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main goal is now control of the donbas region in the east, and russian troops are noticeably being redeployed from northern ukraine. >> the occupiers are withdrawing forces in the north of our country. the withdrawal is slow but noticeable. somewhere, they are expelled with battles. somewhere, they leave positions on their own. >> satellite images show russian armor and artillery have abandoned the airbase near kyiv. the airfield was captured on the first day of the invasion and russian forces were well dug in. it's unclear where they went and now some disturbing video a few miles south of the airbase. ukrainian forces report retaking the town. images show widespread damage from shelling and dead bodies left in the street. across the border in russia, ukraine will neither confirm, nor deny, it attacked a large fuel depot in the city. russia says two ukraine helicopters flying at low altitude struck the facility early friday, causing a massive

fire. and the u.s. has announced another $300 million in military assistance for ukraine, includind icide drones and night-vision equipment. cnn's alex marquardt has the very latest now from across ukraine. >> reporter: with ukrainian forces taking back territory, putting russia on the back foot, questions over whether they have gone on the offensive inside russia. the kremlin now accusing ukrainian helicopters of striking a fuel depot just across the border in russian territory. moscow calling the alleged attack an escalation, while ukraine is refusing to say whether they were involved. >> i saw the video but the quality is insufficient for me to identify whether it was a ukrainian helicopters or not. >> reporter: the lack of denial, suspicious, but u.s. intelligence has long warned of potential so-called false-flag operations by russia to give them an excuse to escalate their offensive in ukraine. >> let's be very clear, this

could be a false-flag operation on the part of vladimir putin. this is not beyond the type of operations that we've seen come out of vladimir putin in the past. >> reporter: despite russian claims of shifting their focus to the eastern part of the country, northern ukraine is still being targeted. officials in the northern city of chernihiv reporting new strikes on a hospital and a lack of daily essentials. >> we have no electricity, no water. the russian forces just shelled a local-regional hospital. >> reporter: but it is the east, nato officials believe, that russia plans to step up their efforts. >> what they call deescalation, i call repositioning. >> reporter: thousands of civilians are still trying to flee the southern port city of mariupol. the russian shells and constant fighting making it near impossible for people to get out. some buses managed to. cnn was there as they arrived in safer zaporizhzhia.

big red crosss on the sides to indicate they are civilians. wide smiles from those who managed to escape. >> we still have 160,000 people in mariupol that are not safe. and that's a real problem because all of the humanitarian corridors that russia it's -- in general, it's fake. >> reporter: while ukraine fights for survival, president volodymyr zelenskyy says he has removed two top generals, who he called anti-heroes who, quote, have not decided where their homeland is. >> translator: i do not have time to deal with all the traitors. but gradually, they will all be punished. >> reporter: alex marquardt, cnn at the state department. in the coming hours, the convoy of buses will again try to reach the sieged city of mariupol to evacuate civilians who have endured weeks after brutal russian military assault. an estimated 100,000 people are still trapped there. while moscow agreed to open humanitarian corridors, local officials say russian troops have blocked aid supplies from

reaching the city. one official accuses the occupying russian forces of taking 14 tons of military aid down from mariupol. on friday, a convoy of buses organized by the red cross was denied access to the city, preventing thousands from evacuating. those lucky enough to leave, though, to berdyansk where from there, they have boarded buses to zap reskra and ukrainian-controlled territory. while they may now be safe, their future remains uncertain. ivan watson was at a refugee center when the buses arrived. >> reporter: the buses have finally arrived from the russian-occupied city of berdyansk. it's supposed to be a two and a half hour drive and we were told they left around noon, local time. it was around noon, local time, and they have come in at just before 11:00 p.m. and these buses have red crosses on them and there are dozens and dozens and dozens coming behind them. and they are pulling into this parking lot.

it's all rather dark because the city's blacked out to protect it from the threat of air strikes and so on. and people here are piled in and exhausted. this has been close to a 12-hour journey for people who were already trying to flee the besieged city of mariupol. um, so people have already had to endure bombing and weeks without -- weeks without electricity and connection to the outside world, cell phone signals. and they're finally here reaching a ukrainian-controlled piece of territory. but it has been an incredible ordeal to try to help these people. you can just see kind of exhaustion here if you take a look at some of the faces of folks, these are people who didn't have cars to make their own escape. they were waiting for this kind of transport. everybody has been forced to leave their homes. um, many of the people who

arrived earlier today with their own cars said that their homes were destroyed by russian artillery, by russian air strikes. i saw people bruised and bashed up as a result of surviving explosions and blasts. um, there are estimated to approximat be more than 100 thb civilians still in mariupol. the international committee of the red cross they were trying to reach those people, and they publicly announced that their convoy -- just kind of five vehicles -- or three vehicles, nine people -- were not allowed in. to the city. and russia controls the entrance because it encircles it with its troops. so, here you have people coming in after just an incredible hi long day and what happens is they are brought in by ukrainian police and then ukrainian volunteers who register people, they check their documents. and then, they're welcomed into a superstore that the city government and volunteers -- they've organized medics, hot

meals, clothes for free if -- if they weren't able to get out with their clothes in time. and then, further information about where to go from here with free transport because then again, everybody -- a lot of these people -- this is all they have left. a bag, a suitcase perhaps, and if they're lucky, their family members with them. so, this is a major evacuation. there are estimates of at least 2,000 people on some 52 buses that have finally made it through many, many russian checkpoints to ukrainian-controlled territory. >> with us now from los angeles is robert english, director of the center for european studies at the university of southern california. robert, thank you for being with us. the kremlin has made it known its main goal now is to gain complete control of the donbas region. and the general secretary of nato put that into perspective. here he is. >> all have to realize that at the beginning, their aim was take both kyiv and donbas.

then they have not been successful in neither taking donbas, nor kyiv. and then, because they have met much stronger ukrainian resistance than they expected and then they are now changing, regrouping. but this is not a withdrawal. it is actually just another way to wage war and -- and -- and we see that the shelling continues and we see that the, you know, suffering continues. so the war continues. it's not withdrawal from the war. >> so, the donbas is an industrial reegion in the east where moscow-backed separatists have been fighting ukrainian military since 2014. if this region falls under russian control, big picture here, what does putin actually win? >> putin wins a corridor from the crimean territory that he took back in 2014 along the black sea coast connecting it with the donbas in the east. so, this large strip of ukrainian territory from the

southeast to the east, adjacent to russia. something that strategically could be defensible and it's a much smaller piece of ukrainian territory, of course, than he wanted originally. um, so he gets a small gain but nothing like the total conquest he was seeking at the outset. >> so, the icrc tried to reach mariupol with a convoy of buses to evacuate, you know, 100,000 people who are still there. putin himself agreed to that humanitarian corridor at the request of the leaders of france and germany but the convoy was then denied access by the russian forces. so, why agree to these humanitarian corridors time and time again that prevent anyone from leaving? what's to be gained? >> you know, john, many have compared putin to hitler. and the russian attack to the br brutality of the nazis in world war ii and i think we are seeing another parallel here. even when the nazis were being pushed back out of the soviet union, across europe by the allies from the west, they did

horrific damage in making that retreat as painful and as damaging as possible for their opponents. well, putin's doing something like that here. he is inflicting maximum damage with missiles and air strikes and artillery in places where he cannot take territory, and has no hope of conquest. just to make it as painful as he can, and perhaps to get maximum concessions at the bargaining table. it is brutal. >> well, humanitarian corridors agreed to during those so-called peace talks, which obviously they are ongoing but i want you to lis toten to the german fore minister on those talks. here she is. >> putin is saying every other day that he is having, as he is calling it, peace negotiations but on the same moment, he is bombing mariupol. he's bombing so-called humanitarian corridors. he is not allowing medicine and food inside the cities, which is obviously a violation of humanitarian law.

so it's war crimes. so, you cannot say, on the one hand, that you are having so-called peace negotiations and, on the other hand, you are bombing hospitals. >> very much to your point. is there anything in these talks for the ukrainians which make it worth continuing? >> only that the alternative is even worse. right? so as difficult as it is to contemplate a deal with the devil, and any kind of settlement that would reward putin with territorial gains, the ukrainian country is being destroyed. people are dying in the hundreds. so, halting that damage -- um -- and giving a chance to regroup, maybe take it back later after a period of time. who knows? it's simply to staunch the bleeding, which is on the edge of fatal for ukraine now. it's the least awful alternative.

>> it does feel as if we are coming to a turning point in this conflict with the russians now focusing on the east. ukrainians trying to take back territory in the northern part of ukraine. and it does feel like there could be, you know, maybe the beginning of the end here. how do you see it? >> i see the same thing. it's just unfortunate that it's going to take so long and, in some ways, it gets worse before it gets better. that putin will do what we've been talking about. lash out, inflict pain and suffering simply to inflict pain and suffering. and induce the ukrainians to make more concessions to halt this bleeding. um, that's the way vicious wars end. we call them peace talks but we wouldn't need peace talks if somebody hadn't made war, first. and there is no clean ending. in other words, the expectation that as the russians accepted the defeat of their big strategic plan, um, we hope that would mean a quick and easy settlement. that putin would see the light

and call a halt to this brutality and -- and maybe have some concern for the future of his country. isolated, sanctioned, a pariah state for decades. but he hasn't. he just wants as much territory as he can get even if it means senseless killing. >> well, very quickly, the russians have claimed that two ukrainian helicopters crossed into russian territory, destroyed a fuel storage site just across the border. ukrainians will neither confirm nor deny that attack but assuming the attack was carried out by the ukrainian forces, how much extra pressure does that now add to russia's problems of resupplying and refueling? and also, what is the message that sends to moscow? >> well, the message is that we're not defeated yet and you may be repositioning the forces from kyiv, from kharkiv in the north back down to the southeast to try to consolidate the donbas. but we will make that movement. we will ambush, right? we will trap them. we will strike even into russian

territory, and we will use those drones even more than the anti-tank weapons. we will use those drones that america's providing us to make your life a hell. and if you think that you will trap our troops in the east, and walk all over us in the donbas, you might have another thing coming. ukrainians might have more surprises in store for the russians to counteract the barbarity of putin's tactics. we have to wait and see there. >> they have had a few -- they have had a few surprises already, robert. so few more in store. thank you so much for being with us. we appreciate it. >> you're welcome. we will take a short break. when we come back, an alarming warning from the head of the chernobyl nuclear power plant about what russian troops may have been exposed to. more on that when we come back. n every iphone - including the iphone 13 pro with 5g. that's the one with the amazing camera?? yep! everyry business deserves it... like one's that re-opened! hi, we h have an appointment. and every new business that just opened!

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♪ for just one hour ♪ ♪ walk a mile in my shoes ♪ ♪ walk a mile in my shoes ♪ welcome back. an update now from the director of the chernobyl nuclear power plant who says it's impossible

to determine the level of r radi radiation russian troops were exposed to. in a telegram message, he said troops may have received significant exposure while digging trenches. the director of the nuclear facilities also confirmed russian forces have now withdrawn from the plant and the territory surrounding it. later, the u.n. nuclear watchdog says what is happening around ukraine's nuclear power plants, all of them, is dangerous uncharted territory. rafael grossi just came back from a trip to ukraine and russia. cnn's becky anderson asked him about concerns that nuclear sites could come under fire, yet again. >> i think that the preserving the physical integrity of -- of a nuclear power plant is -- is of the essence. i think the deployment of the iaea, the presence of the iaea, the intensity of our work and our attention on this, um, is helpful in averting such scenario which is the worst that

you could have. you are describing an attack on a nuclear reactor which is, i think, not a very probable scenario. but there are other issues that we have been -- we have been looking at and must be looking at. name -- namely, the possibility of a nuclear accident, which is something different. >> sure. let me just -- let me just put this question to you. are you in touch with russian authorities? and -- and is there any evidence that -- that -- that russia, in its strikes in ukraine, will ensure that it doesn't target nuclear facilities? do you have any confidence that that is the case? >> well, uh, there's many questions to your question. of course, i am in touch with them. i must be. otherwise, there's no efficiency or effectiveness in whatever i do. so, um, in fact, on my way back to vienna, i stopped in russia. and then, i had meetings with the russian side to also discuss

about these -- these things. any attack to a nuclear facility is against the international law. i think everybody, including russia, is very clear, um, about it. trust is something that is, of course what i can tell you is that we will continue working no matter what. we are going to be, um, putting everything possible to prevent that occurrence. >> right. let -- let me be quite clear here. do you trust that russian authorities, that vladimir putin, his military, will avoid targeting nuclear facilities? do you trust them? >> nuclear facilities have not been targeted. uh, we had an event which was quite concerning when, within

the site of a nuclear power plant in zaporizhzhia, there was an exchange of fire, was probably shelling not directed at the reactor but, um, involving a -- an administrative building nearby. so, i -- i cannot conceive -- i could not imagine that a nuclear, um, reactor would be targeted. the russian government has affirmed this. um, and i hope that this will be the case. >> grossi says as of next week, his agency will be working closely with ukraine to preserve the safety of all nuclear sites, including chernobyl. well, russia is pushing for india as it looks for a lifeline from the most crushing international sanctions. sergey lavrov was in new delhi friday meeting with prime minister narendra modi and other officials. he also said the to countries will increase the use of their

own currencies to trade. and during meetings, lavrov thanked india for what he described as seeing the full picture. >> this day, would like to reduce any international issue through the crisis in ukraine. you know our position. we do not fight anything and we appreciate that situation in the entirety, not just in a one-sided way. >> before his trip to india, lavrov visited china. both india and china are refusing to directly condemn the russian invasion of ukraine, precisely because of that. china took heat from the eu during a virtual summit on friday. after the talks, eu leaders said china cannot look the other way while russia violates international law. the head of the european commission said she had an open

and frank exchange with china's president. her message on sanctions was this. if you are not part of the solution, don't be part of the problem. >> we expect china, as a member of the security council of the united nation, to take its responsibilities. there are few members only, and they have a vast responsibility. and china has an influence on russia and, therefore, we expect china to take its responsibility to end this war and to come back -- that russia comes back to peaceful negotiations solution. we expect china, if not supporting the sanctions, at least to do everything not to interfere in any kind. also on that point, we were very clear. >> von der leyen also told china no european would understand any support for russia's war effort. i'm john vause. our international viewers, stay tuned. inside africa is up next.

for everyone else, please stay with us. our ongoing coverage of putin's war of choice continues after a short break.

welcome back, everyone. i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. there is more evidence that russian troops are pulling back from some areas around the ukrainian capital. new satellite images show troops around the airport just outside kyiv have pretty much disappeared. earlier, images showed military vehicles, artillery positions protected berms dug into the ground. ukraine's president says russian troops are slowly moving out of northern ukraine. there is new disturbing images, though, from a town of bucha just also near kyiv.

these images were taken on friday and are being geolocated to be from bucha. it is a number towns ukrainian forces have taken in recent days from the russians. to the east, a fuel depot over the border in russia was also attacked friday. russia says two ukrainian helicopters carried out the attack. ukraine has not taken responsibility. here is what the ukrainian pres president volodymyr zelenskyy said when asked if he ordered the strike himself. >> i did not discuss any of my orders as commander in chief. the leader of this state. you need to understand that on that territory that you mentioned, you have to know they were placing their shooting systems and firing those -- those missiles themselves.

>> at least three missiles hit the southern port city of odesa on friday. the regional military governor says they were launched from russian annexed crimea and they caused injuries. this comes, as the city tries to maintain a sense of normalcy while knowing war is coming. cnn's ed lavandera is there. >> reporter: the market is where you come to trade gossip and rumors, dollars for ukrainian crash, or hunt down underground rare books. it's also where a group of c college friends come for coffee and a sense of peace. i want to ask you, with everything going on in ukraine, everything here seems so normal. >> we can like live a normal life. but that's for now. we don't know what's going to be tomorrow or in a week. >> reporter: it looks normal but is it really normal? >> everyone is afraid if something's going to happen in odesa. of course, we'll protect our city. but right now, we can just live

normal life. >> reporter: to navigate the streets of odesa, you see the remaining residents trying to go about their daily lives but a large part of the city's historic center is transformed into a fortified zone with anti-tank barricades. bracing for an amphibious attack by russian troops from the black sea. it's a ghost town. the residents of odesa would normally be preparing to hold what is known as the april fool's parade on this street in the heart of the city. it is a parade that started years ago in response to soviet' censorship. but now, this area of odesa is completely fortified and this year, there will be no parade. instead, civilian volunteers and activists are mobilizing to support the war effort. so, we are in a bomb shelter in odesa and this is where they're making bulletproof vests. we meet this man sealing the

steel plates of homemade armored vests for frontline soldiers. he asked that we call him martin. we have heard that russian forces are leaving kyiv. are you concerned? and do you think that they are going to start coming back toward odesa? >> we've already beat their ass. we will do it again, he tells me. russian naval ships remain stationed off the coast of odesa in the black sea. the concern here is the war will intensify in the south. before the war, he worked as a professional scuba diver. he defiantly says he looks forward to exploring the underwater wreckage of those sunken russian ships as a diver when the war is over. on a street corner, we find dozens of displaced families who have escaped to odesa. they are from the worst war zones, hoping to find food and clothing. olga is waiting with five of her six children. so you come from a village that

was surrounded by russian soldiers. you were in the crossfire. how frightening was that? i was scared for the children most of all, she tells me. olga says her family had to walk through a forest to escape shelling. tears well up in her eyes as her husband tells us russian soldiers broke into their homes taking everything they could from the families in their village. >> translator: when we came here, the volunteers told us what we need but i am ashamed. i have worked all my life and never asked anyone for anything and now i have to ask. >> reporter: her little girl wipes away her mother's tears. mother, why are you crying, the girl asks? because they were shelling us a lot, olga tells her.

not far from where we met olga's family, we notice a father teaching his daughter how to ride a bike. a poignant moment in the midst of a surreal world. ed lavandera, cnn, odesa, ukraine. a lot more on russia's war in ukraine with my colleague michael holmes after the break, including how two ukrainian filmmakers and their movie actually turned into uncanny reality. more on that. you are watching cnn. ancestry made it really easy to learn about my family's history.

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hello, everyone. i am michael holmes. welcome back. well, when two ukrainian filmmakers made a movie about war between ukraine and russia, they didn't know how correct their corrections would be. three years after creating atlantis, reality is mirroring their art and now they are turning their cameras to document this conflict. but despite the destruction of their homeland, they remain positive and resolute about their future. cnn's eleni giokos has more.

>> reporter: when russian bombs hit the first ukrainian cities, it was a shock. but not a surprise to ukrainian filmmakers valentine and volodymyr. in fact, they spent months of their lives imagining it. set in 2025, their film "atlantis" depicts a desolate ukraine ravaged by a brutal russian invasion. they imagine a remarkable victory but at a huge cost. the ukraine they knew, tore to pieces. graveyards stretching for miles.

>> reporter: most of the actors you see on screen are veterans themselves, who know the violence of war all too well . as cities they know become war zones, they have been on the ground documenting the experience of ordinary people. >> several days for evacuation nearby kyiv which called irpin and it was just the cruelty of the war because the russian people bomb shelling us during

the -- during this and we tried to do it as best as we can because it's gonna be kind of historical document what's happened with all of us. >> reporter: and if the time comes to fight, both say they'll be ready. >> we still fighting for our right to exist and just to understand that we -- we -- i mean, it's not -- it -- it's not something which we can negotiate. i mean, survive and be a separate nation or we going to be enslaved. don't be afraid to fight for -- for -- for your own future because we have a common future, all of us. all the word now is connected. >> and ukraine's men's national team hopes to be among the 32 nations in qatar for the 2022 world cup. their qualifying match was postponed to june, when the war broke out. the tournament kicks off in november, features plenty of story lines, both off and on the pitch. cnn world sports anchor amanda davis with the details on that. >> reporter: who says football

and politics don't mix? the fifa president opened the draw talking about the divided, aggressive world that we are living in. calling on world leaders to stop the conflicts and war, and to engage in dialogue. and then, the draw took place and then the usa and iran were placed in the same group, group b, along with england and the winners of the european playoff. has been postponed because of the war in ukraine. it could be ukraine, scotland, or wales filling that spot. but putting the politics to one side if that is possible, england manager will be pretty pleased with their draw. it was spain, the 2010 champions, who got the pot two team that everybody was hoping to avoid, germany. amid plenty of gaffes inside the draw venue behind me. they are unbeaten under the new manager and desperate to make a

mends for that humiliating group-stage exit four years ago. defending champions france have been drawn against denmark and tunisia and one of the intercontinental winners, their coach cheekily tried to take the trophy with him from the stage during the ceremony. if only it were as easy as that. this is where he and all the coaches and their teams will really be getting their heads down, fine-tuning those preparations. but the main event. remember, remember, it is november the 21st and usually a monday when it all kicks off. when host qatar will finally make their world cup debut against ecuador. amanda davis, cnn, doha, qatar. >> to a major development for one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters, the conflict in yemen. for the first time in six years, a truce has been agreed between the saudi-led military alliance and the houthi movement which is aligned with iran. the agreement will see air,

ground, and marine operations halted in yemen and around its borders for two months. the head of the u.n. has welcomed the move saying he hopes it will mark the start of a better future for the people of yemen. in tehran, they have been engaged in what is widely being called a proxy war. one that has killed tens of thousands of people, and left millions of others on the brink of starvation. pope francis has apologized to canada's indigenous people for the role the church played in decades of abuse, particularly at residential schools. the catholic leader also said he would visit canada after meeting over three days at the vatican with canadian indigenous groups. >> the pope's words today were historic to be sure. they were necessary, and i appreciate them deeply. and i now look forward to the pope's visit to canada where he can offer those sincere words of

apology directly to our survivors and their families, whose acceptance and healing ultimately matters the most. >> indigenous leaders had sought the apology for years but things sped up last year. that's when suspected graves of hundreds of children were found near some of the now-closed schools. many children were forced to attend them to assimilate so-called. canadian commission called the abuse cultural genocide. well, there is more fallout after will smith slapped comedian chris rock at the oscars. we will have details on the actor's actions, and the punishment he faces from the academy. that's when we come back. ♪ if i could be you and you could be me ♪

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picture arts and sciences accepts will smith's resignation after the actor slapped the presenter, chris rock, onstage last weekend during the oscars. you remember that. in a statement, smith apologized for his actions, saying this, quote, the list of those i have hurt is long and includes chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all of those in attendance, and global audiences at home. i betrayed the trust of the academy. i deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. cnn's chloe mellis has more. >> reporter: it's become one of the most famous and controversial moments in oscars history. >> will smith just smacked the [ bleep ] out of me. >> reporter: it wasn't just oscars viewers who initially thought the moment will smith slapped chris rock might have been staged. the man running the entire show,

first-time oscars producer, will p packer says in a new interview that he thought so too. >> i thought it was a bit like everybody else. once i saw will yelling at the stage with such vitriol, my heart dropped. >> reporter: packer says he rushed over to rock as he exited the stage. >> i said, did he really hit you? and he looked at me, and he goes, yeah. he goes, yeah, i just took a punch from muhammud ali, as only chris can. he was immediately in joke mode, but you could tell he was very much still in shock. >> reporter: smith played the boxer in the 2001 film "ali." cnn has obtained new video from a seat filler inside the oscars, showing a new angle of the incident, this time filmed from behind smith's wife, jada pinkett smith. packer says that los angeles police were prepared to arrest smith that night. >> and they were saying, this is battery. we will go get him. you can press charges. we can arrest him.

as they were talking, chris was -- he was being very dismissive of those options. he was like, no, i'm fine. >> reporter: the academy of motion pictures arts and sciences released a statement earlier this week, stating that they asked smith to leave, and he refused. a source telling cnn that academy leaders had told smith's publicist to deliver the message to the actor. now packer is saying chris rock did not want smith removed from the show. >> they were about to physically remove will smith. i said, rock has made it clear that he does not want to make a bad situation worse. >> reporter: packer praised rock for how he handled the situation. >> did he save the show that night? >> i think he did. i think he did. he certainly saved what was left of it at that point. chris handled the moment with such grace and aplomb. >> reporter: rock told fans during his stand-up show in boston this week that he's still

processing what happened. >> so at some point i'll talk about that [ bleep ]. >> reporter: thursday he faced a heckler who yelled f will smith. rock told the audience no. the academy will still have conventions for will smith's actions and they are going to announce that around april 18th. it could mean that the academy bans will smith from attending the oscars ever again. the fact that will smith has resigned means he can no longer be a voting member in the academy, so he can't vote in upcoming awards shows. now, could he still be nominated for an academy award? that's left to be seen. >> chloe mel as there. that will do it for this hour. i'm michael holmes. thanks for spending part of your day with me. do stick around. our coverage from lviv, ukraine, continues with john vause in just a moment.

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kamauu: there is the therapeutic aspect of music, just expressing how you feel. howie: talking about my feelings with my mother, like, i'd just be quiet, in the back of my head i'd be like man this ain't it.

>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. hello. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm john vause reporting live from lviv in ukraine. well into its second month, the russian offensive on ukraine is stalled and now ukrainian forces are beginning to retake territory lost in the early days of the invasion. the kremlin has indicated its main goal now is control of the donbas region to the east. russian troops are noticeably being redeployed from northern ukraine. here's ukraine's president. >> translator: the occupiers are withdrawing forces in the north of our country. the withdrawal is slow but noticeable. somewhere they are