hungry. >> david, i talked enough people to understand this is actually a thing. how do we deal with it? >> well, we crack down on it. that's the simple answer. there are remarkably 80,000 africans, south asians working in ukraine. they need proper help. in the last two days, there is been much better treatment, much more equal treatment on the european side of the border. that needs to be the case on the ukrainian side of the border as well. it's obviously -- we have to fight for the values being defended in this conflict. that's why we are so strong on this issue. thank you for highlighting. >> david, thanks for joining us. we appreciate the work that you do, and the work of the international rescue committee. i should tell my viewers that these are places. when they say what can we, do? well, of the ioc is something you can do.

david miliband is that president and ceo of the international rescue committee. he is a member of the munich security conference advisory board. don't go anywhere. another special hour of velshi from the ukrainian hungarian border starts right now. tarts right now. good morning, i'm ali velshi. it is 9 am in new york. 3 pm in tiszabecs hungary where i am today. there is ukraine. russian forces are continuing an offense for the 11th day. as of this morning, more than one and a half million people have fled ukraine. that is according to numbers from the un high commissioner for refugees, who said that this is quote, the fastest-growing refugee crisis in europe since world war ii. many of the people fleeing ukraine are moving westward toward towns like i'm in, tiszabecs here in hungary, and other neighboring countries

like poland and slovakia. on the other end of ukraine, a cease-fire was in effect earlier this morning in the southeastern city of mariupol. it was the south and attempt in as many as two days to open a corridor for civilians to evacuate. it's the second time that is failed. ukraine and russia are blaming each other, but it's unclear which side actually violated the agreement. we will have more details on it shortly. meanwhile, comments made by vladimir putin yesterday indicate that he is undeterred by the global fallout that russia is currently experiencing from his decision to invade ukraine. during remarks yesterday, putin likened sanctions opposed by western nations to a declaration of war. however, russia's predicament goes way beyond the many sanctions that have been imposed on russia's largest banks, or state owned companies, or the richest oligarchs in a little over a week. life for average reference has been turned upside down. yesterday, both visa and master card announced that they will be suspending operations in the country.

on top of, that the russian ruble has collapsed. russians are left scrambling to figure out how to style which their financial situations. it's not just fees and mastercard. many other countries across many other industries have cut ties with russia since the invasion began. this includes international automakers like ford, toyota, volkswagen. they've announced that they will be suspending operations and halting exports and or imports in russia. technology giants like apple, samsung, and microsoft, some of the world's top manufacturers of high tech personal gadgets and software. they are going to stop selling their products in the country. the container shipping giant, maersk will be halting service from russia as well, disrupting the delivery of goods. i cases of closing all of its 17 stores in russia. that means things could get very difficult for the average rush and very soon. the fallout from the private tester is soon going to translate into job losses, a crippled economy, a deplorable standard of living akin to the

soviet era. that's the price of putin's dream of rebuilding an empire that the rest of his country couldn't care less about. let's go now to nbc news correspondent molly hunter who is in the western ukrainian city of lviv. molly, let's start with that cease-fire. there is supposed to be a cease-fire happening right now in southeastern ukraine in mariupol. when i started the show two hours ago, you when i talked about the fact that it was underway. the mayor had told people, don't leave on your own, pack your car with people and staff, and get out now. that has halted? >> ali, that's right. there were families in mariupol waking up this morning. 200,000 people this morning waking up after days under russian bombardment, without electricity, heat. this is going to be there, morning there day to get to safety. now, it has been confirmed, the last hour as we discussed, there were conflicting reports. it's such a dynamic situation. right now, the city council of mariupol confirms heavy russian shelling. it also says, ali, a part of our understanding of the

cease-fire, and the humanitarian corridor was that buses, and cars, went out of mariupol. there was going to be humanitarian aid coming in. now, the city says the eight is on its way. it has not arrived. we also got a statement from the i c r c which is helping to facilitate a dialogue between the parties. we just wanted to show you this. amid it devastating scenes of human suffering in mariupol, a second attempt to start a vacuuming in an estimated 200,000 people out of the city came to a halt. the failed attempt yesterday and today underscore the absence of a detailed and functioning agreement between the parties of the conflict. now, it goes on to say that the organization can facilitate dialogue between the two parties. but, they need security guarantees for their team to be out there working. they have a team in mariupol trying to make this happen. the icy r c says their team went out in the morning to start clearing that evacuation route, and then the shelling started. evacuationthey say in order foro be successful going forward,

three conditions. the parties need to agree to a specific times, locations, evacuations. they need to decide the people who are allowed to be evacuated, and whether the agreement also allows assistance to be brought in. they also, ali, remind the world, including the russians that anyone, any staffer, any vehicle with the red cross, excuse me, with the red cross album, and you vehicle, any building is protected under international law. now, as this second day falls apart, ali, a lot of very smart people are suggesting that we look to russian past and recent military activity and syria, of course. ali, when the syrian and russian forces agreed to a cease-fire, ali, it was most likely an opportunity for russian forces to regroup, to re-arm, and then really prepare for the next offense. so, we are watching this very closely, but we now have confirmation of the second day in a row. and, that southeastern city of mariupol, 200,000 people will not be getting out safely.

>> and, i just remind our viewers that attacking health care workers and hospitals is indeed a war crime, if that is true. molly hunter in lviv, we will stay close on that story. thank you. alison barber is in poland today. one and a half million people, i believe, we've now got an update that's higher than that. they have already left ukraine in just ten days. about 60% of them are going to pull and, where you are. we are seeing many of them behind you. what's the situation? >> yeah, it is just a steady flow of people coming. this is just one makeshift refugee center. you see all of the items, basic necessities that have been brought here, that people are able to pick up, as they prepare, try and figure out where they will go from here. we were speaking to one woman, a volunteer who had been helping in these tents to give out food. they say, they've made 400 sandwiches in about an hour and a half. the majority of the people who

have flight to poland, they are children, young children. we spoke to one woman waiting in a tent with her child, trying to stay warm. and, she talked to us about how she did not want to leave ukraine. if you didn't have a child, she said she would've stayed behind and fought. but, as the situation got more aggressive, she said she had no choice but to flee. you have a lot of volunteers bringing toys. this woman here, we were talking for a little while. her name is maria. she is from poland. she came here because she wanted to help, and she thought music, single yesterday at least, it was a very popular thing here. and, it might be again today. we have seen amazing acts of kindness. and, we have heard so many stories of people are just reaching out to strangers, helping one another. we see that in this refugee site a lot. one thing you reported on, ali, and i have before as well, is that between all that kindness and compassion, there have also

been moments of discrimination. and, we've met students, nigerian students, a lot of them who talked about trying to flee, trying to get to safety, and being told they couldn't board the bus, or being told they had to stand, that seats were only four white people, only for ukrainians. here though, what we have seen is just an enormous amount of love, an enormous amount of people donating resources. this is almost entirely led by volunteers and, kind of, just different local charities and groups. they've all come together here to set this up, so that when families, when children, when their mothers, when refugees arrive here, they have some sense of help, and they can figure out where they go from here. we are meeting a lot of refugees now who do not have any family or friends in poland. and, they don't know where they are going to go from here. ali? go from here. ali? >> yeah, we are seeing that here on a much smaller scale in

hungry, with people coming in. they are just happy to be out of ukraine. but, they are not entirely sure whether next step is. they are not here to talk politics. they are here to say, can i get transport, or a place to stay? alison, thanks for your remarkable reporting from poland. again, about 60% of the people leaving ukraine under duress are going to pull and. joining me now is the democratic congresswoman from minnesota, illinois. marcia member of the foreign affairs and labor committees. she was, herself, a refugee. the first african refugee to become a member of congress. and congresswoman, that makes your input as a decision-maker, as a member of congress, remarkably important. you have some understanding of what it looks like, and feels like to be displaced from your home, and go somewhere else. and, when you see the fact that there are millions of people on the move now, through no doing of their own, what do you think our response in the western world, in particular from the united states should be? >> it's good to be with you,

ali. it's really heartbreaking to watch, you know, what's happening in ukraine. my heart goes out to them. and as you, said as a former refugee, as someone who is one of those children that we are watching on the screen, just in the few decades ago, my heart is breaking. for these children, for these families that have to make this unthinkable decision of leaving in the middle of the night. i think we do have a responsibility to do everything that we can to provide shelter for those who are fleeing for their lives. as i've said over and over again, you know, palms do not discriminate. and, we have to make sure that we are not creating a situation for people where they are not

feeling safe in the borders, that they are trying to escape to the united states has to step up. in its humanitarian response. and, european countries have to as well. i know it can't be easy. you know, when we flood the war in somalia, so many of us fled into neighboring country kenya, and it was challenging for that country. and, i know that, you know, 60% of refugees now from ukraine going into the polish border. it's quite a lot. when we hear the number being more than 1.5 million people. and, i just hope that the world responds and supports poland as well, as they try to create accommodations for people who are now in their order. >> you know, we were speaking to david miliband a few moments

ago, talking about the failures and the successes, right? there are some successes where the european union is allowing something that feels like temporary protective status to people. but, you've seen the failures. you've tweeted about them. i was in budapest talking to indian, and black, african people, who ukraine has a lot of them, students in particular, who did have trouble. some was getting out of ukraine, it wasn't just at the border crossings at poland or hungry, it was actually getting out of ukraine. look, my heart goes out to all of these people in ukraine who did nothing to cause this problem. but, how do we address it at the front end? the fact that if you are an immigrant to ukraine, you are having a hard time getting out and getting protections then people who are native born? >> yeah, we must address that head on. again, you know, bombs do not discriminate, and border security shouldn't either.

it's really disappointing and heartbreaking to see that there are the videos of the demonstration that is taking place when it comes to african and asian students, who are desperately trying to get out as well, to safety as much as ukrainians are. i've been really disappointed at the kind of rhetoric from world leaders and media plants that is being used and deployed, as we talk about this crisis in ukraine. we have to make sure that there is a reckoning. i hope this is a learning moment for all of us. because obviously, there is a difference in the way they talk about ukrainian refugees who are white, and the way black, and brown, and muslim refugees from elsewhere are talked about. when we are thinking about war,

and when we are thinking about their desperate decisions people have to make, these are not things that are concentrated to certain parts of the world, or should be expected in certain parts of the world. this is a human crisis. and, our language, our rhetoric, our policies in dealing with refugees has to change. the united states is committing to now having temporary protective status up to 18 months for ukrainians. and, we are hopefully going to lift the refugee quota, so that we can bring in ukrainian refugees. and, i just hope that, you know, when we are thinking about syrians, and folks from afghanistan, and south and central america, our rhetoric will hopefully also shift.

there are countries like yemen, and ethiopia that are currently experiencing devastation, and we haven't seen the kind of care and compassion that is being used to talk about these particular refugees for those refugees who are also experiencing devastating situations as well. >> yes. they are all also homeless, and hungry, and i'm sure their futures. at some point, they are all humans whistles. congresswoman, thank you for sharing your analysis. as base oh deeply in your personal experience, as someone who was a refugee. congresswoman ilhan omar, a democrat of minnesota. after the break, i'll talk to another member of congress. gregory meeks, he's leading the policy in poland, near the border. we'll be right back. right back. wrap their arms around us, could we put little handles

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which is about 1000 feet from the border with ukraine. i want to go now to democratic congressman gregory meeks, of new york. he's the chairman of a congressional delegation on the border of ukraine opponent. congressman, thank you for joining. as i know you're in the midst of lots of things. including conversations that involve members of congress, the secretary of state, the foreign ministry from ukraine. the ukrainian government continues to ask for greater intervention from nato and the west, then what's nato in the west seem to be willing to give. but the negotiations continue. tell me where we stand on, this ukraine wants more than nato is prepared to give, when it comes to this idea of a no fly zone over the country. >> well, you breaking up a little. but i think i heard about the idea of a no fly zone.

at this particular time, that is not an option there. involving u.s. military. as the president has indicated, we will not utilize the u.s. military. however, i do believe we can give the ukrainians the weapons that they need, so they can defend themselves. as they have said that they would be willing to do. we know that that type of weapons, those types of weapons, are now flowing. we have spent and we've given, we have another big bill coming up next week which will authorize it so we can make sure that ukrainians get the resources that they need to defend themselves. which we think is tremendously important. >> you also have had a chance, because you're at a border crossing, as i am, to see the

status and situation facing a lot of these refugees. some have planned, some have places to go, but we are now looking at numbers from the un hiker mission for refugees, official numbers, that are in excess of one and a half million people. looks like it will be much bigger than that. do you get the sense that nato countries on the european union are prepared for this inflow of refugees? it shows no sign of stemming. >> yes. look, i was at the borders, it was an emotional and sad thing. to think that one man could cause 1.2 million people, at a rate of 120, 125,000 people a day, to flee their homes in just nine days. we know that that's the first prompt, the second is yet to come. there was organization there. as we watched individuals cross the border, come in, go to

reception center where some were staying and meeting individuals that they know, here in poland. the polish government is doing a tremendous job, in trying to facilitate a scenario that is going to continue and will probably get worse before it gets better. but there are plans that are being put in place to try to make sure that we can have other countries in the area and in europe, possibly even in the united states. hopefully, will be able to get this situation resolved. sooner rather than later. in that the ukrainian people, they are fighting, fighting, to preserve their democracy. and that has been inspiring, from what i've seen from here.

>> congressman, thank you for taking the time. i know that you organized a number of things to be able to get to a place where we could have communication where you are. congressman gregory meeks, a democrat of new york. he is leading a delegation to the polish and ukrainian border. right after the break, we are going back to lviv, ukraine. stay with us. raine. stay with us ... wow, look at all those! you get hungry for more and then you're just like, “wow, i'm learning about my family.” yeah, yep. which one, what'd you find? lorraine banks, look, county of macomb, michigan? look at grandma... hey grandma! unbelievable. everybody deserves to know who they are and where they came from. ohhh...cool. this whole journey has been such a huge gift for our family. this isn't just a story about science... but also good old-fashioned will and grit. has been such a huge gift what we do when the chips are down. how adversity is best met with creativity... and kindness. as we at pfizer strive to impact hundreds of millions of lives...

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inner voice (kombucha brewer): as a new small business owner, i find it useful to dramatically stare out of the window... ...so that no one knows i'm secretly terrified inside. inner voice (sneaker shop owner): i'm using hand gestures and pointing... ...so no one can tell i'm unsure about my business finances.

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sides to reach a functioning and detailed agreement for the evacuation of citizens. it says, that is what it is missing here. that evacuation agreement needs to include the following, the specific time, locations, evacuation routes, and other logistical details. the people who maybe voluntarily evacuated, and whether the agreement also allows assistance to be brought into cities, noting that the icrc is not and cannot be in any way a guarantor of a cease-fire agreement, or of its implementation. fighting continues with ukrainians and russians blaming each other for the shelling that is putting lives in danger. it is, as you say, a desperate situation for 200,000 people trapped in mariupol right now, with no connection to the outside world. i was speaking yesterday to one woman. her parents are stuck there. she went away on holiday. the war broke out. and, she's been unable to

contact them since. the last time she spoke to her mother, her mother told her that she was covid positive and was in needed medication. then, communication cuts. she does not know would happen next. citizens of mariupol, people on the outside have formed web pages, forums there are posing updating's, what little they can glean in terms of what's happening inside mariupol. she said she went on one of those forums, and found a photo of the house across the street that had been bombed. that was her only clue. she said that today, when i spoke to her just a couple hours ago, a neighbor called her, talk to her for 20 seconds, saying in that 20 seconds told her that her parents are alive. that is all she knows. and, she has no ideas, at this point, how her parents are going to get out. that is the reality facing thousands and thousands of ukrainians trapped in mariupol right now, ali. >> i think this is such an important point that you make. we keep hearing from people

whose family is in another part of ukraine, particularly eastern and southeastern ukraine. they can't contact them. they don't know where they are. they don't know if they are dead or alive. so, it's not just the ability to get out of the country. it's basics like communication. mariupol it's cold. it's winter. they've got heat and supply issues. this continues to be a massive issue. erin, thanks for your reporting. erin maclachlan is live in lviv, ukraine. joining me now is heather connally. she is the former director of the europe, russia, and eurasia program at the center for strategic and international studies. heather, thank you for being with us. we've spoken a lot this morning to experts and elected officials about this whole issue of ukraine wanting a no fly zone above ukraine. and, how nato and the western are agreeing to that. but, there is some sort of a deal that's being made that involves nato and the united states supplying poland with f 16 jets. and, poland giving ukraine

jets. now, ukraine had makes. it's pilots know how to fly it makes. these are russian jets. that would boost that ukrainian air defense. tell me if you know much about this, and what impact you think it will have on the fight? >> well, it will potentially have significance. it will help boost or the ukrainian air force to be able to do what they are doing, knocking down russian fighter jets, trying to protect major ukrainian cities. but, let's also be very clear. this move is significant. developing a no-fly zone would require a massive amount of capabilities, that nato and u.s. forces haven't yet deployed. it would put us in direct conflict with russia. but, providing ukraine with those fighters is also an escalation. and, one thing i am concerned about, the fact that we are continuing to flow devastating equipment into ukraine, which

is the right thing to do. the singers are working. they are bringing down russian aircraft. at some point, russia is going to have to try to make a move to stop this defensive equipment from coming in. and again, this is something that nato planners have to make sure that nato borders, nato members are really strong and defensive capabilities and case, you know, russia tries to break down these defensive equipment corridors. >> all right, let's talk about that for a moment. 60% of the refugees are going into poland. about 12 and a half a percent, the second number coming here to hungry. i am literally 1000 feet from the border. nato ends at a river 1000 feet from where i am. when you say nato countries have to have capabilities to prevent this -- if russia tries to prevent these convoys, and this equipment from coming in, what does that mean to nato countries? does that mean, you think, the russians could hit these places? could they attempt to do that?

would they dare to send a missile into a nato country? >> i think we have to be prepared, and increasing our defensive capabilities in case there are strikes against these convoys very close to the borders. you are absolutely right. in many ways, what russia is doing with these migration waves, very similar to what they did in syria in 2015. they are trying to destabilize europe. of course, you are seeing a completely different response by european countries in embracing these ukrainian refugees as they are flowing over. but again, mr. putin will not be stopped. but again,and, he will, i think, increasingly take dangerous steps to try to turn fortunes around here. that's why nato has to be prepared. our air defenses, our capabilities, that's why the administration in many ways opened up this communication line with russia several days ago. they don't want any miscalculation. they don't want any strained

ammunitions, should russia even contemplate getting close to nato's borders. so again, we have to be fully prepared for what vladimir putin is going to do. the more we increase support to the ukrainian military, which again is the right thing to do, we have to be prepared for potentially pushing some boundaries against nato countries. >> heather, when you look at the resistance coming from the ukrainians, we spoke to a member of parliament about an hour ago, who is speaking very proudly as they have been about the resistance that they have been putting up. but, she said very clearly, that ukraine will fall. ukraine cannot hold out against russia and its military, which is many times the size. it's aircraft, many times the aircraft. in the end, how do you see that balance shifting? right now, ukrainians have delayed this, but it can't stop russia. >> well, i mean, the ukrainian

defense forces, the territorial defense, these volunteers have been absolutely magnificent, heroic, courageous. they should be a message to all of us. but, the russian strategy, and this is why they are in circling major urban centers -- they are using indiscriminate bombing. they are circling and decapitating, or trying to decapitate these cities. they are starving them literally, water, lack of water, medicine, food. and, this is why i believe they are stopping at these humanitarian corridors from opening. they are going to demoralize the population, make them completely terrified and dependent on a future russian administration. but, there is human capacities here. towns ran out of water, and food, and medicines, there is just the need that's so great. so, this is exactly a race. it's a race against ukrainian resistance and russia's sheer brutality. but as i said, as long as the west can keep supplying ukraine

from a humanitarian and it defensive standpoint, the longer ukraine can resist. and, we've seen these pictures over the weekend in person, and others. this is what mia do. we need strategic stamina. the west has to understand, this is going to go on for quite some time, and we must help ukraine resist this russian occupation. >> strategic stamina, heather connally, we always appreciate your analysis. you are looking at live pictures right now, yet another bus has arrived here in tiszabecs from the ukrainian border. these are refugees who are now getting off of this boss. they are being greeted by volunteers. most of the volunteers here, there are some volunteers from the united nations high commission for refugees. they -- most of the volunteers though, who you can see are from the baptist church. the ukrainian relief efforts have mostly been civilian

driven, not at the -- i'm sorry, the hungarian relief efforts have mostly been civilian driven. you can see, there are people getting off the bus with their children. it is overwhelmingly women, children, and where there are men, they tend to be older men. because, men between the age of 18 and 60 are not being permitted. here's another bus. it's about drive-by. another refugee bus, this one is heading back to the border now to get more refugees. these buses are coming in over half an hour or 40 minutes. we are going to take a quick break, and leave you with this image. more velshi from tiszabecs, hungry, right after this break. who said only this is good? and this is bad? i'm doing it my way. meet plenity. an fda -cleared clinically proven weight management aid for adults with a bmi of 25-40 when combined with diet and exercise. plenity is not a drug - it's made from naturally derived building blocks and helps you feel fuller and eat less. it is a prescription only treatment and is not for pregnant women or people allergic to its ingredients. talk to your doctor or visit myplenity.com to learn more.

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the show regularly, you know we talk a lot about censorship in the united states. and usually, when we reached the end of our sunday show, we bring you the velshi banned book club. we lost the series as a product with you our viewers, to read and discuss books that are increasingly being targeted for removal from school reading list and libraries across america. but, we did not convene the velshi banned book club last week, nor are we doing at this week because we are covering the russian invasion of ukraine. there is a piece of this war story that is crucial for anyone trying to understand why even a little bit of seemingly inconsequential censorship is dangerous. two new developments in the war, that lays bare the line that directly controls, connects the control of ideas and information to authoritarianism.

a new law went into effect on friday and russia, making it impossible to punish anybody who is straight from the official state line in describing russia's invasion of ukraine, which by the, way they call a military operation, a strategic military operation, with up to 15 years in prison. which means anybody in russia, who it seems to cast a negative light on russia's invasion of ukraine, which includes even a just calling it what it is, an invasion, god forbid you call it a war. is subject to imprisonment. joining me now is -- a professor of history at the university of -- professor of russian and slavic studies at new york university. the author of plot against russia, conspiracy and fantasy after socialism. good morning to both of you. thank you for being with us. ruth, it occurred to me that we sit and have with some people think are relatively quick conversations about books being pulled from libraries. and, we are not going the way of russia.

but, this is the issue. once you pass the point of telling people what they can't and shouldn't read, you get to the point where you cannot just tell them the lie yourself, and they've got no choice. they've got nothing with which to comparative, to determine whether your leaders are lying to you, or telling you the truth. >> well that's right. and of course, that's where not only literature, but journalists become direct targets. and, russia has killed dozens of journalists for telling the truth. and especially any type of wartime scenario makes them very vulnerable. let's not forget that -- was killed in 2006, an investigative journalist for talking about war crimes in chechnya. but, the key thing here is when you can't describe the russian invasion as an invasion. and, you can use that word. you have to use special military operation. what's the point of this is to preserve the myth of russian victimhood. putin for 20 years has been playing on this idea that russia is prosecuted by the

west, victimized by the west. so, russia gets to be the, you know, russia can never be the aggressor if you don't talk about an invasion. >> elliott, i want to ask you. in a totalitarian, state there's a spectrum, right? there's some states where there are mass arrests of anyone who commits a minor infraction. and then, there are places where, as ruth just pointed out, sometimes, it's high-level. it's highly prominent arrests, or prosecutions that cause everybody than it to self censor themselves. you achieve the goal by making people worry about whether anything they sake can be held against them. >> right, and what's been going on for the past few years in russia has been not just a matter of high-level prosecution arrest, but seemingly random prosecution rests. there have been a series of laws from the gay propaganda laws, to not allowing the

annexation of crimea to be called an annexation, and not allowing the work to be called a war. they can't possibly prosecute everybody, but they can prosecute people at random. so, you are not likely to be prosecuted and arrested, but you can never know you are going to be that person. so therefore, you are going to self censor because it's a matter of complete uncertainty. >> writ, you tweeted, this is all putin has now, laws to make telling the truth a criminal act. his hypocrisy was never sustainable. nor was his recourse to mart repression, censorship, and machismo. his ego permits him no successor, but he won't succeed in blocking the truth and the digital age. i hope you're right, but i'm not sure you are. they really done a lot to try and close things down digitally. it is getting harder to get the truth and russia. g hard er to get th trut>> yes, in russia, very much so. and i agree with everything that elliott said. and in fact, there was a story

that, you know, they blocked facebook. but, you know, only about 7% of russians use facebook. so, the point of this, all that they are doing is to send a message to other sites, including a russian site which many russians use to make them comply. but, where this has not been going well for russia is a broad, with the shutdown of our t, and ben collins had an interesting story that russian propaganda isn't working as much abroad. and, what's really interesting is between that and the fact that the u.s. government has effectively declassified russian intelligence about what they are doing, russia has not been able to control the narrative about this invasion abroad. >> elliott, what about that narrative inside the country? because, repressive regimes have succeeded in doing this. there are examples all through

apartheid era south africa, where people just didn't, you know, they got the censored narrative from the government, and that's what they believed was happening. there are russian soldiers losing their lives. there is a russian economy that's collapsing. people are going to understand, they can use their visa card, they're mastercard, they can receive shipments. they can't buy certain salons, and get certain software. sometimes, they will connect the dots, and confirmed that the official narrative doesn't match what is happening to me and my life. >> i think they finally are. because yes, a lot of people, most people get their news from state television, which is extremely controlled, and extremely highly curated. but, the fact is that even though it's so hard to go out and protest on the streets, and it's so hard to get arrested, people are doing that. and, i think as their lives get harder, they are going to see that things are just going to continue to get worse. and also, they can't control everything on the internet. there is a very clever way of

getting around. my favorite meme to come out of all of this is, since you can't call or a war, you are supposed to call it a special operation. memes are circulating. it's called a special operation and peace. and, they are not violating any laws, but they are pointing it out in a way that's very, very clever. >> something out that's very clever. >> that's uniquely clever meme. >> thanks both of you joining us. this is the consequences allowing people to tell you what you can and can't read. eliot borst ei in. right after the break, i am going to be joined by the mayor of the town i am in today which is a thousand feet from the ukraine border. et from the ukraine border your vision to life,

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budapest it was the same thing. it is a hard story to cover because you don't want to get completely in people's business. these are people been traveling and they left their home and lost their possession and they're only bringing what they can carry with them. there is a sign that says help center. people come up here immediately. this is the same thing you will see in poland or anywhere else. immediately there is food and water. there is medication and personal necessiies and then they go down here. that's the more complicated things to happen. they start to think about transportation. some of these people have a plan where they're fwoing to go but they got to get to budapest to get to flights. in hungary in particular, poland is doing a good job with these refugees. it is more individual people

like this man. you and i have not met. i saw you while i was on tv. you walked over here with a plate of food. you were barbecuing some meat? >> yes, meat, chicken and pork. >> and making sandwiches. >> what is your relationship to these people? >> i look at facebook and television, many people come here. i like to try to help. >> are you a chef? >> no. >> you would thought you come here and make food. >> you even had a chef hat on. >> maybe when i cook is 120 people. >> where are you getting the food from? >> i go to the shop for the evening and come here. >> and you come here and you

make sandwiches and the people come on the buses and you give them to eat. >> you saw this on facebook when you came here, what did you have to do? >> many people come, children and women, i put sugar on the children. i try to help. >> when they come here, do you talk to them? do you speak ukrainian? >> not very good. >> you are hungarian. >> yes. >> there are so many people like you coming here to help. >> many people come here to help. have you spoken to them about how they're feeling?

>> i don't understand this. >> when they come and get their sandwiches, you have any conversations with the refugees, you speak with them? >> a problem for me is having russian people and american people - everybody i like. the people is not a problem for me. >> what's the most, what's the sandwich is the best? you put the meat and the bread, which one is the best? >> pork. >> well, thank you for doing that and thank you for what you are doing for these people. you make them get off this journey and they're so hungry. >> every time. i appreciate you being here. thank you for offering to take care of us as well. let's save that for the people who need it. >> thank you very much. >> another example of the kind of thing we have been seeing

here in hungary. people like this coming in from other city, i don't know what the system is and i don't know what's supposed to happen. all i know this is what i can do to help people. little things. right now for those refugees arriving over the border from ukraine pulling into this place on the other side of the border in hungary, sometimes what they need are the little things. that's all for me for now but i will be reporting here through the course of the day on "the rachel maddow" show. now i am going to hand it over to my friend, jonathan capehart, "the sunday show." >> today marks day 11th of russian invasion of ukraine. we come on the air with breaking news. a second cease-fire in the city of mariupol has failed due to

russian shelling. this comes less than 24 hours after an initial cease-fire agreement fell apart when russians reportedly open fire on a humanitarian corridor. more than 1.5 million refugees fled ukraine creating the fastest growing refugee crisis in europe since world war ii. president zelensky put out a final video rallying his citizens to keep up the fight and suggesting more u.s. support is on the way and pleading for an international no-fly-zone after he says russians obliterated ukrainian airport. zelensky warns of odesaodesa. presidents from both france and turkey spoke with putin early this morning.