♪ brent: this is "dw news" live from berlin. tonight, mountin evidence pointing to russian workers in ukraine. investigators are exhuming buddies from mass graves allegedly left behind by russian soldiers. u.s. president biden says this is genocide. also coming up tonight, a plea from ukraine's president, send us tanks to help us avoid an endless bloodbath.

but germany is now facing criticism for not sending help fast enough. and finland says it will decide soon on applying for nato membership. public support for joining nato has surged ever since russia invaded ukraine. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and to all of you around the world, welcome. on this wednesday, there is growing evidence that russia is committing war crimes in the ukraine, so much so that president biden has now described vladimir putin's war as a genocide of the ukrainian people. today the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court said all of ukraine is now a crime scene. reporter: russia dismisses it as fake, or stad, but evidence is

mounting of war cris cmitted by russian tros in ukraine. a second mass grave has been excavated in bucha. investigators say it contained 40-60 buddies. less than a week ago 57 bodies were exhumed from another mass grave near kyiv. this news of other atrocities led u.s. president joe biden to break a taboo and accused the kremlin directly of genocide. >> i call a genocide. it has become clearer and clearer that putin is trying to -- the ukrainian. the evidence is mounting. more evidence is coming out of literally the horrible things press conference with reporters, the kremlin spokesman dmitry peskov rejected the accusation, and said washington's past means it has no right to make such judgments.

>> we categorically disagree and consider this kind of effort to distort the situation unacceptable. moreover, as we have said before , this is hardly acceptable from the president of the united states, a country that has committed well-known crimes in recent times. reporter: the southern port city of mariupol was long a focus of the fighting. now the besieged city has been largely destroyed. ukraine accuses the kremlin of using chemical weapons there, but president zelenskyy admitted it is difficult to verify the claim where the city is. under siege. . the burial paul mayer says russia did all t that could to destroyvidence of the atrocities.

>> 3crematory are being prepared to get rid of evidence of war crimes committed by the russian federation in the city. as a russia apparently prepares to shift its military focus to the east of ukraine, there are fears that many places in that region could suffer the same fate as mary paul. brent: according to the ukrainian military, russian forces are ready to attack new regions. we have more from our correspondent in kyiv. reporter: the ukrainian government has been bracing for major russian offensive in the eastern and southeastern part of the country, warning that russia was amassing their troops there, moving them towards strategically important city of izim, and apparently the assessment now is that russia is ready. everyone here understands that this is a pivotal moment, as the

battlefield shifts. the weapons that the ukrainian forces are needing also changing . that is why perhaps we saw a very strong address from the ukrainian president today. he urged western leaders to provide ukraine with heavy weapons, with tanks, armored vehicles, air defense systems, and combat jets to protect civilians and ukrainian forces from russian missiles and airstrikes. brent: the mayor of mariupol says were crimes committed by russian forces in his city are being covered up. what can he tell us, especially knowing that it is impossible to verify any claimsat the moment in variable? >> that is true, we are not in the ground on variable, that is why it is difficult to verify any claims. according to the mayor, after

20,000 civilians were killed in mariupol and he accused russians of trying to cover up their crimes, saying that they brought more crematorium to get rid of the bodies. as i said, difficult to verify. but we have to say that the ukrainian government has been warning something like that could happen. they fear that after what happened in bucha and bernanke after the world was so shocked by the apparent war crimes allegedly committed by the russian army, that the russian forces could try to cover up their crimes. brent: our correspondent speaking with me earlier from kyiv. now for a closer look at the latest military movements in ukraine, here is dw news correspondent. reporter: just a few weeks ago, russian forces were close to encircling the ukrainian capital of kyiv. but in recent days, the military

map has been redrawn. the maps we are about to show you come from british defense intelligence. we can see the territory that was controlled by pressure up until late march, a month after the invasion. you can see the focuound kyiv. . but early in april, russia pulled back its northern groups, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. british intelligence says those forces are being redeployed to ukraine's eased, as part of a push to take control of the donbass region. here is some of what has happened there in recent days -- intensified shelling of the city of kharkiv. satellite images have spotted a russian troop buildup new this town. there has been a push toward kramatorsk a city were a missile strike killed almost 60 civilians last week. russia also attacked an airport near dnipro, and they are about to encircle mariupol, which would give russia folk control along the coast of the sea of as of. now ukraine is also concerned about possible movements around

the area of this town, a breakaway region in moldova that is aligned with russia. now ukraine says it is concerned that russian forces stationed there along with the local military could invade from the west and encircle edessa. another sign of the latest new strategy, the u.s. says russia has appointed a new war commander, general alexander dvornikov. he headed the russian forces in syria in 2015, where he oversaw a brutal campaign of bombing cities into submission, and he has been the district commander of the southeast region in the invasion. his promotion is seen as another sign that russia is now making the southeast its key target, instead of kyiv. how effective will this new strategy be? according to some u.s. analysts, russia's combat capability is greatly exaggerated. many of its units are damaged and patched together without straining.

russia is also believed to try to recruit hundreds of thousands of new soldiers a, sign that despite setbacks, they are ready for a protracted war. brent: that was our correspondent there. we have a senior fellow for defense policy at the international institute for strategic studies. i asked him about the significance of general dvornikov's appointment as the central war command. >> well, i think it tells you what has been missing so far in this rsian military operation, which was, a better coordination between the different components , the land and air components. and i think this is an attempt to bring some kind of discipline in how the different forces are being used. so, that, however, shouldn't be read as this is a huge boost, because clearly, your reporter just said earlier, the russian

forces have significant gaps both in terms of capabilities, but also in terms of soldiers. a new commander is not going to fix that easily. brent: despite all this, if there is a new attack coming from russia on the eastern part of ukraine, is it within the realm of possibility that ukrainian forces will be able to repel russian forces? guest: it is hard to say, because we don't have all the data points on the state of the ukrainian forces, for this reason. what i can tell you is that the ukrainian forces that have been deployed on the eastern dundas reon are among the best units. they hav had some casualties and lost some capabilities and they will need to be replenished, but these are among the best ukrainian fighters you can get. they stand a good chance, provided that the western allies, especially germany and others, are willing to deliver

the kind of heavy capabilities they will need to sustain russian pressure. brent: president zelenskyy is worried about incursions from the transnistria area of neighboring moldova. is he right to be concerned about incursions coming from this little strip of land? guest: i think he is right to be concerned that the russians will try anything to divert the ukrainian forces away from the central front, which seems to be increasingly the eastern donbas region. however, when you know the kind of forces that are present in trsnistriaso-called russian peacekeepers, i doubt about their combat readiness and their capacit to face the ukrainian forces. but all this is an important prize for the russians, because that will be the ultimate land breach from russia to transnistria. the russians might want to put

it in their fight. but i am not sure that the units that are present in transnistria will be capable. brent: that was five degrees with me earlier. kyiv has said it would welcome a visit from german chancellor scholz, after apparently snubbing the german president frank-walter steinmeier yesterday. german politicians voiced their shock after ukrainian leadership allegedly rejected steinmeyer's offer to visit the country, along with poland's president and the leaders of lithuania, latvia, and estonia. ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy said he had beneficially approached about a visit. earlier, i spoke with the former ukrainian foreign minister, and i asked him whether this snob is about more than just a breach of protocol, and not consulting the ukrainian president. guest: war times are normally not about protocol.

fundamentally, it is not about steinmeier himself, he's definitely not pro-rsian more than the majority of the social democrats or the german political reality. it is more about disappointment. and i would even say, frustration about the german's role, and especially, germany's leadership in helping ukraine. it is about sanctions, and it is about german stubbornness not to do more on oil and gas. that is a big issue. it could really change the reality and push russia. and of course, it is about military assistance. fear about direct conflict with russia.

brent: let me ask you, the u.s. -- you, as a former foreign minister, what would you advise zelenskyy to do right now? ukraine went to germany to say yes to an embargo of russian oil and natural gas. what is the best way to get germany to do what ukraine wanted to do? guest: to get the german chancellor, to get the german politicians to the places where the russians committed genocide, places like mucha, because the photos have been seen over the world. simply to get emotion. it is not about politics. it is about a moral reality. so just see what the russians would like to do to the whole of

ukraine. it is not about territory, it is about the extinction of ukraine and our statehood, because putin openly called us anti-russia. so give real emotion to germans politicians. brent: when you look at the german political class, do you see a group of politicians who are complicit in enabling vladimir putin to create his war machine and to attack ukraine? guest: it is the perception in ukraine, because russia has been doing a lot of money, selling gas and oil to germany. and germany is 40% dependent on all the russian gas. doing nothing in althese years, despite all our warnings. i personally warned the german

government hundreds of times. in my career. but nothing has been done. it is actuall the fundamental point why putin is still able to fight the al war against ukraine. nord stream 2 has not been the economic issue from the very beginning, it was a security issue from the very beginning, that is now clear. brent: that was the former ukrainian foreign minister, pavlo klimkin speaking to me from kyiv. zelenskyy is pleading for more weapons to help his counterdefendants over against russia, saying that without them, it would be an endless bloodbath. president biden has pledged more literary assistance. kyiv is also looking for help from germany, but will ukraine be disappointed.

reporter: in january, russian troops were preparing for war will ukraine begged allies to send weapons. but germany said its history meant it could offer helmets, not arms. >> we checked immediately and we will deliver 5000 helmets to ukraine as a clear signal that we are on your side. reporter: it was supposd to be a gesture of goodwill, but it went down like a bad joke. and tn vladimir putin gave the order attack. as tens of thousands protested in berlin, the german chancellor lifted the weapons ban, citing a new reality. >> we decided yesterday that germany will supply ukraine with weapons to defend itself. reporter: the u-turn saw germany sent thousands of antitank and missile-defense weapons. but as the war moved on, the calls for germany to send more

group. ukraine's president implored the german parliament. >> support as. keep the peace. support every ukrainian. stop the war. help us stop it. reporter: the horrors of butcher were not stopped. nor were mass executions and alleged torture, evidence of potential russian war crimes. undergoing pressure, berlin is exploring ways to get tanks like these on to ukrainian battlefields. german arms group says the first batch could be delivered within weeks. for a delegation of senior politicians visiting ukraine, they can't come soon enough. >>. >> we need to verify which weapons the ukrainian army can use so they don't get equipment which requires a lot of

training. we have to clarify this quickly because the weapons have to come now. >> the main issue is of course the people dying in ukraine, that is way we can only call on the chancellor's to stop putting on the brakes, and give us the go-ahead. reporter: from helmets to tanks, it has been a 180 in a defense policy for germany. for ukraine, it may come too late. brent: dw news'political correspondent benjamin gruber albert told me the chancellor is facing increasing pressure, including from his government. guest: as you can see, the frustration is growing also weaken the government. it is not just demanding clear action by the government, criticizing the reluctance by olaf scholz also to send these heavy weapons that even his foreign minister pledged for earlier this week and asked other european countries. of course the pressure is growing for them to take a clear

stance. there has been this discussion also about the russian -- the german president that has overshadowed the discussion of weapons deliveries. but as we have heard, there is frustration not just from the government, but from all german politicians to get out of this rubble and to see what can be done right now. brent: i.d.s the ones that the ukrainians are asking for? why is chancellor show up so reluctant to send them as it seems? guest: ukrainian president president zelenskyy posted a video today on twitter where he said that these weapons are needed, saying that nobody will stop russia, aside from ukraine, with heavy weapons. but we just saw that there is a reason why the german government is not saying which weapons they are sending, due to the security

concerns. he said the enemy is always listening so that they know what weapons they will get and what weapons they could deliver. that is something that the german chancellor defended again today in an interview, where he referred to the proposed trip by the german president steinmeier. but he defended what germany has been doing, saying germany had delivered weapons and will continue to do that. the big question is, if these weapons will arrive soon enough, and what kind of weapons will germany send to ukraine? brent: that was our political correspondent benjamin alvarez gruber speaking with me earlier. ukraine has captured what it considers to be president putin biggest ally within the country. the ukrainian special forces arrested him in an operation that they described as a lightning and dangerous. he was already facing treason charges when he escaped house

arrest earlier this year. he can now be turned over to russia in a possible prison swap . >> the once high-profile politician, now ukraine's most high-profilerisoner. president volodymyr zelenskyy releasedictures of the man in handcuffs as he announced news of the arrest. last month the ukrainian government suspended his opposition political movement. he had taken an anti-e.u. stance and wanted closer ties to russia. the yucatan government accused him of plotting to replace zelenskyy in the wake of a russian invasion. he was close to the russian president, even cleaned putin as his daughter's godfather. he had been rich from russian oil interests in his closeness to the kremlin. he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, owning and luxury yacht. last year authorities opened a treason case against him, but

ukrainian officials say he managed to escape house arrest soon after the russian invasion. now president zelenskyy is suggesting that he could be handed over to russia in exchange for ukrainian prisoners of war. brent: more than four point 5 million refugees have fled the war in ukraine. among them are tens of thousands of ukrainian jews. of our dw correspondant traveled to the capital of mobility, where the jewish community is now rallying to help. reporter: a former printing house in the moldovan capital is now a refugee center set up by israeli aid organizations to support jewish refugees from ukraine, and help them immigrate to israel. for this man, from tel aviv, this work is very close to his heart. as a child he left ukraine for israel with his parents.

>> after a long journey, they can get a good nights sleep and rest before the flight. this is our goal, to send the people as fast as possible with everything they need to israel, to safety. reporter: julia has already started over once before. she was uprooted from her home in the luhansk region in 2014. she hopes she has the necessary documents on hand. >> i want to finally start living normally. i want a family, kids. to live in a peaceful place, a peaceful country, under peaceful skies. i don't want to run from oregon for the second, third, fourth time. [crying] i am sorry. reporter: not everybody gets permission. documents are checked by israel on solar staff on site. by is law, someone with one jewish grandfather is eligible to receive citizenship.

>> we help the community to live somewhere, to eat, to have the commission for the few days they are here, checking the documents if they have the right to come to israel by the law, and then flying to israel with our plans. reporter: some of the refugees also want to go to other countries like germany, or stay in moldova. the local jewish community has also stepped in to help. the synagogue, and a renovation, has opened its doors to refugees, and in the kitchen, the cook believes a daily hot meal helps people in crisis. >> we make them lots of soup, lentil soup, borscht, salads, that sort of thing to help them feel better. to give people strength and happiness. reporter: some bittersweet moments at the airport.

this woman and her mother from kharkiv in eastern ukraine are among the 80 people per meter to board the flight to tel aviv. >> we were already ready to move, but of course, it is very scary to leave what you have worked for, the place where you lived, studied, and worked. the war was part of our decision. reporter: as well as relief, she says her thoughts are also with those left behind. brent: here is a roundup of some of the other stories making headlines around the world, finance prime minister said the country's parliament could vote on whether to apply to joining nato within weeks. speaking on a visit to sweden, she said the process is moving quickly. sweden's party is also debating whether or not to join nato. russia has warned against any nato enlargement. this man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of british mp david ms.

the politician was killed in october of last year while holding a surgery for local constituents. the sentencing judge called it a murder that struck at the heart of democracy. police in new york arrested a man suspected of shooting 10 people on a subway train on tuesday. authorities say 62-year-old frank james will face federal charges for a terrorist offense. new york's police commissioner said he was detained after a tip-off from the public. this is dw news. after a short break, i will be back to, too today. tonight, the ukrainian president tells a german president, don't come. we will be right back. ♪

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anchor: welcome to live from paris. these are the headlines. genocide, what putin is doing to ukraine, but russian claims the surrender of 1000 troops. ukraine is a crime scene. a woman is manhandled out that handling a briefing. she held up a heart-shaped photo. starting the day live,