this is cnn breaking news. >> hello, i am john vause live in lviv, ukraine. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world on this day 46 of russia's war on ukraine. united kingdom now joining the growing list of countries increasing military support to ukraine ahead of a new russian offensive in the east. british prime minister boris johnson made an unannounced visit to kyi visit to kyiv on saturday.

meeting with the ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy along with increased financial assistance and tougher sanctions on russia, boris johnson promised to send dozens of armored vehicles and new anti-ship missiles. ukraine's president says he hopes other countries will follow the example of the uk. >> translator: we have to exert even more pressure on the russian federation. to exert pressure through supporting ukraine and defending itself, we have to exert pressure in the form of sanctions. and i'm grateful to the united kingdom that continues and intensifies the sanctions and also provides a significant support of ukraine by reinforcing our defense capacities. >> boris johnson is the latest of the european leaders to visit kyiv in recent days after russian forces pulled back from areas near the capital. and now, we have new images of the destruction left behind.

this is the town northwest of kyiv. not far from irpin and bucha where horrific images have emerged following weeks of russian occupation. the british prime minister says those scenes, those atrocities are now a permanent part of the russian president's legacy. >> what putin has done in places like bucha and in irpin -- his war crimes have permanently polluted his reputation and the reputation of his -- of his government. >> meantime, vladimir putin has appointed a new general toll dire to direct the war in ukraine. this comes as experts warn russian troops are regrouping and prepared to launch an assault on the donbas region. cnn correspondents are covering this conflict from every angle. cnn's brianna keilar in lviv but we begin with cnn's ed lavandera reporting in from the port city of odesa.

>> reporter: these women are leaving flowers at a memorial in odesa. it is a tradition usually reserved for april 10th, which marks this city's liberation day from the nazis. this memorial plaza would usually be filled with people. but not this year. the entire city will be under an extended 36-hour curfew. sergei is the spokesperson for the odesa military administration. he says the curfew is necessary because of the deadly attack at the train station in kramatorsk in eastern ukraine. he says when this treacherous missile attack on civilians took place and we know that there is a high probability that such missile strikes are possible in odesa, the main reason is to protect people's lives. in the last week, there's been an increase in the number of air strikes in odesa. most of the attacks have

targeted strategic locations around the city, like a fuel storage facility and a military installation where several people were killed and injured according to ukrainian military officials. but just hours before the curfew went into effect, the head of the odesa administration office said the latest explosion targeted this office building. it is not described as an attack by the russian military. the cause of the explosion is under investigation, he says, the information about possible act of sabotage is under consideration. this kind -- is a city with a history of pro-russian sentiment among politicians. and it's difficult to get anyone to talk about it, especially during this time of war.

the usual prize of this once vibrant city is now subdued. city officials estimate about 20% of the city has evacuated since the start of the russian invasion in late february. the chess players gathered in this park aren't reflecting on the recent attacks or the looming curfew. they were relaxed. more interested in chess strategies, not war strategies. we did meet 70-year-old julia who sells paintings in this park. she poured me a cup of wine while we talked about the curfew on odesa's liberation day, and if she is worried it could mean her city is facing imminent attack. she tells us she thinks the curfew was called to keep people from public gatherings on odesa's liberation day. is there ever a moment where you think you would leave odesa to save your life? no, no, she says, i won't leave odesa even to save my life.

ed lavandera, cnn, odesa, ukraine. earlier, the governor of the kyiv region spoke to cnn's brianna keilar. he explains why it is so important for european and other world leaders to see firsthand the scenes unfolding in bucha, irpin, and other parts of ukraine. >> it's very important for us that european leaders came to bucha, and could see this tragedy with their own eyes. also, from the line we showed her -- when she visited, we showed her mass graves. in one of them, one of those there were more than 200 bodies and we saw that some of these bodies were executed. they were killed by bullets and, yes, of course, it's very important for us that european leaders could come and see these huge tragedies with their own eyes. >> what else do you need from them? >> translator: after we visited the mass grave, we went to the street where there were lots of damaged russian military vehicles. on the 27th of february, a huge

russian convoy, which is 3.5 kilometers long, was headed to kyiv but it was stopped by artillery fire from the ukrainian side and we took european leaders there and it was very symbolic because we could show them that if we had enough weapons, enough ammunition, we would have stopped the aggressor a long time ago and we would have brought them out of our country. it is absolutely impossible to comprehend this brutality. it is absolutely impossible to understand the brutality of targeting ordinary civilians and we really want this footage going around the world so that people in the world understand we are now at the doorstep of a new reality. it is a very dangerous reality. if we don't stop at the border of europe, if you don't stop it, there is nothing sacred to them. they are targeting civilians and it will be really, really dangerous. >> joining me now from canberra, australia, malcolm davis, senior analyst of defense strategy and capability at the australian strategic policy institute. malcolm, thank you so much as

always for being with us. as we head into this war, this new offensive in the east. let's look at what -- how this will be different because the ukrainians will no longer have the advantage. they won't be able to hide and carry out their insurgent-style warfare. both sides will see one another. how big of an advantage will that be for the russian military? how do the ukrainians counter that? >> look, you are quite right. essentially, the east is essentially where the russians may have the ability to impose quite a significant victory over ukrainians. the ukrainians are operating, at the moment, very much in lightly-armed forces that are well suited for urban areas and narrow roads where they have been able to isolate and attack russian forces out on ukrainian planes of the east in the donbas. there is no such cover. so, the russians will have a clear advantage in terms of

long-range firepower of artillery and rocket systems, as well as their armored warfare capabilities. providing they can reconstitute and rebuild their logistics support. if they can't do that, then it is a much more uncertain prospect for the russians. >> that in mind, russians will have shorter supply lines, right? because they have territory already under their control in the east, so that would be, again, a distinct advantage they didn't have when this invasion began, especially in the north? >> yeah, that's correct. so i think that the russians probably are in the stronger position in the east, in general. and particularly, in terms of their potential to ensure adequate logistic supplies. i don't think they will make the same mistake they made in the first phase of the war, whereby they tried to do these -- what's known as thunder runs where they try to launch rapid attacks into urban areas. i think what you will see is more classical combined-arm operations by the russians using tanks, armored-fighting vehicles, supported by artillery

and long-range fires and airpower. >> so as you mention, both sides now sort of in this race to rearm, resupply. british prime minister visiting kyiv. he promised the uk will provide 120 heavily armor troop carriers, will help train ukrainians on how to use those troop carriers. will also supply anti-ship weapons. how quickly can the ukrainian military get up to speed to use this stuff? will it happen fast enough to be effective against the russian offensive? >> look, i think the armored fighting vehicles are probably something they could adapt to relatively quickly. uh, and certainly, you know, they are used to using these sorts of vehicles, if not exactly the same vehicles, um, in their engagements up until this time. more complex systems, like anti-ship weapons that ukrainian -- that the british don't have shore-based harpoon but they do have a range of other systems. that is going to take a bit more

time for the ukrainians to train on. but certainly, in the interim, i think you will see the ukrainians making full use of those switchblade drones and the shoulder-fired weapons, such as javelin and stinger to continue to attack russian forces. but really, it is -- it is critical that nato and europe start to send them armored fighting vehicles and tanks. >> and when it comes to tanks and air defense systems, what we're looking at is essentially sending ukrainians old soviet hardware if you like. slovakia sent ukraine an s-300 air defense system. the u.s. president issued a statement regarding that. he thanked the slovakian government for doing that but also added to enable this transfer and ensure the continued security of slovakia, the united states will reposition a u.s. patriot missile system to slovakia. how important is it now for the u.s. to backfill whatever equipment is sent from central european countries to help the ukrainians? >> it's absolutely vital. um, because you cannot afford to

sacrifice the security of nato's eastern frontier, particularly right now whilst, you know, weapon systems are sent across to ukraine. as important as that is, we have to recognize the potential risk of some sort of incident occurring or some sort of escalation occurring that sees a wider war between nato and russia. and so, at that point, we would need the eastern nato states to be fully ready for combat along their own borders. but let's hope it doesn't get to that. um, the main point is i think the u.s. is doing the right thing by backfilling eastern european states as much as possible to ensure they have effective combat capabilities. >> has there been a shift here this week in terms of the urgency and the type of weapons and the amount of weapons which nato and the u.s. and western countries are willing to send to ukraine? it seems like they have now realized that this is all in, right?

>> i think so. and i think the atrocities at bucha, and then at kramatorsk, and the fact that we are continuing to uncover more and more atrocities as ukrainian forces advance into areas held by the russians, i think it's really driving home the message to the european leadership and to the biden administration that this is, you know -- this is a very serious threat in terms of a threat to europe in general. and the ukrainians are quite right. they are fighting for europe's security because if we don't stop the russians in ukraine, if we don't defeat them in ukraine, then chances are, we will face a wider war down the track. you know, the saying is do we fight the russians now? or do we fight the russians later? ukrainians are trying to prevent us from facing the choice of fighting them later by winning now but we have to assist them in that regard because if we

don't, if he we don't get that assistance done effectively, the risks are that putin will be emboldened coming out of this war. and he might try his luck against the baltic states, for example, at some point in the future. >> general wesley clark made the point that if -- if they -- ukrainians can't stop the russians at this point, then pretty much no one else in europe will be able to stop him. but malcolm davis, as always, appreciate your expertise and your insights. thank you, sir. >> thank you. well, voting begins in just a few hours in france. when we come back, millions of people there feel alienated, even targeted. french muslims react to what they have heard during this campaign. that's in a moment.

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for every business... and every person... to come to the table and do more incredible things. well, take a look at this. the message was pretty clear. 500 drones lighting up the sky over south korea performing a light show in support of ukraine. each drone flying in blue and yellow to form the ukrainian flag as well as a dove. at one point, even spelling out the message "no war." the war continues, though, after a deadly strike on civilians at the train station. ukrainian officials are adjusting evacuation routes and urgently telling civilians to leave before russia escalates attacks in the east. ukraine says more than 4,500 people were evacuated through h humanitarian corridors on saturday. that is fewer than the 6,600 who

managed to escape a day earlier. canada and the eu have now pledged nearly $10 billion to help refugees that happened saturday at an event in warsaw. raising money for both internally displaced and those who have fled the country. according to the united nations, more than 4.4 million people have left ukraine since the fighting began. another 7 million are internally displaced. many ukrainians who evacuated had to leave family members behind. this is heartbreaking. but one kharkiv shelter for animals has become a safe haven for many pets, whose owners fled for fighting. many held in the streets, others rescued from apartments. >> translator: according to my estimation, every second fleeing family leaves pets behind. these are mainly big dogs or cats, cats which have lived in the apartments were either locked inside or owners did not lock the apartment so that the animal can be released. >> shelter volunteers say they

are expecting a large number of neglected pets on city streets when the fighting, when this war is over. and remember, if you would like to help the people of ukraine, please go to cnn.com/impact. our viewers have helped raise millions of dollars so far for the people of ukraine, as well as neighboring countries to raise money to pay for things like shelter, food, water, as well as other needs. well, to other news now. pakistan's prime minister imran khan following in the footsteps of his predecessors by not finishing his full term. it marks the latest chapter in a political crisis, which has been playing out in pakistan for weeks. >> reporter: pakistan's prime minister imran khan has been ousted in a vote of no confidence in the early hours of sunday after a marathon session that started at 10:30 a.m. on saturday and went on to past midnight on sunday morning. the vote had been due to take place last week on sunday.

however, the deputy speaker of the assembly had blocked the vote on the grounds of it being a foreign conspiracy linked to the united states. we then seen a long week of deliberations by the supreme court of pakistan, which had then ruled that this attempt to block the vote of no confidence was actually unconstitutional. imran khan has a large following here in pakistan. and he's called for protestors to come out in large numbers to come out and protest what's happened. he said that the sovereignty of pakistan has been threatened. he is now going to be in the opposition and it just remains to be seen what happens next in the weeks and days to come here in pakistan. one thing is for sure, that pakistan has never had a prime minister who has completed a term in office. and imran khan is now just another name added to that list. in france, polls up in less

than two hours in the presidential election. the incumbent, emmanuel macron, is looking to win a majority in this first round of voting to secure a second term. but he is facing a crowded field of challengers. if no one wins the majority on sunday, the top two will move on to a second round in two weeks. this campaign, though, is marked by a resurgence of right-wing candidates and as nadia bashir reports, found their rhetoric highly troubling. >> reporter: a quick bite to eat and some water before dawn breaks. it is the first week of ramadan and like so many muslims here, she is fasting. it is a busy time for the 23-year-old law student with exams just around the corner. but her focus is also on this year's presidential election. the current narrative but also the potential outcome of the election is -- is -- it is something that keeps me up at night. >> reporter: hiba has long been

a vocal activist against racism and discrimination in france. issues she feels have only been heightened by politicians calling for tighter restrictions on the country's muslim population. >> this is quite scary, especially when as a french muslim woman, i am part of the minorities of this country because then it makes us wonder if no real candidates is -- is being serious as a candidate but also about protecting our human rights. what does that leave us for a future? >> reporter: while polls throughout the campaign have consistently put emmanuel macron as the front-runner in this year's election. right-wing candidates have garnered significant attention across france. the three candidates say they are defending french values but their campaigns have often on rhetoric that some view as islamophobic or anti-immigrant. one has even been convicted three times for inciting racial or religious hatred. in order to actually appear on

the national ballot, each candidate is required to secure 500 signatures from elected officials. in the village just outside of straussburg, the local mayor decided to put the question of his signature to his constituents. they chose zimor. >> translator: it does make me wonder why people vote for the right here when we don't have the problems of insecurity that can exist in the big cities. >> reporter: the role of islam in french society has been a key talking point in political campaigns across the spectrum. but the use of negative rhetoric by some presidential candidates has left members of the muslim community here in france questioning which politicians, if any, truly represent them? an estimated 5.7 million people make up france's muslim population but french muslims have often found themselves the target of policies many view as

discriminatory, like restrictions around wearing the hijab. macron's government says the measures have been enforced to protect the value of french secularism. at the grand mosque, one of the largest in france, there are also concerns of islamophobic messaging in some campaigns could pose a direct threat to france's muslim population. >> translator: there are indeed some problematic candidates. they have a very, very negative view of islam, in general, and i think that's a shame. i think people stigmatize a lot but don't have a lot of knowledge. >> translator: it raises some concerns in the muslim community, when we notice the number of anti-religious acts beginning to swell in our society. we are living today in a society which seeks to divide itself, and to cultivate fear, rather than social cohesion. >> reporter: that sense of social cohesion not only an important aspect of the french

identity but also a crucial teaching of the islamic faith. and as the sun sets on another day of ramadan, members of this french muslim community gathered together with people of all faiths from all walks of life to share in a meal to break their fast. time for a short break here on cnn. for our international viewers, expo 2020 is up next. for those in north america, i will be back with a lot more breaking news of our coverage of russia's war in ukraine. shhhhh.. grillin', chillin', spillin', dillin'. bec-ing. never brie-ing. smokin', yolkin', flippin', dippin'.

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only xfinity will upgrade your tech after 3 years for a more reliable connection. get that and more with xfi complete. upgrade today. half past the hour, welcome back, everyone. i am john vause live in lviv, ukraine. u.s. and european officials say the kremlin reorganizing its war against ukraine, now under a single commander. general alexander commanded russian forces in syria back in 2015. britain's former ambassador to russia says his track record in that conflict was savage. he will direct the next phase of the war, which is expected to be a renewed assault on ukraine's eastern donbas region. some western military analysts

believe russia's losses may be deeper than they appear. the european official says a quarter of putin's army may no longer be operable. boris johnson became the latest european leader to make the journey to kyiv, promising additional military, financial support for ukraine. well, everywhere, the russian forces have retreated. ukrainian troops are discovering unspeakable scenes of carnage and brutality. in the kyiv suburb of bucha, as russian tanks moved in and began shelling homes, one woman was forced to hide in the basement with her children and many of her neighbors. after two terrifying weeks, they finally escaped to poland. cnn's brianna keilar spoke with her. this is her gut-wrenching story. >> reporter: at first, natalia said she couldn't believe russia would invade her adopted ukraine. she was born in russia. a native russian speaker, and was busy running a language school in bucha. >> after putin's speech on the

21st, i just burst into tears fearing that something was going to happen. >> reporter: on february 24th, natalia's mother called to say the war had started. >> the highway from kyiv to warsaw and i saw a lot of cars leaving. >> reporter: she headed for the grocery store with her 17-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter, a little over a mile from the town. >> we heard some shots. i heard explosions. and he was shouting the airport is being bombed, the airport is being bombed. >> reporter: they headed home and then to her mother's flat nearby where they surveyed the basement just in case they would have to take shelter. >> i can see the sky over the airport, a lot of smoke over the

airport. >> reporter: they were waiting outside the building. >> something exploded again and then it was the first time when we went into the cellar. there were maybe 30 people at that moment. >> reporter: the next morning, natalia decided her kids would be safer if they left ukraine, and stayed with friends in poland. her car was old and difficult for her to drive. but another friend in bucha knew of a reliable car with extra seats. >> between kyiv and bucha, it has been exploded. and it was main point why i decided the children should go. >> reporter: she stayed in bucha tracking their progress through borodianka just down the road. >> we just got this information 30 minutes later that there were tanks. >> reporter: your kids got through makariv like minutes before there were tanks there? >> yeah. >> at the time, natalia still thought the russians would never attack civilians but this was borodianka after the tanks came

through. back in the basement -- >> we started getting to know each other. so, there were families with children, with dogs, with cats. we heard shots. they were nonstop shots. >> reporter: she and her mother slept on plastic chairs. at first, there was electricity and gas, though later she said both would be shut off. and there were lighter moments. natalia said she would sneak up to her mother's apartment only to use the bathroom. >> one of the biggest fears in my life in that moment was if i start doing my toilet procedures, if i just put down my trousers and they will -- would kill me. i just was afraid to die without my pants on. >> reporter: sometimes from the flat, she could see tanks coming down the street. she recalled the women and children mostly stayed below ground as the men ventured out for food. when they did, they would report

back on the dead bodies they saw. >> one of our managers came and said that he had seen a dead body, and he recognized him. this was his neighbor, his friend. 200 meters approximately, there was the street that is shown in all of the magazines and all the news about bucha. and we just heard that battle, just shot, shot, shot, shot, shots. one day, there was shooting, nonstop shooting, for 15 hours. >> reporter: on march 8th, after two weeks in the basement, natalia was able to call a friend whose husband convinced her to make a run for it. >> he just pushed me with his words. and pds, i just shouted to everyone, let's jump into the cars. >> reporter: bucha was covered in smoke from a burning building. she drove through snow and ash,

joining a miles-long line of other cars. >> it was very easy for me just to leave because it was a hell there. i didn't recognize the town where i had been living for 17 years. >> reporter: natalia said she heard shooting behind her and passed bullet-riddled cars displaying signs that read children spelled out in russian. >> it was shot by the missiles and probably there were just burnt people, burnt bodies. >> reporter: she drove by the city of irpin, through a number of russian checkpoints. at one point, natalia says a line of tanks merged into the middle of the column of civilian cars. >> they were hiding behind us. they were using us like living shield. >> reporter: after a few more miles, natalia finally came to a ukrainian checkpoint. >> all the time, i have been calm.

but that point, i couldn't. i just burst into tears and it was kind of relief, on the one hand. and on the other hand, yes, and we spent -- >> reporter: natalia, can you finish that thought? you said it was relief on one hand? but what else were you feeling? >> sorrow. sorrow. yes, sorrow. >> reporter: days later, natalia reunited with her children in poland and through connections with friends, they have been taken in by a german family in do d, mariana and eric padburg. >> to natalia and her family. yeah. >> thanks to c thnn's brianna keilar for that story. paula newton standing by in atlanta. that is one story. one incredible story of what so many people here have gone through. and, you know, we are going to

hear all them but it's just incredible to hear what these people have endured and what they have survived. >> and what they survived and, john, that is the second time, by the way, that i have seen that report. and it is more terrifying the second time that i have listened to it. can you imagine just her recounting it to us, and as you said it makes you think how many more stories -- each person, having lived through that terrifying affair, and still at this hour, many of them just separated from their families. and still, worrying about what's going on. john, i know you will have a lot more on this at the top of the hour. thanks so much. >> we will. now, frustration is running high in shanghai. but there may be a small glimmer of hope on the horizon. the state of the covid outbreak there when we come back.

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made to do anything so you can do anything. only xfinity will upgrade your tech after 3 years for a more reliable connection. get that and more with xfi complete. upgrade today. shanghai residents may soon get some eagerly anticipated news. officials may begin to ease restrictions, despite the city's climbing caseload. shanghai has hit a daily high for the third day in a row, reporting more than 24,000 cases now -- right now, all 25 million residents are under a strict lockdown. the easing of restrictions would be tied to mass testing, though. areas of low transmission would, in fact, be granted more freedoms. anna coren has been following all of this from hong kong for us and, anna, it's an open

question if this might change in china's -- if this does represent a slight change in china's zero-covid policy. but rhetorically at least, china still continues to defend this policy, right? >> china's sticking by it, paula. make no, you know, mistake about that. it's something that china has adhered to for the last two years. this dynamic zero-covid strategy. so, yes, they have been locking down cities across the country to stamp out covid. when it broke out in shanghai at the end of last month, they thought they could manage it in this staggered lockdown. you know, shanghai which is the economic engine of china, contributes to 4% of -- of the country's gdp, um, has managed to escape relatively unscathed from this very strict draconian strategy. but as those numbers escalated, um, that is when authorities

panicked and the entire city went into lockdown. um, so, you know, people have been voicing their -- their anger and frustration as we have been talking about. you know, people taking to social media saying that they are running out of food, running out of medicine. and authorities perhaps are hearing that and -- and that is why they are saying, okay, we may ease restrictions after the next round of mass testing, although we should note that no details have been given. no time frame has been given. they have also eased restrictions on ecommerce platforms. they have allowed them to -- to resume operating, which means those delivery servicemen can now drop off groceries that have been ordered. this is something that shanghai residents have been doing trying to -- to organize groceries because the community workers have -- haven't been able to, you know, look after to everybody. so, people have basically been saying we're starving, we have no food. it looks like those grocery people will be able to -- to finally do their job, paula.

>> anna, thank you for that. at this point, as we continue to await what would be the reaction to that mass testing. thanks so much. just ahead here for us on "cnn newsroom," the water level at lake powell in arizona has dropped an astonishing 177 feet since the mid-'80s. our bill weir will show you what that means. inner voice (furniture maker): i'm rubbing the arms of my chair... ...admiring the craft and detail i've put into it. that way i try to convince myself that i'm in control of the busine si of my business. intuit quickbooks makes it easy for you to get a complete vieof your business. so you can sit back and... ...relax.

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now, as many of you know, the colorado river is a crucial water supply for millions of people in the american southwest. but the water level has been dropping at an alarming rate for years now. forcing residents and businesses of one of lake side -- one of those lake side towns in arizona to try and adapt to the climate changes. cnn's chief climate correspondent, bill weir, reports. >> reporter: just a couple years ago, this part of lake powell was pretty enough to put in the brochure. but today, there is no water. only sand. can't paddle around lone rock anymore. if ya haven't been out west in a while, haven't seen the state of the colorado river and its reservoirs, you would be shocked. this is what powell looked like

just last spring when you could still float around lone rock. but the satellite shows it losing island status as the lake level fell over 40 feet. the lake used to go -- used to go half a mile around the corner. and now, it starts way back here. i cannot believe this. while hurricanes, floods, and wildfires can upend your life in a moment, droughts are slow-motion disasters. and this one is now in its 23rd year. with the region's population booming and another winter without enough snow, there are no signs of relief. but when you are house boating on what's left of lake powell, it's still gorgeous. it's still so easy to forget that just since the mid-'80s, the water level has dropped 177 feet. that is like ten of these yachts stacked on top of each other. >> this is a temporary dock give us access to -- to the marina.

>> reporter: so the tourism industry has no choice but to adapt. making ramps longer as the lake gets lower. >> this was connected straight up there. so at one point, we would have been high enough that would have been a straight angle. >> this is not a decade or two. this is a year or two since its drop? >> yeah, this is within two to three years. >> if it continues to go down another 10, 15 feet, we might have to shut down. >> reporter: for max, the changing canyons means more people eager to explore them and his rental kayaks and paddle boards but not enough safe places to put them in. and he knows that, big picture, 40 million people and their animals and crops in seven states and mexico depend on colorado river water, not to recreate, but to live. >> manmade climate change, um, i do believe is a thing to a certain extent. but i do believe the earth goes through cycles, and this could just be another cycle. but i don't see any good evidence of it getting any

better anytime soon. >> reporter: in a first of its kind gallup poll, one in three americans say they have been personally affected by severe weather the past two years and for those who have, regardless of party, they are much more likely to say the climate crisis demands action. by only 3% say they have experienced drought. this may be because for most, tap water keeps flowing. and here, house boaters keep coming. what do you say to someone who sees this as proof, alarming proof, of sort of a manmade climate crisis? >> some of it is manmade, there is no doubt about it. you got more users using the water out of the colorado river. you have got more -- you have got more of everything than you had 50 years ago. it's that simple. >> would you label your business a victim of drought? >> we have had to change the way obviously the way we do a lot of things. at this point, i would not say we are a victim. i would say we are an adapter. >> from now on, it seems anyone

who wants to live in the american southwest will have to be an adapter. bill weircnn page, arizona. >> incredible story. just to drive bill's point home, the national weather service office in sacramento has issued its earliest spring-time red-flag warning ever. it affects parts of northern california and will last right through sunday evening. and warns that warning cities of strong winds, low humidity, and quote mosaic of a dry fuels. meteorologist tyler mauldin has been following all of this a danger, across the united states, but especially across thes extraordinary some of the changes we have been seeing. again, how early those warnings have started. >> mind you, paula, california's fire season is still about 60 to 90 days away. so we are several months away from the official start to the

fire season. what we have been dealing with lately, tropical force winds, a record, heat and the entire state of california under a drought, this is a multi-year drought to, it is just exacerbating the situation which has led to this red flag warning we have in the sacramento valley and delta area. this is because those dry fuels, the high winds, the record heat, you could easily see a fire star so you want to make sure that you are -- used anything or do anything that could create a spark. the winds are going to continue to go to 40 miles per hour in the region as a weather maker approaches that will bring some relief to portions of the child stricken west. notice that california though doesn't see a ton of relief. sure some of the valleys here will see a little bit of rain, about an inch, and the mountains could see up to 12 to 18 inches of snow. definitely needed, and we will take water where we can get it. but it is not enough to absolutely put an end to that shout.

it is not just california, it is all the way here into the desert southwest, portions of the plains, and even florida to. we had a red flag warnings and fire weather watches for these areas. the cinemas about 30 million americans. it makes sense that when you look at the drought monitor across the u.s., pretty much 80 to 90% of the states west of mississippi are under a show at this time. it is unbelievable stuff. when you look at the number of fires we have seen thus far this year, we are well above the ten year average. we have seen in total across the u.s. a little more than 17,000 wildfires. that has led to more than 800,000 acres have burned so far. you can see the ten year average so far. >> it is april. that is all that has to be said in terms of what may be coming in the next few weeks. tyler, thanks so much for that update. and i'm paula newton, thanks for joining us

here on cnn newsroom, stay with us, john vause is live with the latest developments from ukraine right after a break.

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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 live, in ukraine. there's an even tougher fight on the horizon for ukrainians here, as russian troops regroup and prepare to launch an renewed assault on the eastern ukraine donbas region. cnn has learned that russian president, vladimir putin, has chosen a general to direct this war. until now, it's believed that russia did not have a theater wide command