brent: this is "dw news" live from berlin. donate, a death toll in the tens of thousands in the ukrainian city of marable that is the estimate coming from ukrainian president after shelling by russian forces on the port city. also tonight, the austrian chancellor karl nehammer tells russia's vladimir putin that the war in ukraine must end. it is the first european leader

to meet putin in moscow since the invasion began, and that is raising eyebrows. and france declares a new prime minister after a week of political turmoil. the opposition politician has been elected by parliament and it came after lawmakers from the party of the ousted pakistani prime minister walked out ahead of the vote. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and to all of you run the road, welcome. we begin with the ukrainian city that has seen the most intense fighting since the russian invasion six weeks ago began. tens of thousands are dead in mariupol, according to the ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. speaking to south korean

lawmakers, appealed for more weapons to help his country defend itself. the port city of mariupol has been under relentless russian bombardment for weeks. officials say much of the city lies in ruins, and tens of thousands are trapped little or no food and water. russia says it will focus now on eastern ukraine and intensify its military efforts there. earlier i spoke to our correspondent rebecca ritters's in the western ukrainian city of lviv. she spoke about the high death toll that we are seeing in the port city of mariupol. reporter: it is hard to imagine how president zelenskyy's estimates could be far off. if you think about the worst damage you have seen in more, the most devastating pictures coming out of any conflict, that is wt is happening in mariupol. that city has been under constant russian bombardment. both have been living there without access to food,

electricity, communication, and most crucially, without access to drinking water. people here have been in their bunkers almost the entire time, thou ukrainians are defending that city and that is creating even further bombardment from the russian side it. is very hard to get news out of mariup, but i ha spoken to a couple of people who escaped and they told me harrowing stories of living under that, so hard to get out of that city. one doctor told me the horrific scenes we have seen in bucha, once we see what is happening in mariupol, that will be bucha times 100, times 1000. very hard to believe that president zelenskyy, that his estimates are far off, unfortunately. sean: that was correspondent rebecca ritters's there speaking to us from david. she also visited the zaporizhzia and the dnipro regents to talk

to some of those who have fled from there. as russian forces regrouped for a more focused attack on the southeastern part of ukraine, people in those areas have been told to evacuate while they still can. a mass migration is underway as thousands of for relative safety in the rest of the country. corresour correspondent sends us report. karen: this with a supermarket parking lot before the war. now it is the first place where people who have managed to flee mariupol and other southern cities can breed at last, without fear. it is just 25 kilometers from the russian forces destroyed their homes and their lives. more than 80,000 people have passed through here since russia invaded. most don't want to talk about what they have gone through. but life and occupation was impossible, and evacuation was difficult to fish. >> we registered to get out a

while ago. we were waiting for three weeks about waiting and waiting. turned out the russians had stolen the evacuation buses. reporter: people are seeking news of the disappeared. anyone that can help find -- they leave notes for anyone that could help them find their loved ones. >> searching for their wives, for their father and mother. reporter: further north, the city of dnipro, were even more people come to escape the fighting. in apr is the main hub for people evacuating the south and southeast areas of the donbas and zaporizhzhya regions. thousands have come and thousands more are expted in the coming days a the southeast region prepares for intensified russian attacks. there are also coming here, shocked by what happened over the weekend unit at the train station just a few hours up the tracks. the rocket attack that killed 50

people, including children as they were trying to flee. [shouting] in pro, the refugees, mostly women and will children, have found relative safety, but the mayor is asking them to move on further west, there is no guarantee that the war will not come here too. thwar th the men must stay behind and fight here if they can. >> my husband told me to gon my own. i said, no. i will not leave you now. how could he leave you here today? my husband did not want to leave. he sent us away. he said if the russians come, he will tear them apart. reporter: families are being torn apart too as the battle for control of the east goes ever fiercer. brent: from the east, to the north. the city of chernihiv in

northern ukraine was besieged by russian forces for weeks. the horrors of what happened there are just now coming to light. our correspondent filed this report tonight from chernihiv. >> the city of chernihiv, after weeks of siege and heavy shelling by russian forces. we meet this couple in a local hospital. they survived, but they were both injured in the strike that hit their house. >> it took less than a second. we just heard a whistle. i screamed, get down, and i covered my son. reporter: he still has surgeries ahead of him. she is doing a little bit at her. she shows me pictures of their house before and after the attack.

>> why did they attack us? i don't know. we didn't do anything bad. we are civilians. reporter: the hospital itself was not spared either. the head of the trauma center here tells us. after the russian strike, his team struggled to get going. >> we worked without water and electricity. we put headlamps on and took care of those seeking medical assistance. it was very hard, but we stayed and did what was necessary. reporter: the situation worsened when russian forces completely encircled the city, residents tell us. chernihiv endured weeks of russian siege and just barely came through. water and electricity were almost completely cut off. no date could come in. local officials say at times, the city buried up to 100 people in a single day.

some of them were killed by russian troops, others died because they couldn't reach the hospital due to heavy shelling. in the local morgue, refrigerator tracks for the bodies that still need to be identified were picked up by relatives. >> many people left the country to escape fighting. they are not in ukraine and cannot get back to bury their relatives. that's why there are still many bodies here. [crying] reporter: those who come here to claim their loved ones are overwhelmed by grief, like igor's family. has banned husband, a father, a brother, shot dead by russian soldiers. >> he was the best father you could have. now something terrible has happened to us.

karen: death and destruction is all that is left after the withdrawal of russian forces from chernihiv. and what those who survived fear most is that the russian army might return. brent: earlier, i spoke with a research fellow with the european council on foreign relations here in berlin. with the regrouping of russian forces in the east, i asked him if he thinks the invasion is going the way that the kremlin had hoped. >> i think it is fairly easy to see that it did not go as planned, i think there is widespread agreement that russia hoped for a quick success within the first couple of days. that has clearly failed. even the extended campaign focusing on entrenching russian forces north of kyiv did not succeed in so we are seeing a military reorganization focusing

on the south and east of ukraine. brent: what about the reshuffling at the top of the russian military? there is any new general in charge now, and he has a reputation, not a good one, for what happened when he was overseeing the war in syria. reporter: that's correct. the whole russian campaign against ukraine was marred by incoherence and inconsistencies tactically and operationally. now, it is being consolidated, the campaign against ukraine under the general who has led the russian campaign against syria when russia first intervened in 2015. he stayed on commanding ration forces there for a year and he was awarded a maiden hero of the russian federation by vladimir

putin. since then he has been in charge of the southern military district and in charge of the south and east of france in this covenant were against ukraine. so it is logical that in the next step when the russian campaign focuses on these other regions and puts emphasis on areas around kyiv and the north, at the command of this region would take command of the russian efforts of -- overall. brent: do you anticipating doing the thinking that happened in syria, i am talking about the use of chemical weapons, for example. >> russian armed forces have already targeted for the past six or seven weeks, an humanitarian infrastructure. we have seen horrendous pictures, of different cities and towns that have been freed from russian forces, in the suburbs of kyiv. and the numbers that we are hearing of dead civilians from other places, they are just

atrocious. so it wouldn't be inconsistent for the same ruian tacts that had been deployed in syria, the targeting of hospitals,he use of chemical weapons, to now be deployed by this commander. it would be consistent with what we have seen the past couple of weeks already. brent: so vladimir putin putting a new general in charge in the war on ukraine, what about in terms of the intelligence orbit around poutine over the weekend, a high-ranking fsb intelligence official was thrown in prison. how do you read that? guest: i think iis to be read as an admission of failure that this campaign hasn't run as smoothly as e russian leadership had hoped. so they need somebody to blame for this disaster, this

misinterpretation of ukrainian resolve, capability both against the forces of russia but also among the civilian population, there were expectations that the ukrainian government and armed forces would collapse within days. so it was better to focus on storming kyiv in a couple of days, but this has not turned out toe true. the eu and nato allies have provided ukraine with unprecedented amount of support and weapons and also in academic suort, and implemented sanctions on russia. this is all a gigantic miscalculation on the part of the kremlin and we're seeing a reshuffle in the service as recognition that operationally, the campaign so far has been a failure. brent: that was rafael loss with the european council on fertile relations in berlin. austria's chancellor carl

nehammer met today with russian president vladimir putin in moscow, the first e.u. leader to hold face-to-face talks with putin since the beginning of the war. he said he did tell putin to end the war. >> it was important to me to state clearly that the war must end for the people in the ukraine. and that their crimes taking place must be investigated by international organizations. the united nations, as well as the international criminal justice system which works slowly but steadily. we have seen how successful they can be. brent: we want to go to our reporter and russian analyst, constantin. let's talk about the role of the austrian chancellor here. western europe, the european union is trying to isolate vladimir putin.

but we have the austrian chancellor paying him a visit at the kremlin today. what is your read on that? guest: mr. nehammer is mr. putin favorite austrian chancellor since he succeeded to the position. it is clear that traditionally, austria likes to play up its neutral status. plus ihas very close, some would say to close ties with the kremlin. and i think this was an attempt by the austrian head of government to basically show that he plays a certain role in european politics. a lot of politicians, including in the german speaking world, have this illusion that they can sway mr. putin somehow.

before the trip, the russi tesla spoke to th european officials and president zelenskyy new crane, it definitely has very strange timing. and to add a personal impression, a very strange location. the central europeans actually were tking before the visit about yet anher austrian attempt to placate putin. in the final press conference was held in the embassy which housed the 1939 meeting with the foreign minister when he signed the infamous pact with stalin. so the location was not great too. i suppose that this attempt was also dictated by austrians 'economic situations. it is very much reliant on russian gas. one of its biggest banks, probably the biggest bank, has very, very close connections and important business in russia.

so he probably had to show that he talks to putin about things that are relevant to the austrian public, but i am absolutely certain that this did not work out. although they held a very private -- brent: that was our reporter and russian analyst there. here are some more headlines connected to the war in ukraine. the world bank says ukraine's economy will shrink by 40% this year. the war has forced about half of all businesses to close. exports have plunged. the bank is calling for global financial help. in mexico city, dozens of people have been protesting the war in ukraine. they marched to the russian embassy carrying ukrainian flags , singing that country's national anthem and shouting slogans calling financial the

conflict. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy spoke today by phone with german chancellor scholz to discuss further sanctions against russia. zielinski said he is glad germany is strengthening its support of ukraine. he says he and scholz agreed that perpetrators of war crimes in ukraine should be identified and punished. the european union foreign ministers have been meeting in luxembourg to discuss ways to expand their support, as you guessed it, for ukraine. they approved additional weapons for ukraine today. but the european union remains divided on sanctions that would fight moscow the most, the boycott of russian oil and national gas -- natural gas. >> time is of the essence. that was the mood at the e.u. foreign ministers' summit. russia is said to be planning an offensive in ukraine's east. the e.u.'s response, a pledge of more arms deliveries, worth an

additional 500 million euros. >> ukraine needs more military supplies, especially weapons. now is not the time for excuses, is a time for creative solutions. that includes german weapons. >> after initial doubts about sending arms to ukraine, berlin has broken its taboo and agreed to send tanks and armored. personnel carriers it has already sent patriot missiles to slovakia which has agreed, in turn, to provide some of its surface-to-air missiles and hardware to ukraine. . there was also agreement that the e.u. bloc would support efforts to investigate work crimes. >> how to make russia accountable for the gross violations of international law. we will provide assistance. reporter: assistance to the tune of one million euros from germany alone. amid so much agreement, the e.u. foreign ministers failed to agree on the blanket embargo on

buying russian oil. brent: some other stories making headlines around the world at this hour -- germany's family minister today resigned. she faced criticism for going on vacation days after catastrophic flooding hit her home region in western germany last summer. she was the local environment minister at the time. twitter says billionaire elon musk will not be joining its board. he most recently became the social media platforms's pigot shareholder that the ceo said musk decided not to take a seat on the board. no explanation was offered. shanghai reported more than 26,000 cases of covid-19. chinese officials reassuring residents that they will deliver basic supplies, if authorities stick to that very sict zero covid policy. the southern city of guangzhou

has also introduced restrictions and begun building hospitals. political turmoil and change is at the top in pakistan. the country has a new prime minister. shehbaz sharif was the only contender, after lawmakers removed imran khan in a no-confidence vote. he will form a new government, and elections are planned for next year. >> >> shehbaz sharif is declared to have been elected as prime minister of the republic of pakistan. [cheers and applause] reporter: he was the only candidate left standing after ousted prime minister imran khan and his party members walked out of parliament. >> this is the first time in history that a no-confidence motion has succeeded. it is a victory of righteousness

and evil has been defeated. reporter: pakistan's new interim premier shehbaz sharif, is no stranger to the country's tory politics. his brother is the disgraced former prime minister nawaz sharif, both members of a family dynasty that has been prominent in government r decades. during that time, they have been cused of money laundering and corruption, charges they deny. the leader of the centrist pakistan muslim league has servedhree terms representing job province. but serving as prime minister until august of 2023, he will have to navigate the country out of the near historic budget deficit, and revive a shaky rupee. he announced a raft of measures that include increasing the minimum wage, and civil servant salaries. he is also pushing for more government projects in rural areas. aside from targeting the

troubled economy, sharif once improved relations with india. >> we need dialogue, not deadlock, if we are to take this democratic process and economy forward. [chanting] reporter: imran khan will not make the job easy. his supporters have taken to the streets to protest his removal. kohn insists he is a victim of regime change orchestrated by the united states, an accusation washington denies. brent: earlier i spoke to our correspondent in islamabad, he has more on what pakistan's new prime minister is promising to do next. >> shehbaz sharif was elected as the new prime minister with 74 votes in his favor after political drama and instability and constitutional crisis for a week in the country. in his mated speech, he said he

would increase the minimum wage and that the high electricity bills would be addressed, and that he wanted good relations with india. he indicated the valley for which pakistan and india for several wars. he is determined that the development and the consumption of the pack is corridor. he is focusing on foreign policy , and the indian prime minister in response congratulated him nutes after his vote and said india desires stability in the region, free of terror. brent: what about the ousted prime minister, imran khan? he is calling on his supporters now to continue with their protests. how likely are we to see unrest at a higher level?

>> last night thousands of protesters did rallies in major cities around the country to protest agait the ouer of imran khan. supporters waiving party flags and chanting slogans in support of the former prime minister, saying that america's friend is a traitor. so there is still political uncertainty in the country. khan will give them a tough time, to this newly elected government of shehbaz sharif. brent: imran khan, is it possible for him to make a political comeback? >> well, he s we hano joys supporters, maintaining that the foreign responsibility has been hacked i go to government and he has been ousted by the american government. he says that a letter has been sent to the pakistani government

and that there are grave concerns that they have toppled my government. this is a very serious situation, because the people are becoming mysterious and they are protesting against the ouster. brent: that was dw news correspondent in islamabad. you're watching dw news. after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." tonight, in two weeks, france could have a new president, a far-right president, marine le pen. it could happen, thanks in part to russian money. we will explain after the break. ♪

24, and france24.com.

mark: welcome to live from paris world news. i am mark owen. these are the headlines. macron versus le pen. the gap between the two candidates has never been closer, and france is braced for two weeks of intensive campaigning we will follow every step of the way. . jean-luc melenchon told his supporters to not vote le pen, without given his endorsement to macron. could this influence the final result?