimir putin has reminded everyone not only in the united states but also and particularly in europe that this is a dangerous world. that -- a world in which just because you're trading and talking to each other, you don't have to worry about military capabilities or the use of force which many europeans seemed to believe for a long time that may have existed for some time but it's certainly gone. and as we see in the reaction of countries as diverse as germany and switzerland, uh, real change is happening in many ways. what the germans are going through with with fundamental reassessment of that says that for our security, it's not enough to talk to other

countries. it's not enough to trade with them but we actually need to have some serious military capabilities underpinning a serious military alliance. >> so we have a situation with -- with the u.s. president will be at this nato summit and his -- his main goal from the very get-go has been unity. trying to keep this alliance together. um, and that unity could be tested i guess in the coming days or weeks should there be this stepped-up russian military offensive inside ukraine leading to a lot more casualties, civilian casualties in particular. and there is also this potential use of chemical and biological weapons if they are used, that could also test the unity of nato and how they react. here is the secretary general. >> the use of chemical weapons with -- with -- would totally change the nature of the conflict. it will be a blatant violation of international law and far-reaching consequences. and i think that's the most important message to convey.

>> so on his to-do list, president biden would like to get an agreement on where the line is and what russian action would trigger a nato military response. how difficult will that be? and how high will that bar be set? >> well, i think it is a tough set of issues. i mean, up till now, we have tried to draw a line in between on the one hand, doing whatever we can to help the ukrainians defend themselves. and then, the other side, avoiding a direct military confrontation between nato forces and -- and russian forces. and we've been able to maintain that line for -- for four weeks. um, but i think as the secretary general rightly is underscoring, the use of chemical weapons or -- or biological agents or worse, nuclear weapons, would fundamentally alter the character of the war and, therefore, need to lead to a reassessment about where we're going to draw the line. in my view, at that point it is necessary for nato to be prepared to come to the aid of ukraine directly with its military capabilities.

and it would be a good outcome of this meeting if there were agreement on that, and to communicate that clearly to vladimir putin perhaps privately but, nefvertheless, clearly communicate it so he knows what the consequences are. >> one thing which has sort of been i guess highlighted here is that this unity among the europeans has been a surprise to vladimir putin. that was something which was picked up by the european commission president. here she is. >> if there's anything that putin did not anticipate, then it's our unity, the speed of our action, and our determination. he should be no doubt that we will stay the course. long live unity and long live europe. >> and that's great but is it perhaps a little premature? we are not even a month into this conflict. >> well, i think of course she's right that in the last 24 days or -- or so that the conflict has been going on, there has been remarkable unity. unity didn't just appear on that day. it was built over an extended

period of time by the biden administration, by warning allies of what was about to happen. and then, putting in place a very concerted strategy along three lines. helping ukraine defend itself, bolstering nato and its capability to defend itself, particularly in the east. and imposing very severe economic sanctions. i think even the administration is surprised with the speed with which all of this has come together and i think one of the great challenges that the united states has working together with its allies not only in europe but also in asia is to find ways to, in many ways, institutionalize what is now emerged as a -- as a strong, united front. >> yeah. i guess the question -- you know, if this drags out, you know, concerns but we're not there yet. and we may never get there. ambassador, good to see you. thank you, sir. >> great to be here. still ahead here on cnn. republicans in the u.s. senate

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u.s. senate judiciary committee is expected to vote in less than two weeks on judge ketanji brown jackson's nomination to the supreme court. but with republicans lining up in opposition, her confirmation vote will likely be one of the closest in history. cnn's paula reid reports on her final day answering senators' questions. >> reporter: supreme court nominee ketanji brown jackson facing questions from increasingly hostile republican lawmakers. >> that's not what i have said, senator. >> reporter: the hearing was often contentious. >> to answer a question. you can bang it as loud as you want. >> republican senators once again used significant portions of their allotted time to focus on jackson's judicial record in child pornography cases. >> you are a mother. you seem to be a very nice person. are you aware of how many images are out there on the internet involving children and sexually

compromising situations? >> reporter: senator graham repeatedly interrupted jackson's attempts to explain previous sentencing decisions. >> no, senator, i didn't say versus. >> that's exactly what you said. put their ass in jail, not supervise their computer usage. >> senator, i wasn't talking about verses. >> you just said you thought it was a deterrent to supervise them. i don't think it's a deterrent. >> senator, would you let her respond? >> yes. >> senator, every person in all of these charts and documents, i sent to jail. because i know how serious this crime is. >> reporter: senator hawley's questions revealed jackson's fatigue with an issue that was relevant only to a handful of cases in her career. >> you gave him three months. my question is do you regret it or not? >> senator, what i regret is that in the hearing about my qualifications to be a justice on the supreme court, we've

spent a lot of time focusing on this small subset of my sentences. >> reporter: committee chairman dick durbin admonished his republican colleagues for their talking points, appearing to appeal to movements like qanon, which peddles false conspiracies about democrats and pedophiles. >> your nomination turned out to be a testing ground for conspiracy theories and culture-war theories. >> reporter: cruz, jackson's harvard law school classmate, made news with his question about the upcoming affirmative action case going before the justices next term, where harvard is a defendant. >> you are on the board of overseers of harvard. if you are confirmed, do you intend to recuse from this lawsuit? >> that is my plan, senator. >> reporter: democratic lawmakers, again, using much of their time to allow jackson to talk about her record, and the historic nature of her nomination. >> i do consider myself, having

been born in 1970, to be the first generation to benefit from the civil rights movement. >> she wiped away tears as she listened to senator booker. >> when that final vote happens and you are sent on to the highest court in the land, i'm going to rejoice. and i'm going to tell you right now, the greatest country in the world, the united states of america, will be better because of you. >> reporter: paula reid, cnn, washington. many refugees fleeing ukraine had just minutes to escape their homes, taking only a few prized possessions. when we come back, though, some of them will speak with cnn about what they brought on their journey to safety. ♪ "how bizarre" by omc c ♪ no annual fee on any discover card. ♪ ♪

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what began as a trickle al the start of the war quickly became a flood. millions of ukrainians fleeing their homes and their homeland. most finding safety in eastern and central europe. but now almost a month into this crisis and with the strange showing, eu leaders are considering a continent-wide response with all member states sharing the burden of caring for so many in so much need. more than 3.5 million ukrainians have actually fled their country. 10 million have been displaced. this is the fastest moving refugee crisis since world war ii according to the u.n. that's the big picture, but that moment, deciding to leave everything behind, all that you know and all that you own, entire lives packed into suitcases in just minutes, but despite that turmoil and chaos, many are able to grab that one keepsake, a reminder of a

happier life that was and will be again. here's cnn's salma abdelaziz. >> reporter: life changed in an instant for these families, forced to flee their homes as russian troops invaded. but what do you take with you as you run? what is your most precious possession? for 11-year-old victoria, it's her beloved teddy bear. she's outgrown him, but it's just the right size for her sister. "it was mine, and now it's hers," she tells me. "when she's crying a lot, she cuddles him at night." >> what is the most precious thing you took? >> this is me and my father. >> reporter: when i was gathering my stuff, i knew i needed to take this, she told me. it's my only album with her

dad's pictures in it. her dad died when she was 6, but pictures of him bring her comfort. "i knew the photo album would make me feel calmer." this 7-year-old rushes to grab her favorite thing. it's easy to see why she loves it. "because there are animals in it and dogs and, you can count. here is six. here is four." denise was given just ten minutes to leave his university dorm, but he knew what to grab. "my sunglasses. i adore them," he tells me. "they make me look cool like kurt cobain." put on the sunglasses for me, please. how do you feel now that you have the sunglasses on? "it makes me feel like everything is going to be fine," he says." that we will win and i will walk under the skies of a peaceful

kyiv again. salma abdelaziz, cnn, lviv. i'm john vause at the cnn center in atlanta. hala gorani will be live in lviv in just a moment. we'll leave you with a haunting solo performance of this cellist i've always focused on my career. but when we found out our son had autism, his future became my focus. lalavender baths always calmed him. so we turned bath time into a busininess. ♪ and building it with my son has been my dream job. ♪ at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com i always had a connection to my grandfather... i always wanted to learn more about him.

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