that. there are other people. >> there are other people, but it's not going to be him, i agree with that. i think mike pence has as much chance of being president has my puppy. thanks very, much mona charen, and this is "all in", the rachel maddow show starts with ali velshi right now. good evening, ali. i'm not sure why you give your puppy such little credit. but i appreciate the sentiment. >> have a good weekend. >> have a good night. >> we'll see you next week. thank you at-home for joining us, this hour, i am in vásárosnamény in hungary, a village near the ukrainian border, as refugees continue to flee the country in these battle brutal winter conditions. it's been a week of darkness and ukraine, on this friday night we want to start with a little ray of net lights, we want to introduce you to veronika, she was born late last night in a hospital in mary opal. in latin, veronika means to

bring victory, which is a powerful thing, considering that this is her mom. her mom mariano was inside the maternity hospital wednesday that was bombed by russia, after the attack she grabbed her bag, she walked herself out of the wreckage, less than 48 hours later she gave birth to veronika, the bringer of victory. in the middle of an active war zone. still wearing those same pocket pajamas. here is veronica with her dad yuriy, it's often clear where the family of three is gonna go from here. evacuations out of mariupol remain stalled, authorities gets that out of 1600 civilians -- in a hospital room in mariupol, there was life. more than two and a half million people have fled ukraine since the start of russia's invasion, but for the people who stayed behind, some semblance of life goes on. for some, that means joining the war effort.

today, this group of civilian volunteers were issued guns and trained on how to use them by the ukrainian army in odessa. they taught them how to shoot well line on the ground, propping up the ground on a sandbag, that was a beach in odessa, today. except, it's not beach weather, it's snowing. a group of men formed a human assembly line to build up sandbags to fortify the city. they filled up 350,000 of these sandbags. in the last two weeks alone. in another part of the city, men and women were busy in the kitchen preparing hot meals for the soldiers. they rolled dough, they chopped pickles, they did it with smiles on their faces. in lviv, today, people attended a first aid class, this woman providing trading on how to care for the injured on a prosthetic dummy. and then later, on human volunteers. and is secondhand clothing shop across town, the store was giving away clothes free of charge, to any ukrainians who had come to lviv to flee the violence in the east.

this woman, her name was galina, she helped her neighbors to clean up the house after her neighborhood was bumped. they live east of kyiv, they tried to sweep the dust off the rafters, but you can see there with the broom. today in lviv, mourners gathered to bury three ukrainian soldiers who died in battle. while they prayed, air raid sirens blared. it is now a familiar sound to so many people living in ukrainian cities that are under russian bombardment. nbc's matt bradley reports on the services from lviv. >> [inaudible] . >> so we've got a technical problem with the sound on that, we're gonna fix that, and bring that right back to you. russia did open attacks on

three new cities, that have so far been shielded from violence, including the city of dnipro, which is literally in the middle of ukraine. it's in central, ukraine shown here up in flames, after a russian airstrike, russia is beginning to hit targets in the western part of the country, an airport in the northwestern city of lutsk, sustained heavy damage today, as did the western city called ivano-frankivsk witches, 100 miles from where i am right now. the ukraine ministry of foreign affairs also said today that the mayor of melitopol was abducted by russia, the ukrainian parliament said he was walking through the center of the city, when ten people grabbed him and put it back over here said. richard engel filed this report tonight on the scorched earth nature of the recent attacks. >> russian forces are expanding their assault on ukraine, striking the central city of dnipro for the first time. nothing seems to be off limits. ukrainian officials say this

was a home for the elderly and disabled, hit by a russian bomb in kharkiv, all the residents were in a shelter and survived. further south, in the besieged city of mariupol, russian forces have cut the city off. no food or water. local officials described it as armageddon, and said 1500 people have died because of the blockade. >> no way out, no way out, russian troops do not allow even for humanitarian -- >> in kharkiv tonight, volunteers are preparing to defend the capitol in a basement gun range. mellow pop of its, who we met last week, is ukrainian born, served in the u.s. military in afghanistan and became an american citizen. >> when russians are pushing the official military, they take the first hit, and then groups like ours, we are here to help them. whatever they need.

>> is it going to be like a guerrilla war, hit and run tactics? >> yes. that's absolutely right. i'm pretty sure, even as i'm zain right now, russian military, they have not prepared for us, for militarized civilian resistance. we are gonna shoot them from every single hole, we are gonna give them hell. >> satellite imagery continues to track the massive russian convoy, which is still inching its way towards ukraine's capital. u.s. officials believe the convoy is once again stalled, about nine miles outside the city of kyiv. images show russian vehicles hiding under trees to avoid been detected by ukrainian forces. for now, with littlest to do but watch in horror, the world continues to pull whatever levers are left, to try to cut off russian from the rest of the world. president biden announced today that the united states would dramatically downgrade its trade status with russia and beyond the imports of some

russian goods like diamonds, vodka, and seafood. which is, of course, not nothing. but we are so far down the list of options to punish russia, that we're now at the send back the shrimp phase. nothing so far has managed to slow russia's invasion of ukraine, on the, contrary it seems to be picking up steam, and planting footholds in the city farther and farther to the west. joining us now, live, from lviv, is nbc news correspondent cal perry. cal, how is the situation changed where you are? >> it's changed because of those airstrikes and lutsk that you talked about last night. we've been here since the beginning of the war, and we've had consistent irate alarms, but there is been a choice of many people in the city have made which is not run to those bomb shelters, because i'm 350 miles from the capital of kyiv, which is where most of that fighting is taking place. that'll change this morning, now people are going to russia those bomb shelters, because putin has made it clear he will strike in the west. the situation along the black

sea ali, continues to disintegrate, the city of mariupol now, confirming at least 1500 civilians there have been killed. that number, undoubtedly, will be much higher. we heard from president zelenskyy, in just the past few hours, talk about another city along the black sea, melitopol, and the reason he brought it up, is because the mayor of that city has apparently been abducted by russian forces as they enter that town. we don't know the circumstances behind it, we don't know the reason why, but the president went out of his way to mention that today. again, the mayor of that town apparently abducted by russian forces. in the city of kharkiv, we continue to follow, now, a week under siege, the news out of there continues to be worse and worse there are russian soldiers apparently strewn on the streets, body sort of everywhere. the mayor is there saying in the past 24 hours, that city took more than 90 airstrikes, just to give you an idea of the intense fighting there. the last thing to sort of talk about, here, because a number people in the west are starting to brace for it. we have this continued concern

on these nuclear power sites. the power in chernobyl has still not been turned on, it was supposed to happen this morning. ukrainian engineers were not able to reach the chernobyl site, that was something that was worked out in those peace talks. and the zaporizhzhia power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in all of europe. is now both under russian control and occupation, ukrainian government saying that there are 500 russian soldiers, ali, using that power plant as a, quote, base of operations. ali? >> wow. that, of course, last thursday, was the power plant and wish there was a fire. cal, stay safe, thank you for joining us again tonight from lviv. joining us now is michael mcfaul he, served as the united states ambassador to russia under president obama, ambassador mcfaul thank you for joining us tonight. you are just recently spoken with the president of ukraine? >> i did, ali, i spoke to yesterday. it wasn't a planned call, i want to be clear. i was calling one of my

colleagues, one of my former students, in fact, from stanford, that works for him. and we talked, pretty much every day, and this time when a hit the send button to log in, it was the president of the ukraine and said to my friend. >> speaking of your friends, there, last night's spoke to the former defense minister in the ukraine, and he said look, the fight in the people, and the civilians of the ukraine, the preparation that you just saw richard engel talking to a young man about in the middle of ukraine. it allows them to hold out for sometime. you have people on the inside you have been talking to, what is their sense of how this plays? >> well there is most certainly a lot of fight and presidents land, ski in my conversation with him. he could've chosen to leave already. some people think that that would be wise, right? you don't want your leader to be captured, let alone killed. better have him in lviv or even card of, think of the gall,

think at the polish government that fled even after hitler invaded in 1939. he has chosen a different path, to stay in kyiv, and he is watching, as you just reported, as those trucks begin to move around the city of kyiv. they are going to do, they are going to try to do what they are trying to do against mariupol, and against kharkiv, that operation seems to be moving against kyiv, this time with the president of kyiv in the middle of the city. i don't see them surrendering, i don't see them running away, it sounds like they're gonna fight to the bitter end. >> so, u.s. intelligence says it might take ten days to two weeks to completely surround kyiv, we're not sure how that will play out. and then intelligence officers told congress, the other day, that maybe there are ten days to two weeks of supplies in kyiv, because it will be a city under siege. when you said they're gonna fight to the bitter end, what does that mean? are we going to watch, every day, as they strangle the

capital city of ukraine? >> well, obviously i don't know with the strategy is, right? but it seems to me, but that is what they're going to try to do. hand to hand combat, in a city, kyiv is a giant city, i want to remind everybody. even though half the population has left, the defense has the advantage when soldiers come into the city they don't know the place, don't know how to hide, snipers can hit and run. and so it sounds like, and it seems like they will stay on the outskirts, terrorize the city, just like they're doing to mariupol, and then try to starve the city out. i hope i'm wrong, but it feels like that it is going to be what is in store for those capitol, those beautiful capital by the way, a place i spent and visited many many times. it feels like putin is on the eve of trying to destroy it. i want to just say, just one other thing, i was just on ukrainian television just 30

minutes ago. brave journalists just like our team covering the war, they are in kyiv, and one of the commentators said something interesting about how horrific this war is. remember, these are people who suffered under fascism, that fought the nazis, and -- the red army came back through. one of the russian journalist said, there's one difference between hitler, when he was coming in and putin, hitler didn't kill ethnic germans. he didn't kill german speaking people, i think people need to remember that when we're talking about cities like kharkiv, and mariupol, and kyiv, there are large populations there, up to a third and sometimes as much as a half that our russian speakers, and our ethnic russians. and yet putin doesn't seem to care about that, he slaughters the very people he said he has come to liberate. >> ambassador, let's talk a

little bit about the fears that the west and nato have had about escalation, that doesn't have a much of a return, including the polish jets the other day, or the other things that the ukrainians are asking for, including a no-fly zone, or even humanitarian corridors. you've made the argument that we are concerned about escalating, because about the responsibly we're going to get from vladimir putin. you made the argument that vladimir putin has already escalated this far beyond anything that seemed reasonable. >> yes, let me be clear, because it's a very important conversation. if you believe, if bill burns, the head of the cia, and the director for national intelligence. if their assessment is that escalation means nuclear war, then we should not do anything to escalate this war. i 100% want to say that crystal clear. but that is not what i understand their assessment to be. that is suicide for vladimir putin, right?

remember, it's mutually assured destruction. we have, i know is precisely because i help them negotiate that surety. we have 1555 nuclear what governs, they have the same, that is enough to blow up the entire planet. that's a low probability, it should be lower, by the way, i want to jinping to be calling putin, i want general milley to call his counterpart to make sure that that is not in the cards, because that seems like a suicidal packed. but below that, what does it mean to say, well, world war iii, or escalation with russia. think about it. this army is now stuck in ukraine, not doing well, not fighting very well, against an army that is not nearly as well arms, it is not as big or as monetized as nato forces throughout europe. including, the united states of america. let's remember who we are. so, when he says we are going to escalate, he's really going

to attack nato? do you really believe that? i think if he can't even take on the ukrainian army, is he really going to take on the most mighty alliance in the history of military alliances, including our might? i just think we need to be careful, we need to define our terms about escalation, and i think that is a very low probability there. >> ambassador, you have been bringing us analysis and context for so long on this, and we are grateful for it. michael mcfaul, he's a former united states ambassador to russia, we thank you for your time, tonight. up next, russia is pushing false new claims that ukraine is developing chemical weapons. there's no truth to it, but could those lives be used as a pretext for russia to launch a potential chemical attack of their own? of their own? 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...

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(music throughout) the peoples daily is the

official paper of the central committee of the chinese communist party. today, it ran this article, u.s. tries to refute rumors about its bio lives and ukraine, but can we believe? it the peoples daily actually read a whole bunch of articles today on the supposed risk of u.s. bio lives and ukraine. they did basically all of the state controlled russian language press, touting the unfounded conspiracy theory. today, the russian ambassador to the un, convened a special meeting of the un security council, where he baselessly allege that the u.s. was funding biological weapons labs in ukraine. the claims were rejected outright by the united states and the uk, which called them under nonsense. the un also said that there is no credible evidence that the u.s. has been operating biological weapons plants in ukraine. but this completely jindal story has become major news in both russian and chinese media. the new york times reports that analysts who study disinformation for the two

nations said this was the first time they had seen the scale of amplification between beijing and moscow, around a conspiracy theory. and while that coordination is alarming, and countering big lies like this is one challenge. the more immediate concern is that u.s. officials are warning that this new fake narrative of these bio lives, could be russia setting the pretext for an attack of its own. >> we have serious concerns that russia may be planning to use chemical or biological agents against the ukrainian people. the intent behind these lies seem clear, we believe russia could use chemical or biological agents for assassinations, as part of a stage or a false flag incident, or to support tactical military operations. >> now, we know that russia is not afraid to use internationally banned chemical weapons for assassinations.

they used chemical weapons when poisoning -- alexander lit in yanko in 2006. again when it targeted former spy sergei -- and his dollar are in 2018. a chemical nerve agent was also used in the attempted poisoning of alexei navalny, in 2020. russia also supported syria's government, in its efforts to cover up its use of chemical weapons again's own people. but considering russia didn't up a fake genocide narrative as a pretext to do invading ukraine, just last month, it's not difficult to imagine russia jiang up a fake chemical or biological weapons attack as a pretext for unleashing those weapons themselves on ukrainian targets. so, what is the u.s. even do here? i don't even know where to begin with probably this, but likely we have someone who does. andy webber was a bomb assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, or chemical, and biological defense. he was the person tasked with

finding, removing, and destroying syria's chemical weapons. he's also visited the research labs in the ukraine, that are the subject of this new by weapons conspiracy narrative. joining us now is andy webber, he's a former assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical, a biological defense program, in the obama administration. andy, thank you for being with us tonight. you've been to those lives in the ukraine that this fuss is all about. what are they? >> well, there are public health labs, mostly, there are similar to our centers for disease control, we have been working with them, now, since 2015, or since 2005, actually, to strengthen their capacity to monitor, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks, and to protect public health and ukraine, and to be part of a early warning system of infectious disease outbreaks, so they can be isolated before

they spread around the world. >> andy, u.s. officials think that all this talk about biological happens, and these conspiracy theories, maybe a pre-elude to russia itself using chemical or biological weapons in an attack. do we know, what do we know about that, and once you know about their capabilities on that front? >> well, i do worry a lot, you give some examples of russia using banned chemical weapons in peacetime, in those two assassination attempts in the united kingdom and inside russia. so it is very real, and i think it's more likely that they would use chemical or biological weapons, then they would nuclear weapons, even though putin has threatened the possible use of nuclear weapons. so, i think it is a very serious concern, and the playbook is very similar to what has happened in syria in recent years, where the assad regime uses chemical weapons

against men, women, and children, and then blames that on the opposition. so, it is possible that this escalation of rhetoric, which used to be sort of plants in the press, classic kgb disinformation campaign. but it is now escalated to senior official levels, even the putin she statement during the olympics, made this crazy accusation that the united states is somehow supporting biological weapons, it's known to everybody that president nixon ended united states chemical weapons program in 1969. and it is russia that has been violating the convention ever since. >> so what do you make of this, you made a reference to a statement with chinese -- iq rushes lie about the bio lives. what is china's role, and what

is their goal here? >> it's a very interesting new development, that started when the covid pandemic first hit, in china, burrowing from the russian disinformation playbook, accused the united states military of causing the covid pandemic. so, the fact that china is echoing the russian disinformation is very disturbing. it's as if president xi jinping is acting as president putin's poodle in this case. >> what do we do when we gather information like this. if russia were to stage a chemical weapon attack, or commit when themselves, what should the u.s. respond, which is the west's response be? >> well, i think we should continue to do what we've been doing since the beginning,

which is as we've get intelligence about planning for such attacks, and our intelligence on russian military operations has been nothing short but exquisite. we released that publicly, as we are doing now, in the hopes that it will deter putin and the russian military from doing something horrible, like using chemical or biological weapons against civilians in the ukraine, as part of their terrible scorched earth policy. but we need to call him out on it, and we also need to present the facts, and the facts are that russia has three military biological weapons, that we know international inspectors have never been to. so it's clearly russia that is violating the biological attacks on weapons convention, not the united states. >> andy, thank you for your time in your analysis tonight, andy webber is the former assistant secretary of defense. we appreciate it.

still ahead, we'll speak with ukrainian journalist who's on the frontlines reporting from a city that is now in the crosshairs of russian military forces, stay with us. rces, stay with us does it float off into the clouds? daddy! (frustrated grunts) you might have your own theory. but maybe it's better to just let it go.

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of heavy shelling in mykolaiv, a port city with half 1 million residents in southeastern ukraine. a new york times reporter in the city tonight says that air raid siren started blaring there at 8 pm, shortly before the city was pounded by several

artillery strikes. there were no immediate reports of casualties or whatever mitch may have been caused. the city mykolaiv's northeast of crimea, importantly about 80 miles from odessa, another port that sits on the black sea. because of the proximity, mykolaiv has been a strategic target and taking the city could open the door to odessa for putin's forces. for the past two, weeks putin's forces have been targeting civilian areas of the city, leveling houses and pushing thousands of residents to evacuate. ukrainian forces are fighting back as russians holders have been peppering the town with firepower and missiles, killing hundreds of ukrainian soldiers and civilians. local officials say that more than 120 people have been killed so far. some ukrainian troops. but the vast majority are civilians. at the local morgue, corpses are piling up outside in the snow because there is not enough space to store the bodies. one ukrainian reporter, natalia

-- was in odessa when we spoke to her on monday, but she spoke the rest of this week reporting from mykolaiv before heading to, kyiv where she joins us now. thank you for making time to join us tonight, natalia. i know it is the middle of the night now where you are, and i understand that air raid sirens are continuing to go off even now. >> i. yes. i of course would share what is going on in kyiv, but coming back to your initial question, we are looking closely at what is going on in that town, the population is half 1 million. we just recently observed the -- we can say of another town, mariupol, unfortunate and very grave figure of 1532 civilians, which ukrainian 30s said were killed in that town. the concern is that similar things might happen. and the ukrainian army is able

to contain the assault, not to have the city and so that the preparation is taking place. but we see those, plus the -- i should say, maybe my colleagues, journalists, can check it better, with more recent data. i have not heard about the corpses being piled at the morgues. the city administration and the government are doing a good job so far. the death toll is high. but it is 25 civilians that have been killed, as we understand, it's a different scale of tragedy. so, we also need to be careful -- quite a lot is done in order to prepare the city for siege. >> yes. and let's talk about that. because in some cases, it is not about -- in places like kyiv where you are, there are civilians who are armed. there are the territorial

defence forces, there is the military. but if there are sieges of the cities, this becomes an entirely different problem. if there is no supply lines, no ability to get food, and in some cases we are seeing electricity and water cut off. then, this civilian defense that the civilian ukrainians have repaired for takes on entirely different look. >> i think that that is something that the authorities of each city and governors do understand, because there worst scenarios. the unfortunate thing is that the humanitarian corridors, the green corridors, which ukraine tries to facilitate, they are often shelled. it's been confirmed many times. however, president zelenskyy claims that even in that moment, out of those towns, around seven southern people had been -- but the point is indeed about this type of assault. indeed, targeting the civilian

areas, having the strategy of terrorizing the people. we -- it has been announced, but given an example of a town which has been overtaken, with mariupol also in the southeast, the local mayor had been kidnapped because he did not want to surrender, let's say. surrender to the occupying authorities. but kyiv is also a good example, for the third week of the attacks. and of course, the attempts which were not successful for russia to overtake the ukrainian capital. it's more the part of the north in the territory of ukraine, over kyiv, that is really under the control of the russian troops. but not the town. and by the way, coming back to the town, i was quite -- well, not surprised -- but life is coming back to the town, and when i was leaving the bridges did not work, the

transport did not work. now it is different. people are getting used to living under such circumstances. but it does not mean that there are no attacks. the point is that there are ways to contain that. so, for instance, here the air raid works every second hour. but the air defense system is just more capable to defend the town for that. so, the point is that it is possible to defend those towns if there is a necessary weapon or a defense system. or a defense system. >> nataliya, what is life in kyiv like? you are seeing some of it coming back to normal -- well, not normal, that's the wrong word to use. but some of it is coming back by virtue of the fact that people are living with. it what does that mean? are there shops opened? what is the city looked like? >> indeed, the shops are working, open, of course. we are speaking about -- you know, it's really a life of pro covid protocol, when the

shops were good and the cities were opened, nothing else in this regard. >> right. >> but there are numerous checkpoints in the town, way more than there were before. some of the transportation probably works. but prior to that, when i was still here, there was this feeling of imminent attacks, so more or less anything has been blocked. and exactly, that's what the ukrainian government holds, that unfortunately ukrainians have to understand that there should be some patients patience. there was quite a dire, let's say not even news, but statements by the ukrainian government about a possible new attack on ukraine from the north, but already by the troops from belarus. these, i think, should be taken

into consideration. and something else to add. the more we actually have quite a lot of facilities, over seeing weather attacks are taking place, there are interactive maps there. and the more i am looking as a journalist and ad is a citizen, at them, the more difficult and painful it is to observe. because a huge number of the tiny towns all around the country, tiny capitals, those of whom you rarely hear about, they also have sirens. because these tactics of the air raids is something which is today most enforced by russia. so, this idea of closing the skies by some means, it is still talked about and raised by the government as a way to protect the population of the cream. ukraine. >> we are so grateful that you are telling these stories, nataliya, traveling around the country so that we can bear

witness to what is happening. nataliya gumenyuk is a ukrainian journalist and we appreciate your time tonight. coming up next, a conversation i had with two pairs of sisters, who like millions of others had to flee ukraine, leaving their lives behind in the hopes that they will one day be back. stay with us. stay with us hey google. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ are you taking a statin drug to reduce cholesterol? it can also deplete your coq10 levels. i recommend considering qunol coq10 along with your statin medication. the brand i trust is qunol.

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invasion of ukraine, two and a half million people have fled the country. nearly 10% of, them about 225,000 people have come here to where i am in hungary. a flood of humanity seeking a place to call home, for who knows how long. >> this is czar, hungary, take a look at the faces and you can see that it's a way station between war and peace. refugees who have made it this far free from the fighting in ukraine, but completely uncertain about what their lives bring next. waiting for a train that will

carry them farther away from their dreams. >> it's really scary, even now i'm sitting here, and sometimes there's a feeling, the sirens, and the bombs. all of the family's, with me in ukraine, we all were really, really scared. >> victoria was studying english. now she's looking after her little sister, and studying the news. her grandparents, father, and friends, are all still back in ukraine. i had friends of friends in kharkiv she doesn't have any water. and like light or power, for more than a week now. so i can imagine how she lives for the time. >> here, parents comfort children, and adults comfort each other. the weight here lasts hours,

but for those escaping ukraine, ours have turned into days. >> tell me, how the journey was, how did you get from sumy to here in hungary. >> it was difficult but -- we were stranded in sumy, and we can get outs. after being evacuated, it looks along, the trains, the buses were too slow. we virtually traveled all the way for like 24 to 36 hours. >> you're standing in the warm room, they are coming outside, why? >> there are a lot of people here, so we have to fight to get a comfortable place. >> lena was a medical student in ukraine. now, she and her sister mendieta, san here as refugees. they shelling hail from rwanda,

a -- knows something about war, and the things it takes away. >> where you in your studies right now? >> i'm in third year. >> so you are obviously hoping to finish in complete your studies, how do you think that is going to happen? >> for now, i'm not sure, like everything was so sudden i don't know what to do know. maybe wait, or maybe transfer somewhere else, so i'm not sure. >> as the train begins to board, i wonder what she's thinking. >> tell me what you are feeling right now? >> exhausted, relieved. i feel like basically right now, nothing can happen anytime. >> you feel a lot safer here? >> yeah. >> alive, knocked down, but not broken. >> on that train, at least two pairs of sisters lena and mandy,

viktoriia, and her little sister, just one more stop on their journey that they play will eventually take them back to ukraine. we will be right back. l be right back. h protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. i recommend nature made vitamins, because i trust their quality. they were the first to be verified by usp, an independent organization that sets strict quality and purity standards. nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand.

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with eligible trade-in. my time here in hungary, i've watched thousands of people passing through, many with harrowing stories of wyden who to leave behind how to get across the border safely, but there's another group of displaced and endangered people for whom getting out is even harder and more dangerous. i am talking about the children of ukraine, who are suffering from serious illnesses, the children who are undergoing lifesaving cancer treatment. and the ones on dialysis. the children who need to stick to their treatment regiment in order to survive. dozens of ukraine's hospitals have been destroyed or badly damaged by russian bombs. but the ones that are standing are overrun. there is no infrastructure to care for these children, who desperately need complex and sustained medical treatment.

they cannot leave with the millions who are fleeing for safety. but they do have one place to go. in addition to becoming a safe haven for those fleeing the rest of the country, the city of lviv, ukraine, is quickly becoming the hub for children seeking special medical care. some of the this kid from the eastern part of the country have made it to relative safety in lviv, with some parents that -- some of them with parents and some of them without. the hospitals are still bursting at the seams. molly hunter, and then this is nbc news correspondent, visited a medical center in lviv. >> single mom -- son danny was diagnosed with cancer. then, the war started. they fled the besieged city of kharkiv in an ambulance. >> -- everything? >> [interpreter] it was full scale war, everything was, bond we were living in the basement all the time. >> what was it like as a mother

to have all of this out of your control? >> i have to be strong, she says, i will do whatever it takes to get the treatment he needs. >> from that children's hospital in lviv, the children are sent across the border to continue their treatment, many of them in poland. i want to go now to the medical director to a charity foundation, ukraine's biggest childhood cancer foundation. she has been helping coordinate the treatment and evacuation process for these children since the start of the war. she joins us live from lviv. thank you for joining us tonight, let's talk about these children, what kind of care can you continue to give them? and what can you not? how did they continue their care, that they cannot miss, when you cannot provide up? >> hi, thank you very much for having me. they are children all over ukraine from hospitals and

bombs and here in lviv there is a stable contribution for treatment. or they just stay for a couple of days to help their condition stabilize. and then they are transferred across the polish border to a triage center, for closer distribution to european -- [inaudible] advance anti cancer treatment. >> let's talk about the kinds of people who you need to offer this treatment to, this is specialized medical work. you need specialized supplies. do you have the supplies and people you need to provide the treatment, even for a short term, in lviv? >> yes, the big hospital is now overcrowded and overwhelmed. but they still cope with the capacities, though medical

teams are very devoted, despite our exhaustion. there is assistance from other parts of ukraine, and why they [inaudible] make the teams stronger. but and they provide the necessary care to children who arrive day and night. medical services are still available for a short period of time but we do need humanitarian assistance. essential antibiotics, medications and so on. >> yuliya, you talked about the kids to go across the pole. and is there a global effort to help these children? is enough being done or is there more that can be done to ensure that these kids go somewhere, whether it is poland or somewhere else, to get the continued treatment that they require? >> in childhood cancer, we are

so lucky and honored to have such a -- children's hospital. they are our global international partner. from the first day. and they developed logistics mechanisms to bring children to be further assessed at various european clinics. without this international hospitals [inaudible] and st. jude hospital takes responsibility for negotiating with these hospitals and our children are already in germany -- [inaudible] flying to spain, canada, switzerland, the united

kingdom. we would not be able to do this without the partnership with st. jude hospital and polish foundation organizations. >> well, thank you to st. jude for that, but thanks to you, yuliya nogovitsyna, and the people around you who are helping these children in desperate need. yuliya nogovitsyna is a director at a charity foundation in lviv, ukraine, thank you for your very important work that you are doing and please stay safe. that does it for us tonight, i will see you again tomorrow morning him for a special edition of velshi, i will be reporting live from the ukrainian border, it's time now for the last word, with alicia midland menendez, who is in for lawrence o'donnell. >> thank you, velshi, for keeping us focused. >> now to the latest in ukraine, for the first time since putin's invasion, airstrikes are being reported in western ukraine, close to poland.