this is the cbs "overnight news." >> good evening. thanks so much for joining us this sunday. russia's attacks and atrocities are mounting in ukraine, and so is the exodus from the country. the united nations said today that more than 4.5 million ukrainians have fled the country, 47 days after russia's invasion. and new satellite images show a massive eight-mile-long russian convoy headed east. this after forces retreated from the north to regroup. we begin tonight with debora patta reporting from kyiv, and we should note that the images you're about to see are definitely disturbing. >> reporter: good evening.

this is two very different countries, depending on where you are. in the north here in kyiv, relative calm now that areas around the capital are back in ukrainian hands. along the eastern front in donbas, residents are braced for an all-out russian assault. from land, sea, and air, russia has unleashed sustained misery on the donbas region. for more than six weeks. there's not much that hasn't been reduced to rubble in cities like mariupol. those who escape denounce it as worse than hell. and there's a new offensive on the way. satellite imagery shows a massive eight-mile russian convoy heading south towards the eastern frontline, with a new battle ground commander at the helm, aleksandr dvornikov, the general accused of ordering strikes that flattened civilian neighborhoods in syria. already in the liberated areas around kyiv, destruction on an

industrial scale. and a street littered with graphic evidence of atrocities, the kind seldom available to prosecutors. lawmaker keira riddick has also been collecting evidence of hidden crimes. the weapon wielded behind closed doors -- rape. >> i want to know their names and last names, because i want them to be accountable. >> reporter: the stories from these occupied towns are nauseating. mothers forced to watch their sons and daughters violated, soldiers raping women in front of their children. soldiers who also have mothers back home in russia. >> i don't -- like, i don't think once you raise a child you think at some point he will grow up into men who will be doing despicable things to women. >> reporter: the hotline set up to report these war crimes has been overwhelmed. more than 15,000 calls a day.

"it's hard to believe this is happening in the 21st century," she told us. but today, another mass grave. fresh, new torment. near kyiv, the daughter of one of the victims held back by police to prevent her seeing the crimes russia is trying to hide. >> debora patta joins us now. when you hear words like genocide and ex-termination, could the international court successfully prosecute vladamir putin for war crimes? >> well, russia is not part of the international criminal court. putin withdrew in 2016. they could charge him, but getting him in front of the court is the tough part. the icc does not have its own police force, and relies on countries to bring in suspects. >> debora patta and our cbs news crew, thank you. a cbs news poll shows

americans remain supportive of u.s. efforts in ukraine. that includes high support for increasing sanctions on russia. christina ruffini is at the white house with new developments on the diplomatic front. christina, good evening. >> reporter: good evening. several european nations announced plans to reopen their embassies in kyiv, and tate department sources say they are exploring options for potentially sending u.s. diplomats back into the country, but likely not in the immediate future. >> this is a remarkable thing that the ukrainians won the battle of kyiv. >> reporter: on "face the nation" today, national secured adviser jake sullivan said that victory came down to the bravery and skill of the ukrainian military. and the weapons provided by the united states. >> we're working through when we'll be in a position to set our diplomatic presence back up in kyiv. that's a judgment that gets worked through our security

professionals. >> reporter: now, as the conflict moves to the east, the u.s. says it's rushing more defensive weaponry into the country. a new cbs news poll found 72% of americans support that effort. and a strong majority say they would support u.s. military involvement in ukraine if russia attacks a nato ally or uses chemical or nuclear weapons. in an interview with "60 minutes," president zelenskyy said ukraine's future will depend on prompt u.s. support. >> you are frustrated with president biden? >> translator: no, i'm not disappointed. i don't know how another president in his place would help us. i don't know. it's difficult. we have a good relationship, i think so at least. ukraine depends on the support of the united states, and i, as the leader of a country at war, i can only be grateful.

>> reporter: this week, president biden will travel to iowa where he'll talk about what the white house is calling the putin price hike, and what the administration is trying to do to fight it. jericka? >> christina ruffini at the white house, thank you. to france now, where the country's presidential election is tighter today than first expected. early projections from voting show incumbent emmanuel macron will face a runoff with the far-right challenger marie le pen. and elaine cobb is in paris. these candidates faced each other five years ago. when you think about this election, what stands out as different this time? >> reporter: five years ago, marie le pen's strong showing was a surprise, and had not been expected. this time, she said i have a real chance, i can be president. and her campaign has been pushing very much right to that end. she has softened her image. she dropped her extremist rhetoric, not speaking about

immigration, islam, or national identity. and president macron has been busy with diplomacy in ukraine. so he came into the campaign very late, which helped her again. >> when you think about her softening that language, as you just mentioned, is that intentional, that's meant to help her win? does she still feel very strongly about her viewpoints from five years ago? >> reporter: it's very much an image thing. when the invasion of ukraine happened, she condemned it but still says putin is a good ally for france and is going ahead with her views and program from before. >> all right, elaine cobb, thank you. christians around the world are celebrating palm sunday. today at the vatican, pope francis led the faithful at mass, marking the start of holy week. it's the first time that we have seen large crowds like this gathered in st. peter's square for palm sunday since the start of the pandemic.

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this is the cbs "overnight news." i'm jericka duncan in new york. thanks so much for staying with us. a mass exodus is underway right now in eastern ukraine, as moscow gathers its forces for a major assault on the region known as donbas. volunteers are getting behind the wheel of cars, trucks, and even buses ferrying thousands of evacuees out of the area before the expected russian assault. moscow continues its attack on civilian targets this weekend after friday's bombing of a tracked train station left more than 50 people dead. ukrainian president zelenskyy calls it yet another in a long list of war crimes committed by vladamir putin.

but what is a war crime? david martin asks the experts. >> reporter: more than 50 innocent people trying to flee the fighting, killed in a russian missile attack on a crowd train station. among the first responders, investigators gathering evidence to determine if this is a war crime. war is full of unspeakable violence. and civilians always suffer. but it is a crime to kill civilians on pump. >> we're seeing a pattern of deliberate attacks. >> reporter: every day, it seem there is is another crime scene to investigate. some of them encompass entire cities where residents are being

relentlessly bombarded by the russians. >> i think the mariupol theater attack is emblematic of that. civilians were sheltering from the war and it gets deliberately targeted by russia's forces. >> how distinguish between a war crime and atrociously bad behavior? >> we need to focus on deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilians. there's no fog of war here. if you look at a map of mariupol, you can see where the military objectives might be, which would be appropriate targets for a military campaign. then you see where the actual strikes were happening. >> reporter: then there are the streets of bucha. >> individuals who clearly were in custody with their hands tied, shot execution style, left in basements, left in fields. this is not just shells coming from miles away. this is close-range violence committed at the hands of russia's forces.

>> you seen any evidence that the russians are trying to cover up crimes? >> chillingly, less of that than you might expect. they seem to be doing this in an unbelievably brazen way, that's really shocking. >> who do you go after first? the perpetrator who pulled the trigger, the commander of the troops, or their leaders back in moscow? >> frankly, the answer is all of the above. but you're always looking to go up the chain of the command to the architect of this terrible violence. >> it could go quick throw the more senior ranks because of the massive evidence that is available. >> reporter: justice richard goldstop, the chief prosecutor of war crimes committed in bosnia in the 1990s, says the key in ukraine will be establishing a pattern. >> if bucha is an exception, it may be difficult to put it at the door of president putin, or

the generals. but if what we're seeing in bucha is repeated in one village after the other, that's not coincidence. epr: too years to an order foru investigate bosnia. but the president of serbia himself, a dictator named slobodan milosevic, ended up at the international court in the hague. >> president milosevic, in his wildest dreams, never thought he would be standing trial in the hague. but there was a revolution in his country, and he was kicked out. >> reporter: milosevic, who died in prison before a verdict could be reached, was small fry compared to vladamir putin, who president biden says should be tried as a war criminal. >> you saw what happened in bucha. this warrants -- he is a war criminal. >> how do you make a case against puten? >> because he is essentially an

autocrat with complete control over the russian state and russian military, it's much easier case than we have seen in other situations. >> do you need some kind of verbal direction that he gave to his command sners >> even without the so-called smoking gun order, there is this idea of command responsibility, that images are so stark. it's so clear that his troops are running amuck, terrorizing the civilian population within ukraine. >> have you heard anything putin has said to date that could be used against him as evidence of a war crime? >> he must know the facts from watching his own television screen, and if he hasn't taken steps to stop it, that would be make him guilty of a war crime. >> will vladamir putin ever be indicted for war crimes? >> i think he will be indicted. i'm not sure whether he will be in custody.

>> if president putin remains in power and remains in russia, he's not going to stand trial in the hague. that should in no way dissuade prosecutors from going ahead with their work. you never know what will happen. >> reporter: an indictment of putin would make the president of russia an international fugitive. >> it's not easy for a head of state to fear being arrested when he or she puts foot in a european or north american country. >> he's inevitably trapped in russia. he'll never be able to travel internationally, because it would be too great a risk he would be captured. >> reporter: the same holds true for any other russian charged with war crimes. >> they will enjoy some impunity while they stay in russia. but perpetrators don't stay within their home states, they want to go shopping in europe or go on vacation, and they get identified and law enforcement gets activated.

>> if no russian ends up standing trial, will the -- this effort have failed? >> i don't think so. i think it's incredibly important to document the truth of what is happening, if only for the purples of keeping an accurate history of this horrific moment in time, but also for the benefit of the victims and the survivors. >> that was david martin reporting. the "overnight news" will be right back in just two minutes.

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week when the u.s. senate confirmed ketanji brown jackson to a seat on the supreme court. soon to be justice jackson will become the first black woman on the high court. and she says she's standing on the shoulders of another trail blazing black woman, constance baker motley. 60 years ago, she argued a historic case involving james meredith, the first black student at the university of mississippi. i caught up with mr. meredith, along with a young washington girl inspired to dream of her own place on the supreme court. for the many who cheered for confirmation, they fnally got their justice. for 88-year-old james meredith of mississippi, constance baker motley comes to mind when he thinks about the next supreme court justice. >> she is almost like a judge. she's not as tall, but she seems to be as smart.

>> i share a birthday with the first black woman ever to be appointed as a federal judge, the honorable constance baker oo motley. >> reporter: as an attorney for the naacp legal defense fund, she was the first african american woman to argue before the supreme court. ultimately winning 9 of her 10 cases, including an historic i have try that involved james meredith in 1962. >> the crowd had come to see him turned away. >> reporter: the supreme court ruled meredith had a right to attend the university of mississippi, making him the first black student to do so. meredith says thursday's confirmation and the fulfillment of the president's promise was decades in the making. >> the black woman has always been the one that's been left out. we can have a woman vice president, we have a woman ambassador to the u.n. but i still think in american

reality, the supreme court justice is the biggest thing, not just for a woman, but for anybody. particularly for a young woman. >> reporter: even as young as madison morgan. >> dear president biden, hello. i'm an 11-year-old girl from washington, d.c. >> reporter: in february, she penned a letter to president biden saying in part, i had heard that you wanted to appoint a black woman and, well, that's me. but like any good justice, morgan knew the constitution doesn't require a minimum age or even a law degree to serve on the supreme court. >> it started in like fourth grade where i saw there weren't many requirements to be a supreme court justice. so i thought, well, i should ask. >> reporter: while she didn't make the cut, she made it to the first day of the hearings. >> what was that like to be invited? >> it made me feel like i was honorable and important. >> it's hard for me to look at

you and not see my mom. i see my ancestors and yours. >> when you look at her, what do you see? >> a woman with passion and a dream. >> reporter: a dream that james meredith says he envisioned when he dared to challenge a system because it was never just about him, it was about justice for all. >> they, the young black women, are the future. my great hope is that every black woman will be inspired by ms. brown jackson to the extent that they will take the torch and run with it. >> it was an honor to speak with both mr. meredith and madison. the jackson inspiration was inspirational to me, including my own grandmother and aunt. they were able to attend day one of the hearings. the cbs "overnight news" will be right back in just two

minutes. stay with us.

that's a warning for dog owners in south florida. a type of canine i flew enza is making the rounds and spreading quickly. michael george reports. >> reporter: a highly infectious disease is spreading among dogs in south florida. >> it's a canine flu, a canine cold. >> reporter: it's officially called canine infectious respiratory disease complex. but it's off referred to as canine or kennel cough. >> we'll see a dry, productive cough, where it sounds as though they're trying to hack something up. >> reporter: veterinarians say symptoms include coughing, sneezing, discharge from the nose and eyes and difficulty breathing. it spreads when dogs are in

close contact. >> if your pet has been exhibiting signs, it's really important to try to stay away from dog parks and groomers and play dates to prevent the transmission to other animals. >> reporter: many dog owners are just learning about the disease and don't seem concerned. >> if it happens, they can treat the dog. they'll be fine. >> reporter: at this point, the outbreak appears to be confined to south florida. but vets say they could change quickly. >> people are traveling a lot more with their pets. and so that kind of is why it's very important to stay up on the vaccines and the other things to kind of protect when going into a new area. >> reporter: mild cases of kennel cough usually call for a week or two of rest. but if symptoms worsen, dogs may need medical attention and may be prescribed antibiotics. michael george, cbs news, new york. >> that is the "overnight news" for this monday. for some of you the news continues. for others, check back with us

later for cbs mornings and follow us on lie any time at cbsnews.com. reporting from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm jericka duncan. this is cbs news flash. i'm elise preston in new york. the head of the russian republic warns the soviet nation will execute an offensive against mariupol, kyiv, and other major ukrainian cities. the u.s. has accused the russian official of human rights abuse. so far, ukraine has been able to hold off russian attacks in kyiv. the white house will roll out a new law against ghost guns. it comes as crime nationwide is high. scotty scheffler is the number one golfer in the world after winning his first major at the augusta national. tiger woods had his worst masters performance in his first tournament since a car wreck

injured his right leg 14 months ago. for more news download the cbs news app on your cell phone it's monday it's monday, april 11th, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." looming showdown. russia's military heads to eastern ukraine. the new images showing the kremlin is ready to launch a full-scale attack. ba.2 wave. as americans unmask, a covid subvariant is fueling new cases. where new infections skyrocketed 89% in just two weeks. breaking overnight, social media reversal. elon musk will not join twitter's ward after all. details on the surprise announcement. well, good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy is warning his nation that russian troops are gearing

up for attacks in th