i am ayman mclean in new york, it's 11 pm, here earlier today, an effort to evacuate civilians was turned into chaos when russian forces allegedly violated a temporary cease-fire agreement. the new york times reported that its residents attempted to tie white flags, and cheats to their vehicles to show they pose no threat. but it seems the russian forces took no notice as the shelling proceeded. the move pushed the state department to call on all u.s. citizens, living or traveling

in russia to get out immediately. tonight, president biden spoke to president zelenskyy on the phone as we also learned that economic pressure on the kremlin increased with both visa and master card and announcing that they are suspending all operations inside. russia we're gonna break down all these developments and much more over the next hour, but first, i want to welcome cal perry who is on the ground in lviv. cal, it's good to have you with us again. i understand that thousands of ukrainian refugees continue to pour into lviv in for the past several days as they try to kiss your-scape russian attacks. how the city faring? >> excuse me, sorry. listen, it's seems that it's difficult to find any housing, certainly for refugees. the polish border is still choked at that point where people are leaving their cars. they're having to walk a dozen or so miles. that is an incredibly difficult scene. and you have these new alarm being sounded by the world food

programme, saying that 5 million people in this country are in need of immediate assistance. so you can start to see how the effects of this war are starting to reach further and further into the population. that fighting humans you mentioned around the city of mariupol, there was some hope that there could be some kind of humanitarian corridor where goods could get in, folks could get out. just imagine being in the city where i am in lviv, and still having relatives in places like mariupol, or in places in the north, where we know they're being bombarded. and that is what we're seeing here. we're seeing families being split off. we're seeing them and backed to the front, while families try to make their way to the polish border. some are having some success. some are having to find housing here. it's a growing concern. and it's also cold out here. we should mention in these outdoor refugee camps, it's been raining here. the ground is wet. it's a growing humanitarian concern on any number of fronts, from food to shelter, to just the sheer number of folks, amen. 1.2 million people have already left that country, and doesn't account for people that are already displaced. maybe folks that are still

trapped in the city's. >> all right, nbc's cal perry, live for us in lviv. cal, thank you so much for starting this off this hour. let's turn now to an alarming development, developing story i should note. two-time olympic gold medalist, and wnba star brittney griner has now been detained in russia. russian customs officials said that the phoenix mercury star was arrested on suspicion of alleged drug trafficking. those officials claim they detected cartridges containing hashish oil, were found in her luggage at an airport near moscow. for more, let's go to the story with kimberly on this. kimberly, good to have you with us. so understand that britney has been in russian custody for weeks, but we just learned about this today. can you catch us up on how all of this unfolded. >> today, was the day we saw the video showing brittany going to the sheremetyevo airport, and we see a dog

notices her luggage, and they have her check her luggage. so, from this video it looks like they're going through the cartridges. and, in another point, later on in the video, we see her signing documents. and we know we have no idea what these documents would say, or if brittney griner speaks or understands russian. but something beyond this, if you look at the original press service released, and they mention that she's been charged with not a misdemeanor, you know, marijuana possession charges. she's been charged in large scale transportation of drugs. she's facing a 5 to 10 year sentence, if convicted. so this is a very serious criminal case against brittney griner. and so we, think about this. we also have to remember that there are two other high-profile american cases in russia right now. ball wheel and who has been up to 16 years for espionage, and that happened in december 2018. and another athlete who is

facing nine years for an alleged assault of police officer from august 2019. both of these men are still in prison in russia. they both have been convicted. so there is a precedent here, and it is not a good precedent, in terms of brittney griner his case. >> the timing of all of this is obviously very curious. do you believe these are remotely legitimate charges, or is britney effectively held as a potential prisoner of sorts, by the russians, given the current climate that russia is in, with confrontation with america and the west? >> so this is where it is tricky. russia has very, very strict drug laws. some of these -- regular americans take every day, antidepressant, and to anxiety medication, you know, things like that. those are considered controlled substances in russia, and it is very difficult for foreigners to bring those in. so one thing is, she could have totally been using these substances, which are illegal in the united states, and she brought them to russia,

presuming that they're legal, and there aren't. that's one problem. the second problem is that trucking up charges. even if she didn't use this, this is not in any way, shape or form, enough to charge trafficking, which is essentially what is being charged with. so that makes it very particular, and very worrisome. because we don't know when exactly she was arrested and taken into custody. the film produced by the press service, it felt only in 22. that's the only information the russian government has given us publicly. so we don't know how long she's been here. we don't know if it was before the word started, or certainly after the war started. so all of this is really concerning. it is possible that she could be held as some type of leverage. >> all right, kimberley saint julian, thank you so much for joining us this evening. greatly appreciate it. joining me now, former deputy assistant secretary of state in the obama administration. david rohde, news editor at the new yorker and msnbc

contributor. which have both of you, gentlemen. john, i'm gonna start of you with this week. we saw the kremlin destroy -- independent press that existed in russia. that might have been prior to this week, and some are saying that that move along with the invasion of ukraine, completed putin's evolution from an authoritarian into a totalitarian. what do you make of that? >> ayman, i absolutely. it's a frightening transformation where martial law, potentially is gonna be called next inside of russia. to crack down on -- the russian state is solidifying itself, internally, and now is welling off from the external world. and getting communications in to russia is crucial for the united states and for the west, because we want the russian people to understand what it is that vladimir putin is doing in their name. there have been discussions in washington about this video, one potential way to get information in. because the cramped down is on, and it's deeply concerning for the russian people, hundreds,

if not thousands, being arrested for protests to this war. you're not allowed to call it a war, they go to prison for ten, 15 years, if they use that war word. so this is a very serious development, and something that is really unprecedented in putin's time. >> david, i'm sure you've seen the reports, certainly there have been some estimates in the west that putin and his generals had planned to capture ukraine in just a matter of days. clearly, that has not happened, and it's not going according to the plans. this war has now entered its second week, with no major city under russian control. certainly, you think of ukraine being divided between two major cities, including kyiv and kharkiv. how should we expect the conflict to change from here on out? >> i think we're gonna see a much larger refugee crisis. it's important for people to understand how large ukraine is, can terms of its population.

this 14 million people. that's twice the number of people in syria. and the number of people that have already fled ukraine, 1 million and a half, it's more than the number of people from syria who fled to europe over the course of many years in their conflict. mariupol it's a city where the cease-fire, it is surrounded now. it is 400,000 people. when i covered bosnia stereo, which was the purpose of this each there, 300,000 people. everything is exponentially larger in ukraine. and the un today said there could be as many as 10 million refugees flooding into europe. so i see a continued slow siege, and that's by war. but you're gonna have a growing challenge of debt by illness and starvation as well. >> yeah, this also comes in the middle of a pandemic, that is yet to be completely contained. joel, if putin really radically escalates attacks on civilians,

which is hard to imagine, given how barbaric his strategy has been, you know, so far. but if he radically escalates the violence, what tools does the west still have left to punish him, given the fact that we have spent so much currency already, to impose these economic sanctions within the first two weeks? >> ayman, there still are many tools available. there still are additional export control initiatives, sort of, the balking of technology transfer from the u.s. to russia that are on the table. they're still energy sanctions potentially out there. there is now this question of the no fly zone. and while that's off the table from the biden administration, certainly, president zelenskyy today, in his congressional briefing, talked about the idea of potentially poland, and other eastern flank nato countries, sending nixon other aircrafts into ukraine. so ukrainians could fly them.

so there's a lot still on the table. clearly, vladimir putin is feeling the heat. who wouldn't be cutting down on his country in such an aggressive way, if we don't understand that there are very weak links underneath him right now, in terms of what he's doing. but it is gonna still take some more time. to david's point, this is a lightning speed humanitarian crisis. over 1 million people have been displaced already, in just over a week, which is stunning. and the president just made a couple of days a supplemental funding, talks about up to 18 million ukrainians needing humanitarian assistance over the next three months. so this is extraordinarily fast, highly destabilizing. and so, these other tools that they're gonna probably have to be moving quickly to really move putin off in the direction that he's on. >> david, let me get your thoughts real quick on this. brittney griner story, pretty significant, but can you talk to me about the history of russia using detainees as a leverage?

>> as was mentioned, i think this is under outrageous. she is innocent. paul whale in and trevor reed, the americans convicted falsely of espionage are innocent as well. i was what's -- changed since the warren terrace and fill us for five years, is the americans being detained or seized, it was 80% terrace an insurgent groups. now it's 80 or 90% autocratic governments. this is what iran does, this is what north korea does. it is outrageous, it's wrong, it's shameful, it's another sign of putin's desperation. brittney griner is innocent. >> joel david, stick around for us we have a lot more to discuss. still ahead, the public health crisis developing in ukraine. plus, the race to flee as russian troops pushed closer to wards major urban areas. >> when i was leaving, i had to

take all my life in these bags. this is all my life. this is heartbreaking. well it's not because i love things, it's just, this is 68 years of my life in these bags. of my life in these bags ♪cold beer on a friday night♪ ♪a pair of jeans that fit just right♪ ♪and the radio up well i've seen the sunrise...♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's (man 1) oh, this looks like we're in a screen saver. get 5 boneless wings for $1 (man 2)any handcrafted burger. yeah, but we need to go higher. (man 1) higher. (man 2) definitely higher. (man 1) we're like yodeling high. [yodeling] yo-de-le-he... (man 2) hey, no. uh-uh, don't do that. (man 1) we should go even higher! (man 2) yeah, let's do it. (both) woah! (man 2) i'm good. (man 1) me, too. (man 2) mm-hm. (vo) adventure has a new look. (man 1) let's go lower. (man 2) lower, that sounds good. (vo) discover more in the all-new subaru outback wilderness.

love. it's what makes subaru, subaru. ♪ (jazz music) ♪ (thank you, have a nice day.) ♪ (trumpet solo) ♪ (bell dings) (pages slipping) ♪ ♪ ♪ (trumpet solo) ♪ ♪ ♪ (typing) (bell dings) ♪ ♪ (cheering ♪ ♪ (typing) ♪ ♪ ♪(trumpet solo) ♪

allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from ♪ ♪ overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! flonase all good.

>> let's now turn to romania, one of the main countries where ukrainians have fled. alasdair bankole has this report for us. let >> the stream of refugees crossing the border is almost constant and it's increasing all the time. it is snowing here, it is bitterly cold. but at least it's safe. almost everyone has left someone behind. decisions they will never forget. >> i will go to save my life, mom. i was crying and she told me

that maybe she will never see me again. >> for a few, there is sheer relief at being reunited with family. most though arrive dazed, and what's next. >> i hope we will win soon. the war will end and we come home again. >> mom! mom! then >> at the moment, the authorities here are coping. there is enough food, there is enough shelter. there is enough help. but what if the numbers double, triple, quadruple even? it's fair to say that the moment, the romanians have it sorted. it's a good operation, they move people here as quick as they can. there's food, hot food, drinks for them but, they process them, buses, free buses that bring them to towns and villages. that 8% more refugees yesterday then there was the day before

that. and there's already been more today again. on one side of the border, there are humans killing humans. just the other side, humans helping humans. there's something quite life affirming in the way eastern europeans are doing everything they can to look after their neighbors. a list of bungle, sky news, on the ukrainian romanian border. >> that was a sky news's reporter. and the casualties from russia's invasion of ukraine on just from comes and bombs. the nation was already dealing with a covid pandemic, before ukrainians were forced into closed glory doors, into trains, into bomb shelters, and even refugee camps, potentially, worsening the covid crisis in the region. what is more critical medications at hospital supplies are now running out, putting not just the war wounded at risk, but the ukrainians were underlying medical conditions such as diabetes as well. for more, we are joined by emergency medical physician,

doctor durrani. doctor, it's great to have you with us. so if we've seen in the past, and other conflict zones in the republic of congo, how the spread of the bola, and in syria, helped the spread of boil polio, how worried should we be that the war in ukraine could worsen the spread of covid-19? >> i appreciate you having me. look, pieces appear requisite for health. you can't run a health care system, you can have preventive medicine if you are being bombed. that just doesn't exist. on top of that, health care is a human right and that right does not exist when war starts. right now, the ukrainian people, their health is being attacked from a few different points. there's obviously the explosions and the bombings. that will lead to direct injuries. on top of, that as we mentioned, there is the covid-19 pandemic, and looking at vaccination rates in ukraine, fully vaccinated folks are under 40%. and that combined with tight quarters, because of how they are being evacuated, is going to lead to more cases. i wish i could say otherwise,

but that's what's going to happen. and then there is also a polio outbreak since the end of last year in ukraine and they were just ramping up a vaccination campaign around. that has stopped. that's a concern, and there are other things like tuberculosis and other communicable diseases that arise when you have mass migration ships. so there's going to be a lot in the frame and the thing we need to focus on this a safe humanitarian quarters on and get medical support for patients. >> the ripple effect is quite concerning when you think about where the war started last month. the world health organization warned that ukraine was already running low on medical oxygen, insulin, and other supplies. and that was before some of the major cities and hospitals were shut. i can imagine that it's even harder to get supplies now. is it even possible to get those supplies into those who need it without some kind of cease-fire? >> yeah, you, know the american colleges of physicians have

been talking with our colleagues. they are in ukraine. it seems like that something that really is a difficult situation in terms of getting the medical supplies in, and it is -- trauma patients and trauma victims require a lot of resources. oxygen, blood, tetanus shots, antibiotics, a surgeries, and all of that, no trauma system, not in the united states can be sustained unless it is reece applied on a continuous basis. essentially, what we have in ukraine right now is a continuous mass casualty event as after a mass casualty event. so unless major changes are made in terms of an agreement to get a bunch of supplies in and get patients transferred out, people are going to suffer. >> this morning, efforts to evacuate civilians for the ukrainian city of mariupol were halted after ukrainian said that russian forces broke the temporary cease-fire. local hospitals may have to start triaging patients and

rationing care. it is a grim thought. what does that look like when hospitals have to ration care? >> we that's a worst nightmare for any medical provider. essentially, you breakdown patients into three categories. patients who can get up and walk around and are awaken alerts and say, hey, you need to alert leave the hospital or the medical facility because you are not that bad off. there is those that are pulse-less or may not be breathing well, or might be having massive bleeding. those patients unfortunately you can use those extraordinary measures that you would not normally to save them and you focus on those patients where you have a good probability of getting them stabilized and hopefully getting them some definitive care. those are -- that's battlefield medicine essentially. that's disaster medicine. and that's something, in 2022, we really shouldn't be dealing with unless it's a natural disaster situation. so given that this war doesn't seem like it's going to end

tomorrow or the next day, some major interventions from the international community need to be made so we don't get into that mode on a continuous basis and lose unnecessary life. >> an absolutely disturbing scenario that we need to avoid. thank you so much, a great pleasure. >> thank you. >> so far, an estimated 1.3 million people have fled the fighting in ukraine. and as the russian shelling intensifies, more more people are using pack trains and cars to travel hundreds of miles to relatives safely. all more on the multiple you growing humanitarian crisis in ukraine. i will turn to my colleagues here. it's good to have you back. joel, we've seen some instances of racism, unfortunately, on the border, but europe is definitely opening up to more refugees than they have from other recent wars. is -- is it basically that the tide is turning here or, how do you explain it? will there be more pressure to lead to more people in after

conflicts moving forward? e >> i certainly hope so. what we are seeing is the generosity of the new year neighbors, and we are seeing international community come forward very aggressively. there have been both -- votes in the un for example where just this past week only five countries including russia opposed resolution condemning russia for countries alongside is a very poor showing. the un commission of human rights, 32 out of 47 countries voted to open a commission inquiry for war crimes by russia. we are seeing global opinion pushing in that direction. but, yes, to this point, there has to be borders that are open for refugees and support for refugees. third parties who are trapped in the countries as well have been targeted in as we discussed earlier, and that has been a big concern. and we've seen diplomatic efforts to alleviate the pressure. i hope it does make the world understand that what vladimir putin is doing is targeting civilians intentionally to

create this humanitarian crisis. this is a deliberate strategy that he is employing. and he's not alone. this is white but charlotte sided, this is what dictators do and other tyrants. they used civilians and they target them and they hope that the other is won't support the civilians, by supporting those civilians, that will alleviate the pressure. and we can turn around this dynamic. >> david, you are among the first, if not the first, to investigate and confirm the massacre of bosnian muslims back by this serbs in former yugoslavia in 1995. how concerned are you of massachusetts is like that occurring at the ukrainian russian conflict? how is that similar how is a different? >> we it's similar that you have these militia forces from the donbas, the breakaway areas, this wagner militia which is a russian-backed organization.

they were operating in syria. apparently there are in ukraine now. this was an emboldened -- it was about the serbs, feeling like the west had not stood up to them. they took the united's nations safe area, we won the serbs attacked, no one was protected, there were very few nato airstrikes. 8000 bosnian men and boys were killed. i fear that if the west loses its focus, if it gets distracted from ukraine, there will be an effort to terrorize ukrainians are there could be mass atrocities. it's frightening. and then lastly, i was just looking at this, in grozny, the russian offensive in chechnya, putin was getting his rise as a politician then, the population was starved. there was little food in the city, civilians were forced to flee and reported to human

rights watch 1989 by medieval military -- in grozny. >> joel, yesterday, russian defense minister said that they do not threaten civilians, we've seen videos of bombs falling on apartment buildings. your foreign state department official. what is your reaction to when you hear the russian government put out this utter nonsense for lack of a better word? >> deplorable, disgraceful, contrary to logic, orwellian. this is why was so important, has been so important for the biden administration to do what it has been doing for the past several months. which is to publicly share information with the world, so the world knows that this regime, this russian leader, these people, or trying to gaslight the rest of the world into believing different from the facts on the ground. and i believe that that worked. we see the russians are

desperate to try to show something different from what they are actually doing. warcrimes, as david mentioned. aleppo in syria, mass bombing and destruction of a city and its affiliates. this is right here in front of us. we see it. we know it. the russians for some reason, they just think they can convince the world and they can't. it really demonstrates a dishonourable approach to engaging on this issue and demonstrates that they really don't have an interest at this stage in any real solution. they just want the war as it is right now to take over a country, illegally, invade that democratic ally, and just grab it. and that's what we're up against right now. >> david, something i keep wondering about. what happens when a lot of these russian troops come back, knowing what happened, and what they did in, and it doesn't square with the kremlin is telling the russian people? >> that's an excellent point.

i think time is against vladimir putin, his forces, i think, will eventually succeed in seizing kyiv and ukraine. the longer it takes, the more challenge he faces at home, as bodies return. the mothers of soldiers who died are a very strong political force in russia. and yes, i agree with you, as these russian soldiers return and tell the truth to their friends and family members, that will all eat away at vladimir putin. i think he's losing in the long term, i think these economic sanctions are hurting him, so it will be painful to see what happens in the weeks ahead in ukraine, but this is weakening clad in your putin. he is more desperate. and in the long term, if these economic sanctions are maintained, you know, he will lose popular support and russia. but this is hurting him, and he is disastrously miscalculated by invading ukraine.

>> david, joel, thank you so much. appreciate your insights and analysis this evening, gentlemen. still ahead, the psychological toll of the russian invasion on the situation on the ground. stay with us. e situation on the ground. >> did you ever have a moment where you thought that you might not make it out of ukraine alive? >> yes, yes, i even sleep. you sleep at the bunker. the metro station where we sleep for four days, that is where you sleep. not in your house. not in your house. , you'll find many challenges. ♪ your dell technologies advisor can help you find the right tech solutions. so you can stop at nothing for your customers.

new poligrip power hold and seal. clinically proven to give strongest hold, plus seals out 5x more food particles.

fear no food. new poligrip power hold and seal.

as a struggling actor, fear no food. i need all the breaks that i can get. at liberty butchemel... cut. liberty mu... line? cut. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. cut. liberty m... am i allowed to riff? what if i come out of the water? liberty biberty... cut. we'll dub it. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ >> israeli prime minister naftali bennett secretly traveled to moscow on saturday, to discuss a possible cease-fire with ladder putin, and some diplomatic news. nbc's josh lederman has the latest from brussels. and israeli government official tells me that president putin's

meeting in moscow, with israeli prime minister, naftali bennett, lasted for three hours, as the israeli leader steps up as the latest head of state, trying to act as an intermediary off of to offer their services to try to help negotiations move forward between putin, ukraine and the west, to de-escalate this situation. and that meeting, the israeli prime minister, also communicating his concerns about israelis and the jewish community, potentially caught up in this conflict. now, the israeli prime minister heads to germany, where he will meet with a german chancellor to brief him on his meeting with putin, we are also told that the israeli prime minister was able to speak on the phone with president zelenskyy of ukraine, after his meeting with putin. that diplomacy taking place, as the state department today issues an alarming new travel warning, telling all american citizens and russia to get out now. that's a stepped up warning from the past several weeks, when the u.s. was encouraging american citizens in ukraine to consider leaving, but was not

explicitly telling them, they need to leave immediately. but now, with dwindling ability for u.s. diplomats inside russia to come to the assistance of an arc and citizens, if they were to be detained, and less and less options for americans to fly out of the country, the u.s. says it is time to leave. and in the latest indication of the concerns about that, we are learning about a wnba player, brittney griner, apparently detained in russia for what customs officials say was some hashish oil found in her luggage. the representative for the wnba player saying that they are in contact with her lawyer, and that health and safety are top concerns for them. the u.s. is continuing its diplomacy today. with secretary of state anthony blinken and paul and, where he visited a refugee settlement center, and also met with the ukrainian foreign minister on the ukraine poland border. the top ukrainian diplomat, really putting blinken on the spot, saying that nato's responsibility to step up, and that ukrainians will pay the

price for the reluctance of nato in the west to impose a no fly zone over ukraine. but even as the u.s. says that is not in the cards, blinken, telling the ukrainian diplomats that the u.s. will continue to step up with even more weapons. though, the u.s. will be shipping to ukraine as nato allies try to provide ukrainians but they need to fight the russians themselves. >> that was nbc's josh lederman, reporting to us from los brussels. take a look at this video. an increasingly common sight inside ukraine. here, you can see ordinary ukrainian citizens, not soldiers, coming face to face with a russian soldiers and forces. in this video, and then a scene trying to physically push a russian tank back, before going down in front of it. people in videos like this are called brave and heroes. and let's be clear, they are. but there are more than that, because banned every one of these headlines, behind these acts of bravery, there's a person being pushed to their limits. this week, doctor who has

experience in refugee health care, shared a reminder online, highlighting the resilience of ukrainians is extremely important to boost morale, but let's let's not beat a caricature at the expense of their mental health. humans are wired for self preparation, and during disasters, our stress response goes into overdrive. with all of that adrenaline surging, we do have a pretty good job keeping our emotions in check. but once that adrenaline fades, that's when the tsunami of emotions hits. just take a listen to it when ukrainian citizen, feeling that badly hit kharkiv, told my colleague, cal perry. >> it was like pretty much giving your soul to that. every second. our train stopped in the middle of kyiv, and they were shooting. and we heard bombs flying over, and planes, and i thought that this particular moment, i can

die. >> how did you survive? >> i don't think i did. we all are just super, mentally, were broken. to be honest, i do have ptsd, i do. every time i see, i hear a sound, or anything, i start shaking. >> anything else you want to say? >> please do cherish clear skies. every time you see the sky, cherish every moment in your life. >> that is the reality of war. these people aren't choosing to be heroes. they're simply trying to survive. inside ukraine, millions of civilians are still stranded. their height against shelters, huddling inside metro stations, as basic supplies like food, water and other hygiene materials, like clothes, a run out. but long after the bullets stop, after the last missile is fired,

the mental scars of his conflict will remain like we've never seen. but we have seen it before. a study in afghanistan looked at them and her impact of civilians, and it found that symptoms of depression where a parent in 67% of respondents. 72% experienced symptoms of anxiety. and 42% had post-traumatic stress disorder. now, a generation of ukrainians will carry this trauma of this war with them. so we simply remember them as heroes? or will we do our part to help them heal when this is over? we're gonna have more on this important subject, after the break. fter the break. fair. you can always get the brands you trust. the support you need. and dependability you can count on. plus, get financing up to 60 months on qualifying purchases. fast and free delivery. and installation and haul-away. so with wayfair, you'll always find your perfect match.

♪ wayfair you got just what i need ♪

( ♪♪ ) ( ♪♪ ) ( ♪♪ ) (vo) small businesses are joining the big switch. save over $1,000 when you switch to our ultimate business plan for the lowest price ever. plus choose from the latest 5g smartphones. get more 5g bars in more places- switch to t-mobile for business today. >> to every ukrainian, your feel niceness, your courage, your determination, literally inspires the world. groups of citizens, blocking tanks with our bodies. everyone from students to retirees teachers turned

soldiers defending their homeland. >> president biden's brace of the ukrainian people was met with thunderous applause at the state of the union address. and on the us lawmakers were blue in yellow, and waved flags in support of ukraine. but is solidarity in the form of colorful clothing, and even economic sanctions, enough? global opinions editor for the washington post doesn't seem to think so, in her new piece. she cautions against quote, a berkley romanticizing ukrainians struggles in a way that absolves at the international community of its moral responsibilities. and karen joins me now. karen, thank you so much for being on with me. can symbolic appearances of solidarity actually hurt the people they appear to be trying to help? >> symbolic appearances are symbolically high purple. raising awareness for foreign audiences about what is happening. but honestly, as you talked

about in your last segment, there is nothing romantic about war. there is nothing glamorous about war. there nothing -- even if, we saw images of people not being heroes, they're still worthy of our support and our encouragement. and i worry, mostly about, okay, what happens when here, in our safe living rooms, if this conflict drags on for weeks and weeks more, and the cameras are drawn, and headlines -- the least people will still be suffering, right? so i think for me, in the piece, it's like there's so many concrete things you can do for ukrainians, not just for ukrainians, but for all people who are faced with the prospect of unjustified invasions. >> yeah, you bring up a really good point. and i'm sure you heard president biden there talk about the ukrainian peoples

bravery. but that kind of language can simplify it really complicated situation. and we try to kind of do that in conflicts between good and evil. i want you to listen to what a former adviser to president zelenskyy, who is still in ukraine, said on this network, earlier this week. listen to this. >> it was day six of the war. so my family was kind of, psychological state, was disintegrated. my older daughter was crying. my younger daughter was disturbed as well. on the other hand, it's very difficult for the teens to live through this, and you get a grip on the situation, where you are are in the middle of a major conflict. that's something very difficult for adults to process. i don't imagine what it's like for -- we went home and she broke down crying out of the blue. >> do you think that we truly understand the depth of trauma that the ukrainian people are currently experiencing? >> most of us just cannot. and this is a subject that is

near to my heart. my mother and grandmother, who passed away last week, they were refugees of nigeria's civil war back in the 60s. and to this day, i remember hearing stories of my grandmother not being able to hear the sounds of planes overhead, without prow chink in fear. my mother, not being able to talk about what happened to her for years. this is something that continues to steal, not just from the generations who experience this, but that generations to come after that. and one thing i think about, particularly, as we have names talking about how great zelenskyy is, that he's worthy of being crushed worthy. and his memes talking about the war. just how the outsiders would feel, those memes from america. jokes about the war. there is nothing to choke about. when it comes to these

situations. not just here, but the soldiers on both sides. and war is horrific. and i think we could all do well to take a pause and remember that. >> during the peak of the covid-19 pandemic, we praised health care workers as heroes, when they were actually doing much to help them. and now, we're doing the same thing with the people inside ukraine. what kind of disservice as it to pay normal people as heroes, and then, simply to not follow through on the promises we make to take care of them and help them? does it stripped them of their humanity in some way? >> it's true. a lot of responsibility -- and if we frame people as superheroes, able to stop tanks, able to stop viruses, and shed light on their bravery, it -- our governments who can do something, of doing what is necessary, to even compare them from having to be in that position in the first place.

in the piece that i wrote, it's a good thing that biden is providing temporary protective status status to ukraine. but i also think, when it comes to the victims of war, say in the middle east, say in africa, they're also not necessarily deserving of the same heroes ship and resilience and all of that. the world order that protects their rights -- >> it's an absolutely important point. karen, i'm so glad you brought that up. what is social media's role, because on the one hand, it has brought us together as a world, and the sense that we can be living in one corner of the earth, but at the same time seeing in realtime something that is happening. but at the same time, it has also allowed for divisions to take place. how can the role of social media in this situation further separating people from human beings, or from one another, or bring us together when we see an image that moves us? >> ayman, sort of to your point,

we're able to consume thousands of images and soundbites about what is happening across the world. and yet, not able to process, perhaps very well, what that means in terms of the trauma, and what that means in terms of what -- for all the information that we are consuming, are we closer to the knowledge necessary, as governments, as democracies. are we closer to being able to have a safer world? and so, again, with war, every war, whether on social media or not, information is often the first casualty of that war. so there is a lot of misinformation, disinformation, big photos, fake news, so we will have to exercise a lot of caution, i think, when they're sharing a post. but sharing a posting, it maybe

gives us a sense that we're doing something, a sense of comfort, a sense of awareness. but i think that we have to really caution ourselves about the fact that it's only, we can only do so much. social media will not end our. >> i know, absolutely. good point. karen attiah, thank you so much. greatly appreciate your insight as always. thanks for coming on. still ahead, the world rallies behind ukraine. >> i've sold more ukraine in these past two weeks and probably we have and the entire hundred years, a 106 years that we've been in business. e been in business is sourced only from wild caught ocean fish, not farm raised and comes in an easy to swallow mini pill. the brand i trust is qunol. we have to be able to repair the enamel on a daily basis. with pronamel repair toothpaste,

we can help actively repair enamel in its weakened state. it's innovative. my go to toothpaste is going to be pronamel repair.

with hepatitis c i felt i couldn't be at my best for my family. in only 8 weeks with mavyret i was cured. i faced reminders of my hep c every day. i worried about my hep c. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret i was cured. mavyret is the only 8-week cure for all types of hep c. before starting mavyret your doctor will test if you've had hepatitis b which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b, a liver or kidney transplant, other liver problems, hiv-1,or other medical conditions, and all medicines you take. don't take mavyret with atazanavir or rifampin, or if you've had certain liver problems. if you've had or have serious liver problems other than hep c, there's a rare chance they may worsen. signs of serious liver problems may include yellowing of the skin, abdominal pain or swelling, confusion, and unexplained bleeding or bruising. tell your doctor if you develop symptoms of liver disease. common side effects include headache and tiredness.

with hep c behind me, i feel free fearless because i am cured. talk to your doctor about mavyret. learn how abbvie could help you save. >> tens of thousands took to the streets around the world on sunday, in protest of the ongoing russian invasion of ukraine. in the southern ukrainian city currently occupied by russian forces, residents gathered for a spirited, yet peaceful demonstration. russian soldiers fired shots in the direction of protesters, but that did not stop them. in lisbon, thousands formed a human chain, connecting the embassies of nations that sit on the un security council. and paris, several thousands gathered in support of ukraine and that blasts july public. and the forces continue the invasion of -- the international community only grows more unified against him by the day. that does it for me. i am ayman mohyeldin.

have a good night. have a good night. allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! flonase all good. it's time to say goodbye to appliance heartbreaks. and hello to new quality finds you'll love on wayfair. you can always get the brands you trust. the support you need. and dependability you can count on. plus, get financing up to 60 months on qualifying purchases. fast and free delivery. and installation and haul-away. so with wayfair, you'll always find your perfect match. ♪ wayfair you got just what i need ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪a little bit of chicken fried♪ ♪cold beer on a friday night♪ ♪a pair of jeans that fit just right♪ ♪and the radio up well i've seen the sunrise...♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's plain aspirin could be hurting your stomach.

vazalore 325 liquid-filled aspirin capsule is clinically shown in a 7 day study to cause fewer ulcers than immediate release aspirin. vazalore. the first liquid-filled aspirin capsules...amazing! okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete balanced nutrition for strength and energy. woo hoo! ensure, complete balanced nutrition with 27 vitamins and minerals. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. ♪ ♪ certified turbocharger, suspension and fuel injection. with 30 grams of protein. translation: certified goosebumps. certified from headlamp to tailpipe. that's certified head turns. and it's all backed by our unlimited mileage warranty. that means unlimited peace of mind. mercedes-benz certified pre-owned. translation: the mercedes of your dreams is closer than you think. as a struggling actor,

i need all the breaks that i can get. at liberty butchemel... cut. liberty mu... line? cut. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. cut. liberty m... am i allowed to riff? what if i come out of the water? liberty biberty... cut. we'll dub it. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ behold...unlimited wireless for only 30 bucks. that's pretty cool, but you know what's cooler? saving up to 400 bucks! exactly. and if we really want to take it up a notch... get all that and nationwide 5g included. oh nice shot, send that to me. i got you. break free from the big three and get connected to the nations most reliable 5g network. get the new samsung galaxy s22 series on xfinity mobile. and right now, save big with up to $750 off a new samsung device. switch today.

hello. i'm alicia menendez. welcome to this special hour of "american voices" as we track the very latest from ukraine. here's the latest as we know it. visa and mastercard announcing they are suspending operations in russia, which means their cards won't work inside russia. cards issued by russian banks no longer work outside russia. we should