hi everybody, i am yasmin in new york here with msnbc continuing live coverage of the invasion of ukraine. we are going to begin with the very latest as russia's assault enters its fifth day. the commander of ukraine's armed forces are saying that russian efforts to occupied the capital kyiv, have filled. all of this is happening while the ukrainian government has said there have been explosions in the capital city. and, the eastern city as well as kharkiv. but with russians, about 20 miles or so from the city center, the mayor is telling the associated press that there are no plans to evacuate civilians if, in fact, russian military take the city. >> we can't do that because

always are blocked. all the ways are blocked. and right now we are encircled where everywhere is russians. we don't have a way to evacuate people. and everyone had plans to evacuate themselves already have moved. >> all the ways are blocked. so, ukraine's president, i'd love to hear zelenskyy, he will send a delegation to talk with the russians today. on the border, between ukraine and belarus. he doubts that there are actually going to be getting any breakthrough. he says he has to make every single effort to try and in this. we're at the talks, they are just going to come one day after russian president dramatically made the mistake when he put russia's new color deterred forces on high alert after what he called, aggressive statements from the west. white house press secretary, jen psaki, said the move was in fact escalatory and

unnecessary. >> this is exactly the kind of manufactured threats that president putin has been using since the beginning of this crisis to justify further aggressive action. what is fact here is that russia is under no threat from nato. has never been. it is under no threat from ukraine. has never been. >> so, president biden is going to hold a secure call with allies and partners later on this morning to discuss, of course, the latest developments there and the response. the united nations security council's voting to hold a rare session of the un general assembly to discuss the innovation despite russian objections of. oils meanwhile, the embassy, the u.s. embassy in moscow think americans should infect leave while commercial flights are still available. they are getting there as the european union says it will close its airspace. with me now, to start our coverage at this hour, nbc news erin mclaughlin, is in lviv ukraine. nbc news raf sanchez, in moscow

with us. erin, i will start with you. as it is mourning there, around 9 am, local time, talk to us through what folks are experiencing there this hour. what you've been seeing on the ground. >> hi, yasmin, as this morning the capitol remains in ukrainian control. with ukrainian military forces think they repeatedly repelled russian attacks throughout the night. we have a statement from the commander up the land forces of the armed forces of ukraine, saying, quote, all the times by the russian occupation forces failed, convoys of occupiers equipment were destroyed. the enemy suffered significant personal losses. russian troops are demoralized and exhausted. we have shown that we know how to protect our home from uninvited guest. this, as the violence is taking a staggering toll, killing some

352 civilians, 14 of them, children according to ukrainian officials on sunday on president silas keys announced that there would be this delegation that's arriving today in belarus to speak to the russians about potential cease fire, the, presidents ellen ski says he is not particularly optimistic about this top but he's willing to do anything to stop the bloodshed. yasmin? >> erin, we had this settlement with the russian armed vehicles about 20 miles or so outside of the capital of kyiv, and we, know of course that, ukrainians are still very much in control of kyiv. the question is, for how long. for how much longer. for how much longer can they hold off the russian military. i mean 190,000 russian militaries, at one, point or on the border of the ukraine. what is the expectation here at this point of how long they can hold them off? >> we'll, if you speak to

ukrainians, they are willing to fight for kyiv for their country. until the bitter end. but at the same time, this is taking a huge toll. especially on the civilian population. i was just speaking to a keep wyden who is taking park in territory -- with all hands on deck effort. he was telling me that, yesterday, his wife was driving their three children during curfew time through the streets of kyiv. it is unclear exactly what happened, but she was shot and seriously injured. she is now in hospital. he is now taking care of their three children, no longer able to partake in the territorial defense effort until their grandparents can arrive to take care of the kids. it is just one story that just shows you the human impact of this invasion. yasmin? >> the impact, the desperation, what an incredibly tragic story there. erin, thank you so much as always for your incredible reporting on the ground. i'm gonna let you go.

for now. ralph sanchez, i'm gonna move to you, over in moscow talking about the response of course for vladimir putin's shocking, of course to hear that, earlier today, i should say yesterday, new color forces of known hyaluronic. what is that saying about the state of the russian president right now? and where he believes the success or lack of his forces is for ukraine? >> yasmin, vladimir putin is a former kgb agent. he is a difficult man to get inside the head. of at the best of times, these are clearly not the best of times. russian analysts, here in moscow, tell us they have never seen him like this. they have seemed erratic since the past. he seems prepared to take risk, to raise the stakes in ways that he hasn't in the. pass and this announcement, yesterday, that just sent shockwaves around the world that he's put this new color

forces on high alert, i think it's the most extreme example of that. the view of u.s. defense officials talking to nbc news, our colleagues at the pentagon, is that this is likely saber rattling rather than a real side the vladimir putin has any intention of launching a new color weapon. we don't know what's his orders mean on the ground. we don't know how many additional warheads may not be on high alert. the united states does not comment on his defense posture, on the new color posture. so we don't know what the u.s. is doing in response to this. but, this is certainly, an unlimited moment outside of what is happening on the ground in ukraine. yasmin? >> rat, it's quite a saber-rattle. if in fact that is what it. is saber-rattling, so i guess i followed that up with who's advising. and we know that he has an incredibly close knit circle of people that advise vladimir

putin. even before this. he had a close knit circle. there were so many reports about the fight who would let people into that circle. so, what do we know about who he's talking to? >> yes, that circle was small to begin with. it's been getting smaller and smaller and smaller. a lot of the people in that circle are his peers from the kgb. they have climbed the ranks of the russian state. now we have all kind of had a laugh at these days of vladimir putin sitting at these enormous tables with foreign leaders, russian officials, sitting 10:15 yards from. he yasmin, it's kind of a physical manifestation of a man who is very, very cut off. now, the russian ruble is slamming this morning. >> yes. >> that's gonna hurt people here in this country. we don't know how much putin is being told about the situation on the ground in ukraine. how much you think told about the situation in the russian economy. frankly, we don't really know

what version of reality is going to be presented to the russian leader right. now and that is worrying for both his supporters but also for people in washington and european capitals who are trying to figure out how do we send the signals that we wanted to vladimir putin. and as you people people of interpreting them correctly? yasmin? >> so, in the sense that i'm hearing is that they're trying to protect him from the reality on the grounds of what's actually going on? do we know raf sanchez if he's even aware of this meeting happening at the belarus border between ukraine's and russia of who in fact is going to that meeting? >> it seems likely that he would be aware of that. this, the russian delegation, the sense of belarus, these are from the outside anyway. these are not the kind of people who you would sent to a really serious peace negotiation. >> got it. >> these are not top ranking

officials these are not top ranking security officials. even some of these are from the people of the culture administration. so, president zelenskyy has said that he has not had high expectations about these talks. but he has an obligation to his people who are under a range of russian chills right now to it least explore these talks to see if they could lead to something. i don't think anybody here in moscow they think that sometime later today pieces suddenly going to break out. >> yasmin? >> rough, for now, thank you. i will talk to you again in the next hour. >> joel, let's get right into. it we are not on this high alert from moscow of these new color forces. and i think the over arctic question is that we are getting a little bit of what jen psaki had to say. but what is the posture now of the united states in general of the white house if in fact it is going to change at all because of what we're hearing coming out of moscow? >> hi, yasmin, of course, everybody in washington and around the world is frankly

paying attention to the escalation from vladimir putin. that clear escalation. and you heard what jen psaki said but of course president biden has been unwilling to delay -- he was attending the funeral of a family member. he is coming back this morning later this morning and he's going to be on that secure call with his allies, with foreign countries that are allied in this fight against the russian invasion. and that call, perhaps, will shed some more light to that question that you post. it is very important because of course the u.s. has been working instead with the nato allies being very careful to make sure that they haven't gotten ahead of any actions whether comes to sanctions or response to vladimir putin's escalations. making sure that they're really working together. so, we're hoping that we learn more from that call tomorrow. but you also heard from the u.s. ambassador to the un today, she was talking on cbs news and she also said that she is trying to de-escalate the

situation. she said that the u.s., the nato allies, are no threat to russia of course, vladimir putin as you heard from raf sanchez, he is doing this escalation. he is saying that he's writing the new -- because as he calls threats from western nations, of course the u.s. maintains we. when the other side of pennsylvania, you also have the senate and house returning to washington tomorrow, and that's important. because they have been out of session the whole last week. and they will see, they will receive, excuse me a classified briefing tomorrow. night we have been seeing reaction pouring. it we have been seeing a democrat and republican wanting to do more to strengthen president biden's hand if he goes into this and tries to deal with this situation, step-by-step, and i want to read a part of a tweet from the senate intel vice chairman, marco rubio, he's been getting briefed. we are told constantly has this been going. out and he said that putin's only options now appear to be, quote, catastrophic.

once after he's triggered a devastating economic sanctions and of course defense experts saying that the military the russian military, is underway performing in the region. >> yes. we're actually going to be speaking with him in just a couple of. minutes talking about that classified briefing. that will be later today. but for now, julie tsirkin, thank you for that. i want to bring in mark edward, from abundance international. he runs to orphanages outside of. keep mark, thank you for joining. us i am sure things are highlight. they're fairly stressful. to say the least when it comes to your daily life. you are -- talk to me a little bit about. that is going? on how are you doing? how are the children doing? >> well, a week ago, we were part of the things that were used to call. normal but right now [inaudible] the good news is, the grocery stores are putting a line. and what you understand the trauma of trying to see an

entire orphanage sit down to a bomb shelter and, what they have to deal with. these are children that the orphanages that we manage are just zero to four years. all the most fragile. so we have been taking donations out abundance international dark org. unfortunately, been able to use my debit card with those funds immediately to bring food and groceries. we try to expand this to the entire country. and i'm looking for americans, westerners, or any ukrainian various cities to write me market abundance in the national darker. we're trying to get coordinated so that we can get more orphanages all around the country the need is dire. this orphanages is down to four days left in food. and we were able to give it to them. we are trying to connect the country. so hopefully, if you go to abundance international dot org, we want to make sure that you can help get these refused to

orphanages everywhere here. everything is in a panic to try and get researchers we are rushing everything we. can so, far everybody is helping. and god bless that there is an amazing thing to see. but this is heartbreaking work as you can. imagine >> oh my gosh. i am seeing the images of those kids, you visiting the kids in the orphanages. in a bomb shelter. it's heartbreaking. it's disgusting. it's awful. all that to. see how are these kids doing? how are these kids doing? >> >> you can imagine. kids you can imagine, could sue for zero to far, it's not about the it's not about the noise, the noise bomb, the sirens. you have a stormy day and try to explain about and tried to explain to kids what lightning and thunder is. this is what's thunder is a matter of why kids are being disrupted found their normal environments to have to go down to a bomb shelter. they do not understand it. and a third of children dropping out. handicap, to say it will, it's very difficult to move these kids. and we have been promised, because we have wonderful

doctors running these facilities. they are saying look, we are going to give the kids psychological needs. whatever you get through this. we have to give them food, gas. we've got a lot of efforts across the country. this is the unspoken story. i don't until today that people over the last few months talked about the russia ukraine conflict, however thought of or mentioned the orphans. and i am really thankful to you for giving this a voice. these are the ones who do not have a voice of their own. >> there are these kids. there's the adults having to stay behind, risking their lives as well, taking care of the children. they are heroes in their own right. is there any plan to get them to safety, if of course russian forces take over the capital city? where this orphanages? >> this orphanages in nikolai. and the other one that i personally manage is in -- which is down the path between crimea and odessa. but there are 100, 000,

depending on which reports you see of orphans in ukraine. trying to coordinate the effort of across the country. roads are out. there is the hot spot of war everywhere. we cannot move children. so it may be a month, it may be too. in the interim, we need to get food to them, we need to get supplies, medicines. today we've got to go get in line, it will be hours in line to get medical supplies and we have to go over and do that. and we know that this is the same story across the country. >> we have not even talked about the long term psychological effects that this is going to have on these kids that are already on the fringes of society, doing gods work, mark edward, thank you so much. >> thank you, abundant center national dot org. >> still had everybody, a closer look at the impact to russia's economy. just how much the ripple could tumble ahead. plus, we are joined as i mentioned by congressman john garamendi, a member of the armed services committee who says that this invasion could mean the end of putin's regime, you're watching nbc, we'll be

right back. watching e some potato skins. theyyyy're loooaded! right back turns out, michael buffer speaks like that all the time. and it turns out the general is a quality insurance company years. and in this corner, coconuuuut shriiiiiimp! for a great low rate, and nearly 60 years of quality coverage - make the right call - and go with the general. let's get rrready for garlic breeeaaad!

at xfinity, we live and work make the right call - and go with the general. in the same neighborhood as you. we're always working to keep you connected to what you love. and now, we're working to bring you the next generation of wifi. it's ultra-fast. faster than a gig. supersonic wifi. only from xfinity. it can power hundreds of devices with three times the bandwidth. so your growing wifi needs will be met. supersonic wifi only from us... xfinity. >> welcome back everybody.

russia is facing gracing fall over the invasion of ukraine. the russian ruble has plunged 30% against the dollar as of this morning. as the u.s. and its allies are placing its toughest sanctions yet on to moscow and some western businesses are cutting ties with russia as well. including british energy giant bp which off-loaded its nearly 20% stake in a russian controlled oil company. vp saying that russia's military action represents a fundamental change, that will have tragic consequences across the region. let's get into. joining me now, cbs anchor had to gamble. hardly, good to see. talk me through this. this is exactly what nato wanted, with the eu countries wanted, with the united states wanted as well. when it came to these sanctions. squeezing the russian economy. we've seen what sanctions like this have done to economies like iran.

russia has a much bigger economy obviously as you know than iran does. so is this predicted so quickly? the fall of the ruble and what is to come from that? >> listen he has been, they predicted the biggest, strongest, most egregious sanctions in modern history. and that is exactly what they have come through with. at this point, but we've been tracking for the last 20 minutes or so, since the start of trade, the most significant collapse of the russian ruble against the u.s. dollar in modern history. and we are talking about 30% since the top of the hour. just to walk you through some of the things that we are seeing at the russian central bank, that they are trying. as emergency managers. they are essentially saying that they're going to have a 20% rate hike. that is to combat inflation, to be an attempt to stem, what we are seeing happening with the currency. also announcing, buying brokers essentially from off-loading or allowing sell orders for foreigners. if you're holding russian assets at this point, you are

not going to be able to get rid of the. at this action with the russian central bank is saying. as you mentioned, already we are seeing the largest foreign director investment in this country, bp, deciding to can take a step back to divest itself of 20% of loss. that is the state oil, or state backed oil company. this is really significant for this company. that knocks off like 2.7 billion dollars off of their profits from last year. that means that they are going to have to sell that at a loss. because it is a country right now, a toxic asset. who is going to buy? that you've got to take a step back and wonder how quickly we are going to see major international oil companies and international firms following suit. >> yeah. and it seems as if everything is changing day today and vladimir putin is certainly feeling the squeeze as well. the question is, whether or not the russian people are going to feel the squeeze, when they are going to feel the squeeze and what they're going to do about it. for now, we thank you. want to go to capitol hill everybody, where senate aide tells nbc news that house and senate members will get classified briefings on the situation in ukraine this

evening. this is coming as the biden administration is asking congress for more than six billion dollars in aid, to help ukraine's military and its people. with me now, california democratic congressman, who sits on the house arms services committee. we've got to start meeting this where. but i do appreciate you joining me at this evening. amidst all of that is happening. talk to me about this classified briefing that you will be receiving later on today. why are you wanting to hear? >> i would really be interested in following up on the conversation that you just had with your reporter. i believe that for a long time that putin's principal jeopardy are the people of russia and it's all about the bodies. the sanctions which are extremely important, very heavy, they go right after the oligarchs and obviously it is going to go after the russian people also. they've already been in the streets, and i've heard numbers

as many as 6000 have been arrested over the last four or five days. that is a very significant number. and the oligarchy are going to be in deep trouble. because they've just lost. their money was in rules. they've lost a third of the value of that. whatever assets they may have, wherever it may be in the world. those are frozen, and i hope eventually they would be called to skated. see all the rest. obviously, they are not going to be able to travel either. and the russian airspace all across europe has been shut down, including canada. so all of this is going to add up. it lies right there. we will see what happens. and i would suspect that his generals are mightily concerned about what they have been asked to do in ukraine. i don't suppose they really enjoy taking out their brothers and sisters in those cities across the country of ukraine. >> we are hearing reports of

russian military inside of ukraine not even necessarily knowing what their mission is there. with their motive is for invading ukraine as you mentioned. the brothers and sisters of people that speak the same language as them. some of them people that look like them. not necessarily knowing what the endgame is for them. >> when we talk about the russian response to these sanctions. it is worrying. >> activating the nuclear forces, putting them on high alert, how worried are you about that? >> i would be worried about anything about the word nuclear. a nuclear war would be the endgame. not for ukraine, but for the world itself. and so when putin talked about this, not exactly what he is up to. he is probably talking about the tactical nuclear weapons, which are to be used on a

battlefield. but you look at that, you go, just where you're going to use these nuclear weapons on the battlefield. it's not going to be in ukraine, is that going to be one of the cities of ukraine. or is he threatening nato. a threat to nato is just something that he should never go there. because that would set off a nuclear war. and that is the end. so >> what is he talking about? i don't mean to jump in here. but that is exactly what i was thinking. because it seems as if hearing that he was elevating his nuclear forces or putting them on alert, he said that it was in direct response to what he was hearing from nato forces, from the west as well. so wasn't even necessarily about ukraine or the leadership in ukraine. or volodymyr zelenskyy, it was in direct response it's aims to these crippling sanctions that russia is now feeling pretty immediately. and that it seems more

worrisome than anything. >> there are several reasons that he may be putting this forward. certainly, the nato nations are responding to the russian threat. bp, nato, military, facilities in the eastern european area. estonia, latvia, lithuania, romania and bulgaria as well as poland. those are defensive. now those are offensive. not one of those soldiers, not one of those guns or rockets would be offensively used against russia. now if russia wants to get in to any of those countries, then those are for that fencing. with regards to ukraine, europe, european union and nato countries are providing armaments, military support, financial support, humanitarian support, to ukraine.

now if he is trying to stop that and he is threatening nuclear weapons to stop that, that is really strange. that he would attempt to do that. and i think that it basically is a effort to try to back nato off of both of its defensive posture, as well as the support for ukraine. that is not going to happen. the entire world is determined to help ukraine. it is not just europe, it is not just nato or america. it seems as though, vladimir putin has made a lot of miscalculations. especially with the economy to nato response, the west response to his invasion into ukraine. for now, congressman, i'm sure i'm gonna talk to you again. soon thank you. but try and get some sleep. still ahead, everybody, we're going to bring down why putin's point down new color forces. high alert. what it means.

you're watching msnbc reports. reports.

the insurance company enwasn't fair.ity y ca i didn't know what my case was worth, so i called the barnes firm. llll theararnes rmrm now the best result possible. ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪

i d d so my y quesonons eouout hicacase.y y son, ♪ call one eight hundred, cacalledhehe bars s fillion ♪ i d d soit was the best call eouout hii could've made. call the barnes firm all right, so the united states and find out what your case all could be worth.uld've made. ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪

is saying russian president, vladimir putin, is unnecessarily escalating intentions that would order the russian nuclear force us to go on high alert. want to made that new color threat of the ukrainian military and civilian slowed down the forces in ukraine. we've got some new satellite photos taken on sunday. it appears to show a convoy about three miles long of hundreds of russian ground forces headed in the direction of kyiv. now, the convoy was approximately 40 miles away from the capital city when these photos were taken on sunday morning. i want to bring in retired colonel nbc news military medal standing of honor. as always, colonel it's great to talk to you about the stuff. and i want to talk first about the satellite images before of course we get to that conversation about the new color forces. because i am perplexed to the

fact that these images were taken sunday morning, right? along three miles long from the capital city. and yet it seems like the ukraine forces have stood been able to escape off the russian army, the russian military from taken over the capital of the city. how long does it take a convoy like this to actually move, colonel? >> well, it depends on the terrain. even a straight line like you are showing on the overhead is going to take quite a long period of time. and the real question is how they're going to start again and work backwards. where are they going, what are they going to do when they get there? so if they're actually going to deploy, it is going to take forever -- it's going to take a long time for that column to get into whatever position it is going to deploy into. i can't imagine that they are going to put all those vehicles inside give among other things. vehicles, particular armored

vehicles are ill suited to combat a herman territory. anybody who spent any time fighting in a built up area will tell you exactly the same thing. by the way, including the russians who have plenty of experience fighting in urban territory during the second world war when they defended we [inaudible] against the nazi. so the only thing that i could think of is that they're going to deploy them probably, to the east or west of kyiv. in order for them to continue south so that they can link up with horses that may eventually come from the north, coming from crimea. but it is going to be difficult to do that because once they get around kyiv they are going to encounter what we hope is a very large number of anti tank weapons wilted by the ukrainian army. so, the real short answer is, a long time. it's going to take them a long time to deploy these forces.

>> two things i want to get to, colonel, while i have you quickly here. first of all the last estimation that we got the last hours that we got when it came to the russian military was the mast military on the border for the invasion happen. we were around 190,000 members of the russian military at that moment. just give me a sense of the ukrainian military. how large their forces are. of course, we've heard anecdotally about people taking up arms. they have asked men 18 to 16 years of age to take up arms. the stain. fight we know they are there. but what is the force, the strength of the ukrainian military the will follow up with of course the question of the high alert of nuclear forces that putin has now instituted what that means. >> well, the ukrainian army is about 250,000 people. that includes everybody. not the reserves. but they're active army.

and some of the reserves who are attached to the active army does not include the people who we were talking about. the average citizens who are issued, 20,000 small arms to defend the country. the russian forces we are about, we think, 195,000. a lot of those are support. they will not be seen in the battle inside ukraine. nevertheless, the russian force is extremely walled are, well equipped and will trained. the ukrainian army is less so. it is not a fair fight. it is certainly not an even fight. one of the reasons why nato is talking about shipping high class weapons like anti tank missiles and surface to air anti aircraft weapons in order to defend the ukrainians, they better hurry. because they need to get them to the ukrainian army before the russians start moving south

into the country. i think that they can do. it but that would decidedly change the balance of power inside of the country if the ukrainians have large numbers of the first class and detects and anti aircraft weapons. and with respect to the nukes a lot of people say it's saber-rattling. it may very well be an indication that putin cannot figure out what to do what to say. but most people think that it is an attempt to scare nato into not imposing the kind of strict economic structures that we have. yasmin? >> yes, which by the way is what we know is not going to happen. colonel, jack jacob, thank you so much for your analysis on. this is still ahead, everybody, hundreds and thousands of ukraine's are feeling the country seeking refuge in nearby countries. we are going to talk to an official with the un refugee agency. stationed at the border of ukraine in poland next. you're watching msnbc reports. we'll be right back. msnbc reports. we'll be right back.

all right, welcome. but since russia started its invasion of ukraine about 360,000 ukrainians applied across the border to neighboring countries. this is according to the un. one of those numbers of poll. insane it's preparing to accept about 1 million refugees. take a look at the lines here at that border. people waiting up to 40 hours

to make it into poland. nbc's correspondent is live in poland. ellison i know you just spoke with the ukrainian who just crossed the border. what did they tell you? >> yes. you can see let me show you what we are seeing. more families with small children have come through this morning. they are helping this family get into this car, presumably to take them to another area. just a minute ago before we came out to talk to, you i met another family. they crossed into the border this morning, the youngest child they had, a baby, tatiana, one month old. i spoke to her older brother, he is 15. he said that his dad told him to take his mom, his young sisters and get them to safety so that he could stay behind and fight serve. but he told them it was not safe and he wanted his 15-year-old son to take care of his mom and their children. listen to what he told us.

>> my dad left and our family split up. >> how old are you? >> 15. i don't cry at all, but the situation has just broke me. and i say to all presidents, all politician, help ukraine. if you don't want to send military, just more sanctions. >> when i asked his mom where it was like for her as a mother to see her children experiencing all of this. she said that not only was she terrified for her children's safety when she was doing the bombs, but then making it here, which it took them days by the way. she was terrified, because it is so cold. and you look at that baby, how

small she is, how unsafe these conditions are. to be out on the road, not knowing when you can get a meal, when you can get gas. but this was their only option to get to safety. and now her 15 year old son was tasked with not only getting them out of a country at war, but also making sure that there are safe over here. they are going to stay with a relative that is about 20 minutes from here. but that is just one example, one family of the thousands of refugees. the thousands of children, now being told that they have to help care for their families. he has been? >> alison, it is so heartbreaking. that 15 year old boy. he should just be thinking about what he is going to be for school at launch tomorrow. shouldn't be thinking about the realities of having to take care of his family or what is going to happen to his dad. and the images that you paint for us of that one month a year old child. thank you alison for that. i want to bring in chris smells near from the un refugee agency. he is at the border between

ukraine and poland as well. chris, thank you for joining us. you just heard from our correspondent on the ground there. painting an awful picture of this family fleeing ukraine for safety. children having to help take care of their families because their fathers are having to stay behind. over 300,000 displaced ukrainians. possible refugees, going across the border. would've been seeing and experiencing on the ground there and what is next for so many of these families,? >> the figures are higher meanwhile. we are talking about 420,000 ukrainians who have left the country. and a same story like your colleague was probably just around the corner from here. the refugees are telling us the same story. they are waiting for 40 hours, even more, in long lines of cars. 10:15 miles year at the border. and indeed, almost all only women and children, sometimes very small children, babies. they are here. they are refugees.

sometimes it is pedestrians. because the husbands, the fathers, they stay behind. and at least they know that their wives and children are here in safe and pull. >> it seems as if the country as well, poland, committing to receiving 1 million refugees from ukraine it seems like europe has its arms open right now to your ukrainian refugees as they are seeking safety. christmas in there for now, thank you, thank you for the work that you are doing. still ahead, a warning from the world health organization about medical supplies in ukraine. you're watching msnbc reports. watching msnbc reports.

>> welcome back. according to the world health organization, trucks are unable to transport oxygen to health care centers, putting thousands of additional lives at risk. the agency called for a safe transit corridor, to help

restore supplies. joining me now to talk about this, doctor vin gupta, pulmonologist and faculty member at the health metrics and evaluation at the university of washington. he also serves as a critical care aerospace position for the u.s. air force reserve medical board. doctor gupta, as always, it is good to see you, thanks for joining us and staying with us. i think we kind of first want to get to some of the basic needs that corner, especially during a time of war as we are seeing what's taking place on the ground in ukraine. >> is mean, thank you for having me and good morning. there are multiple i should say for your viewers, ukraine is a country's only 35% fully vaccinated. as of today, and a worldwide pandemic, hundred 15,000 cases of estimated infections just today. that is pretty high for ukraine in terms of the last two and a half years. coming off of an omicron peak. you have that context, to the baseline of what health looks like in a wartime situation.

access to warm clothing. hypothermia is a big risk factor here. warmth is in short supply. clean water, hygiene, those basic issues. it is a really dicey here. the civilian death toll is dramatically underestimated, because of all of these risks. and that the international community can do. i would say number one, more testing across the country. should be donated immediately. for the specific purpose of determining who should get access to the antiviral from pfizer. i call on pfizer at this moment to donate as much of the pre-allocated supply for the western world nation that have accumulated that drug. the early supply to ukraine. get some of that. they are the intervention that

will -- and safe passage of oxygen. from nato allied countries. those are some basic things that can be done right now to save lives. >> so much more complex obviously. dealing with this war. the lack of medical supplies during a time in which we are in the midst of a pandemic. doctor vin gupta, as always, we thank you and. congratulations on that little baby of yours. coming up in our next hour, we are live in ukraine in moscow. the latest on talks between ukrainians and russians expected to take place later today. you're watching msnbc reports, we'll be right back. you're watching msnbc reports, we'll be right back.

after my car accident, wondnder whahatmy c cas. so i called the barnes firm. i'm rich barnes. youour cidedentase e woh than insurance offered? call the barnes firm now to find out. yoyou ght t beurprpris call the barnes firm now when that car hit my motorcycle,

yoyou ght t beurprpris insurance wasn't fair. so i called the barnes firm, it was the best call i could've made. call the barnes firm now, good morning everybody, i am and find out what your case could be worth. ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million yasmin vossoughian, at msnbc. we are continuing live coverage of the russian invasion. five days after russian forces entered ukraine, ukrainian forces are still holding on to control of the capitol in kyiv. british defense officials are saying that russian forces are still roughly 20 miles outside of their city. their advance is being slowed down but ukrainian resistance and logistical failures. the ukrainian government is saying that there have been new explosions in. keith and in the instant seat

-- they said that officials broke into the city only to be repelled by ukrainian troops. as the fighting is continuing, russian president vladimir putin is raising the stakes of this conflict immensely. putting the deterrent forces on high alert after the un security council approved a special section of the un general assembly later today to discuss russians invasion. the un ambassador blasted the russian presidents move. we >> this is another escalatory and unnecessary step that threatens us all. we urge russia to tone down this dangerous rhetoric regarding nuclear weapons. >> so, it looks like sanctions aimed in hurting the russian economy are actually starting to have an immediate effect. russians currency, the rubble has seen a huge dropping against the u.s. dollar today.

the eu has also closed off its airspace to russian jets. the european union has also taken a huge step as a block of sending weapons to ukraine. >> well, for the first time ever, the european union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to a country that is under attack. this is a water shipment. >> president biden is going to hold a secure call with u.s. allies and partners today to discuss the latest development in response to the crisis in ukraine. this is happening as ukraine's president authorizes a delegation of ukrainian officials to meet with russian officials at the border between ukraine and belarus for talks in ending the war. but he does not expect there to be any kind of breakthrough. with me now, to start off my coverage this hour, i have in this -- matt bradley on the road in eastern ukraine. also msnbc correspondent raf sanchez in moscow for us.

rat, let me start with you. because i just talked about the extreme fall of the rubble of the ruble in moscow. and i think the question here that i was speaking about heavily is when and if the russian people will be dealing with. it are they already feeling it? what's the response on the ground that you are hearing and seen? >> yasmin, ordinarily russians are waking up this monday morning and they're watching the value of their currency collapse before their eyes. and people here are terrified about what this means for their savings. middle class people who have nothing to do with vladimir putin's war think that they are going to get wiped up like this. and they may very well be. this has the potential to be a date of real economic carnage. i don't need to be alarmed but the eu's financial regulator is warning this morning that the european arm of one of russia's largest banks looks like it may

be on the brink of collapse. and it is still early here. this could get a lot worse over the course of the day. so, there is a lot of alarm. ordinary people have been able to get their hands on dollars over the last couple of days are trying to do so to shield themselves from this. but nobody on the ground, in the kremlin, know where this is going right now. yasmin, let him and putin had a plan for this. since 2014 he has been stockpiling foreign currency reserves to try and prop up the rubble in exactly the situation. but what he did not anticipate was that there would be such tough sanctions on the russian central banking. and that means that they are not able to access that financial war chest that he's buildup. so, there's very little to the russian government to be able to do for the ruble win except raising interest rate. but i will tell, you it is not calm on the streets of moscow right.

now >> i have to say we raf sanchez i was thinking about this in the last hour with colonel jack jacobs. it seems that vladimir putin has made a few miscalculations when it comes to this invasion of ukraine. and what the west and nato would do and would not do. and what the eo would do and would not. do it seems as though especially when it comes to energy right now, he didn't necessarily expected them to level the type of sanctions they have so far because he felt as if there was going to be a domino effect that the european union was not necessarily willing to take. right? that they weren't willing to take that risk. but now they have. so, the question, is will he change course because of these harsh sanctions? we >> yes. that is the 600 billion dollar question. right? the point of these sanctions is not to destroy the russian economy. it is not to hurt ordinary people. it is to change vladimir putin's mind and get him to pull his forces out of ukraine.

but i don't think anybody knows whether it is going to work or not. it is not at all clear right now how much flood him or putin 's receptive to the pain that his people are feeling. we don't even really know, yasmin, what kind of picture he is getting from his advisors. we talked before about what a small circle he's surrounded with right now. how remote the russian leader is from his people. if you ask some of the analysts here in moscow, they'll tell you he's kind of remote from reality right now. it is not obvious looking at him that this man who has led russia for 22 years is releasing the picture clearly. so we just don't know, you know how these sanctions are going to impact his thinking. whether he will pull back. he has some cards to play. you know, the russian government has threatened to cut off energy supplies from your. that has the potential to be really devastating. but it also will hurt the

russian economy even more. because at this point energy supplies are really their only way of raising dollars. so it's all in the kremlin's court right now. >> raf sanchez, think you. >> matt bradley, you're on the road surveying the area. talk to me about what you are seeing. >> yes, well, this is a situation where we just. love you are seeing us hurdling across ukraine. we are headed towards the west because we had some sirens yesterday and we spent a lot of time in an underground parking garage. we kind of felt like we couldn't really do a lot of work. there so now we're headed west where it's a bit safer. and we feel like we [inaudible] >> it seems like if we had just lost matt bradley. that is the realities on the ground there. raf sanchez as we try to get

him back, let's talk about about this meeting at the belarus border from the ukrainians -- the ukrainian president has essentially said, we are going to do. it we are gonna spector needing to come up to it but they have to do everything i can to try to achieve a cease fire after this invasion. what is the reality coming out of moscow right now at the top when it comes to this meeting at the border? >> yes, so jasmyn, it has not been clear at any point that this offer talks from moscow is being made in good faith. and if there's any serious possibility of negotiating pieced right now. if you look at the composition of the delegation, that vladimir putin has sent to belarus. it tells you a lot. these are not high-ranking security officials. these are not top commanders. these are not top intelligence people. these are not his top advisers. so, it is not a dull obvious

that these people are truly empowered to negotiate on behalf of the kremlin. so, we are going to see president zelenskyy we. really don't know the format of this meeting. we road really know the agenda. but i don't really think anybody here has any major expectations that this is going to lead to some kind of announcement later today. and that we might see a silencing of the gun in ukraine. >> all right, i think we have matt bradley back. so i'll go back to matt who is traveling west. matt, if i have you, pick up where you left off. for what you're seeing on the ground there, the realities that ukrainians are facing and what you have faced for you and your team in the last 24 hours or so. >> he has, yasmin, i'd love to tell you all of that. but we are approaching a checkpoint here. and things are very jittery. so it's probably not a good idea for us to be life on camera with you.

with these people who are going to be checking our documents right now. >> right, we can appreciate that. matt bradley. thank you. again, the realities of what we are all dealing with on the ground. there we will be right back everybody. will be right bac everybody.

it's time for the ultimate sleep number event on the sleep number 360 smart bed. what if i sleep hot? ...or cold? no problem, the sleep number 360 smart bed is temperature balancing so you both sleep just right. and it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. so, you can really promise better sleep? yes! you'll know exactly how well you slept, night after night. we take care of the science. all you have to do is sleep. don't miss the final days to save 50% on the sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. welcome back everybody. plus, 0% interest for 48 months on all smart beds. ends monday.

i want to go back to ukraine. where we find our correspondent, matt bradley, who we were just speaking to driving west and just passed through a checkpoint. matt, we have you back. now hoping you got through the checkpoint safely. it seems as if you all have. so talk to me now. let's try. third times the charm. tell me about what you're seeing and experiencing there. >> yes, thank you for your patience on that one. we just didn't have the camera rolling while we were going through. we had some jittery times with some of the officials here. this was not that case.

we were waved through pretty easily. it was fine. we didn't even have to show our documents. though we had them ready. so, what we saw there was military personnel going up and down. they had a whole set up with the barricade. but this time they just waved us through. i have to tell you, yasmin, there is a newfound confidence in this battle, monday morning, the weekend is over. we saw this comment from a facebook post. we there was a palpable sense of victory and relief because everybody in the world felt that ukraine would crumble over the overwhelming force presented by the military as it went into ukraine. and that is not the case. that's not the case for days later. we are now well into the fifth day of this fight. and he said, you know, we are four days in 96 hours. we are now 101 hours into this war. and, the russian military has not made its way, really, into

any of the major cities who are taking much of the urban territory that they thought they would up in the first hours. so, this is something that you can steal this from the minister of defense. he was saying, within his remarks, as my colleague was raf sanchez saying from moscow, the sort of the calgary has appeared on the horizon. here and it's such a relief to the ukrainians. because they're sitting in a united front for all of europe. so even if they might not have expected, just as extended, and as we raf sanchez notes we it is such a united front, on an economic level on the geo political level. that is something that is such a relief to the ukrainians. in another facebook post with just how much the russians have. loss and i have to tell yasmin, some of the stuff is hard to believe. the ukrainians say that they have killed 5300.

the u.s. lost 4300 in iraq during 18 years fighting in iraq as opposed to now, 43 -- sorry 5300 ukrainians that they have killed all of russian troops. so it's hard to know whether the stats are true. a dozens of fighter jets. down you know a lot of this stuff deserves some skepticism. but this is what we're hearing from the ukrainians. and they are crowing this morning about their victories on the battlefield. >> matt bradley, we'll let you go back to. getting to a safer ground for now. we thank you for your reporting on this. as we, said vladimir putin's decision to send troops into ukraine has sparked condemnation in europe and other parts of the world as well. calling it as matt just put it, the european cavalry. protests were held in a number of cities in the u.s. and europe this weekend. russia itself by the way. hundreds of people were arrested in demonstrations in

st. petersburg and other cities. with me now to talk more about this and the european response in general, is rick no, our correspondent for the washington post. rick, thank you for joining us on this. we appreciate. it let us pick up where matt left off. pull on that string a little bit. and that is what ukraine is calling the european cavalry. it seems as if, to europe, to a certain extent has not been able to unite over munch this days. it has been able to unite and come together and come to the rescue of arms, to economic response, to receiving refugees. without passports. pressure on the ukrainians for a change of course when it comes to the russian military and why? >> you are right. this is absolutely astonishing that we have seen over the last three days or so in here.

over the last years, there have been many warnings of rising russian aggression. but oftentimes, they were member states of the european union that were hesitant to cut off ties to prepare for a more risky or dangerous scenario. and one of those countries, perhaps the biggest obstacle, was germany. germany has very strong trade ties to russia, it has a long kind of partnership in a way with russia as well. and what we saw over the last two days though, has really been study. yesterday in berlin, over 100,000 people showed up in the ukraine. saying that the government is not doing enough to help ukraine. but they german government has made several pivots during the last few days. sending arms to ukraine. also going to break with tradition and increase its

defense budget. really significantly. and so those are all really study changes. and i've talked to experts over the watching for decades. they really stun as well. and the move for german chancellor olaf scholz, who wasn't even committed to unifying against moscow. for all of this began, and being criticized for that. especially because of germany's need and connection to the pipeline. but of course, it seems that germany and specifically the chancellor, changing course in their commitment. to unifying against vladimir putin. >> are there any outlying threats here that could cause a crack and we are seeing across europe? >> that is right. germany has made a pivot.

and i think that part of that is due to the public pressure. there is really a sense in berlin that the public has changed. that public opinion has changed. public opinion in germany was always an obstacle. because a lot of germans were frankly opposed to ruining that partnership with russia. to take a more aggressive stance. and i guess that is also the biggest question mark. public support, going to remain in stronger action for anything. is that at some point you're going to shift back again, compelling lawmakers in germany to make a u-turn. and once again, not increased defense spending or send weapons to ukraine. but for now, it does appear as though there has been a fundamental shift that is also having a ripple effects. across the european union saying yesterday that it will fund the purchase and delivery of arms to an active war zone.

but >> rick, we appreciate. it with me now to take a closer look. former advisor turned former georgian president molly got just really. >> three in the morning, i know. >> three in the morning. you are seems these days, my putin whisper. i appreciate you staying up to talk about this. i wanted to talk to you about, the raising of the nuclear states the idea that he is on this tear who he is talking to. this reactionary measure of high alert to the nuclear forces of the sanctions level against moscow. seeing the markets opening their. what do you make of it? but on the nuclear threat, i think it is really putin's

attempt to gain control of the narrative. ukrainians are taking a ton of moment enough him, in terms of the information domain, the physical fight. and i think by threatening the big nuclear threats that he loves to make his point, but he is trying to keep us from continuing forward with the unity in the west and hard economic measures for what he is doing. but and unity inside nato for putting forward arms for the alliance on the eastern front. but providing aid to the ukrainians and i think for the most part it's distraction he wants to talk about the nuclear threat, instead of the fact that we are helping the ukrainians fight.

and so, i guess the follow-up here is, what else do we foresee him doing. especially when it comes to the unity that we are seeing now. this renewed strength within nato. and also the european union? >> i think that they will continue to try to recreate, re-divide, some of these political lines that existed only we could go within the alliance. and ashley right now, it seems like the europeans as a whole are more collective and forward leaning. the united states is maybe a couple behind catching up on things. i think that sounds a really big message to the kremlin. where you thought the americans were going to be the one being strong and the europeans were going to be the ones dragging behind, and actually it's the other way around. and i think that is the big psychological thing. and i think that you know,

these are critical. putin will either try to escalate the war in a way that becomes less fun to watch on twitter, less fun to root for the ukrainians. , or understand that it is going to be a long bloody bug downgraded war. one is less interesting to watch. and roads overtime. and one of those two things will happen. where he will try to make one of those two things happen. but i think right now, obviously, the ukrainians have momentum. they have to not get over confident, but i think that it is clear that they had a real strategy here that they are pushing forward. and the question that i'm asked a lot, and i don't know the answer, so i'm going to pose it to you. what would get vladimir putin to stop? because he is going to have to quote on quote when somehow. there's no way he's going to back off of the same, if he doesn't feel that he has a win in his mind.

or a win on the world stage. >> i think we're so used to thinking this way and talking about it this way, that for 15 years now, we have kept ourselves in a box in terms of how we are considering our options in dealing with russia. through the invasion of georgia, the attack on estonia, the attack and crimea, the annexation of crimea, war in eastern ukraine. through all of the stuff that russia has done in syria and everything else, we keep telling ourselves, where putin has to win. and ukrainians are trying to show us what they did in their last eight years. and losing for them is not winning the short quick war that they said they were going to win. and waiting for the ukrainians is just not losing. and so i think that we have to understand this momentum shift and try to understand a way to change the dynamic between the west and russia to and the constant cycle of aggression.

and i think conceptualizing duffy is something that we've not done so long and the ukrainians are trying to give us a window. >> as always, i thank you. i've got a lot of comments on that samurai sword behind your head. >> it was a gift from my dad. it's sort of a joke. but, you know, what are you gonna do. >> making an appearance in these overnight live shots, molly, thank you for your brilliant analysis. coming up everybody, as hundreds of thousands of ukrainians flee, how the u.s. should be prepared to help, you are watching msnbc reports. are watching msnbc reports

i can't. ah, my toes! turns out, it is hard walking a mile in someone else's shoes. and it turns out the general is a quality insurance company that's been saving people money for nearly 60 years. i gotta go, ah. for a great low rate, and nearly 60 years of quality coverage, go with the general. welcome back everybody.

the u.s. state department announced that the u.s. will give nearly $54 million in humanitarian assistance. as the un is saying the number of people fleeing ukraine has skyrocketed. more than 300,000 people have

already left. the union has says it needs to prepare for millions of refugees. this is a lighter look at the ukrainian polish border where people are crossing. they're looking for help. nbc news is correspondent is in poland and spoke to some of the people leaving ukraine. let's watch. >> a car packed with a lifetime of memories. a mother pushing her baby while pulling her belongings. the heartbreak and hard reality of war. the un says 100,000 ukrainians have fled their homes. this supermarket, a shelter. showed thrilled thousands walking and waiting for hours at border crossings here in poland. >> it was very chaotic. many people walking because cars were filling the roads. i saw fathers carrying babies in their arms. and then the men were turned away because they cannot leave the country. >> kathy gold lived in ukraine

for 29 years. her life, now packed into two suitcases. >> another told me she feared for her children walking six miles with her young twins and ten-year-old son to get here. >> do you feel safe now? >> yes. >> two others from north carolina were due to fly out with her little girl just days old on thursday when they heard the airport had been bombed. >> definitely the scariest day of my life. absolutely just trying to make sure that she got to safety. that we both got to safety. >> some men were told that they can't leave. but some are rushing to get back into ukraine. like these brothers in their 50s. >> this is my country. i love ukraine. >> going back to fight alongside with this former [inaudible] in the ukrainian army. >> do you think ukraine can win this fight? >> i think so, i am dying for

my country. >> but, so many more tonight are trying to leave ukraine. the united nations estimated that there could be 5 million refugees. >> thanks to kelly cobiella for. that joining me now is michael prosecute, a senior fellow at the atlantic council. and an msnbc national affair analysts. michael, let me start with you. your navy, viable eve. it is morning. there it seems every night there are more sirens going off. there is more to be here. more destruction. what are you experiencing and hearing on the ground there? >> sure. good to be with you. yasmin yesterday, we went to slave a tube. it's been a long time as a result for ukraine and missile strikes in belarus. and then this morning, i am here next to a big church and we woke up to the sound of

church choir musing, praying for. ukraine so that gives you an indication of a kind of a motion rollercoaster that goes on your back. but at the, moment this is the biggest ukrainian city closest to the polish border. however, this is a transit point for a lot of migrants, who of course, marshall crossing the border. and also my big fear is given the cultural political significance someone with a twisted mine like mr. putin could see a striker as a win. something like. that there is a lot of cultural artifacts here. kind of like a museum. and that is a big. fear that he would like to strike at the heart of ukraine. which is right. here right before he's done with ukraine. >> i know that your husband is a journalist. he left ukraine. what was that experience like for him? >> my husband was actually saying that he met michael at the keep a couple of weeks ago.

and the reason that he left was because they didn't think that this would happen. when he was there he was saying that he was going out to dinner he, was meeting ukrainians the motions were tense. but they didn't expect this to happen. at least that's what he was telling me. it was sunday, and about two days, later that's when the war started. it's been a really saddening sight to see. it's been a terrifying sight to see. and honestly, i've done my research on refugees. i've written a novel on refugees. i recently researched with. them i followed the 2013 crisis. and, now watching this happen, again, in another part of the world is devastating. it was devastating in 2015, it is devastating. today we are seeing families torn apart. again we are seeing babies being pushed on strollers on the sides of roads, again. in 2022, 2015. it is criminal that this is

happening. it shouldn't be like. this it shouldn't be like this in europe. it shouldn't be like this in the middle east. and the fact that it's going on today, still, it's just heartbreaking to watch as we saw on kelly's report. >> yes, i mean, the difference though atia abati, as we were seeing in the. passed europe was not welcomed. they're closing out their borders. this is different. these countries committing to welcoming these refugees, pulling for its defense, i just mentioned, they're committed to welcoming them into their country and beyond that. >> yes, yasmin, you're absolutely right. i am very happy to see them welcoming these refugees. but i also remember the images, for instance the right-wing journalist tripping a father who was carrying his son.

tripping a ten year old, nine year old syrian girl. i'm glad to see that that's not happening at the moment but we have to remember that this is just the first five. days yes, we are seeing a difference, and i believe in the way that they are treating this because of skin tone and religion. it's very unfortunate. but i also think that as time goes by we are probably around 400,000 refugees at the moment. the numbers might go up to 5 million. i think that we're going to see some xenophobia growing. i hope it's not going to be like what we saw with the syrians. because it was devastating to watch. >> yes, and i wonder michael, about resources. because we're seeing these countries welcoming these refugees. some without passports. there are some without documentation. right? but then what's next? >> right. >> how do they restart their lives. and then for how long. how long will this work go on

inside of ukraine. and how long will they be able to sustain their lives outside of ukraine in these countries? >> yes, exactly. in fact, most of the refugees are in fact well resources refugees. they have cars, belongings, and stuff like that. i noticed that right here on the streets of the city, people are going towards the border with much fewer. means meaning, their needs are going to be a lot greater. the un figures are already around half 1 million. i think that's grossly underestimated. i think the un -- there are a couple of, things that i think are needed given that the congestion of the border is up to 40 hours of a. wait i think the united states can put gentle pressure on kyiv to loosen up those exit controls. creation of a humanitarian corridor. so that people can go at a lot of a faster. right the temperatures at night really plummet.

that could mean illness or that's for a lot of people trying to get across. yes. and the other thing that i noticed for a first time because i do get calls from ukrainians that cross, these are people who are not exactly in bad shape but they are telling me that they have credit cards and democrats that are not working. so what is needed immediately, is that humanitarian push to get things of people who had to experience -- finally, a migrate or refugee sentiment program are pushing for the government of canada. we shall remember, ukrainians are among the most hardworking, educating, innovated and talented people meant the world. they have a feature as well. and it so happens and other countries we have a lot of vacancies for. drop and this could be a win-win situation for both. >> michael bociurkiw and atia abawi, i thank you both.

still ahead, he's led forces through disasters and war. we are going to ask a general how he thinks the forces are fearing against the russians, next. you're watching msnbc. next you're watching msnbc.

all right, so vladimir putin is now under intense pressure by a new wave of sanctions. and he's taken a dramatic step at ordering the deterred forces

to go on high alert. putin made that nuclear threat of the ukrainian military have in fact slowed down russian forces on the ground in ukraine. and, russian forces are also facing shortages of fuel and supply that could further impact their ability to make even more progress. joining me now is retired lieutenant general, 33 commander of the first army. general, we welcome you and we're so happy to have you. thank you for staying up with us. i guess we first want to get your reaction to this high alert raised by russian president when it comes to new color floors and to the sanctions leveled by both the west and the european union. >> that was very interesting. russian had an army about 100,000 combat troops. and he's got about the best he has. about a third of them committed in ukraine right now.

on the border there for him to raise the flags, he's trying to remind the world that he is a nuclear power. challenger figure out what he's doing, he's a thug. breaking all protocols that had been previously established during the cold war. and in this hour of desperation. when's troops are stuck trying to get into kyiv, he pulls out the silver bullet, which is talking about nuclear weapons. and his alert status. and he knows that the u.s. and nato allies are always prepared. because we watch them 24/7, three 65. because we cannot be the first ones to accept a surprise strike for russia. so we are constantly rush. watching the systems in russia.

and for him to announce this, using those weapons as a terrorize to the rest of the world. as to how ugly this could get. i don't suspect he would use it. and i hope the russian army generals if you tried to do one of these shoot now responses. going to be up to the generals to take charge now. >> i'm trying to figure out and drill down on what exactly is slowing the russian military advance and ukraine. before the invasion, there were intelligence reports put out that literally the russian military could take kyiv in 24 hours. all we see that, point there is a renewed sense from inside the ukrainian government that they could possibly stave off a russian military, and we are hearing, that one of the reasons is the fiscal challenges. fuel shortages here, supply

shortages as well. coupling that with also the ukrainian military, ukrainian forces, ukrainian citizens, remaining behind to fight for their countries freedom and how different is that for an invading army. to secure these logistics, these supplies, and as they advance inside of the country. >> comes down to the will and scale of the ukrainian people. everybody from the president on down has the weapons that they could get them to. it's will and skill. will and skill on the ground. in urban areas as they are fighting. can overcome the power. which are meant for shock and awe. with a gun. with distance of up to a mile. the effects of a gun round, one

shot into urban areas. is this urban warfare? of which the russian army, like most armies, can get consumed in urban warfare and most of the doctrines up until it moved into iraq, and we saw what happened to the most powerful army in the world when we get into open warfare. and the ratio to be able to take on an army of two and 50, 000, it was off balance, running out of gas. and i'm worried about what was common last night and where it is. that's about 300 armored trucks and armored personnel carriers headed towards give. >> lieutenant general, we are always thankful to have you on this. still had everybody, where does china fit into the chaos of eastern europe, why it is not

criticizing russia on nbc. criticizing russia on nbc.

do you struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep? qunol sleep formula combines 5 key nutrients that can help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up refreshed. the brand i trust is qunol. >> so the ongoing invasion of

ukraine is testing the bond between china and russia. china has not joined the coalition between nations of sanctioning moscow, but china has not endorsed the ukrainian invasion either. she jinping and vladimir putin spoke on the phone on friday. she jinping called on all countries to quote, abandon a cold war mentality. and he expressed support when vladimir putin told him he would seek a negotiated resolution to the war. joining me now, nbc news correspondent janet mackie. it's good to see you on this. listen, there was an expectation that first and foremost, china would help moscow evade these sanctions. and secondly, they would in no way endorse the invasion of ukraine. for china's interest in taiwan. as they were watching this thing play out. and that has not happened as

yet, talk to us about that. >> well, beijing is trying to balance these ties that it has with moscow. with the potential blowback of those ties. and the costs of that relationship that seem to be rising every day. and there is no doubt that the relationship between beijing and moscow has deepened over the past decade or so. that these two men have been in power. vladimir putin and xi jinping consider themselves friends. she has called him a best friend before and officially there are not allies per se. but they do have common interests. namely that they are aligned in trying to confront nato expansion and also u.s. power. two men with a lot in common. and the difficulty with the leadership now is how far is willing to combat that relationship.

they had a pac that they unveiled at the beginning of the winter olympics here where putin was a very important guest at the opening ceremony. and it was a manifesto of sorts that declared there was no limits to the friendship. and china has not been declaring outright support for putin in this campaign. and for china, there is too much risk at hand for the economy. china needs its trade ties with the european union. it needs trade with the u.s. and it cannot afford to be caught up in the sanctions that are now being imposed on to russia. as matthew, fair thank you for that. janis mackey frayer great to see you. coming up in our next hour, we are going live to nato and moscow, russia attempts to take the city of kyiv. you are watching msnbc. ty of kyiv you are watching msnbc

good morning, everybody here at msnbc world headquarters in new york with our continuing live coverage of the russian invasion of ukraine. talks between ukraine and russia ending the five-day conflict are set to get under way at this hour on the border with belarus. ukraine's delegation just arrived. ukraine's president authorized that delegation that he will participate in the talks. he said he's not confident the meeting will accomplish

anything.