ah, ah ah, business d w news line from berlin. ukraine says russian forces are advancing in the key city of severe tor, the nets. but the former president tells the w that ukraine will win the war where heroic soldiers is keeping it at the near. or we never sort of catch up with our sankoh says ukraine desperately needs more weapons to push back the russian assault. and john boss also coming up more accounts of russian war crimes in ukraine. our correspondent visit the town that spent

a month under russian occupation and hears from locals who said they were tortured . ah, a mariner evans dean. it's good to have you with us. the battle is grinding on for the key ukrainian city of soviet or the next. a regional governor says russian forces are advancing for weeks. the city has been the focus of russia's offensive and the eastern don boss, region, ukrainian troops are now almost entirely surrounded. many of them are hold up in the cities assault chemical plant and crane says, hundreds of civilians are sheltering with them. crane is pleading for more, a long range weapons to counter the russian offensive. well, earlier i spoke to a former ukrainian president petro shanker,

who was in office from 2014 to 2019. and he told us that he believed ukraine will stop russia from taking all of the don bus region here, many times the signal from russia that they captured all you came to in 3 days, which is not happening, neither with the 333 or 3 months and now put him promise to occupy don't boss at least before 9 of may before day of process 12 of june. this is not happening. situation is extremely difficult. and the concentration of troops there is enormous. but our heroic soldiers is keeping say, that have been you have we, keeping their adults are not as well, but as a chemical plan and we never surrender. and i just want to remind you, yes, a 1014 and i was elected president pry me. i was like, if i don't much was occupied and it was ukraine and me as

a supreme commander in chief deliberate body open did it, but it's all to occur. don't feel like if i don't, but i'm not some to compare the exactly happened this time. well, ukraine, of course, has been asking nato countries for more weapons in its fight against a russian. why do you think those weapons deliveries are falling short? of all you should understand that they were delivered over the weapons in the shortest way to the peace. because now we have at 10 times, russia has more to larry weapons will hold them ukrainian soldiers and even in bees balance, ukraine make a counter attack. and ukraine surprised the world by stopping the so called 2nd biggest tommy in the world, which is not true. and that's why for the peace, we need 3 pings,

weapons, weapons, and weapons, and fast weapons. he is the tanks of its anti aircraft, me files. jeff fi to 2nd reference is embargo and sanction. and 3rd weapons is that to dip, denies russia. and today's extremely important day, because in brussels we have a contact group meeting, 3rd meeting, reaches named after be very play must now german ramstein and the we definitely a waiting, not only from the american partners, but from german partners from either me to member states, significant increase the effective weapons for the game changer because kenny imagined that the future of europe, huge of the world,

is depending from 1000 personal care. 500 tanks, 100 just 5 to or 300 multiple clone system. and this is exactly what we are waiting to be equipped our soldiers because we don't need major soldiers on ukrainian soil . we help please help us to save europe, help us to do your job. and there, this is my appeal to the german government p folder to folder with us. and this is the vital for the future of europe. that was the former ukrainian president, petro put a shanker speaking earlier to us. well, reports have been circulating that german chance or all of shoals may soon had the key of for his 1st visit there since russia attacked ukraine. i asked our political correspondent, benjamin of ours gruber, about those reports and speculation that other european leaders would join him on the trip for absolutely la. right,

mariama. these immediate reports that we have say that the german chancellor will go along with the french president and also with the italian prime minister. these me to report say they're paris and berlin have been and talked for a while now. it was a deo france to invite druggie, maria drag the italian, a prime minister to join them along the trip. and that this trip my occur before the d 7 leader summit that will take place in the end of june in bavaria. so a very important a trip that, according to this reports, is there to show your opinion, unity in a support of ukraine. well, it's interesting to note that shoals and micron are the 2 european leaders who have actually been speaking directly to vladimir putin. and just recently, the french president micron called for fresh talks between moscow and he of, let's listening to what he had to say based on at some point when we will of help the resistance as much as possible. when i hope you crane will have one that,

especially when the fighting will have died down, we will have to negotiate the ukrainian president and his officials will have to negotiate with russia. and we, europeans will be around that table closer. douglas. right, so that has been a recurring sentiment on the part of the french leader that ukraine and russia will have to talk benjamin. do you anticipate that this is what they're going to be discussing with ukrainian president? what amir zalesky, when they, if they do visit him in here, it will definitely will be one of the big topics on the agenda is not just the french president, but also the german chancellor who try to maintain the content both to moscow and also to keep they have regular phone calls with russian president vladimir putin as well, where they, the ukranian president, viola, democracy, lensky. but both have stress several times is that they will not talk about the

future of ukraine without ukraine. so that's very important for them and what micron just sat and mildly to several thinking in ukraine that this might be an idea of france of germany, of having something like a minced 3 agreement. and that something that a ukrainian presidential advisor told german media to day hoping that that will not be the case. but of course both of both of them want to go there. want to show that as a sign and that something had both sholtes and macro have stressed several times. while the german chancellor has phased heavy criticism for not visiting key of sooner, criticism has been coming from ukraine and also here in germany. why has he taken this long to pay the visit? we had the german for a minute son, alina bab, oak, she was in cave. she was also in butcher. what charles himself has dressed several times that he will not just go there for a photo opportunity and then go out as many western politicians have done. so this

is an opportunity also for the german chancellor to show that it's not just promises when it comes to weapons when it comes to supporting a possible e u membership bit by ukraine. but actually let this promises also be followed by actions did have a his benjamin as far as group. benjamin. thank you so much for your reporting. will ukrainian forces have managed to push back russian troops from several areas in places like boucher 8, a pin and but i dont come evidence of atrocities have been found. authorities are now investigating more than 15000 suspected cases of war crimes thrust. and ets is the town in northern ukraine that spent a month under russian occupation. dw rebecca readers went there and she spoke to residents, who shared harrowing stories the trust and yet train station, or what's left of it for more than a month. russian troops used it as their headquarters. it was from here,

alex on to tells me that they carried out some of their crimes. when her mother was there, the russians were based right there, where we're going bomb shelter, thoughts where we're going with them on like santa an auto mechanic says the russians came in the night and pulled him straight out of bed. some talisman he says were killed on the spot, but he and a handful of others were brought down here into the station's basement federal until dose. i was sitting right in his corner. i was beaten here before him. a miss ball was painted by an of the guys blood. his head was smashed with the boots of a gun, and his hands were tied behind his back. he tried to get up and left the blood marks. but though so thought a proof for groom that man survived for this video shows his body and maybe his mind were badly scarred. the fight of some fellow prisoners is unknown,

burglary, but po coordinator is a colonel of ukrainian army was brought to you. they beat him badly and interrogated him, they took him somewhere and he never came back with his. we don't know where he is, that they're looking for him to use a shuttle. what happened to alexander and his fellow captives, these alleged war crimes. they happened here under ground when no one could hear their cries or the blows of the russian soldiers. but not all the crimes that took place in this city happened under ground. some happened right up here in broad daylight. the laws of war prohibit attacks on civilians and torture, as well as attacks on hospitals showed them. there was a direct hit from a tank. they were position there and they were shooting at us. not billable, and our shifts over the hospitals. director says the russians knew what they were doing, roughly my of the early player thing. yeah. we have no explanation for this. if

there was a big hospital sign, we had a big white flag with a red cross really felt, but it would, it didn't matter to them at all. no millennia was virginia. dr. shifts over says the 2 nights before the russians left trust units with the worst. the hospital was pounded without stop. the patients and doctors were forced to take refuge under ground. bookman like old royal wicked, don't you little? she remembers that a baby was born. the sick and wounded continued to receive treatment. many people prayed that when i from walk this week, i think there is a god in this world. there is justice, kindness will prevail some day. we will never forgive them for this, for our tears, for the little children we carried out in our arms, these women with tears in their eyes. the grandmothers who cried head, you have to pay for everything in this life, and they will pay to that blanket, doctor shifts over, says there's no way or time to extract vengeance,

only time to rebuild, but the people of trust in ets will never forget. let's take a look now at some of the other news related to the war and ukraine. germany's economy minister robert ha back says russia has once again reduced the supply of natural gas to germany. but he says the move is politically and not technically motivated. havoc has been stressing the need for a rapid transition away from fossil fuels and away from russia, fuels in particular, nato defense ministers and counterparts from around the world are meeting in brussels to discuss military aid to ukraine. he of is urgently calling for more heavy weapons and ammunition as its stocks dwindled. nato chief un stillberg says he expects ukraine will get the supported niece despite some differences between member countries. everyone can look at o r. i had some soccer news now, and the field is now sad for the 2022 world cup as costa rica have defeated new

zealand for the 32nd and final spot. they scored early to take the wind out of the key we sales. joe campbell snuck the ball in in just the 3rd minute. it appeared you zealand had equalized but then a controversial video replay call. dis, allowed that gold. costa rica held new zealand a bay after that. well, a cloud of hot air from africa is making its way through europe. the heat wave struck spain 1st with temperatures climbing higher than 40 degrees celsius than many cities. now the above average temperatures are moving through france. the peak of the heat wave is expected to his several european countries this weekend. experts say unusually high temperatures will grow more common as the threads from climate change become more apparent stuff, but you're watching dw news coming up next. in d, w, news, asia,

a new way to unwind in china. it's called toughing, a method of textile making, helping young people and beijing. we've away their stress. and there's the latest on d, w. news of this, our america and steam from me and the entire news team. thanks for the company. ah, what people have to say matters to us. ah, that's why we loosen stories. reporter every weekend on d. w. if you need a question of whether the next crisis will.