[000:00:00;00] ah ah, this is news life from rural and major new weapons package for ukraine to us analysis more military to the embattled country. the by an administration says it will send heavy artillery drones and ammunition to assist ukraine's forces. also coming up, i were in grip rushes. waterman claims victory and the besieged city of matthew paul, but calls off the storming of the last ukrainian pulled out orders a blockade instead of the last pocket of ukrainian resistance to avoid more russian

losses. and with whom search for evidence of possible war crimes. ukraine zooms is a debt from mass graves to search for clues. we hear from a mother who son never came home. ah. hello everyone, i'm layla iraq. thank you very much for your company. the united states is stepping up its military support for ukraine as moment ago, u. s. president joe by announced a new tranche of military support worth $800000000.00 for keith. this latest package is in addition to billions of dollars of military equipment. washington already has given to ukraine's governments president vine said the package would contain heavy weaponry that the government in ukraine says it

desperately needs. today, i'm announcing another $800000000.00 to further augment ukraine's ability to fight in the east of the dom loss region. this package includes heavy artillery weapons, dozens of our church, and $144000.00 rounds of ammunition to go with those however, it also includes more tactical drones. i'd like to turn out to michael kim, it's a historian and former us the state department expert on russia and ukraine during the obama administration. a very warm welcome to the w, sir. thank you for taking the time to meet with us. the we just heard the president by just moments ago announced this new $800.00 a $100000000.00 rather of military aid package for ukraine. can you outline for us the significance of this amount? well, it's a substantial amount of money and what i think more significant than the immediate so is that it's a part of

a continuum of aid flowing from united states and also from any european countries toward ukraine. and it's a demonstration in a different sense of resolve that there's a strong and deepening commitment to ukraine on the part of the united states. and it's translated partners. now, as you know, there is this offensive that russia has unleashed in the east of the country. we heard present bind, say that they want the us wants the weapons to go to the front line immediately, but realistically, how quickly can they get there? well, i think it can be really quite quick. i think there's a way in which, you know, the outside suppliers, military suppliers of ukraine have been learning how to transmit these weapons to the front. and it's not a secret where the russians are at the moment and where the russians are going to strike. it's very, very clear. so, you know, i think that the methods are there and the destination is really not ambiguous. so i think it will come very quickly to grain. and speaking about the ukranian army,

what chance do they have to fend off this offensive? it's truly anybody's guess in terms of the day to day military outcomes. they've so far done very, very well in the north. but the terrain is going to be more difficult for them in the south. it's more wide open and the russians are changing tactics and will likely be, i think, more successful than they were in the north, but whether they can really overcome you great in the south, the east. i think it's unlikely. and what's your assessments are in terms of this support that the u. s. is providing ukraine, is it sustainable? i think it's certainly sustainable. you see enormous will in congress, that's really where the money is coming from. it's one of the few issues. i went to republicans and democrats really agree in washington, and i think that the white house is very happy to have this congressional support. so i think that there is no way that this military aid is going to stop or slow down in the short to medium term. a very striking comment that the president made

as well as regarding the wes banning russian affiliated ships from us ports. how significant is that? i don't know if in and of itself, it's hugely significant. i don't think there's a big trading relationship between russia and united states in either direction, but it's the slow tightening of the news around the russian economy and the gradual abrupt and gradual isolation of the russian economy. and so as part of this larger pattern, russia just the markets and options closing off. and that will, over quite a long period of time that will have a dramatic effect on the russian economy. michael commissioner, story and an expert on russia and ukraine. so thank you for taking our questions, greatly appreciate it. thank you for having me. u. s. presidential by and also said there is quote no evidence that matthew paul has fallen to rush up. it comes after moscow tried to claim victory. they're saying russian forces have successfully liberated the port city in south eastern. you crank the as of style as steel plant

is the last place in murray who paul still in ukrainian hands. it's believed some 2000 soldiers and around a 1000 civilians are sheltering. their cave is demanding moscow open in humanitarian corridor to let civilians leave. president putin called off plans to storm the complex. instead. in a televised meeting, he told his defense minister to completely seal off the area or report now on the steel plant that has become a symbol of ukrainian resistance. the vast as of style steel plant seen here and footage from russian state television is the last part of mary appalled under ukrainian control. after nearly 2 months of heavy fighting. with much of the strategic port in ruins, present putin's claim victory in the city. and told his defense minister to seal off its defenders in their last stronghold. but a gloom. i considered the proposed stormy of the industrial area, pointless. i order to

a bolt it. there is no need to climb into these catacombs and crawl under ground through these industrial facilities block off this industrial area so that not even a fly can get through the molecular to the promotional. ther ukrainian authorities of urged moscow to open humanitarian corridors to allow those sheltering in the heavily bombarded as are still planned to flee. these pictures provided by the prompt offenders shows some of the hundreds of civilian said to be sheltering in bunkers below the steel works. but previous efforts to organize evacuations from mary paul, i've had little success wednesday only for buses carrying evacuees managed to leave the city through humanitarian card or some 100000 residence. i thought to still be living among the ruins. those now located in as a star steel plant may well face the choice between starvation or surrender.

dr. glass net cost is an expert on russia's foreign and security policy. and i asked her, what she thinks is behind president putin's decision not to storm the steel plant in multiple i think effectiveness of recognition that to storm it will be very difficult for the russians and that they will sustain heavy losses and they will take a long time so i would go along with sort of put in his own assessment that essentially it's not effective for the russian trip to store met, lose a lot of manpower and actually it is more effective from the point of view of the russian troops to blood could continue the blockade because of the plans are unable to resupply the troops in the as also as are still blocked. and therefore, you know, it will be a matter of time to the blockade. effectively create situation with a fight as will have to come out. and the russians would like to preserve the troops,

they would like to move them to dump us to link them up with their trips in the hunk can done. yes. and therefore, if i did it, i'm not prepared to lose them over the the complicate of as awful. so what happens next? now, what does victory look like for the russians? i think that this is a $1000000.00 question. we don't, i think commentators and i would agree with the assessments to say that in some ways put in can turn anything into victory. the russian public over on the whole seems to be supporting the war. they don't seem to have a good idea as to what victory looks like, and in that respect, i think it is down to push and what he wants to see as a victory. and i think that's why the situation is so dangerous because you simply don't know what is enough to put in, you know, is a victim. i re open enough. is the taking over all, all of the la hans done?

yes. last victory. is it pushing further into the parts of east and ukraine is, is getting a negotiation between himself and didn't ski. we don't know at this stage. what is sufficient thing? that is why it is dangerous. as a situation develops, dr. glerison, a cough, an expert on russia's foreign insecurity policy. thank you very much for taking our questions. thank you. let's get a clear closer look now at how things have changed on the ground in ukraine this week. to w reporter, jewelry is here to tell us more this week ukraine's president declared that the battle for the don bass had begun. russia also acknowledged that a new phase in its operations was now focusing on the important industrial region to the east. now since 2014 russian back separatists have controlled parts of the dawn bass, mainly the regions of donates and lou hands while russia has also occupied crimea. now,

russian forces control an arc of territory connecting the breakaway regions to crimea, and cutting ukraine off from the sea of resolve. in the latest development this week, russia intensified its efforts to take more territory across the don boss. a launched a battery of thousands of air and artillery attacks on many points along the front line. now us analysts say they believe that russia appears to be trying to encircle ukrainian forces in this pocket here between its territories, by one estimate up to 40000 ukrainians may be position there and that's about 20 percent of the known forces. now these ukranian units are, it's, we expected to put up quite a fight because they have been well practiced in fighting separatists here for years. russia on the other side, is estimated to have up to $70000.00 troops across the se, including units which retreated after failing to take the capital keith. but some western analysts believe that russian forces are not ready for this new offensive.

they say they appear to be rushing to attack without proper training preparation, or supply lines. and this week's bombings are being seen as a test by russia to find weaknesses in the front line before attempting to move any tanks or troops. ford, ukraine continues to call for more weapons from western countries to try and hold the russians back. and i was joel dar warrior reporting. my ukrainian investigators are carrying out the painstaking work of zooming bodies from makeshift graves as part of an effort to gather evidence of alleged war crimes committed by russian troops. while forensic teams do their work, relatives of those killed weight nearby to claim their loved ones. our correspondence mathias bellinger joined other journalists on a visit to the town of 40 anchor near keith. he spoke to one mother whose son never came home for the police. it has become a grim routine. dozens of mass graves have been opened here in the past few weeks.

but for an addition, a boy called this is the day she has been waiting for. her son is being ex you today will show the more he was on his way back. he called to say he'd be home soon, but he never came. question to him boy call was shot on the street. in the early days of the war. his body was given a makeshift burial on the grounds of a hospital when the morgue had to close because it had no power. please say that here in the northern suburbs of keys, they have recovered more than 1000 forty's. with the town of what a young girl was heavily shelled and then occupied by russian forces size is too far from normal supermarkets and shops looted and destroyed. people here depend on

a deliveries to survive at the hospital. police have exam 9 bodies to day it was civilians were shot in the streets or run over by tiles. some have yet to be identified. nazare that got there about that through unfortunately will be doing this work for many more years. but we'll work as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. so we have sold evidence to hold the aggressor accountable in the international courts will if it's not only those who did it little, but also those who order to get the more than that give more. you cannot the recovered bodies are being sent to the morgue for forensic examination will then be returned to their relatives. that is to kill him. i know that his soul is gone. i know this is just a body, but it's the body that i used to hug and love the way that good. it's my child. i cry every day because of

a boy. madison a boy cause one small comfort. and soon she will be able to bury her son properly to talk about the human toll, the war is taking on children and families. we want to turn to emily, right from save the children in krakow, of poland. thank you so much for joining us. i'm you just, i understand, returned from ukraine. can you tell us how families are coping after having to flee their homes and watch the lives they build, destroyed thank you for having man. thank you for that powerful, powerful report as well. yes, i just returned from from ukraine to poland and the picture in reoccurring, the moment is still incredibly distressing for children and for families. it's been

nearly 2 months now since the escalation of the conflict. and there are 2 sides of the whole of the children, the whole of the country have had to play their homes more than 400 children have been killed or injured so far as well as we know. if we've seen in the past few days, huge escalation and fighting in the east. and i've got colleagues now who are in central ukraine saying that the already seeing huge ways of displacement. again. one of my colleagues who i spoke to the other day said she went to a transit center that has capacity of the 50 people a day, and they're already seeing 4 times that, that thing 200 people go in a day ma'am, and that's in it. and in terms of the toll on human beings, we've had some shocking stories. i'm a woman who spent 2 weeks trapped in her home in boucher with 12 members of her extended family and treating 2 grand children. and her brother in law was that she short when he tried to escape mannered up living with his,

with his dead body in the house. and there, you know, there was i without food without electricity. and i've got colleagues, you've had similar stories of people coming out of mario paul is just absolutely unimaginable what people are going through. and, you know, children are there in the front of this war. has to do with a was, you know, we need an end to this war now as it's truly shocking testimony that you provide there, how are you helping children process? what's happening around them? well, yeah, that's a good question. actually one of the things that say the children does is look into the mental health needs of children and families and try and provide that kind of emotional support. and one of the things that we do, those around you crane and also a neighboring countries, is provide child friendly spaces for children. where they can draw, play, socialize, and just the children again, really. and we've seen in places like romania,

poland. children really come to life when they go to the spaces and mothers can rest as well. and this just gives them a bit of rest, buy in a bit of a pool before they go on their way or decide to say the reception center. just decide what they're going to be doing. and but even in these faces we've, you know, i've had 2 stories, both one from poland this morning, and one from romania as well of children. when the asked to draw a picture, drawing pictures of tanks, pictures of weapons, and these children as young as 8. and that's the 1st thing that comes to mind when they're asked to draw something that they've seen recently. and that just really shows the toilet this war is happening in the no, no, no child, you have to experience this. yeah, because i, i was going to ask you in terms of what does this do to children this, this says that there is no safe place for them anywhere and the impossible decisions that families have to make to survive. i'm well yeah, this can have a lifelong impact. and one thing that we're raising the alarm about is the risk of,

of you know, long term trauma and children. there was a woman, a psychologist that my colleague met in as up for it to describe children turning up in a catatonic state and one child was so distressed. he had shrapnel wins and his leg, and he wouldn't even let the doctor anywhere near him. so if children are even shutting off their immediate physical needs because of this psychological home, then this really shows us something, something that's really wrong here. and, and, you know, 2 children across the country in particular, in the east of the country, have had to hear an experienced aerial bombardment that they will have seen, their family members and neighbors killed. they will have often been separated from their parents. and that's nothing that way, usually concerned about in terms of child protection risks, putting them at risk of exploitation and trafficking that they would have gone without food for days, weeks have not had a shower, not had, not had a change of clothes, not had clothes. and walking through the snow with,

with barely any, any clothes, any warm blankets. and yeah, i mean the clarity, imagine what that must be like the children, but the impact can be life. low, terrible, terrible toll war takes on families and children emberly right from say for children. thank you so much. thank you. thank you very much. have me on to france now where the 2 candidates and next sundays presidential election run off squared off in there only televised the duel was one of the last chances for incumbents in many when michael and his far right challenge martin lupin to swing voters. and there were some fiery exchanges. it was the most anticipated moment in the french election campaign, the only tv debate between french president emanuel micron and the woman who wants his job fall right challenger marine le pen. ruth law, jonah thomas,

also go home. they bought the civil, told him under the glare of the studio lights. the gloves were off. mac cron attacked le pen over her past dealings with russia. a map of the cycle shop as could dip on did you depend on russian power? you depend on mister putin as a few months after saying that, madame le pen, that you took out a loan from a russian bank in 2015 for the 1st check russians bank left to cushion bank. when you don't talk to other leaders, you talk to your banker when talking to russia, this is the problem, then let them know they won't even show up, wasn't on the pen, insisted she was independent of moscow up anymore and return to a key scene with her campaign to default the rising cost of fuel it, him and essential legend left horse in, if horsey objected their cotton washer. i agreed on all the sanctions that were taken against the oligarchs against the banks law. so the only sanction that i

disagree with is the one blocking russian cath isn't a coil in port zuka. why? because i think that's not the right method. this is not what will actually hurt russia, least and above all, it will hurt the french people. a lot. we see a ecos, she'll twos i fair. i know him on multiple people said, well, shit, what would the candidates clashed of climate change and microns? economic track record in his 1st 5 year term. so deputy the yasser, not again on immigration and the treatment of muslims in france. the candidates policies are far apart as ship. all i want is about the hill job in public spaces. i'll say it on the clearest possible way the fail is a uniform imposed by islamist was the apology. said miss rosalie, you will create a civil war in the housing projects. madame laverne on being on what she was saying is very serious. it oscars could, would you say, go ahead and they don't accept that because what you said is very serious. i got to thank you. an opinion poll from

a french broadcaster found over half the viewers surveyed thought micron was more convincing in the debate. but french voters will have the last word in sunday's runoff election. as tell you now about the other stories in the news, at least 10 people are dead and dozens more wounded from an explosion at a mosque in afghanistan. the blast targeted she, i worshipers in the northern africa and city of missouri, al sharif, the so called his la mc saint group has claimed responsibility for the attack. a small commercial airplane crashed onto the streets in the haitian capital bottle pants, killing 6 people. the plane went down shortly after take off due to engine failure, every one on board, the aircraft, and one pedestrian were killed. authorities in shanghai say the city will remain under tight cove at 90 long down. as despite some districts reporting no new infections,

millions of people are barred from leaving their homes in an attempt to contain the outbreak. the strict measures are heard of china 0 co vit policy. the united kingdom's queen elizabeth has turned 96 years old palace officials release a photograph to mark the occasion, showing the monarch posing with 2 of her favorite ponies. the queen was also treated to every edition of happy birthday by the guards at windsor castle. over $5000000.00 people have now fled ukraine since the start of the russian invasion, 2 months ago. but for many who remain in the country and new normal has emerged for one comedian getting back to work means finding a safe venue for his audience. after theaters were forced to close and to provide some laughter. among the tragedy. making people laugh might be an unusual job in times of war. with

a felix red car. he's determined to see the funny side midway lead irrelevant week of the war, my fellow canadians, and i were in shocking me. there was nothing we could do. but scroll to the news every day, and then the initial shock passed. and i started thinking about how i could be useful for example, and we decided that like before the war, we could be useful by doing stand up confidence, isn't. after russian troops besieged his home town of sumi, he decided to take his talons to a soviet era bomb shelter. the 1st bunker show drew a 100 people. felix said they would desperate to leave home until off which they did the question. it wasn't difficult for us medians to perform because the audience was open to it, right? you know, yes. before that the people had to stay home for weeks and every day was like

groundhog day. you people with well the router. while he waits for the water end and for venues to reopen, he's using social media to spread laughter and offer some relief in the dark you 3 times. was i rather this? you're watching you every news or martin out of our top story. the us pledges to send more military to ukraine. the by an administration says it will give hundreds of millions of dollars of heavy artillery and drones to cave. in addition to the equipment it has already supplied. russian president vladimir putin has ordered his military to hold off storming the hours of star still plants in the besieged, ukrainian city of money, planters where ukrainian troops and civilians. i've been holding out

the washing. did we news live from realistic with this up next is focus on europe, looking at the plate of circuit mothers and the babies born to them in ukraine. i'm a rock and brilliant on behalf of the entire team here at dw news. thank you very much for making this part of your day. we'll be back at the top with

with ah ah, wandering more, living by ukrainian surrogate mothers, fear of the bombs has prevented the beast from being picked up. ah arena and spent nana have been teaching here in this key bomb shelter? weeks ah, focus on europe next on

d w. ah, how about taking a few? you could even take a chance on what i, raring to. ah, don't expect to happy ending. literature list. 100 germany stories, guardians of truth on exiled turkish journalist john, don't darn. i have paid almost every price of being a journalist in a country like turkey and mexican investigative journalist. and this is, are you, every day the government is involved. she's

digging the country soil to find out the truth. they want to kill me and they try many times facing with change real life. people need to know what is happening. their guardian starts may 3rd on d. w with this is focused on europe. i'm lar babel ola, nice to have you with us. russia is launching fresh attacks in ukraine as moscow declares. a new phase of the war. ukrainian forces are calling on their allies to