30 minutes. ♪ ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> diaz: tonight, civilians caught in the crosshairs. bombings intensify across the country, russia accused of violating limited cease fires, renewing attacks on two besieged cities, casualties adding up. >> reporter: i'm chris livesay. >> diaz: ukraine fighting back. new video claims to show the shooting down of a russian helicopter, and a fighter jet. new warning from vladimir putin, saying moves to punish russia are, in his words, like a declaration of war. while the u.s. secretary of state says the world is watching, as he meets with war

refugees in poland. also tonight, ukraine's president speaks directly to u.s. lawmakers pleading for more help. plus, collateral damage.ollate as war fuels energy prices across the u.s. >> reporter: i'm lilia lucianoe in los angeles, where it's getting even more painful to fill up the tank. >> diaz: and later, caught inart she saw in ukrain the conflict. a woman from chicago shares what she saw in ukraine while rushing to safety. >> it's a disaster. it's a complete disaster. >> this is the "cbs weekend news" from chicago with adriana diaz. >> diaz: good evening. tonight, ukraine's president remains defiant, even as invading russian forces push deeper into his country. again today, volodymyr zelensky pleaded for more help from the u.s. and international allies, including a no-fly zone over ukraine. today near moscow, russian president vladimir putin warned

the west that move would be an act of war. and in ukraine, the fight is intensifying. this video reportedly showing a russian cruise missile exploding after being intercepted by ukrainian air defenses while this residential building in the city of irpin was reportedly hit by a russian missile. there are new images today of a mass exodus, these people huddling for safety among the ruins of a bridge. nearly 1.4 million ukrainians now refugees outside their country, the largest humanitarian crisis in europe since world war ii. chris livesay is in the city of lviv in western ukraine. he leads us off tonight with the very latest. >> reporter: russia thought the invasion would be over swiftly. that was before their jets were plummeting from ukrainian skies to the cheering of locals. this downed pilot was asked his rank and unit details by his captors.

in the face of impossible odds, ukraine's resolve has shocked the world and frustrated the russians into using banned weapons, like cluster bombs, nato says. russia claims they're not hitting civilians, releasing videos of missiles launching at precision targets, but on-the- ground evidence tells a different story. "this is a nightmare. how is this possible," this woman cries in the northern city of chernihiv. "just look at this." even nuclear power plants aren't safe. u.s. fort valleys say the world narrowly avoid aid catastrophe during russia's siege of europe's biggest nuclear facility. it could have been 10 times worse than the chernobyl disaster according to ukraine. in this video, an operator can be heard demanding the russians stop attacking. "you are endagering the security of the whole world," he repeats. sparkin

all of it sparking europe's worst humanitarian crisis this century. more than one million refugeesvd have fled the country, and the u.n. fears more than four million people, about 10% of the ukrainian population, could be displaced in the coming weeks. dozens come to this shelter here in the western city of lviv before leaving the country. that's four-year-old andrey, exhausted after 20 hours of sleepless escape. his father stayed behind in the captured city of kharkiv. now he only has his mom and big brother.ig brother. every day begins with "every day begins with a text to our relatives.s. we ask 'are you we ask 'are you alive?'." >> diaz: chris livesay joins us from lviv. chris, more than one million ukrainians have already fled the country. can you put that in perspective for us? >> reporter: well, it is an astounding number on par with iraq and afghanistan. and it's going to get a lot

worse. according to the u.n., they fear as many as four million people could be displaced in the coming months. we're only a week into this thing so far. >> diaz: and, chris, you know, as russia appears to be gaining momentum, how are ukrainians that you're talking to on the ground feeling? >> reporter: they have remarkably high spirits. they think they're going to win this "david and goliath" conflict, despite being outsized and outgunned in every way by the russians. one person i interviewed yesterday said, "we have morei d yesterday said, we faith in our military than the pope has in god." >> diaz: chris livesay in lviv. thank you. today, u.s. secretary of state antony blinken visited poland. blinken met with refugees and later with ukraine's foreign minister. the pair held talks at the border and stepped briefly into ukrainian territory. later, america's top diplomat spoke to journalists. >> putin's made a terrible, terrible, terrible mistake in many ways, but it starts with

the proposition that somehow ukraine doesn't exist as an independent country. what ukrainians are showing every single day is, of course, exactly the opposite. >> diaz: the secretary of staten is on a six-nation european blitz aimed at keeping allies in lockstep. cbs' christina ruffini is i cbs' christina ruffini is in poland near the border with ukraine. >> reporter: the u.s. secretary of state went to ukraine today, at least technically. in a show of solidarity, he met with ukrainian foreign minister kuleba at the ukrainian border and walked across the boundary as a show of reporting. secretary blinken went to a significant center where 3,000 refugees are staying. he said the whole world is inspired by what ukrainians are doing and united against russia. russian attacks on ukraine have sent shock waves through europe and nowhere have people felt it more than here in poland where more than 700,000 refugees have

fled. he spent several hours with refugees at that border crossing today. little kids, mothers with babies, even the family dogs were all waiting outside in the cold to load on toed about to take them to the next stops. now, adriana, some of the families we spoke to had a destination in mind, but many were looking for any place to get out of the cold. >> diaz: christina ruffini in poland, thank you. the u.s. and international allies today also faced desperat desperate calls for help from ukraine's president. cbs' natalie brand joins us from the white house with what's in the works now. natalie. >> reporter: and, adriana, here at the white house, in the distance, you can hear a demonstration in support of ukraine outside the gates. meanwhile, u.s. lawmakers will return next week to a white house request for $10 billion in humanitarian and defense assistance for ukraine. today, members of congress heard directly from the country's a leader about the needs on the

ground. appearing over zoom before nearly 300 u.s. lawmakers, ukraine's president pleaded for more military aid. >> president zelensky made the case for ukraine. "don't let them exterminate us." >> reporter: congressman mike quigley, a cochair of the ukraine caucus, says zelensky's message was blunt-- we need air support. >> either close the skies or give us the planes, one way or the other, because, you know, the battle is often won in the air. he made it clear that that seems to be critical right now. >> reporter: but what ukraineise needs is russian-made migs, an aircraft its pilots are trained to fly. >> there are planes available by nato nations, migs, that the ukrainians can fly. they're waiting to be delivered. >> reporter: lawmakers say president zelensky also called for tougher sanctions, specifically targeting russia's

energy sector, a critical part of the country's economy, but largely spared by the current sanctions. it's an especially difficult subject for europe, which relies on russia for about 40% of its natural gas. >> this is an evolution on the sanctions issues, right. and things change overnight. so what were once considered off limits, that's all changed. >> diaz: natalie, another request by president zelensky was to suspend mastercard and visa operations in russia. new this evening, both have, as companies ramp up pressure on russia. what else are u.s. lawmakers considering? >> reporter: well, adriana, over on capitol hill, there is growing support for a bipartisan bill to ban russian energy imports to the u.s. that support despite concern about rising gas prices. the white house says it is looking into options to reduce u.s. consumption of russian energy, while also trying to maintain a steady global supply of energy.

adriana. >> diaz: all right, natalie br >> diaz: all right, natalie brand at the white house, thank you. today, a russian passenger jet received an exemption to the u.s. airspace ban. the aircraft arrived at dulles international airport outside washington, d.c.s gr it was granted a waiver to land to pick up russians expelled from the u.s. who were accused of being intelligence officers. the state department says it's aware of the arrest of an american citizen in moscow. w.n.b.a. all-star brittney griner was apparently detained last month. this video released by russian customs appears to show griner at moscow's airport. authorities say they found vape cartridges in her luggage containing an oil derived from cannabis, which is illegal in russia. the international monetary fund says russia's invasion of ukraine will have a severe impact on the global economy. the ripple effects are already being felt here in the u.s. cbs' lilia luciano is at a gas station in southern california where the sign says it all.

lilia. lilia. >> reporter: adriana, and >> reporter: adriana, and that's not even the worst in this area. look, gas prices here in california tend to be more expensive than in other parts of the country, but here and nationwide, we're seeing gas prices as high as we've seen in nearly a decade. sticker shock at the pumps.s. gas prices are rising at a gas prices are rising at a rate the u.s. hasn't seen since hurricane katrina. >> this is ridiculous. >> reporter: this is what the a.a.a. has tracked for a gallon of gas. >> it's up eight cents from just yesterday; it's up 32 cents from a week ago; up 48 cents from a month ago and up $1.17 from this time a year ago. >> reporter: put another way, the average driver is paying $16 more to fill up the tank than at this time last year. what's contributing to the rapid rise in prices? >> any time we have this type of geopolitical tension, the oil markets, like the stock markets, they don't respond well to this type of chaos. >> reporter: hurting most are those who can afford it the

least. while prices keep skyrocketing, wages are not. >> half the time i'm spending half my paychecks a month on gas. i mean, it's kind of taken away a lot of my monthly income. >> reporter: and it's not just fuels. supply chain issues had already impacted what you're paying for groceries. and now russia's invasion of ukraine has caused wheat futures to rise 50% in the past two weeks. you'll soon be paying more for things like bread and cereal. all as americans were ready to emerge from the pandemic and hit the road. >> the reality is we don't know how high these prices are going to go or when we're going to see relief at the pumps. >> reporter: and if perhaps you're thinking of flying instead of driving, the cost of jet fuel hasn't been this high since 2014. i asked doug from a.a.a. for some advice. he said "book early." adriana.z: all right, lilia luciano >> diaz: all right, lilia luciano in los angeles, thank you. straight ahead on the "cbs weekend news," the backstory to volodymyr zelensky's unlikely

rise from standup comedy to international hero. also, a historic milestone for this dog race in alaska. and later, escape from ukraine: one woman's tale of survival and what she says is happening in russian-occupied territory. ies.

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but zelensky started out as a comedian performing standup. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: he went on to make movies. often playing an everyman, like a ukrainian steve carell. he even won the local version of "dancing with the stars," and voiced paddington in the blockbuster film. ( applause ) he created and starred in a hit comedy series about a ukra improbabecde and that led and that led to volodymyr zelensky, at age 41, improbably becoming president in real life,

winning more than 70% of the vote. last year, we were given rare access to president zelensky as he visited the front line in eastern ukraine where they've been fighting russian-backed separatists for nearly 80 years. >> and they go a little bit >> and they go a little bit forward to see what's going on there, and, for example, in may, two guys were killed by sniper. >> reporter: the president also went to visit his elderly parents. >> this is my mother. >> reporter: hello, mom. nice to meet you. inviting us in for breakfast. >> ladies first.as >> reporter: i'm fairly sure presidents get to go first. in the tiny kitchen of their apartment, we enjoyed an early- morning brandy. vladimir putin said he launched this bloody invasion to rid ukraine of nazis, a strange claim when zelensky is jewish and says his grandfather fought against the nazis with the

soviet army. now ukraine is in peril again, and the country's unlikely leader has emerged as a hero. >> it's truly, truly awful. awf. >> reporter: even gett >> reporter: even getting hollywood's attention at an awards ceremony sunday. >> we have a fellow actor in zelensky, who deserves some credit tonight for fighting the fight. ( applause ) >> reporter: but volodymyr zelensky has left show biz far behind. he's found a new calling: helping to galvanize his people, and winning the admiration of a world horrified by putin's attack on ukraine. holly williams, cbs news. >> diaz: still ahead on the "cbs weekend news," it's called "the last great race on earth," for a reason. we head to anchorage next. it kills 99% of plaque bacteria

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>> >> diaz: a doorbell camera in chicago captured this act of kindness. a girl left this surprise, a sign of solidarity at a home flying a ukrainian flag. the artwork of the flag includes a small heart. the homeowners, who are ukrainian american, don't know who the little girl is, just her name, kaia. finally tonight, chicago is one of several american cities with strong ties to ukraine. that includes a resident unexpectedly caught up in the conflict. >> we finally made it. >> we finally made it to krakow. i can't believe it. i'm overwhelmed. >> diaz: olga tsoi documented her escape from ukraine with heo mother so others would understand. >> spending a second or two in a situation where you hear bombs, that's going to change everything. you can be watching videos and pictures and reading the

articles, but these are actual individuals going through this. >> i've been just running on pure adrenaline for the past don't even know how many days it is now, four? >> diaz: tsoi, is a social media manager living in chicago. >> this is a bomb shelter. >> diaz: she was visiting her mother in kyiv when russia invaded ukraine. they went underground, spending a day in a bomb shelter before fleeing to poland. >> nobody was complaining. even children weren't crying. >> diaz: the journey took three buses and two days. >> so this is the place where they're giving out food and provision, i guess. i'm not going to lie, i'm not feeling proud right now of myself because it kind of feels like running away. and i will do my best to help everybody else who is in ukraine because my family-- my whole family is still there. ( bleep ) >> diaz: her father sent her this video from her son, the

city where she grew up. after the city fell to russian troops, we spoke to olga again. >> people are starting to leave their houses. there are troops checking and stopping people and everything. >> diaz: now a longer journey is ahead. >> i'm trying to get my mom to chicago, honestly. i can't leave her. like, we packed a suitcase, like, a little carryon, and that's literally all her life there. >> diaz: she's worried about her father, but says her family and her people are resilient. oalga, where do you get your strength? >> if i were to name the strength, like, i think it's in my d.n.a. this is in our blood. i'm not allowed to not be strong because my entire country is strong. >> diaz: we're thinking of olga and her family. that is the news for this saturday. tomorrow, jericka duncan anchors the broadcast. i'm adriana diaz in chicago. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh

access.wgbh.org protesting russia and helping the pain, a busy day in the south bay as people try to make a difference. today was a day of fundraising is all over the bay area people were looking for ways to help the people of ukraine. a woman in the east bay missing for more than a month and volunteers trying to find her and -- >> i'm speechless, i have no words i'm devastated. >> california community coming together after a tragedy hits home. we began tonight with the war in ukraine. >> able in the bay area showing support for the country fighting against russia as people in san jose focused on

what the tech industry can do. >> reporter: a larger crowd rallied in front of san jose city hall with a specific message keep tech out of this war . >> technologies were created not for destroying humanity, and not to destroy democracy and freedom, they were created for the world to be more connected, and to build a brighter future pit >> flags and signs show solidarity with ukraine and challenge companies to get in the way of russia's invasion. >> no one in a civilized world can do business with russia today. >> what he is doing is irrational, and inhumane, and he's got to be stopped. >> reporter: from one city hall to another, a similar message in san francisco. declaring the president of russia guilty of war crimes. >> we came over here to the civic center to let our voices