ukraine's independence day, marred by war. an alleged russian struck -- strike has killed more than a dozen people as ukraine marks 31 years of freedom from moscow's control. celebrations were banned in the capital over fears of russian airstrikes. today marks six months since russia began the invasion. we will take a look at the toll

the war has taken on ukraine and the resistance it has inspired. polls have closed on election day in angola. will the left wing and pla party hope -- -- mpla party hold onto power? u.s. president biden announced a plan to cancel $10,000 of student loan debt, fulfilling a campaign promise he made to younger voters. i'm brent goff. two viewers in the united states and around the world, welcome. we begin with breaking news from ukraine. president zelenskyy saying at least 15 people have died in a russian airstrike on a train station in the central part of

the country. this comes on a day laden with hope and sorrow. today is independence day, the national holiday marking independence from the former soviet union. today marks six months of the russian invasion. in a moment, a report on the nation scheduled to celebrate freedom before a war got in the way. first, our reporter is in kyiv with more on the attack on a train station. >> we have heard 15 people were killed and several dozens wounded in thettack. today is a day where many people have expected such attacks to happen, possibly even on the capital of kyiv. this hasn't happened so far but quite a few rockets have been intercepted by ukrainian air defense and it is not impossible that some were meant for the government buildings that russia

has threatened to attack. at least some propagandists have threatened attack. we have seen rockets come down another parts of the country, in western regions and also kharkiv. we have heard about explosions. it is clear russia is sending a signal at this stage and the people have suffered from russian attacks again in different parts of the country. brent: this attack comes on this independence day in ukraine, as celebrations were banned in the capital of kyiv for fears of a russian attack. we have this report on how ukrainians are finding ways to show their resistance. >> russian tanks are lined up in the ukrainian capital. the message, this is the only way russian military equipment will appear in kyiv, burned and

destroyed. it was unusually quiet as ukrainians marked independence day. occasionally, air raid warnings disrupted the silence. but the mood in the city is defiant. >> i'm very proud of our country . i'm glad we came back from europe, where we had fled to, to celebrate here on this day with our fellow citizens. i believe victory will come. it is a special day today. >> i feel nothing. no fear. i traveled almost 100 kilometers from near kyiv. nothing scares me. you just have to do it. it is a holiday, after all. >> president zelenskyy released

a prerecorded message. >> what for us is the end of the war? we would say peace, but now we say victory. we will look from mutual understanding with a terrorist. russia is killing thousands of people came to liberate. we finally became united. a new nation emerged on february toward -- 24th at 4:00 a.m., not born but reborn. a nation that did not cry, scream or get scared, one that did not run away and did not forget. >> the presint and first lady visited memorial for the soldiers killed in the conflict. meanwhile, ukrainian troops are locked in a grinding war of attrition with the russian army in the east. brent: my ts, -- on this

independence day, we are talking about a possible war of attrition six months into the conflict. is there anything for ukrainians to celebrate? >> while the war of attrition has been going on for several months now, the fear is that it is going to be a war of exhaustion and of course, many worries occur, how long will the west sustained support to ukraine? ukraine is making sometimes even spectacular strikes against russian ammunition depots or supply infrastructure. we have seen strikes on crimea, several strikes in another region mainly in the south where ukraine was able to take out seemingly big ammunition dumps, which were spectacular

explosions. so ukraine is in a better position now than it was three weeks ago or three months ago, when it was pounded by this russian firepower that was 10 times, people estimated at the time, higher than the ukrainian but still, we are not seeing any territorial or significant territorial gains by the ukrainians. a few months ago they were able to drive back the russians from some of the positions that were close to the cities of kharkiv and another city, and of course, the retreat from the kyiv area. since then, things are grindingly slow. the russian advance has slowed but it is consistent. it doesn't look like there is going to be a fast turn anytime soon. brent: we have heard before and during this war, particularly from ultra nationalists in russia, that ukraine isn't a

real country. what has the russian invasion done to strengthen ukrainian identity? >> that is not only ultranationalist's, that is also proven who has said that. -- putin who has said that. he miscalculated. ukrainians saw themselves as a nation before. it has further consolidated the feeling of the nation and may be also the feeling of a nation that is united. you can be a nation and quarreling with everybody. the easterners with the westerners russian speakers with ukrainian speakers. i think after the 24th of february, what was diluted is maybe this mistrust of groups against each other. it was a process that was already on the way at least since 2014, but also maybe since the 1990's, it has been

accelerating. the 24th of february has really boosted this feeling of unity and people perceive themselves as more united than before. >> the latest on this independence day in kyiv. so far, ukraine has managed to hold off the kremlin's efforts to assume control over more of the country. william takes a look back at how the war started and some of its major turning points. >> after months of speculation, warnings, fears and a massive troop buildup on three sides of ukraine, vladimir putin finally revealed his deadly intentions on february 24. let's first look at how things were on the eve of the war. russia occupied the crime year and peninsula -- the crimean peninsula in the south and at the same time helped separatists

take could control of part of ukraine's eastern donbass region. the united nation's estimated 14,000 civilians have been killed in the years since. february 24, putin launched a full-scale invasion by land, sea and air. he claims the ukrainian government committed crimes against russian speaking ukrainians come abut outside russia come of the war is seen as a desperate effort to stop ukraine's further integration with the west, which putin views as a threat to his power. in the first stage until the beginning of april, russian forces pounding the capital of kyiv and other urban centers like kharkiv. millions of people fled to neighboring countries or ukraine's somewhat safer western region. russia underestimated ukraine's resistance and its military couldn't establish air superiority.

it failed to surround kyiv and decapitate ukraine's government. after weeks of little progress from the north of the country, russian commanders ordered a withdrawal to concentrate firepower on the east. that is the war's second phase. ukrainian troops were outmanned and forced to steadily retreat, allowing russian forces to consolidate gains on the ground. what you see here doesn't mean russia has full control of these areas. we can say in the south and east is where russia advanced the most and exerts some control. it is these areas that have seen the heaviest fighting. we are in a third phase. ukraine says it is fighting back with the help of u.s. and other western weapons. both sides suffered tremendous losses, although it is impossible to put a precise figure on it. same with the civilian toll which the united nations puts at

13,000 killed and wounded but they acknowledge it is likely a gross undercount. it is unclear what putin's and game is, as the war becomes a war of the -- a war of attrition. whether russia has the resources to establish itself as an occupying power or whether the winter will freeze fighting and force a deal. brent: in the early days of the war, russia failed to take the ukrainian capital. residents there have begun to return to their normal routines, despite fears of new russian strikes. our correspondent recently met up with locals in kyiv who recalled the shock of the earliest russian strikes on the city. >> up in the sky they are working to fix the damage. >> it was a rocket. it came from over there, like this, and sliced off a corner of

the building. >> it was day three of the war. this was the first residential in -- building in kyiv to be hit. they have started reconstruction, even though the war hasn't yet ended. the city council is paying for most of the repairs, but residents like this woman are also raising funds. >> this was the epicenter of the explosion. there were two apartments here. this corner, there was another room here. the rocket took the corner off and the whole room. the explosion also hit the two apartments above and below.

>> the destroyed room was the one most families in the apartments use as a kids bedroom. the block was relatively new, built for the emerging middle class. the rocket wrecked four floors but no one was killed. they were either in different parts of their apartments, or had left the city, like one family who fled to germany. >> had a camera in the room and they could see on their phone how the flat was destroyed. i can't imagine what that feels like. they were safe, but they still saw this happening. it is terrible.

>> four floors further down, this apartment was undamaged. even the glasses intact. still, she is happy she wasn't home when the rocket hit. some neighbors were there and suffered a terrible shock and still have trouble returning. they stay in close contact. >> the calamity has united us. many of us have become friends. we understand how important it is to stick together, and when the war is over, i'm sure we will quarrel again. >> defiance from the people whose building was the first in kyiv to be hit in this war. brent: more headlines connected to the war on ukraine. president zelenskyy addressed the united nations security council. despite efforts by russia to block his appearance. albania, which called today's

session, reminded the council that ukraine is under foreign invasion. boris johnson made a surprise visit to attend ukrainian independence day events today. president zelenskyy said -- awarded him an order of liberty and describe johnson as a friend of ukraine. president zelenskyy denied ukraine's involvement in the killing of the daughter of an ultranationalist supporter of vladimir putin. zelenskyy says the car bomb that killed her in moscow was not ukraine's fault. polls have closed and counting is underway in angola in the most closely can pet -- contested election since its transition to a democratic state. they are picking a new parliament and president. the governing party, the mpla,

has been in power for nearly 50 years. for the first time it faces competition. poverty, inflation and color -- corruption are the main campaign issues. our correspondent is in the angola capital. he sent us this. >> angola is seeing the most competitive election in the history of the country. most are expting a tight race between the candidate of the governing party, who is the current president, and the major opposition candidate. the opposition has strongholds in urban are and cities like the capitol, where young people, many are frustrated with the mpla which have been running the country for 50 years. the oil wells -- wealth hasn't trickled down to the population.

youth unemployment is a massive problem whicich is why young people are calling for a change. the mpla has a lot of supporters, especially in rural areas and they have control of a lot of government institutions, including the electoral commissions. critics fear they could use their power to manipulate the vote, which could lead to protests when the results are announced. so far, everything has been calm and peaceful during the campaign and the election. while the votes are being counted, as well. brent: in sudan, the death toll for flash floods since the start of the rainy season in may has climbed to at least 89. downpours caused parts of the nile river and its tributaries to burst their banks and inundate villages across the nation. floods have displaced more than 100,000 people. authorities declared a state of

emergency in several provinces. >> water that came without warning. flooding isn't unusual to sudan this time of year, but this year it has affected double the number of people it did last year, and doubled the number of counities. people are salging what ey can. many lost everything. >> this is my house. it collapsed and nothing is left. no bad, no chair, no tv. nothing is left. it had three bedrooms, beds and cupboards. it is gone and we are staying here. >> officials say 20,000 homes have been swept away by flash floods. tens of thousands more have been made uninhabitable. people are glad to have escaped with their lives. >> this is god's fate.

we are thankful it wasn't an earthquake or fire that burned us. we are alive and that is a blessing. >> this natural disaster comes amid political and economic crisis in sudan. more than 11 million people, a quarter of the population, need food aid. the u.n. says shortages in donations means sudan receives less than a third of what it requires in funding this year. the already dire situation, made worse by an erratic raining -- rainy season that hasn't even peaked yet. brent: president joe biden announced a partial cancellation of student debt for some u.s. college students and graduates. the plan calls for a $10,000 cut for those whose income falls below $125,000 per year. recipients of loans designted

for low income students will see even bigger cuts. economists say this will free up hundreds of billions of dollars for new consumer spending. >> i ran for office to grow the economy. from the bottom up in the middle out. when we do that, everybody does better. everybody does well. the wealthy do well. the poor have a way up in the middle class can have breathing room. that will help america win the economic competition of the 21st century. that is what this announcement is about. it is about opportunity. it does about even people a fair shot -- it is about giving people a fair shot, the one word america can be defined by, possibilities. brent: our bureau chief is following this. put this into context. how many americans will benefit from this? what will be the impact? >> president biden is canceling up to $20,000 in federal student

loan debt. that is a big number. we heard for those who are making 155 dollars per year or less, that could affect around 43 million americans. that is a lot of people. in doing so, he kind of follows that which he promised doing in his presidential campaign, to support those who have not so much money. brent: forgiving debt, it is popular with people who owe a lot of money but i understand biden has come under fire not only from republicans but from his own party. some in his own party. what are their criticisms? >> one could think he gets a lot of applause from his own kind of people, but he is facing critique from well-known democrats like larry summers, the treasury secretary for bill clinton, or obama's former

economic adviser. they say this causes more in the nation in the moment when the country is already at 8.5% or so inflation rate nationwide. republicans are adding to the argument that the government basically can't afford to spend so much money and it would be unfair to those who have paid back their full debt. on the left side, they are complaining this is not enough money and by the end of the day, this won't change the broken education system in the united states. brent: we have to remind viewers, this was a campaign promise that was made a couple years ago. how do you explain the timing? why did it take close to two years to get action on this? >> that is also a critique from his own party.

he is basically using this political momentum he has gained with passing on the green energy bill and another bill. he does so roughly 2.5 months ahead of the midterms. this is crucial for him. he has to connect every decision he is making now to the november election, because polls suggest he is still a very unpopular president and he needs some support from the younger voters, because he is just not very popular with younger voters. that is definitely facing him. brent: we will see if this loan forgiveness can make a difference. thank you. almost half the european union is under a drought warning. a report from the earth observation program shows the extreme dry weather could

continue in some regions for three more months. the po river in italy was known as the king of rivers but parched conditions this summer has caused billions in losses to farmers who rely on italy's longest waterway to irrigate fields. >> the river po has reduced to a trickle. it hasn't rained properly since spring. he is keeping an eye on the river's banks, which are growing whiter by the day. -- wider by the day. >> the water level is under 3.6 eight meters. usually it is much higher. right here at the black line. that is where the water was. >> not only farmers are affected , 90% of the small hydropower stations that line the rivers channels have shut down. tanks are empty.

one of the big plants closed back in june. there wasn't enough water to power the turbines. usually almost a fifth of italy's electricity is generated through hydropower. now, production has been cut by 40%. this farmer is concerned about the poor quality of his corn. the plants in his field simply didn't get enough water. he harvested this field almost two months early. >> the situation is tragic. we had to harvest 20 days ago because i ran out of water and everything dried up. to save a small bit of the harvest, i have to cut everything down. >> the region's farmers are losing half of their grain and rice crops. >> maybe we will survive these losses, or we will have to close

up shop at the end of the year. >> this picturesque lake i where the river gets part of the water from. the lake only has 60% of its usual water volume. locals worry that tourists are making the best of new swimming spots. >> you can't have a nice holiday. >> the quality of the water is fine. >> here, there was some rainfall a short while ago. weather forecasters say it will be september before more is on the way. brent: after a break, i will be back to take you through the day. ukraine's independence day on the country's fight for freedom. we will be right back. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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>> zelenskyy says the goal is not peace, but victory. the ukraine president's words, and their independence days -- come on their independence day and six month after the invasion of russia is marked. total energy is denies involvement in a russian war jet. an expose an oilfield part owned by tou thao inside the area with supply for