sorts watch nights on d, w ah, ah ah, this is dw news alive from berlin, russian forces attack here on the 2nd day of what am your putin's war against? you craned people take shelter in metro stations as air raid sirens, sound and residents clean up apartment to struck by shelling. ukraine says it is battling russian forces near the capital. more than 130 people have been reported killed in the invasion. meanwhile, tens of thousands of civilians free major cities. many heading to neighboring poland president followed. amir zalinski says he's staying put in care to spy,

calling himself rushes, number one target. and e leaders agree on new sanctions against russia fought they hold back on cutting russia from global bank transactions, ukraine's as the measures don't go far enough. ah. hello, i'm clear. richardson, thanks so much for joining us. russia is ramping up its invasion of ukraine. now in its 2nd day, ukraine says its forces are battling russian troops on the edge of the capital. key of that there have been reports of gunfire near the government district. this air raid sirens you're hearing, they've been founding in queue of and in other cities, prompting people to take shelter in metro stations. an apartment building was partially destroyed overnight, and ukraine said it shot down to russian missiles and

a fighter jet over the capitol. ukrainian government says at least 137 people have died since the invasion began, and hundreds more have been injured. i want to go to detail. he is a chief political correspondent, melinda crane, who joins me now in the studio. hi, melinda, thanks for joining us. once again, according to diplomatic sources, the e. u has perhaps already agreed a asset freeze for putin and his foreign minister survey lover of is that the case? that's what we're hearing at the moment. it's being reported by the financial times and bloomberg. so we don't have an official confirmation from the you. but apparently the, you leaders discuss the possibility of an asset freeze on putting and laugh rough yesterday evening and i guess they decided to hold back the news or they haven't fully agreed this asset freeze will not include

a travel back at the moment that so that theoretically, if negotiations were to occur, put in and lever of could travel for, for talks, but an asset freeze. it's somewhat unclear exactly how many assets vladimir putin has in europe itself. on paper, he makes a salary of about a $120000.00 a year. and has a couple of cars in an apartment, but as we all know, he is a very wealthy man. his regime in russia is considered to be very corrupt and therefore, undoubtedly this will have an impact. but exactly what that is. we can't say at this point in time, but this does come as the e u is saying that it is already looking at a 3rd package of sanctions. that was something tweeted earlier by sha, michelle, who has head of the you council. and apparently there has been some

pushback about whether the sanctions agreed on this was the 2nd package of sanctions agreed on yesterday evening were tough enough. so apparently some who feel that the you should have moved toward even harsher sanctions already. and there's this question of potentially excluding russia from the swift international payment system that we know that italy and germany have been pushing back against. i mean, given the fact that we've seen a russian invasion of ukraine, there's been more than a 100 people killed already. or facing potentially an entire restructuring of security order in europe. do the current sanctions that they've agreed and that they are now apparently the cost of a grain. do they go far enough in trying to in punishing russia. the sanctions that were announced yesterday evening definitely will cause economic pain in russia. there are very few sanctions where you can say over night they're going to bring

a country's economy to its knees. potentially, there are 2 big guns like that in the quiver of sanctions that haven't been imposed . one of them, as you say, would it be excluding russia from that swift payments transfer system that would make it very, very hard for russia to sell it's oil and gas on international markets because those transactions are often priced in foreign currency dollars. and therefore, that would be a big gun since the russian economy is extremely dependent on those resource trades . another way to achieve a similar effect, of course, would be for the you to agree not to buy at to put an embargo on imports of russian fuel. but as you say, those measures would cause pain in european economies themselves with the swift transfer system. it's also, by the way, cyprus, cypress, italy, and probably also germany have

a lot of outstanding of bank debt in russia. and it would be hard to get that. we're talking about billions, it would be hard to get that debt back if russia were to be excluded from swift. however, when you listened to german arguments about why they pursued the course of not yet putting swift out there amongst the sanctions, they say it's for strategic reasons to keep a phased sanction a plan in place. so that if there's escalation on the part of russia, they go to those really big guns amongst the economic sanctions. nonetheless, you know, there is a lot of discussion on this point. it is very much a moving story and we're hearing that even here in germany within the governing coalition. there is some questioning of chancellor schultz for not going farther yesterday evening. on this very point with the greens, a number of members of his junior coalition partner, the green party,

saying it is time to go to swift to go to that transfer payments suspension now and melinda earlier, the german president, frank voltage di my or he gave a speech, i want to see if we can take a listen in to a clip of what he had to say earlier today. shepalees on visiting footing, i called on president uprooting to stop the madness of this war. now. this in me, our thoughts and feelings are with the people of ukraine who are victims of this will be up for this is craig, isn't for the people of russia to reactions over their president will have better consequences from foreign saga. i say to all of you, we don't want the russian people to be your enemies and folk when he talked about disagreements within the russian government. that was the president there. he normally plays a more ceremonial role and is somewhat above the fray of politics. you could say, what do you make of him weighing in there?

it's very interesting because in fact, in fact, of a funk felter stein mar, he's now beginning his 2nd term as president of germany. but he also served as germany's foreign minister. and in that capacity, he illustrates the very ambivalent position of many german politicians, so in 2014, when there were mass demonstrations in key of against the russian backed government . at that time, mister stein meyer, along with a couple of other european politicians, went to keowee, stood on my dan square, and basically mediated between the demonstrators and the russian backed government, persuading it to step down and essentially preventing a great deal more bloodshed than into or had already occurred, nonetheless, he asked us as foreign minister, 2 years later was more name, not russia, but, but nato, against saber rattling. and he also, when he was accused by vladimir putting himself of having helped to full meant

a qu, there on the my done in 2014 mr. stein meyer declined to, to contradict president putin declined to say that that was a lie. but in fact, i said he'd prefer not to engage in confrontation, and that has been a characteristic line for many, many german politicians who have really adhered to the idea that you could effect change in russia, or at least a guarantee stability and moderation. by cultivating good commercial relations, particularly where the range of hearts after this. absolutely. i think we're seeing a very major rethink on the part of many german politicians. not only president shine meyer, but we heard the chancellor. a former chancellor, mackerel weigh in on the same subject saying essentially this is

a terrible breach of international law and it must be punished. and she herself, also with someone who played this dual role, it's at the same time pursuing dialogue with russia. she speaks fluid, russian, she was bleeding replied, put in one of his main interlocutors and all these years. and at the same time keeping e you together keeping the you together on sanctions after 2014, a very difficult line that many german politicians have tried to walk. but i think we'll see some real re thinking about germany's attitudes toward military power toward defense spending and most especially toward relations with russia. linda crane, i'm sure you'll be keeping us abreast of those developments as they come in. thanks again for joining us in the studio. i went across over to dw correspondent mateus bowling guy. he's joining me on the line now from key of in ukraine, but he has. hi, thank you for taking the time. tell us about the situation where you are now. i

understand that you are actually on your way out of give yeah, we have left key if you always ago and we're driving now west switch to west ukraine, which we can take care of was a very, very dia, place this morning for almost there were a few people running about their business, trying to get cash out of cost machines and things like that. all the shops, what clothes, most people, i think, either shelters or hope or in the metro systems get deep underground metro system. where would that show that was built with the idea that it could serve as a shelter as well? some people are being there overnight for 2 nights in a row. now, since the bombing began 2 days ago, we were in shelter. well, offices basically the whole night in the morning we got out,

you were out for about half an hour, then the sirens rang again and we went back down. so it's very, very pete, i'll tell you the news that the tax on the city. so people are trying be on with tank, advancing the threat of the city, you know, being surrounded by russian forces. many ukrainians are leaving the country as you are. what are the main pathways are taking to leave ukraine? hello, this is not around with otherwise we wouldn't be on the road. as far as we understand 2 directions around we. i've also heard that might be in the suburbs. the, the way to lead ukraine is with because in the north,

in the east and in the south are russian troops was health, with romania, probably also a way where you could go and i wouldn't have open orders for, for refugees from the ukraine saying that they would not check off towards when people enter from ukraine, lucky as well. so basically the, the member ordering countries are the destination for people to go. but not everybody can go. there is an exit done on between $18.60 voted. the recruitment of people have to register to say this and the ukranian president himself is still in the country. how dangerous is the situation for him right now? well, you know, call themselves the number one target off the russian thing that you

might be captured or executed. and i think it is probably very dangerous. what we had before from services is the russians, or at least stop the ukrainian leads of the, of the yeah, the political lead and others who, who have changed this country in this country, the way the russian work that the russia hopes for. we don't know, of course, what was on this list. i'll be whether this is all true or not. so it's classified . it's the classified information, but we don't come. but it's, it's to expect in the russian seems to be, to create a country that will be entirely depend on russia. the country so far has done exactly the opposite. so the president is heading, this country now was leaving the country now that it would be

a target of course. and what are the next steps? i mean, are we expecting to see russian forces stay in ukraine as an occupying power? are we expecting to see them install a friendly government to moscow as any indication of what is going to happen in the days and weeks to come? that's a question you need to address to mr. tim, but from what we are seeing as not yet. i have been a lot of information, again, a classified or declassified intelligence information that russia was. wanted to try to install a friendly resume there. but all they're going to do is we don't really know they're going to take over the administration. you add to it, is that possible at all? all would they have to establish that really true occupation of occupation would of course be much more costly for russia. so prefer be they would not try to do that,

but what options they have, what they think they can do in the country. they might have a very bad assessment of what your grade is like. it's after all, because what we, what we can see, i think now is that they might, it's completely up to you praise ukrainian armies and also many people's willingness to coach. and i think i'm not sure whether whether they really thought that they are face. okay. w correspondent, much as a bullying or on the road out of kids. thanks so much for your reporting and please stay safe. thank you. update now that moscow has vowed to topple ukraine's government in care of as its military lay siege to the capital. just a short while ago the mayor of you announced that the defense of the city had begun . thousands of civilians have fled the city and those who remain are braced for a violent battle. this another terrifying

star to the day in keith. overnight, there was more destruction bombs, rain down, forcing residence to flee to safety in bunkers, metro stations and sellers packed with residence, grappling to come to terms with their new reality. earlier it's hard, but i'm holding on a nearby house caught fire and there were many victims and we were waiting until 7 o'clock in the morning in our apartment in the car door in the bathroom until the end of curfew. so that we could come here. i work here so i feel mostly tired and anxious. found

strange. none of it feels real. i don't even know how to relate to it because i'm what we see above them. soldiers on the streets of central, keith and reports of gunfire near the government district and on the edge of the capital, an enemy aircraft, the ukrainian army claims they shot down. meanwhile, ukraine's president sent a message to russia. oh, he assailed war, the bitter ranch abuse russia. we'll have to talk to a sooner or later. yes, you talk about how to end the fighting and stop this invasion that for the sooner the conversation begins with walla, the fewer losses there will be for russia itself. that are they some way i see, but in moscow repeated unfounded claims from the kremlin suggest there's no end to russia's invasion in sight. the aim of the operation was openly declared

demilitarization and de nuts of vacation of m wooster. we want the ukrainian people or as president putin said, you can all the people living in modern ukraine to have the opportunity to freely determined their future destiny was about boardman. but for most ukrainians, the only future they are contemplating now is whether to remain in their homeland or to flee. let's get more now from dw corresponded emily sherwin who joins me now in the studio. welcome emily, and we just heard the ukrainian president, they're saying that russia will have to talk some time. i am reading reports now that the kremlin may, in fact, the ready. what are they saying? well, the kremlin spokesperson miti, his coff has said that the idea of talks about neutrality essentially fits in with russian interests. because putin's goal is what we just heard, that demilitarization and putting that very much in, quote marks and d, nuts, vacation, even more in quote marks and that. so that means they're interested in talking.

that's what they're saying, which is new. because before there was very much a sense that they don't think that the government and key of his legitimate at all earlier today we heard said gay lover off the foreign minister saying that they're only willing to talk to ukraine after democratic order is restored. so essentially saying this government that, that is currently in power in ukraine isn't we don't recognize that we're not talking to them. so that's kind of a change into that we're seeing. so does that mean that this sudden readiness to talk suggest that putin has actually achieved his aims? well, it's, it's really hard to know what the end goal is of you know, of the kremlin at the moment. for months. just to remind you, the russian government has been talking about the importance of getting these security guarantees from the west of, of ukraine not being able to join nato of a halt to nato eastern expansion. now they're talking about this demilitarization, this di, not suffocation that i already mentioned. those words are so vague that they can

essentially mean anything that the russian government wants. and, you know, it's been very unexpected that this war has been happening at all. any russian watcher will tell you that they didn't expect this to happen. and now the kremlin, you know, is it basically can do what they want and see what see what they can get. i think, you know, there's this image in the west, especially of putin as this chess player who has a clear plan going forward. but i think actually he might just be sort of making it up as he goes along to see what he can get. and one thing is clear, they definitely want ukraine in their sphere of influence, no matter how. and yet those, those issues you've mentioned, they've been on the table for a long time. so i think a question, a lot of people have is why now? well again, this is kind of guesswork because no one can open up a do put in a head and see what's going on in there. but we did see last year in july of

vladimir putin wrote an article that was published about ukraine, where he already talked about what, what we've heard this this week a lot from him, which is, you know, his argument that ukraine doesn't essentially exist as a country that ukrainians are actually just russians, that there is no ukrainian nation at all. there is the strong sense that we're getting, especially this, this week in the speech that we've heard from vladimir putin of him wanting to restore some kind of historical justice. so this, you know, whatever that may mean, again, the issue of ukraine has been on his mind for quite a while now. and i think when it comes to the timing, this may have to do with put in himself. he mean, you know, is initiated these constitutional reforms in 2020 you re remember which mean that, that he can actually say and power. but that has opened up a whole discussion about whether he actually will stay in power and kind of this sense of, you know, is this the end of his rain or not? and it may be that he's trying to a go down in the history books and, and really also kind of, it's secure his place, you know, going forward after his current term as the president who's done something so crazy

that he essentially has to reject the whole kremlin and reject the whole administration now. and we have been seeing people in russia itself, taking part in public demonstrations despite great dangers to themselves. a could result in immediate attention. ah, we have a piece from a reporter about these people who have taken to the streets in multiple russian cities. and i want to see if we can take a lesson before coming back to you. risking a rest, even prison time to show the world that russia is not united behind president newton, thousands came out across the country, chanting no to war. they were flaunting a ban on demonstrations. police arrested over 1700 people, half of them in the capital. moscow authority is warned, they could be charged with a crime because

i don't want russia to attack the crane like i have grandparents them. and what happened to the shame? many of us have relatives and friends for the ukraine, and this is a betrayal of them. the russian stage, perhaps the most daring display of opposition, but not the only one. demonstrations of solid arity sprung up in cities around the world times square and new york, a massive cranium flag and pearl. the brandenburg gate and berlin was also visited by a crowd of ukraine. yellow and blue national colors is patsy. it was many of us thought it was impossible, but it happened guys. and i woke up this morning and it brought me to tears about more likely, i think it's appalling because it's an illegal war of aggression in a house. it's important that there is peace in europe and this is

a worst case scenario. since of us, it was a condemnation of prudence, war and a message of solidarity with those and basements and bomb shelters across ukraine. so let's get more from d to the correspond to emily sherman back in the studio with me again. how important are these demonstrations within russia? well, on the one hand, i think it's become clear over the last few years that protesting doesn't really change much when it comes to how the kremlin acts. i would say that these protests, though, do show that there is a significant opposition to what's happening now to this war because the risk of protesting in russia is so great the but you know, there's really this atmosphere in moscow where i just returned from and also just in the whole country that essentially you can't really criticize the kremlin at all anymore. or, you know, the politics, the political situation, even on social media that has become dangerous to the fact that people actually

took to the streets. you know, as you were saying, as at great risk to themselves, you know, knowing that essentially they were probably going to be arrested shows how strongly people feel about this and how shocked. i think many people are less, right. you've just returned from moscow before the dw bureau, there was shut down by the russian government, which germany has called a clear attack on the freedom of press. now these demonstrations we're seeing is it easy for russian citizens to actually get involved and take to the streets? i mean, you've said that there are great personal risk, but are they facing other obstacles? well, if they essentially, i mean, you know, yesterday the protests were big enough that people actually were able to take to the streets. but even this past week we've seen smaller protests. people essentially just immediately take it away. you know, they, they have a banner, they on start unfurling it and they're immediately arrested. so that's, i think, a significant enough obstacle that those actually to know. yeah. and the other question, of course, we've been talking about sanctions,

whether they're hard enough or their effects being felt already in russia. well, i think you know, of the narrative from the russian leadership that we've been seeing over that this week. but also before that essentially was we've, we've had sanctions before, we've been being hit by western sanctions for the last few years. who cares? it's not gonna change anything. and also this week we've heard from vladimir putin who was saying the west would have hit us with sanctions, no matter what we did because they want to kind of hinder russia's greatness. but the economic situation in the country is pretty bad already. and yesterday, a lot of people that i know we're kind of panicking about this, the freefall of the rubel, the rubel having gone the cards. you haven't gone into freefall. people were driving around moscow and trying to take out dollars. and there weren't any left in many places, so i think dire consequences there. yeah. given the consequences, do you have the sense that russia is through these actions actually isolating itself from the international community? well, there's definitely a sense with this step,

but also in the it even before in the last 2 years. but especially with this step with this war, that the russian government, you know, before was trying to say face of when it comes to the international community, at least communicate its messages. and now it seems that vladimir putin in the kremlin don't really care what anyone thinks are right, dw is emily. sure. when in the studio with me here, thanks so much for that update. we're going to bring you up to speed with the latest developments on the 2nd day of russia's invasion of ukraine. kremlin officials say president vladimir putin is ready to send a delegation to belarus for talks with ukraine. that announcement was made as the e revealed, it will freeze personal assets linked to mister putin. of the news comes as ukrainian forces continue to battle with russian troops on the edge of cave. the streets of the capital remain largely deserted after another night of attacks that prompted many people to take shelter into underground metro stations. and apartment building was also partially destroyed overnight. ukraine said it shot down to

russian missiles and a fighter jet over the capitol. ukrainian government says 137 people have been killed since the invasion began, and hundreds more have been injured. the situation on the ground of course, changing rapidly and difficult to confirm. let's go to the other. puerto william igloo croft to get more on what's been happening, lambs very much. yeah. it is a very difficult situation to get a handle on. in addition to air attacks are happening all around the country. there's been reports of land forces here we of ukrainian tanks going up against russian tanks and other kinds of russian forces in some specific places that we can put up on the wall and have a quick show of here is ukraine, of course, over all. and we have reports of russian forces coming in to ukraine from 3 different sides, right? trust, really squeezing in out numbered ukrainian force. we have forces coming in from the

north, from belarus. that's an ally of russia, of course, coming in from the east. the rebel held russian backs area called don bus, a don bush region moving in from there. and of course, from the south here where russia have a naval base on crimea, which it illegally annexed back in 2014. so we can get a closer look at where some of the major fighting is actually happening all around ukraine. now all eyes are, of course, on key of the capital of ukraine. that's in pretty easy reach you can see from the map pretty easy reach from belarus. again, a rough and ally of russia reports are suggesting that russian forces are moving down into the north that there's fighting, taking place just outside the center of the city. now remember that this is also where government officials are said to still be ukrainian government officials and russian leaders have said they will go after them if they can. so a very powerless situation for ukrainian infrastructure for ukrainian political,

a leaders there as.