ah, ah ah, this is d w. news alive from berlin. russia claims the 1st stage of its war and ukraine is over and has been a success. it says it will now shift its focus to the eastern don bass region. we look at whether this signals a strategic shift from moscow in the face of stiff, ukrainian resistance. also coming up, the european union strikes a deal to reduce its dependence on russian gas, but increased imports from the u. s. will not break the reliance on russian supplies. you as president biden visit the american troops stationed in poland near

the border with ukraine and assure support both for his military and his natal ally . and running the race of her life ukrainian athlete wins the jerusalem marathon. after fleeing her water on country ah and told me all logical welcome to the program. after a month of fighting that has left thousands dead and send millions on the run, russia says it's completed its initial phase of its war in ukraine, but cube and its allies believed that while russian president vladimir putin aimed to overthrow the ukrainian government in a lightening offensive, he's actually failed to achieve that goal. the russian army claims it will now focus on gaining control of ukraine's east and don bass region. or president viola

d mirrors. the lensky says he will not give up ukrainian territory for the sake of peace. russia says the 1st phase of its war in ukraine is over. it's military leaders claimed the invasion has been a success so far. and its troops will now concentrate on winning full control of the east and dunbar region. fillum of them on the whole, the main objectives of the 1st stage of the operation have generally been accomplished. the combat potential of the armed forces of ukraine has been considerably reduced, which makes it possible to focus on the main efforts to achieve the main goal of liberation of don bus. at the beginning of russia's invasion, president vladimir putin kept his initial objectives. vague, weston and ukrainian intelligence said the aim was to topple ukraine's elected government and install a puppet regime in cave. but moscow has faced stiffer resistance than anticipated.

so russia has relied on artillery and airstrikes bombarding cities and urban areas from afar in the north, east ukraine, 2nd largest city. ha keith still stands, but a month of constant shelling has left many buildings destroyed. and in dawn bus, the besieged port of mario pole has endured the worst of rushes bombardment. those that have managed to escape tell of a city in ruins. it's impossible during it. there are no roads, hospitals, shops or factories any mold. people have no money for linear. maria poll almost doesn't exist anymore. that old, that is left of it is a name on the malice, a few houses, and our memories. why me extra. as russia says it's re focusing on don bus. it is uncertain what this new phase of the conflict will look like. president zalinski

asserted that heavy russian losses have forced the kremlin to reassess its goals and take presentations more seriously. but with putin's original objective, seemingly thwarted, western leaders also feel he may resort to more extreme measures, including the use of chemical weapons. you can now speak to ben hodges, a retired u. s. lieutenant general. and former commander of the u. s. army in europe, who's joining us from dough. welcome to the w general. now the russian military making this statement, apparently shifting its focus from the key of offensive and now to liberating as it says, don bass, what do you make of that? this is a colossal failure. by the russian federation, armed forces, and of course, they're gonna try and dress it up as something else that they've accomplished

everything they meant to. but they haven't accomplished anything except demonstrate that their military has suffered from decades of corruption inside the miniature defense. and inside of the army, and they've demonstrated that the ukrainians have something to fight for where russian soldiers don't. so i would say this clearly is the combination of russia's ability to launch or conduct sustained offensive operations, large scale. unfortunately, they still had the ability to murder innocent ukrainians. what do you expect from the russian forces around kids? how those talk of the long convoy of vehicles approaching the city and, and all these, all the forces? what kind of campaign will they be carrying out right now? i think what we're going to see is a, an attempt by the russian forces to harden what they have. so you'll start seeing reports of digging in and fortifications to make it difficult for ukraine to,

to push them out. if ukraine is able to launch a counter offensive. and this would be done in my view to to create new facts on the ground for negotiation to create a new sort of frozen conflict. and of course, this is what we cannot afford. we should not allow, allow russia to be rewarded for their attack on ukraine. we, the west need to be talking about. this is democracy versus autocracy. and so we should be pouring in support from ukraine so that they can in fact, push russian forces back to the pre 24 february line. lots of sources are talking about of the russian suffering massive casualties. you mentioned that the russians have had a failure. there, but we're hearing estimates of between 7 and 15000 troops killed in action. how reliable are these figures?

well, i'm always suspicious. so when somebody makes an estimate, i can i have from 7 to 15000. i mean, that's a, that's a heck of a range for estimates. i generally tend to stay away from body counts because there's so many reasons why they are seldom accurate unless you actually see them dead soldiers. so i would generally go with the lower estimate. but then you have to also assume that anywhere from $2.00 to $3.00 times as many have been wounded. that's kind of the standard conversion factor if you will, if you're trying to estimate the damage to the opposing force. so however, many russian soldiers been killed, even though the lowest meant that is a staggering number of casualties in just 4 to 5 weeks of war time. and it will be impossible for the kremlin to hide this from the russian population to where they've tried to in the past. retired lieutenant general ben hodges. many thanks

for speaking to us. thanks for the privilege. ukrainian president vladimir zalinski has addressed representatives of middle eastern countries like caca and saudi arabia. at that bill ha forum, he said they must step in as energy supplies to dry up russia's main source of income. this is also a question of abandoning the user to russian oil and gas. so a responsible state and like the state of utah on reliable and the solid resources of energy resources and they can make day contribution to the civilization in europe. they can do march to restore justice in the future or hear of arrest one way of your efforts. it depends on what i ask you to increase the output of energy to ensure that everyone in russia understands the no can tree, can use energy as a weapon and blackmail me. blackmail to word. president landscape remarks came

after the e. you began to wean itself off, rush and import, signing a deal with the us to help secure more american natural gas. but while the agreement will reduce the use of rush and gas, it won't eliminate it. experts believe it will take years to build an infrastructure without russian energy pipelines still bringing rushing gas into the e. u. around 40 percent of europe's gas consumption comes from russia, which is why e. u. leaders haven't been able to agree a ban on imports as a way of trying to force moscow to end the war in ukraine. but what they did do the summit in brussels, attended by president biden, is a great deal to buy more gas from the u. s. was via and i think for vending machines we need to work toward developing infrastructure, which will allow us a greater capacity to move gas where we needed to see them both of often. that

means we have taken a conscious decision to better connect national networks, exidine, some lender get on to under the plan is to increase imports from america by an additional 15000000000 cubic meters this year with a name to increasing that to $50000000000.00 per year in the coming years currently you import from america stand at 22000000000 cubic meters annually. the use annual dependence on russia is a 150000000000 cubic meters, though. so the increases from the u. s. won't be enough to plug the gap. i know, i know good lemay russian gas will have cost for europe, but it's not only the right thing to do from a moral standpoint is going to put us on a much stronger strategic footage. what isn't clear from the statement is how much more expensive the gas coming from the u. s. will be for europe, or how shipping ports, which are already nearly a capacity for importing gas,

will be expanded. liquefied natural gas doesn't just flow through pipelines like russian gas does. there is the well, in america, you take a bucket of a gas out liquefy it put it on a ship, send it across the atlantic. it goes into an import terminal which will take that liquid gas turn it back into gashes, gas, and then it goes into the domestic pipeline infrastructure. and this is exactly the same way that the rushing would be. but there are all those following the agreement with the u. s. u leaders continue the summit and hit a major friction point over where the government should not be allowed to intervene in the market to cap energy prices, which is soaring for their citizens. us president joe biden is in poland, where he's meeting polish president and j duda to discuss the west military humanitarian, an economic response to russia's war on ukraine earlier. biden visited us soldiers

in the south eastern city of issues where the u. s. military serves alongside polish troops as part of nato. later biden is scheduled to deliver a speech on the crisis in ukraine, and also he will be meeting with ukraine's foreign and defense ministers who are making a rare trip abroad to attend for more, let's go to our correspondent barbara hazel, who is in the polish capital warsaw, barbara, what's on the agenda for president biden today you're here in front of the president's palace in war. so we can see if we look over the guard of honor. hes already drawn up and they're waiting for president biden to arrive here within the next hour. and if we look up a bit from here, we can see that the whole center of war so has been flagged, was the flags of poland and ukraine as assigned off solidarity. so this is what all

this is about. of course, the 2 presidents will be talking very soon in the pals here behind me, and they will of course, threshold their political differences and also the demands of poland for stronger engagement against the war in ukraine. then the president, the biden, is supposed to go to the other side of town to the national stadium where refugees are being received, which are still arriving here. it on a daily basis. and he's going to talk to it to some and g o z there. and maybe even to some ukrainian refugees who have been arriving there. and then finally in the afternoon, it's the great speech is speech that has been already called by the american side is something of a, of a basic of a sort of essential speech. setting out the principles and how to act together against russia and against this war of aggression in ukraine. you've mentioned the

refugees. poland has taken in the lion's share of refugees from ukraine. more than 2000000. can you give us a picture of what that looks like on the ground? i mean, it's an incredible, it's really an incredible picture because people keep on arriving at voices main train station. we went there yesterday to look out for them. and people whose families with their baggage was just a few suitcases and backpacks, children a dogs, a and just picked. they just picked up the household and left and people at particularly coming from the easter at the moment. many arriving from a lou haskell done baskets of the very eastern regions of ukraine. they simply look shell shocked. they had to leave their houses. that has been, have been destroyed behind their backs very quickly and just run for their lives and you see it in their faces. and if you talk to them or you realize what ordeal, this is for them. and so now they really need all the compassion and all the help

to get settled to you, even if it's only maybe for some months or if we don't know this, therefore, a couple of years in poland and the neighboring countries. and what poland really once is more help, they are doing a fantastic job in really organizing all this. there are many volunteers out. there is a really great organization on the ground, but what they want is more money. and president biden has promised another $1000000000.00 for humanitarian aid here. and barbara, you mentioned the refugee aspect, but we also see poland, you know, as a, as a key e, u. member. as a natal member, prominence in all of this. can you give us a picture of why this country is so such a focal point in this, in this conflict? absolutely. just look back into poland. history. i mean, they have been over runs throughout the centuries. and always the worst enemy, of course, was, po, was russia in the east. and the fear of russian invasion is deeply ingrained and in

the told us genes, it's for them politically sort of the biggest issue. they always feel threatened that is part of their history. so they are really the spokespeople for a much tougher stance against russia. a much tougher sense to try and help with the warden ukraine. the, the government here, for instance, has now proposed a 10 point plan that says it, that has a lot of different aspects in it. the stronger is stronger sanctions, of course, kind of oil and gas is strongest sanctions against any trade with russia. and also on the other hand, they want in humanitarian intervention, i on the ground in ukraine to help people, for instance, flee from murray or pull. that is something that president biden has not to wanted so far. he says, we can't do this about poland is keeping on pushing and we'll see more of this during the day. all right, dw correspondent,

barbara hazel in warsaw. thank you and have a look at some other developments in the war. french president mama craw has proposed an international mission to help evacuate people from mario poll, the ukrainian city, devastated by russian attacks across that he was a working on a humanitarian operation together with turkey and greece. and that he would soon call russian president vladimir putin to work out. the details of frances has led a ceremony at the vatican to consecrate both russia and ukraine. so the immaculate heart of the virgin, mary of the prayer ritual is of deep spiritual importance to many catholics. a service was frances francis's latest effort for peace in what he is called, a cruel and senseless war. 2 more than a 130 refugees from ukraine of arrived in germany, from moldova. hundreds of thousands of ukrainians have fled to the small former

soviet republic. germany plans to lift 2500 refugees out of mold over to help it deal with the influx. meanwhile, more than half a 1000000 people have fled to moldova neighbor romania. a country is a member of both the european union and nato, and as the 2nd most frequent destination for ukrainian refugees after poland, many arrive with harrowing tales of their escape from wall. it's just a short ride to safety, but for many here it comes after a long and perilous journey. this family reunited at the docks. some came by ferry, others over land, leaving behind a home caught in some of the fiercest fighting so far. we could either look on michel, alive. the situation is very bad. one got it as being shell from every direction.

almost people who are able to flee are fleeing. it is hard. i want to go home. i want to go home very much. you crane's short border with romania runs along the danube river fairies land at the town of his sacha with only a few 1000 inhabitants. it is become yet another transit point as refugees flow out of ukraine. many of the new arrivals are fleeing southern ukraine, where the russians have been attacking cities like mc alive, near the black sea coast, and moving towards the major port city of odessa life and wayne, that is the us. i could have never believed in such things before. made with honestly, this is a shock my, you know, we could have never believed that the sky would have been so dangerous a cluster that we'd be afraid of airplanes and other things. only thing i didn't expect any of this was with bring up, bring you out every day. there's definitely,

there's destruction if you them. so to be there is very scary, especially with small children. that's why we left it. when you more, we 1st went to odessa, he stayed there for one night, but there are air raid sirens every day. destruction shots fired the whole package with the red cross has set up tents to welcome the ukrainians. but these tents and this town are just another transit point for those arriving. their journey is far from over. a many of those who flee ukraine often arrived traumatized in neighboring countries. the war itself, the sudden need to leave everything behind and the journey out, as well as the uncertainty also of what my comm mx can all be overwhelming. t w's. monica shariska sent us this report from the train station, impure michelle on the polish border with ukraine bear. she met eva butner. she's

a polish psychotherapist who's worked in germany for decades. just one of several, german and polish mental health professionals offering new arrivals. and psychological 1st aid and i turned on frontier to go. you move home. it's in, we're not. i can baby live owner there. pick a 25 year old woman arrived without luggage carrying just her baby. she has 3 children. the youngest is just 10 months old. she couldn't bring anything as she traveled 3 days without sleeping without eating. when she got here, she was so exhausted. she was barely able to sleep at the bathroom when we approached her and asked her where she had come from pam, whether she knew where to go. all she could say was her house had been hit and her husband was probably dead and monday had ones and on him one family homeless. he mentioned to her income demanded n. you got all the people who come here often worry less about themselves and

what's going to happen to them than about those who stayed behind ukraine. somebody's ill, stephanie can, doesn't art human irish be, we have certain stabilization techniques, kind of access. actually a game between mother and child, not the mother moves the child a little in principle like a tapping technique. and she gives them verbal suggestions. you are safe, i am here with you. it's over. nothing will happen to you. these techniques stabilize at com, the nervous system of the child, or the aunt of the mother boom. and mom is this is abstract is in, we give them these exercises so they can stabilize themselves and we ordered them to look after themselves. many are traveling into the unknown, but we say, look after yourself, look after your child stabilize yourself, and if you find yourself struggling, find help, bracken yeah, live near dimensionally dunc. we have seen many thinks intimacy, gratitude, how fast contact can be made, how people can help each other, but also

a lot of sadness when they see a child who has been on the road for 3 days, or where a little shoe is missing because there is nothing there. i'm a mother myself and it does affect as deeply this situation as sad as it is, is also shown us how much humanity there is in this world. now to some of the other stories were fallen for you. this are also opened in malta for its general election labor prime minister, robert bella, who took over from joseph muskrat, is expected to secure another term, but labor is still tainted by the corruption exposed by journalists. daphne corona, galicia was hilbert harbor in 2017. a volcano as are opted near a scenic lake in the philippines. authorities raised the alert level in the region and urge residents to evacuate. have been volcanic elf, greeks and concerns that further eruptions may occur with expos warning of possible

fast moving gas and san army. in the lake, taylor hawking's a drama of the celebrated rock band, 2 fighters as died while on tour with the band in columbia. the 50 year old joined the group formed by the ex nevada musician dave girl in 1997. in a statement the band called his death a tragic and untimely loss. a ukrainian runner who fled her country last month as one the jerusalem marathon, valentina veronica left ukraine with her 11 year old daughter while her husband was also a coach, stayed behind, she told dw, that fans back home had urge her to run for peace. just a few weeks ago, valentine of a red skirt was fleeing for her life. now the ukrainian marathon runner is trying to promote peace around the world, starting with the jerusalem marathon before the race, she told

d w about the support she still has back home. and i got a lot of message from my grand kids here now from ukraine. osler's from a lot of, from a lot of people from, again, for in as a research these and a very nice i stick here about it was unusually wet and cold for the start of the jerusalem race. but after the journey she has been on, she just felt relieved to be running again. the race was a mixed event, so she cleverly used male runners as pay setters in a bid to be the 1st woman to cross the line. she achieved her goal and celebrated with the israeli and ukrainian flags. she hopes to soon be reunited with her husband, who is also her coach. what has remained in ukraine after the russian invasion? she vowed to do even better in the race next year.

the digital rather the and i'm from the guy is my husband greg this negative and using a it is a metal that means so much after a terrible mom, her family, she's yet another ukrainian sport. start doing incredible things in the face of adversity. you're watching d. w news, he has a recap of our main story brush us military has signaled it may be reducing as military ambitions in ukraine. a senior russian army officer says the 1st stage of its military campaign in ukraine has been largely completed. that moscow would increasingly focus if efforts in easton ukraine the united states and europe of announced a new energy partnership to ease europe's reliance on russian gas. the u. s. is to

supply is the boost supply of liquefied natural gas, but experts believe it will take years to build an energy infrastructure that does not rely on russian energy supplies. coming up next, i travel show check in visit the walls and oldest historic sites of next. pablo fully as we'll have the more headlines at the top of the hour, but i'm told me a logical thanks for your company with with

ah ah, with who? honda loose adventure and delicious food. a check in special with eva zuba. the youtube are and d. w. travel reporter brings us to turkey, transports the ancient babylon,

and gives us insider tips for warsaw. checking on d. w. blue with secrets lie behind. these was discover new adventures in 360 degrees and explore fascinating world heritage sites. d w world heritage 360. get the app now. a man with the memories of a woman. ah, ali from syria is born in a female body. forced into marriage. great to his escape will be the journey of his life. far from home,

ali can finally become the person. he's always wanted to be alone. despair, badly elementary. i will go with i was born in stuart's march 30th on d. w. ah ah ah ah, ah. hello and welcome to a new special edition of jenkin. today we're joining d, w, travel report and youtube by eva to back on her adventures. eva takes us to the top stone caves and kathy.