that's a savings of over $500 a year. switch today. this is cnn breaking news. i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. we begin with new signs that russia shifting its focus in ukraine to the donbas region in the east without letting up on the capital kyiv. autho authorities report attacks from aircraft, artillery, heavy caliber weapons, ask mortar fire. to the north, ukraine's second biggest city kharkiv continues to be a major target as well. the region's military governor says russian forces have launched dozens of strikes in the past day, hitting

residential areas. meantime, british military intel skrens reports russia redeploying some of its forces from georgia to reinforce its invasion of ukraine. the uk defense ministry says it is highly unlikely moscow planned this move but is indicative of how russia is suffering from heavy losses. all of this adding to the defiance of ukraine's president. >> translator: they said three or five days. they thought that this would be enough for them to seize our entire state and it's already 36 and we are standing. and we will continue to fight until the end. >> and according to ukrainian officials, russian troops have now left the chernobyl nuclear power plant north of kyiv. the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster has been under russian control since the first week of this invasion in late february. the governor says two low flying ukrainian helicopters attacked a fuel depot in his city, setting it on fire. cnn cannot confirm that claim but it is just across the border from kharkiv, ukraine.

the governor said two employees were injured in the fire but are not in any kind of serious danger. says the fire and gulf fuel reserves, firefighters on the scene and an area nearby is being evacuated but the governor says there is no threat to the local population. ukraine continuing to fight back against russian forces, now reclaiming the city of irpin, west of kyiv. and from there, cnn's fred pleitgen filed this report. >> reporter: there is no safe way to get into irpin. the only feasible route is on the back of a police special forces pickup truck on dirt paths. but even here, the earth is scorched after russian troops shelled the trail. ukrainian forces are taking us into this area on back roads because they say taking the main roads is simply much too dangerous. they want to show us the damage done when russian forces tried to enter kyiv. ukrainian authorities say this is still one of the most dangerous places in this

war-torn country, and we immediately see why. we are driving right towards an area engulfed in smoke from artillery shelling. this is where russian forces tried to push into ukraine's capital, but were stopped and beaten back by the underdog ukrainians. battles here are fierce. authorities say 50% of the city has been destroyed. to us, that number seems like an understatement. moving quickly because this place can get shelled anytime. ukraine's national police now patrols irpin again but their forces frequently come under fire, the chief tells me. just yesterday, our officers who were searching for dead bodies -- they were shot at with mortars, he says, they had to lay under the bridge and wait for it to stop. but the grim task of finding and taking out the many dead continues. more than two dozen on this day

alone. some have been laying in the streets for weeks, and can only now be removed. when russian forces invaded ukraine, they quickly advanced on the capital kyiv all the way to irpin. here here, ukrainians stood and fought back. vladimir putin's army controlled a large parts of irpin and the battle lay waste to much of this formerly wealthy suburb. and this was the epicenter where we find burned out russian trucks and vehicles. as you can see, that there was a russian armored vehicle which was completely annihilated. we do have to be very careful around here because there still could be unexploded munitions laying around. we meet volodymyr, a local resident who says he stayed and took up arms when the russians invaded. always, there was not a single day had i left town, he says,

even during the heaviest fighting. it must have been difficult, i ask. just so you understand, he says, once there were 348 impacts in one area in one single hour. and the battle here is not over. suddenly, irpin's mayor shows up with a group of special forces saying they are looking for russians possibly still hiding here. i ask him how it's going. we're working, he says, there's information that there are two russian soldiers dressed in civilian clothes. with our group, we are going to clean them up. ukrainian forces say they will continue the fight, and further push russian forces away from their capital. the deputy interior minister saying they need the u.s.'s support to succeed. >> what do you need from the united states? >> everything. military support, first of all. >> reporter: weapons to help the ukrainians expel the invading army they hope and finally bring this suburb out of the reach of

vladimir putin's canons. fred pleitgen, cnn, irpin, ukraine. joining me here in lviv is ukrainian filmmake and are writer who fled the capital with her son, her cat, and a handful of clothes. irena, thank you for coming in. good to see you, good to speak with you. >> a pleasure. and i like the location. >> it is a beautiful view, isn't it? let's hope it stays that way. can you explain to us what it's been like for you over the last couple days, last couple weeks? because like so many families, yours has been split apart. your husband is in the capital kyiv. there is constant anxiety of not knowing what's happened. how do you deal with that? >> you know, this russia's war against ukraine is going on for eight years. so, we got used to everything and i was focused on this war during all these years. but i never expected that this russian full-scale invasion could come to my city, too. so this month was probably the longest month of my life, and i went through all five stages of grief.

at the moment, i am -- i accept it, that we are at war. >> yeah. and you said -- i think i read somewhere you said it is a bit like a movie and you are a filmmaker, so you feel it is a bit like a movie. almost surreal, i guess? >> yeah, but that is our reality. and we should face it, and we should resist. and, you know, all people i know most of them are artists, filmmakers, writers, they defend ukraine in different fields right now. some people defend ukraine with weapons in their hands, and others use other tools and weapons, like cultural diplomacy or info field. >> there are a lot of people opposed to war, who don't want to fight here in ukraine and they are forced to. it's against sort of their nature, but they have no other choice. they are sort of being forced into fighting a war which is putin's choice. how does that change people's character? >> that is true. i think that ukrainians they did

not want to fight but what can we do? because if the enemy comes to your home, to your country, you should defend it. for example, my husband -- he is a writer. ten novels. come on. he is not a military type of people. >> he is carrying a gun now? >> yeah, and he used to serve in the ukrainian armed forces before, in 2015 and he needs to do it now. so -- >> it's just what you have to do. um, tell me what was your journey journey like when you left kyiv and managed to get here? >> i didn't want to flee from my city because kyiv is my place of power, right? i am also the mother. i am responsible for our child, so i had to go to safe lviv. but at the same time, no one knows what is that safe place in ukraine now. >> do you feel safe here? >> i feel quite safe, and actually, you know, i've been

shooting in donbas area for many years. also, in the red zone. so, i feel quite well in lviv but i still worry about all ukrainian cities because we see that they are trying to aim everything and everyone, which is -- and who is dear for us. >> before the russian invasion, maybe go back a month or a couple of months. what was your biggest concern? i mean, what was your life like before that? >> i felt so happy. i mean, i had my family. i had my home. and um, i was trying to do my best and i had so many plans. i was developing the new idea of the film. but now, i feel that everything which is happening around me is only about this war situation. and we have only one aim, to

resist and so that is the most important struggle for all of us. >> putin has taken your future from you, in a way with this war? >> yeah, that is true. and the most painful thing that the brightest ukrainian people suffer right now. >> how does this conflict end? how do you think? how do you see it ending? what happens? >> well, we'll go to the end because the russians try to destroy everything. i mean, ukrainian identity, our future, our language, our culture, and most important, our people. so, as to my opinion, we have this strong people to fight but we still need powerful weapons, as well. so, what can i -- >> fight to the death in many ways. >> yeah but we still ask the whole world to help us. >> are they doing enough? what -- what would you like to see? >> we feel the huge support of ordinary people. but at the same time, we still

need more help and as to my opinion, we still need really powerful weapons to defend us because they kill our people every single day. and come on. >> talking about weapons -- defensive weapons essentially to defend yourselves against an aggressor. we wish you all the very best. you are a mum and you are a filmmaker and, you know, obviously, there are some difficult days ahead but you will get through this i hope. thank you, take care. >> well, we will take a short break here. when we come back, russia expected to open a humanitarian corridor out of mariupol today. we will take a look at what the refugees are leaving behind in that city. also, ahead, the mothers fled the bloodshed to keep them safe. now, the smallest refugees begin life with an uncertain future. that story, also, after the break.

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well, about 90% of the buildings in mariupol have either been damaged or destroyed by the russian military onslaught. that is according to the mayor and the bombing continues.

these images were recorded by a man running away from those explosions. this is just part of everyday life it seems these days in mariupol. but there is a glimmer of hope. after a request from the leaders of france and germany, russia is expected to re-open a humanitarian corridor out of mariupol. but no word on when they will arrive. many of those picked up are in mariupol will be taken out of the country to one of ukraine's neighbors, like moldova. this tiny country is now struggling to handle an influx of refugees, most of them hoping to return home. they just don't know when. >> translator: we have apartments, we have lhouses, we have places in the countryside. well, everything is there. it's not like we left ukraine because we wanted to. we want to go home. i'm already crying to drop everything and just leave. >> well, moldova has accepted

nearly 400,000 refugees. more than half of the 4 million people fleeing this war have actually arrived in poland. and most of the people fleeing ukraine are women and children, and many are women about to have children. making a hard and difficult journey even tougher. as cnn's kyung lah has the story. >> reporter: born just hours ago in poland, baby adelina is already a survivor of the war in ukraine. is it -- is it hard to be happy? it is, she says. adelina is christina's first child. you feel guilty? why? because i left, she says. left her home in western ukraine. the war had begun. the bombing neared their city. she escaped by bus, then walked on foot across the border. paramedics rushed her to the

hospital. she delivered adelina a month early, separated from her family. my mother, sister, grandparents still in ukraine. he is killing our people, she says of vladimir putin. how could anyone be so cruel? >> i am terrified. i'm terrified that something like this can happen. that you can lead your everyday life, and all of sudden, because of decisions that you have no influence upon, there is a war and you have to flee. it's -- it's unbelievable. it's terrifying. >> reporter: this doctor is a psychiatrist at a hospital in warsaw. the hospital focused on treating women, has seen 80 ukrainian patients this month, delivered 11 babies, and treated cancer patients like 58-year-old tatiana. i ran with my granddaughter in my arm, she says. missiles had already blown out the windows in their building. as they fled, something exploded next to their car. her city is now occupied by

russians. she is grateful for her doctors at the hospital, and the free healthcare in poland that is treating her cervical cancer. christina is one of the doctors. we are not using her last name because she, herself, is also a refugee from ukraine, a mother of a 5-year-old. and the wife of a ukrainian military man. your husband. my husband has been in the military since 2014. at the moment, he's in lviv. you had to leave your husband behind? yes, she says. now in bwarsaw, i can't sit and do nothing, she says. i have this opportunity here to help women who fled the country. with each breath, baby adelina offers her mother a respite from the war. what will you tell your daughter about her birth? the truth, she says, we will tell her everything as it was. she should know the truth. all the ukrainian patients you've seen in this story, that

healthcare is being covered by the government of poland, including all the care once they leave the hospital and they are not the only ones. the ministry of health here in poland says 197 ukrainian children have been born in poland since this war began. kyung lah, cnn, warsaw, poland. for information about how you can help humanitarian efforts in ukraine, please go to cnn.com/impact. help impact your world. putin's defense secretary says the uk and its allies will send ukraine more lethal aid, including long-range artillery and weapons to defend the coastline. this comes as ukraine has asked the u.s. for more reconnaissance and attack drones, including what are known as kamikaze drones. cnn's tom foreman has details. >> reporter: beneath the roar of missile strikes and artillery blasts, evidence of another deadly threat has appeared. so-called loitering munitions, or kamikaze drones, brought by

the russians to hit hard behind ukrainian lines. >> the terror aspect of these weapons is a significant psychological factor on the battlefield. >> reporter: unlike massive military drones, which fly hundreds of miles an hour over vast distances, often to drop missiles and return home, loitering munition drones are small, slow, and disposable. the switch blade 300, for example, weighs less than 6 pounds, and can be carried in a backpack, launched quickly and easily, it will cruise at about 60 miles an hour for 15 minutes while on-board cameras and gps hunt for nearby enemy assets. once a target is spotted and the command is given, the drone can sprint up to 100 miles an hour, dive, and explode on impact. but as the battle has raged, military analysts say the ukrainians who have such drones, too, have turned the tables on the russians.

using them to much more deadly effect. >> my personal guess is that probably about 20 to 30% of the kills that the ukrainians are registering against russian armor and against, you know, other russian entities is probably due to their very successful employment of these drones. >> reporter: according to analysts, kamikaze drones fit perfectly with the small, fast-moving squads favored by the ukrainians. the weapons are hard to detect, and can penetrate positions miles away. several systems of varying size, speed, and capability appear to be in use, and the united states is committing to boost the ukrainian' effort with 100 of those switch-blade systems. >> which demonstrates our commitment to sending our most cutting-edge systems to ukraine for its defense. >> reporter: these drones aren't big but their impact is growing by the day. if only because, in the very noisy space of war, these tiny,

killer drones can strike suddenly and quietly like a bolt from a clear-blue sky. tom foreman, cnn, washington. with that, we will take a short break here on cnn. when we come back, diplomacy shifting into high gear. two countries refusing to directly denounce the russian invasion. india holds face-to-face talks with moscow's top diplomat while china will come under pressure from the eu later today. that is all coming up here on cnn. you can forget the personality tests and social media quizzes. because the only way you're ever r gonna know is by heading into the big, wild, r raging so-damned-beautiful- it-hurts world and finding out for yourself. were you born to follow a path? or were you born free? these are the things we thought about when we made the new grand cherokee. made for what you're made of. ♪ ♪

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welcome back, everybody, i'm john vause reporting live from lviv in ukraine. we have this just in. a large fire is under way at a fuel depot in the russian city. local officials claim it was targeted by two ukrainian helicopters flying in at low altitude. at this stage, cnn cannot confirm that claim. it is just across the border from the ukrainian city of kharkiv. elsewhere, the u.s. says russian military fire now appears to be concentrated on four areas in -- in ukraine, including the capital. according to a senior-u.s. defense official, russian air attacks have stepped up significantly over the past 24 hours. ukraine's president says russian forces appear to be shifting focus to the donbas region. and uk's military intelligence says moscow is bringing in

reinforcements from georgia. here's president zelenskyy. >> translator: the situation in the southern direction and in the donbas remains extremely difficult. russian troops are accumulating the potential for strikes, powerful blows. >> at this hour, the russian foreign minister set to begin talks with officials in india. sergey lavrov is scheduled to meet with prime minister narendra modi, whose government has so far refused to directly condemn the invasion of ukraine. india facing growing pressure to take a much harder line against moscow. live in new delhi, very hard to take a harder lipo ne with mosc bhur getting that cheap oil, at least according to bloomberg, 35 bucks a barrel from russia. >> well, that's true but the indian government then says india imports less than 1% of crude oil from russia, whereas

european countries. more imports of crude oil from russia but this is a very important meeting, john, and it is going to start in about 30 minutes from now that's when lavrov is going to meet his indian counterpart, india's foreign minister, after which he will be meeting with india's prime minister narendra modi. we all know india has so far abstained from condemning russia's aggression in ukraine. there are reasons for this. firstly, india and russia share historic and very close ties. secondly, india massively depends on russia for its arms imports. more than 50% of india's arm supply comes from russia. and thirdly, we all know china is of india as well as the u.s., but in this case, india is worried about the proximity between russia and china. so let's just listen in to what an analyst had to say about india's situation at this point.

>> if the russians manage to come out of this strongly, then you are looking at a new world order in which russia and china would lead a nonwestern sort of coalition or powers. if -- if indeed russia loses, russia is going to be dependent on china even more. both these scenarios are actually going to be -- um, you know, not palatable to india. >> now, lavrov's visit comes at a time when the u.s. deputy national security adviser was in india as well as the british foreign secretary. of course, both raised the issue ukraine and russia with india but india remains to have a neutral stand. also, america understands the com pulgzs india has with its geographic location when it comes to china and close ties with russia. now, a source in indian government says an official from the indian government, rather, has said that prime minister

while talking to lavrov today, will once again reiterate india's stand and request for cessation of violence in that region. so clearly, india is remaining neutral for now. but there's been a whole string of top leaders from different countries who have been coming into india in the last two weeks to three weeks trying to pile pressure on india. but for now, india is holding its part. john. >> we appreciate that. thank you. india not the only player refusing to denounce the russian invasion. china expected to take some fire from the eu during a virtual summit. also set to begin about an hour and a half from now. cnn's kristie lu stout in hong kong following these developments and i guess the situation now comes down to between the eu and china, who needs each other the most? or who has the most to lose out of all this i guess when it comes to, you know, pressuring one or the other? >> yeah, and how can the eu get china to use its leverage on russia? look, this is going to be a very

difficult meeting when it kicks off. already, we have strained relations between the eu and china. but today is the big meeting. a high-level virtual summit between the eu and china. we know in just under two hours from now, there will be a working summit. a session between top-eu leaders and the chinese premiere and then four hours after that, around 8:00 p.m. local time, the working session with the chinese president xi jinping. on the table, they will discuss trade, climate change, health. but eu officials have indicated and made it clear that they want the focus to be on ukraine, and namely china's relationship with with russia after the invasion. in fact, in the run-up to today's meeting, eu officials have been sounding some pretty strong statements in this regard, including from one top-eu official, who is the head of the delegation for relations with china who accused china of giving political support to russia and its assault on ukraine. let's bring up the statement for you and the top-eu official said this to journalists earlier this

week. quote, the veil is threadbare, it fools no one. the way in which china handles this conflict will have bearing on the future overall eu-china relationship. a breakthrough is not expected to come out of today's high-level virtual summit. and that is due, in part, to the nature of the relationship between russia and china. they have been doubling down on their prewar relationship. that was made clear when, earlier this week, you had those meetings between the russian foreign minister sergey lavrov and his chinese counterpart and gave no indication that china was going to join the chorus of western condemnation against russia and its assault on ukraine. in fact, just a day into those meetings, we heard this from the ministry of foreign affairs, the spokesperson said that there was, quote, no ceiling for china-russia cooperation. no ceiling for us to strive for peace. no ceiling for us to safeguard security, and no ceiling for us to oppose hegemony.

unquote. and, john, it's true. china's economy relies significantly more on the u.s. and significantly more on the eu than on russia, so that gives eu leaders some leverage going into these talks. back to you. >> yeah, it was a relationship that knew no limits i think around winter olympics. now has no ceiling. christy, thank you, kristie lu stout live for us in hong kong. appreciate that. i will have more from lviv at the top of the hour but first let's to michael holmes in atlanta. >> good to see you, john. thanks for that. we will take a quick break here on the program. when we come back, some of the measures president vladimir putin is taking to bolster russian troops in ukraine with the conflict now in its fifth week. plus, a standoff over gas between russia and europe. how the eu is responding to moscow's demand for payment in rubles. we'll be right back. we're a different kind of dentistry. one who believes in doing anything it takes to make dentistry work for your life.

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now, there are signs that russia's invasion of ukraine isn't going well. new signs. british military intelligence says russia is redeploying some of its forces from georgia to reinforce its invasion of ukraine. this coming just days after moscow announced it will be scaling back its military assault on kyiv and chernihiv. the president of the country, vladimir putin, also signing a decree authorizing more than 134,000 people to be drafted into the russian military. part of a biannual call-up. but mr. putin had originally claimed russian conscripts would not knot take part in the conflict. he's been misinformed about gey advisers about the russian

military performance in ukraine. here is what u.s. president joe biden had to say. >> there is a lot of speculation. uh, but he seems to be -- i'm not saying this with with a certainty -- he seems to be self-isolating and there's some indication that he has -- um -- fired or put under house arrest some of his advisers. >> now, i want to bring in douglas london. he is a retired senior cia operations officer who is also the author of "the recruiter, spying and the lost art of american intelligence." it's great to have you back on the program. always enjoy the conversation. what is your assessment of the chances of putin being removed from within if you like? are there forces within the power structure who might have both the inclination and the opportunity to effect his removal? and what might persuade them to do so? or do you think he is secure for now? >> there is always that potential. it's -- it's hard to -- to see in the minds of those around him.

but russian leaders have generally been opportunists at bests as opposed to ideologues. the question is is that what we need? what we are seeking strategically is to change russian behavior whether it's putin or someone else, i don't really think, other than some grassroots revolution that brings forth democracy, is really going to make russia a friend of the west not based on those who are in the circles of power. but what we do want to find is a way to change their behavior, to adjust their maligned behavior and to make it more compatible with our interests. certainly, removal of the regime is a tactic but usually comes with with a lot bigger consequences, particularly when you don't know what is going to come in the place of what you've already known. >> yeah. as we said, you worked in the intel world, the spy world for -- for decades. how difficult do you think it has been to get accurate intel on putin, given his apparent predilection for -- for staying isolated even from his own people? >> well, it's interesting

because general walters, the supreme nato commander, made a comment the other day about, well, our -- our miscalculations on the capabilities of the russian army was perhaps due to a collection gap. i mean, inherently intelligence is always incomplete so it's imperfect. there is always a collection gap but let's say the cia, which is a strategic collector, did its job to the utmost and it had eyes and ears all around putin. and we were hearing and seeing everything putin heard. well, if we are getting the same intelligence on which putin made his miscalculations, we would be coming up with the same assessments. so i think there is something to be said for what the united states has recently declassified that putin has been getting bad intelligence. i think that's -- that's been evident from the beginning. but that is a culture that he has created, that hubris, that sort of emperor with no clothes persona that nobody really wants to tell him bad news. no one wants to argue against his predetermined conclusions. >> yeah, fascinating. i was going to ask another question but you just answered it so we'll leave it there. always good to have you on,

douglas london, we will get you back real soon. >> thanks, michael. now, the international energy agency is planning to hold an emergency meeting in the coming hours after the u.s. president announced a record release of 180 million barrels of oil from america's strategic reserves. the agency says it plans to discuss what steps to take to provide stability to oil markets, as american -- america's move sets the stage for other nations to release oil, as well. here's joe biden's reason for this historic move. >> our family budgets, your family budgets to fill a tank. none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war. so today, i am laying out a two-part plan. not only to ease the pain that families are feeling right now, but to end this era of dependence and uncertainty. and to lay a new foundation for true and lasting american energy and dependence. >> all right. now, let's take a look at what

the oil market looked like in the wake of mr. biden's announcement. crude down over 5%, about $105 a barrel. last month's swings from under $100 to $130 and back. moscow's threatening to cut off its gas supply to european countries unless they pay in rubles. now, we will show you the pipelines here that run from russia to europe. president vladimir putin says, quote, unfriendly nations must pay in rubles or contracts will be suspended. with the new rule set to take effect today. france and germany say they will stick to existing agreements with russia on making payments in euros only. and the uk says it will not accept mr. putin's demands, either. here is what the eu commissioner for the -- for economy told cnn's richard quest. >> we have contracts to be respected. i understand the maneuver which is behind this.

because of course, the russian economy was severely hit by these sanctions. the rubles need to be reinforced by putin. all this is part of the game. but our reaction was a reaction justified by this war, so at the end, final point, we will not be blackmailed. >> the eu commissioner for economy on russia's demand to get paid in rubles. well, it is the end of an era in italy where the government is standing to phase out some covid restrictions. how life is changing. that's when we come back.

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after more than two years, italy coronavirus state of emergency has finally expired. and beginning in may, people will no longer need to provide proof of vaccination or recent recovery from covid to eat at restaurants or go to the gym or access other public places. italy was of course one of the hardest hit countries during the pandemic. nearly 160,000 deaths. more than 80% received two covid vaccines. about two-thirds received a booster. now we have new developments on the covid lock down in shanghai. western parts of the city are now under lock down. it will last until april 5. and residents are not allowed to leave their homes. meanwhile parts of eastern shanghai are still under lock down for up to nine more days. officials plan on lifting the lock down earlier on friday. but a surge of infections changed those plans.

in addition the city announced you must have a negative covid test to leave shanghai. the aim is keep the virus from spreading to nearby towns. scientists made a major step forward in unraveling the mystery of human life. a team of nearly 100 scientists say they have finished decoding the entire human gee gnome. the blueprint for human life. they sequenced 92%. they finally deciphered the remaining 8%. it will allow scientists to analyze how dna differs between people and whether the genetic variations play a role in disease. it is hoped it will lead to more medical discoveries in ageing, cancer and heart disease. the draw for this year ts world cup is hours away. 32 nations split into eight groups will compete in cudder.

and newcomers to the tournament. we have a pe view. -- preview. >> host preparing for the debut at a world cup final. they're guaranteed a place in group a. and find themselves alongside some of the biggest names in the game. it doesn't get much bigger than ronaldo and messy. and respective sides portugal and argentina na. defending champs chance. england brazil and spain. italy missing after failing to qualify for the second world cup in a row. but, the netherlands are back and a sign many will be looking to avoid from part two. alongside germany. the 2014 champions. very much looking to make amends

for the disasterous defense of the title in russia. 2018 runners up croatia also in the pot. alongside denmark. the u.s. back in this pot too. alongside cohost for the next world cup, mexico. and the talent packed squad of uruguay. sen gal leads the way in pot three. there's super-star strikers in south korea. alongside iran, japan, morocco. pot four is where things get complicated. with a usually three teams yet to be decided. there will be in the draw alongside ecuador, saudi arabia, cameroon and canada side on the crest of a wave.

having qualified for their first world cup finals since 1986. there's new fall out from the will smith slap. at the oscars. the award show producer says los angeles police officers were prepared today arrest smith right then and there. telling chris rock this is battery. the comedian was adamant he didn't want to press charges. a source telling cnn that smith apologized to the academy leadership. during a 30 minutes zoom call. the academy saying his actions would have consequences. the actor maintained a low profile on social media since the slap. except a public statement admitting he was out of the line. that'll do it for this hour. i'm michael holmes. thanks for spending part of your

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are you a christian author with a book that you're ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! hello, welcome to our viewers in the united states and ar around the world. it's 10:00 a.m. here in lviv, ukraine. russian forces are reportedly stepping up offensive in the last eastern region of donbas. much of the area is under the control of russian backed separatists. making it difficult to receive accurate information. governors in the region report fierce attacks from the russian aircraft, artillery as well as rocket fire. the region is a key target for the russians. authorities report a major fire after a gas pipeline was hit.