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 quickly note that also

new tonight, italy's prada announcing it has ended operations in russia. short time ago, president biden applauded visa and mastercard for what they did, saying he welcomes their decision. the president's statement coming shortly after he spoke with ukrainian president zelenskyy by phone. the call in which biden noted his administration is surging security, humanitarian, and economic assistance to ukraine, is working closely with congress to secure additional funding. that according to the white house. this morning, president zelenskyy made his own personal plea for help to a group of u.s. lawmakers, telling them ukraine needs three main things, oil, a no fly zone over ukraine, and jets to fight russia. as of this hour, nato is ruling out that no fly zone request. as reported, putin says a no fly zone would, in his eyes, be a third party getting involved in the armed conflict. in short, an act of war.

as for the war, putin is already waging on the ukrainian people, it is getting worse. innocent people are suffering. today, putin violated a ceasefire he agreed to just hours earlier, preventing safe passage to citizens. it's an understatement to say there is a refugee crisis underway, and it is worsening. >> my daughter and i hope we'll be all right. but i love my husband and i miss him. we begin our coverage this hour in lviv, ukraine. it is where nbc news correspondent cal perry is monitoring the latest. cal, what is the mood in ukraine after russia appears to have broken that ceasefire agreement? >> reporter: yeah, there was some hope earlier today that maybe that ceasefire would hold, specifically in the cities around mariupol, where we're

seeing heavy fighting but not just heavy fighting on the streets. we're seeing this tactic by the russian army where they're surrounding the cities, choking off the power, water, and heat, and shelling the civilian areas. the hope was to get a humanitarian corridor opened up, but according to the ukrainian government the shelling never stopped on the russian side. so, the ceasefire fell apart before it even started. it's now a two-front war. russia is moving up from the south in crimea and from the north into ukraine, as they slowly make their way toward the capital. there has been this marked shift in the last 24 hours where we're seeing this indiscriminate shelling. it is something u.s. state department has warned about. it is something that is happening in the part of the country i am now. we're seeing the effects of that shelling in the form of refugees. more than 1.2 million refugees have fled ukraine. that does not include people internally displaced within the country looking for places to stay. they are scared. people are lost. and of course men of a fighting

age are banned from leaving the country. those folks are heading to the front where the fighting is getting worse. >> you just walked us through the geography of what's happening. i'm hoping our team can pull up a map so our viewers can see this. eastern ukraine has been battered by violence. it's causing many to flee to the western part of the country. that is where you are. how are they handling the influx in the last? >> so, you have an effort underway not only just the ukrainian government, which is sort of started to get folks moving out of this city as quickly as possible. the city of lviv can only handle so many folks, so many refugees. so, what the ukrainian government is trying to get folks into poland. poland has dropped its visa requirements for kwan are yan citizens so they can enter fairly easily. it doesn't solve the problem of where people are going to go. refugee camps have been set up, a camp in poland and moldova.

the red cross is on the ground as well. it's cold. some people are sleeping outside. there is always going to be these deteriorating situations in these war zones. i'll give you a very scary statistic. the world food program says there are 5 million people in this country who are in immediate need of assistance, in immediate need of food. and that number of course will only grow as well, alicia. >> an incredible reminder of the need. cal, thank you. tonight during his call with ukrainian president zelenskyy, the white house says president biden spoke of his concern. about the recent russian attack on the ukrainian nuclear power plant. biden made a point to commend the skill and bravery of the ukrainian operators who have kept the reactors in safe condition. the military are reminding the world what it looks like to truly fight for your country, a kind of defiance democracies are made of. the story tonight from nbc's

aaron mclaughlin. >> reporter: in kherson, ukraine, defiance. residents woke up under russian occupation and took to the streets. go home, there's no vodka here, this man says. they first gathered by the hundreds. and as word spread, thousands. lashing out against the russian occupiers. then gunshots. russian troops firing into the air. this woman draped in her country's flag. we are not afraid, we are together, she says. similar scenes in the nearby town of mel topol, also now occupied by russian forces. the crowd of angry people bearing down on armed russian troops. earlier this week in kherson, the russian military invaded this port city, soon overwhelming ukrainian forces. from the outset, the people resisted, covertly filming from their windows, even going toe to toe with a russian soldier.

you are occupiers. you are fascists, she says. the city's new rules posted on the mayor's facebook, including a strict curfew. a maximum of two people allowed on the streets together at any time. >> we are not following the russian instructions properly. we are a free people under invasion. >> reporter: fearing russian reprisal, this resident only wants to be known as jenny. he says he's dedicated to documenting the occupation, covertly filming what's happening in the streets. you're the first city to fall to russian forces in ukraine. what example are you setting? >> we have no other way to escape the situation. we can't evacuate. we are fighting from within with our bear hands, with no weapons, with phones in our hands and without legs. >> in kherson and elsewhere, russian fire power being confronted by the ukrainian spirit. >> for more on the current situation on the ground in ukraine and what could be coming for its major cities, let's

bring in two of our best military voices, retired army colonel jack jacobs, some medal of honor recipient, and general barry mccaffrey is a retired four star general and nbc national security commentator. general, president zelenskyy telling american lawmakers earlier today that ukraine urgently needs more assistance from united states. there is reporting out that countries like poland may be working out deals to get russian-made jets into ukrainian hands. your thoughts? >> well, we put several billion dollars worth of equipment into their hands over the last several years. fort i think the aircraft is not going to be significant. you know, we get 20, 30, 40 old

maids in there. their air bases are under attack. this is a ground invasion. 200,000 troops. the ukrainians are fighting bravely. but they really want is an air cap that turns into a ground attack force. the u.s. air force, brits, and the french went after russian ground forces and the clump targets they're now presenting, it would be a total immediate game changer. that's not going to happen. it would immediately mean war with russia, and president biden, i think, correctly is not going to go that route. >> colonel, do you agree with the general's assessment there? >> oh, yeah. i -- look, there's no political will for -- inside the united states for war with russia. and -- and that would generally ingender an exchange of nuclear weapons. nobody wants any of this. the result is that the war on the ground will have to

continue. and we're going to have to do as good a job as we possibly can to give to the ukrainians what they need, tank weapons, more of those, antiaircraft weapons, ammunitions, small arms and automatic weapons, and food. the thing to keep our mind on is the fact that if the russian forces from the north link up with those from the south, they're going to cut off the ukrainian army that's in the east. then all the refugees who are there are going to get cut off too. in any case there are going to be 2 to 4 million refugees streaming over to the west, which is a disaster in its on right. the russians are working very, very hard to cut ukraine off from the black sea. the cutoff from the sea of azov now. and if the russians keep moving to the west along the shoreline, the only way that the west is

going to be able to send supplies, food, ammunition, and so on to the ukrainians is going to be a narrow strip of land between moldova and the black sea. and that's liable to close up, alicia. >> can we bring back up the map because i want our viewers to be able to see what it is we're talking about or we've been talking about. the army in the north, meeting the army in the south. the west is where most of our reporting is coming from, right? we keep going back to cal perry in lviv. that is where we are seeing an outpouring of refugees into poland. general, what happens if putin decides to train his attention on the western part of this country? >> well, eventually they'll get there. personally i think this thing would be largely wrapped up into 30 to 90 days, maybe even quicker. the actual point of decision will be this giant city of kyiv.

3 million people, most civilians now huddled in basements. they're getting hungry. they're going to flip off the electrical grid, turn off the water. the russians will be firing thousands of artillery rounds a day, not 30 or 40 cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. it will get miserable rapidly. those ukrainian soldiers will have all the advantages if they fight block by block. but it would be devastating on the civil population. so, it's not clear to me that at some point president zelenskyy doesn't say let's withdraw to the west or declare it an open city. >> you have been involved in urban combat, the exact type of combat that the general is detailing there. what can people in ukrainian cities expect in the coming days and weeks? >> well, the continued bombardment, as general mccaffrey says. and he's absolutely right about how difficult it's going to be for the russians to attack in a city that's turned into complete

rubble. and the -- nobody knows that better than the russians themselves who are repulsed the nazis in stalingrad with the russians backed against the river. and one of the reasons the russians were successful was because the city had been turned into rubble. it's really hard to attack in a situation like that. but it's heartbreaking to watch what's taking place inside ukraine with its citizens. and it's going to be more difficult to watch in the weeks to come. >> heartbreaking indeed. colonel jack jacobs, general barry mccaffrey, thank you so much for being with us. russia claims they found on brittney griner. what's being done to get her home safely. plus a video taken earlier today of american sanctions at work. there was one exception today at dulles in d.c. u.s. officials approving a charter flight to get russian

u.n. mission personnel who are expelled out of the country. also ahead, diplomacy at work from israel to france. world leaders are working to deescalate putin's attract on ukraine. former ambassador to ukraine on if it can be done. and the ukrainian president, who he most needs to talk to. >> i think i have to talk with putin. the world has to talk with putin because there are no other ways to stop this war. many challenge. ♪ your dell technologies advisor can help you find the right tech solutions. so you can stop at nothing for your customers.

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we learned tonight that the president of ukraine spoke with american billionaire elon musk. zelenskyy confirming the call, saying the spacex founder is providing internet services to ukraine through low light satellites. we must note, however, that great as helping ukraine is, musk has also refused to block russian state media from using his satellites, calling himself a, quote, free speech absolutist. two time olympic gold medallist and wnba star brittney

griner detained in russia on drug charges. what we know from nbc news correspondent catie beck. >> at the current time there are more questions than answers in the brittney griner case. what we know is that she has been detained since that security check point stop, and we know that was in the month of february. we don't know if that was days ago or weeks ago or when if at any point she will be released. we know she's being criminally investigating for drug trafficking after they found those cartridging containing cannabis oil within her luggage. we don't know how expeditious the process will be to get her a court hearing or if any of that will be made public. the wnba spokespeople and her agents and family have expressed deep support for brittney. they say they are closely in contact with her and trying to be as expeditious as they can to get her home safely.

they say her health and well being is her top priority and they love and support her. we don't know if she was coming or going from russia in that video. we know that she has played basketball there for the past seven years. that's very typical for wnba players. they get paid a much higher salary over in russia. and she has, like many other women, taken advantage of that for the past seven years but is now unfortunately in russian custody. and her story is seeming to get out there, but it does seem it's been days that she's been in custody. and there's really no end in sight. i think the big question now is will her arrest, will her detention, be used for some type of political tool, given the escalations between the u.s. and russia over the invasion of ukraine. she is a celebrity. she is an athlete. will this be used as some kind of political tool i think is the big question now moving forward. >> nbc's catie beck. thank you. well, diplomatic efforts

remain underway to stop russia's assault on ukraine. the question, how do you negotiate with and trust a leader who just this morning broke a ceasefire within hours of approving it. former ambassador to ukraine william taylor, now vice president for russia and europe the united states institute of peace. ambassador taylor, when i talk to our military experts, they seem very doubtful about the usefulness of providing jets to ukraine, right? and that is one of the few asks president zelenskyy had. we know nato has said no to a no fly zone. what options, diplomatic or otherwise, are still on the table? >> there is always an attempt, and the door is always open to some kind of diplomatic achievement. and there are several going on, several levels. of course the ukrainians and russians have been meeting every other day or every third day or so on the border between belarus

and ukraine, on the river between the two. those haven't gotten very far. they made some progress, they thought, on humanitarian corridors. and we heard today that the diplomatic -- the humanitarian corridor coming out of mariupol didn't work. the russians violated that right away. so, that's not promising. the russians, by the way, said former minister of culture to those discussions where the ukrainians were serious about it. they sent their defense minister and senior member of president zelenskyy's team, political team. so, that's probably not going anywhere. we know that the israeli prime minister was there for a long talk with president putin. and that probably is more likely to get somewhere. that is, at least you're talking to the person who's making decisions. president putin is clearly responsible for this war, and he will be responsible for ending

this war one way or the other. the third thing is what you mentioned. that is president zelenskyy has said he wants to talk to president putin. and we know that president zelenskyy and president biden have had conversations, five conversations over the past ten days, during this war. and president zelenskyy has confidence that if he sits down with president putin, maybe with president biden to make it serious because president putin doesn't deal seriously with many people. but if he were sitting there with president zelenskyy, that would be -- that could be a serious discussion. it's not clear, however, that the decision maker, president putin, is ready to make any kind of deal. so, that's got to be a concern all the way along. >> there was a lot packed in there, so i want to tease it apart. the meeting with the israeli prime minister, prime minister bennet, what do you think could have been accomplished in that meeting? >> what could have been accomplished would be that the

israeli prime minister could have said, mr. putin, president putin, you have big troubles. you have big troubles. the military campaign is not going very well. and it's not entirely clear that president putin knows how badly it's going. i mean, they thought they would be in kyiv in three days two, days, a day and a half. and here it's ten days that they've not been able to get to the capital. so, prime minister bennet may have been able to give some indication of the problems that president putin may or may not know about. and the recognition that these serious sanctions are having an effect. and that has to be getting through to president putin. that kind of a conversation leader to leader might be able to -- might have been able to make some progress. >> when you talk about the possibility of zelenskyy and putin and potentially president biden sitting down, is that a one in a million shot? is that a real possibility? and what then become the

contours of that conversation? >> one of the things that was very interesting the last couple of days was the undersecretary of state for policy, tory newland, had an interview with -- presumably this did get to russia. indicated that if -- if russia, if putin were to withdraw, if he were to stop this fight, if he were to withdraw the military, that the sanctions, which are hammering the russian economy, would be released, would be pulled off, would be relaxed. that's an incentive that even if president putin doesn't understand it, when the russian people hear tas report it, they will say this is a big problem for us, we can get out of it. why didn't he do it? >> i just can't get over the video we keep playing over, the

video surfaced of him feet away from his own administration, the optics of him sitting around the table with a bunch of women. ambassador taylor, as always, thank you. ahead, the americans choosing to fight in defense of ukraine and enormous risk to preserve a fellow democracy. plus the horrific decision facing refugees across ukraine, leaving their homes with no guarantee of seeing their loved ones again. it's brought to us by sky tv's john sparks. >> reporter: it's beginning to slow down now, and there is going to be one almighty crush, as people try to get on. they're going to get him on. propelled by fear, they battle to board. as the train attendants beg them to step back. bags are hoisted from passenger to passenger. and within a few minutes, the train is full.

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the bravest among us signing up to fight alongside ukrainians against violent russian forces. emily aikeda tells us why these americans decided to join the fight. >> reporter: as war torn ukraine is shelled and bombed, the country's desperate call for volunteer fighters grows louder. among those willing to march in, americans, like new jersey carpenter andrew bennet. >> was there a moment you decided you're going to go and try to fight in ukraine, help ukraine? >> yeah, the moment i found out. >> have you thought about what would happen if you get injured? >> i guess i'll figure out when i get there. >> the risks are enormous. nevertheless he's ready and willing to be part of the bravest armed forces and join the international legion of territorial defense, which has ballooned to 16,000 volunteers

from across the globe. they arrived to defend freedom, defend life, he added. we were there as bennet began his paperwork, the form advising people to be fully self-equipped with uniform, personal protection, and an explicit reminder it's on a voluntary basis. the form asks applicants to specify your job, military combat experience. volunteers can be chosen to go at any time and at their own expense. bennet's hoping his willingness to learn will be enough. >> why now? >> i'm not married. i have no kids. so, i'm getting up there in age. i'm still able bodied. >> reporter: for many american volunteers, they have no ties to the eastern european country, yet they feel compelled to make a difference, even as the u.s. state department urges americans to avoid ukraine. the extreme danger there not lost on marine combat veteran and father of four dennis diaz. >> if i were to die over there

in ukraine, then that's what my children will know that i paid the highest price to be able to stand up and fight for what's right. >> reporter: an unshakable determination inspired by ukrainians' desperate fight for freedom. emilie ikeda, nbc news, new york. joining me now, frank figliuzzi, author of the fbi way, inside the bureau's code of excellence. frank, your reaction to americans taking it upon themselves to fight in ukraine? >> they better know what they're in for. war is indeed hell, as they say, and i applaud the bravery. i applaud the motivation. they need to know what they're in for. if they have combat experience, excellent for them. they may not be -- they may get accepted and they may not be able to get into what they want to get into there.

the logistics are unclear to this. but it's a sad state of affairs we're here talking about the need for a volunteer army to help a non-nato country because we simply have drawn that line about not putting boots on the ground. >> frank, i also want to ask you, a russian government plane landed in washington today to pick up russian diplomats, expelled, as called for by sanctions. however, some russian diplomats remain. how does the american government determine when or not to trust any diplomat? >> well, from a country like russia, i can tell you 25 years experience in the fbi and heading up counterintelligence for the fbi, they are not to be trusted. and particularly since the sizable percentage of the russians posted here as so-called diplomats are actually intelligence officers working clandestinely under diplomatic cover. you saw the reports this past week of 12 russian mission to the u.n. diplomats being

declared -- sent home because they're operating outside the scope of their duties. that means the fbi and u.s. intelligence knows they're spies. they've probably stepped up their spying activity because of this world crisis, and now they're being sent home. what i find more fascinating is who's not getting sent home. there's a lot more russian intelligence officers inside the u.s. than just those 12 from the u.n. putin right now is absolutely livid. it's clear to him that there are compromises to his communications. there must be human sources, technical sources. president biden has used that masterfully, releasing stuff in real time that otherwise would be top secret and secret. he declassifies it. so, putin is looking at who is it amongst our team, amongst the intelligence community that is spying for the americans, and who isn't get sent home by the americans because they have continuing intelligence value to the americans? there's a lot of stuff going on just beneath the surface that's really fascinating. >> frank, given your experience

and expertise, can you pull back the curtain for us and give us a sense of the work the intelligence community, the fbi, counterintelligence is doing in this moment? >> yeah, i mean, we're all tuned in understandably to what's going on on the ground in ukraine, in russia. but understand that counterintelligence is going on beneath the surface right here at home. there's intercepts of communications whenever possible. there's sources being met clandestinely on the streets, in back alleys, with covert communications, all with the aim of trying to pass to ukraine and our allies whatever intel they have on how putin is thinking, what the next move is. it's clear to me that part of the success of the ukrainians so far against the much more powerful russians has been the flow of intelligence from the west to the ukrainians. it is an intelligence victory so far. >> frank, we've talked about military efforts. we've talked about diplomatic efforts w. e have talked about economic sanctions.

i do want to ask you, what would a u.s. cyber attack against russia look like? >> so, good news, bad news. good news is we have an incredibly sophisticated, suck es ability against the russians and writ large with regard to cyber capabilities as a nation. not so good, of course, is our defense. are we ready for the retaliation? you've reported, i'm sure, about major breaches in the past attributed to russia, colonial pipeline, jbs meat processing. beneath the surface, "the new york times" did a great piece on this a while back. beneath the surface, the russians have been waving hello to us in our infrastructure, power, utilities. they've let us know they're there. that's a signal whenever we want to, we can come in and hurt you. yes, we can turn out the lights in moscow tomorrow. are we ready for the retaliation which would be swift and severe?

>> there was new reporting from the "new york times" about putin's mental state. and i wonder from an intelligence perspective the extent to which those assessments play to strategy across the board. >> yeah, there are experts and physicians and psychiatrists in the u.s. intelligence community who do nothing but study the health and mental stability of world leaders. and they study the facial gestures. they study the film, as they say, from past years and compare it to now. it is going to play into briefings to president biden. we think he is increase bli unstable or not. we think he is isolating himself because he has a more serious illness and it's not just covid. we think he's distancing himself for this reason or that. a lot of armchair psychiatric and medical analysis going on right now. and yes, it feeds right up to the presidential brief with regard to putin's health. >> what a job to have. frank figliuzzi, as always,

thanks so much. next, leaving home not knowing if they will return. refugees share their perilous journey out of ukraine. we have seen the anguish, families, children whose lives will never be the same making the best of a horrific situation for their kids. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ happy birthday to you ♪♪ happy birthday ♪ ♪ happy birthday to you ♪♪ 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. ♪ ♪ ♪a little bit of chicken fried♪

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my mom was crying and telling me that -- that maybe she'll never see me again. and it was -- it was most scary words i've heard in my life. i'm still -- i'm still scared. i'm still afraid that i can't -- i can't see her anymore. >> thousands of innocent lives forever torn apart, ukrainians forced to become refugees against their will by russia. the united nation estimates that more than 1.3 million people have fled ukraine since russia invaded. msnbc's ali velshi spoke to some

of them at a train station in hungary. >> at platform 10 at budapest rail station, anguish arrives by the hour. >> absolutely awful situation without any idea why. why? every time we're afraid. >> she and so many others have made the 1,000-mile journey from the heavily shelled city of kharkiv. here, there is safety. what there isn't is certainty. this train carried 500, some more, others less. they're both young and old, a mixture of those ukrainian by birth and others who are not, all now refugees. >> you guys know each other? >> no, no, no.

absolutely not. >> inside the train station, there is food, medicine, and small comforts. all of it arranged by volunteers, like these women who scour lists on laptops to pair the weary travellers with temporary shelter in private homes across budapest. >> we don't know. the train comes and it's really bad because two days ago we were here at 2:00 a.m. and 900 people just came in. and we were like, oh, my god, it's 2:00 a.m. how can we manage this? and even at 2:00 a.m., we find a way for them. >> they disembark in a new, unfamiliar place. as we reported live on our first night in hungary, a woman stopped me in the station. oh, i'm sorry. i'm sorry, i don't speak -- i speak english. this train station -- the name of this train station -- i will -- this train station --

david, what's the train station name here? nugati station. yes, that's correct. okay. good luck. a snapshot, perhaps, of the million-plus lives forced to flee, some with no known destination. this woman, marina, hopes to make it to munich. while the world wonders when the fight will end, she's wondering about her next step. >> what do you want the world to do? >> now i need a transport. >> you need transportation. i know there are people making the arrangements. you go, get transportation, get sleep. good luck. ali velshi, nbc news, hungary. which other nations step up to take in people in dire need of help?

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>> i don't think i did. we all are just super -- mentally we are broken. and to be honest, i do have ptsd. i do. very bad. every time i see, i hear a sound or anything, i start shaking. >> is there anything else you want to say? >> please do -- please do cherish clear skies every time you see sky. cherish every moment of your life. >> latest number show just over 1.3 million ukrainians are displaced. half a million of them are children. neighboring nations are doing their part, stepping up, offering any help they can. today the first batch of unicef humanitarian supplies arrived in lviv, including medical equipment and medicines. the united states has granted temporary protective status to ukrainians already in the united states. they're protected from

deportation for 18 months. will the united states increase its role in resettling those displaced. it's a discussion i had earlier with president and ceo of the lutheran immigration and refugee service. here's a portion oof that interview. >> this is where the u.s. needs to maintain its global humanitarian leadership because obviously beyond poland, hungary, moldova, other neighboring nations, this is where the u.s. can play a critical role. and the truth is that what we're seeing is only the tip of the iceberg. the refugee crisis so far has been driven by war. but in the coming days, it's going to be driven by war and war of attrition. in cities like mariupol, where russian forces have cut off electricity and water, means there is a looming humanitarian crisis. that's why officials are predicting that has many as 10 million ukrainians -- that's a quarter of the country's

population -- could be displaced by putin's atrocities. >> think what we're talking about beyond temporary protective status, tps for ukrainians already inside the united states is something we have talked about many times in other context. that is raising the cap on asylum seekers in this country and also family reunification efforts. there are going to be some people who are here and some people in other countries and there is going to have to be a mass effort to reunify those families. >> that's exactly right. this is where we need to apply any pathway that can help lighten the experience of what the european nations are feeling and experiencing. so, that is tps. it's surging the conflict capacity to poland and other nations where we have embassies and consulates that have long lines. it's allows family reunification and beyond the process, which is how families can reunite with americans here now. it's just too time consuming a

process. the refugee resettlement system is not built for humanitarian crises like these in terms of timing. but it's built for vulnerable people fleeing. we have rebuilt the capacity in terms of afghan resettlement. using that capacity to help as much as we can, it's going to be critical. but beyond that, it's beyond, you know, the white house today introduced $10 billion of humanitarian assistance and military assistance. we need to make sure that that is approved. we sent 5,000 troops initially to poland. we've got to go beyond that in terms of building operational capacity. and we have to use u.s. heft to make sure the safe corridors that have been created in principle are implemented in practice. and right now civilians are not able to get out in the capacity that we need, and humanitarian

assistance is not getting in to places that need it. >> there are of course -- and i'm sure you've been following the reports -- that africans, afghans, yemenis are trying to flee the nearby countries. mark warner sent a letter to ukrainian officials pushing for all refugees to have equal access to safety. what more have you heard about these difficulties? >> you know, it speaks to just how much race and religion are wrapped up into the decisions of who we protect and who we reject. there has been right wing ideology in some of these nations. we saw it in the past. and it is of course deeply troubling that we're seeing it today. it seems as though there has been strong pressure by the u.s. and other nations, so we have gotten some response from u.n. officials that it is being addressed. but, look, we've seen this at our old border when we expel patience summarily, that the use

of policies to discriminate is obviously troubling in any situation. but we cannot have it that africans, south asians, those who are fleeing in war zone are turned back as a result of racism. >> as always, krish, thank you. that's all the time i have for today. i am alicia menendez. i'm going to see you back here tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. eastern for more "american voices." for now, our live coverage of the invasion of ukraine continues after this quick break. of ukraine continues after this quick break. you may be missing a critical piece. preservision. preservision areds 2 contains the only clinically proven nutrient formula recommended by the national eye institute to help reduce the risk of moderate to advanced amd progression. "preservision is backed by 20 years of clinical studies" "and its from the eye experts at bausch and lomb" so, ask your doctor about adding preservision. and fill in a missing piece of your plan. like i did with preservision"

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good evening everyone. i'm ayman mohyeldin in new york. it is 11:00 a.m. here, 6:00 p.m. in the city of mariupol where earlier today an effort to evacuate russian forces allegedly violated a temporary cease-fire agreement with a barrage of shelling. the new york times reported that residents attempted to tie right flags, blankets and even sheets of the 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 u.s. citizens living or traveling in russia to get out immediately. tonight, president biden spoke with president zelenskyy on the phone, as we also learned that economic pressure on the kremlin increase with both of these and mastercard announcing that they are suspending all operations inside russia. we're going to break down all of these developments and much more over the next hour. but first,