i got you. break free from the big three and get connected to the nations most reliable 5g network. get the new samsung galaxy s22 series on xfinity mobile. and right now, save big with up to $750 off a new samsung device. switch today. and a good evening to you. i'm richard lui. it's 10:00 p.m. in new york city. that makes it 5:00 a.m. in kyiv. and that is where we start. russian forces are moving in on key cities there. tonight they're about 15 miles on the outskirts of kyiv, the capital. the southern port city of mariupol has largely been pounded into dust. its citizens are under naval blockade now amid constant shelling from russian artillery. the mayor saying more than 1,500 people have lost their lives there so far. the few humanitarian safety

corridors established were largely ignored by russian forces. today, seven people including women and children, were killed were russian soldiers attacked their evacuation convoy near kyiv. the u.n. says at least 41 children have been killed so far. and no end in sight. today talks between vladimir putin and the leaders of france and germany, that went nowhere. reports show putin showed no willingness to end his war. and the russian people continue to pay the price for their president's aggression. ebay today becoming the latest company to halt operations inside russia. as ukrainians pour out of the country to escape the i don't know oncoming assault, the refugee crisis keeps get worsing. >> it was uncomfortable to say there because every night we heard -- >> it's okay. it's okay.

>> -- very horrible sounds every night. >> more than 1 million and a half ukrainians have already fled to poland. and romania opening its borders to over 84,000 more. and as the russian convoy inches toward the ukrainian capital, neighboring countries are preparing for a fresh flood of refugees. let's turn to ali rue zi on the ground for us in the western part of ukraine. ali, good morning to you. day 18 is what we're looking at. when you were last on air, you were mentioning that air raid sirens had gone off. what happened? >> reporter: that's right, richard. about an hour and a half ago, air raid sirens went off. this is for the third day in a row they're going off around this time. the sirens went off across the country. that could be an indication that more attacks have been launched. i can't confirm that. but that's the pattern that's being followed. when the air raid sirens that go off here, all the people that have fled the wore-torn areas of

eastern ukraine and staying in lviv have to get out of their apartments, hotel rooms, wherever they're staying, and hunker down in basements. they are still there right now because you can't come out from those basements until the second siren goes off to tell you danger has been averted. it doesn't look like there is any imminent danger here, but everybody has to be precautious. you can imagine how stressful it is for a mother with her children, possibly some pets, that have made the crossing from the east. they're in relative safety in lviv and every morning they have to scramble out of bed and go to an underground shelter. >> on that note, many displaced ukrainians have found their way -- you're alluded to that -- there in la laview.

>> the bulk of the refugees have arrived. they're dazed, they're confused. but they're having very resilient. we spoke to a young man who fled a city of kharkiv. he left with his wife and mother-in-law. let's take a listen to what he had to say to us. >> i didn't recognize my city when i was driving out of there. it was kind of terrible feeling to see what happened to my hometown. and i guess the situation is getting worse. and many, many historical places, i guess we've lost them forever. >> can you imagine how awful it is not to recognize your city because it's being bombed so badly?

eugene, the man speaking there, then showed me a video later, after he had escaped kharkiv. it was his apartment building that had been bombed and smoldering away. he was vividly upset. he was shaken but still showing a lot of resolve. he's coming here in lviv. he says it's so important for all ukrainians to do their bit to contribute to the economy, to make sure that the economy doesn't flat line because that's going to help fight the russians. incredible fortitude. people after people you meet, they all have these tragic stories, but they keep pushing along. there's a real sense of community amongst the ukrainian people here. >> great stories. ali rue zi, thank you so much for us. live there in lviv. let's bring in jack jacobs, also bayer mccaffrey, msnbc national

security commentator. evening to both of you. general, let's start with this. ali reporting for us, last three nights, air raids going off. what does this tell us about potentially what the russian forces are thinking in dealing with lviv so far east? >> well, clearly the war has widened. the center of gravity is still the capital city of kyiv, couple million people at a minimum still there. it will be the primary objective of the russian armed forces. they're hammering cities all over the nation with military objectives like airfields or simply terrorizing the civil population. it's going to get worse. we're going to see in the big city of kyiv what we're seeing in mariupol right now. >> you know, each time we're on air -- and now that we're on day 18 here, colonel -- the question is, when might something change? now, we pull up the map today.

we can see that it's uninterrupted, a land bridge from russia all the way to crimea, it appears now with the issue of mariupol, for instance, as i was just mentioning, now that it is largely in russian control at the moment. is this a natural milestone, potentially a military yauf ramp for putin here? he's accomplished something? >> no. i think his objective is clear, and i think he's going to be undeterred no matter what happens in order to achieve it. and that is to take over the entire country. and in the process isolate the cities, lay siege to them, link his forces up north and south, isolate the ukrainian army in the east, make it impossible for the west to resupply them, and eventually take over the entire country. and one of the things that he is working on doing is completely sealing off the black sea approaches to ukraine so that there can't be any evacuations, there won't be any resupply in

the south, and trying to do exactly the same thing in the east. i think he's single minded about achieving that. and one of the reasons he's participating an unrelenting bombardment of the cities is that the russian army was unsuccessful in marching in unopposed. so, he's just unleashed the entire army on the entire country and, as general mccaffrey said, will just blast all the cities until they're nothing but rubble, richard. >> the word "blast every city" that you bring up, colonel, over to you now general, a new word was brought in last week, just a couple days ago, chemical weapons. and the week before, it was nuclear weapons. you remember the conversations, general. is vladimir putin doing the, i'm going to accuse who i'm attacking so when i have my first strike of chemical weapons, i'm justified.

is that what vladimir putin is trying to do here? >> he may well be. look, we've got to put this into context. russia has committed over 60% of their ground combat forces trying to take down ukraine, over half their air force. he is out of options. there will be no deployment of nuclear weapons by putin. you cannot win a nuclear exchange. his officers know that. i think he'd get shot if he told them to launch an unprovoked attack. he clearly doesn't have the combat power to take on nato. what he does have on his hands is a mess. he's launched operational control of his military forces in ukraine. the ukrainians are beating them at the tactical level. so, as jack says, he's now turning to an aleppo terror campaign that before it's done will destroy much of the country. i think down the line we're going to find nato is going to find this unbearable to sit and

watch this happen. >> unbearable. and you're saying that they've not had much success, at least at the speed you would think vladimir putin might want. and colonel, president zelenskyy today saying, you know, we have now hardened the empty buildings in our capital of kyiv. if they want to take over kyiv, they're going to have to carpet bomb the city to get it. what do you make of his comments? and is he right? >> well, that's not going to help the russians very much. the russians know better than anybody what it's like to attack -- to defend a city that's been completely turned into rubble, as they did successfully against the nazis during the second world war. excuse me. in russia. i'm sorry. one of the things to keep in mind that general mccaffrey brought up and suggested was the inability of the russian army to operate effectively.

and one of the reasons we believe is that the middle level management, the brigade commanders, the general officers, division commanders and so on, very poorly trained, did not have very much idea how to operate with their forces in that kind of environment. didn't take the simplest kind of precautions that a low-ranking officer or nco would take. that is to secure his flanks, leaving the ukrainians the ability to pick off tanks, armored vehicles, and trucks at will. so, general mccaffrey says, putin's out of options. scorched earth. and they're going to have it very hard tonight fighting inside the cities if they continue to turn them into rubble, richard. >> and general, one of the options it appears vladimir putin has decided to do according to the world health organization is that now at least two dozen hospitals and medical facilities have been hit

by russian forces. is this to say that vladimir putin will not stop at anything? >> well, of course they did that in syria. that is not surprising. i'd also say they're running out of precision munition. so, to some extent they're just firing rocket artillery and shell artillery into the cities randomly. these are not targeting a check point. this is terrorizing the same population. but, richard, i didn't respond to your question on chemicals. i think he was hinting at a false flag operation. i don't believe he's going to do it. if he employs chemical ls -- chemicals aren't very good against the u.s. army. we're prepared to fight and operate in a chemical environment with nearly the same effectiveness as we would without the equipment. but if they use it against civilians in the ukraine, it will cause mass casualties. and i think that would trigger

very likely intervention on the ground and in the air by nato. >> okay. colonel jack jacobs, general bayer mccaffrey, thank you both as always. i appreciate your time. next we're going to go inside the humanitarian crisis unfolding inside ukraine and show you what life is like for droves seeking shelter in bomb shelters. plus nato allies pushing putin to end his war. he won't even consider a ceasefire. what does progress look like when forging diplomacy with a dictator? stories of strangers helping strangers for the greater good ahead on "msnbc reports." s for d ahead on "msnbc reports. we discover exciting new technologies. redefine who we are and how we want to lead our lives. basically, choose what we want our future to look like. so what's yours going to be?

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as russia escalates its assault on ukraine on the ground and in the skies, ukrainians unable to escape are moving underground in hopes of escaping war in bomb shelters. matt bradley went to check several of those out across

ukraine, and found innocent people caught in the cross hairs of war holding onto every ounce of hope they can find. >> reporter: under constant shelling from above, life in ukraine has moved down below. for two weeks, this family in kyiv made this their new home. we give them a hug, a kiss, we say it will come to an end soon, she says. we're staying nearby our house. we're not leaving the city. they sleep on mats. their food is in jars, their water in bottles. for some, this is the only life they've ever known. these babies were born in the shelter in the southern city of kherson. there's even a bit of drama. actors in the city perform a play about war as a real one rages above. often the bomb shelters are improvised like here in kharkiv,

ukraine's second largest city. we were there right when the bombs started falling. yesterday this was a subway station, but today the trains have stopped and people have flooded down here seeking safety and refuge. when veronica woke up to the sound of bombs, she didn't know where to go. she heard about the metro from her friends. >> i have a child, 1.7 years old and a sister, 3.5 years old. we don't just feel safe risking our kids, trying to live anywhere. so, for now we're here. >> reporter: veronica has left ukraine. she told us she's in berlin. the trains here don't run anymore, but you can still get around underground. dark days but ukrainians hope there will soon be a light at the end of the tunnel. matt bradley, nbc news, ukraine.

>> matt, thank you so much for that. next, dplo si in action. putin holds calls with two nato powers. and ukraine's president opens doors to meeting putin face to face, as russian forces intensify attacks across the ukrainian capital. as sky news reports kyiv is waiting for the worst. >> they're digging trenches, and this is in the middle of the city, although we're not showing the location for security reasons. ether way, soldiers and civilians are preparing for either attack or siege. they've created a whole network of these trenches. as much as detection but also from where they can mount fighting positions. [ sound of gunfire ] they've been taking on russian troops around several points on the edges of the capital. but there's a growing expectation that the city is headed into a very grim few days or weeks. alex corporate, sky news, kyiv. v

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war is hell, and you can see proof in the growing death toll reported tonight from putin's war on ukraine. president zelenskyy announcing a short time ago that at least 1,300 ukrainian soldiers have been lost. and the most sobering statistic to report comes from the associated press. 79 ukrainian children, and counting, have been killed. among the dead are everyday citizens uprooted by this war, fathers, brothers forced into battle for their country's freedom, knowing full and well that death is sometimes the cost of standing up to dictators. that report tonight from molly hunt. >> reporter: tonight, as attacks intensify around ukraine's capital, at least 1,600 people were able to escape the suburbs of kyiv, and 3,000 from the embattled city of sunni, which lies on the strategic route from

the border to the capital. they were the lucky ones. of the 14 humanitarian corridors at the beginning of the day, few were successful. akofrding to the ministry of defense while trying to escape on their own, seven people were shot and killed by russian troops, including a child, in the center of kyiv. the call ended with no indication the russian president had any intent of stopping the war. and his soldiers aren't holding their fire. 14-year-old katerina was shot in the hand friday trying to escape. we were driving, she says, and they just started shooting. and that 40-mile-long russian convoy just north of kyiv has started to disperse, according to uk defense officials, possibly getting in position to encircle the capital. in the besieged city of mariupol, the foreign ministry says a mosque housing 80 civilians was attacked this morning, yesterday, a residential building. today, ukrainian president zelenskyy making a plea to

russian mothers not to send their sons to war. also today russia sending a new warning to the u.s. russia's deputy foreign minister says sending weapons to ukraine turns convoys into legitimate targets t. white house announcing saturday the u.s. is sending an additional $200 million in arms and equipment, including missiles for taking out war planes and tanks. >> we have enough antitank missiles. thanks for our lives from united kingdom, from united states. so, they will -- they will lose tanks every street, every block, every cross road. >> reporter: president zelenskyy for the first time announcing 1,300 ukrainian soldier versus 1,300 ukrainian soldiers have been killed. while also demanding russian troops release the mayor of mariupol.

these protesters demanding their mayor's release in the face of russian occupation in their city, chanting, go home. >> our thanks to nbc's molly hunter for that report. as putin intensifies attacks on ukraine, the global community is not giving up on finding a diplomatic solution. french president emmanuel macron and german chancellor olaf scholz spoke with putin by phone. he will not even consider a ceasefire, we are hearing. served as deputy assistant secretary of state in the obama administration. joel, thank you for joining us. let's start with what the president said today. $200 million more. what does that say about the president's position on helping ukraine? >> richard, it's great to be with you. and what this means is that president biden is leaning in to support the ukrainian military and the ukrainian people right

now because he understands as, as the global community understands, this is a moment of clarity. this is a moment to pick sides. and who does one stand with? does one stand with the dictators who are trying to destroy our prosperity, our freedoms, take away our ability to have a future for ourselves independent and sovereign? or does he stand with military fighting on the sides that push back against that? and i think we've seen president biden be very resolute. and this is only accelerating that resolution. >> try to get to a resolution here. germany and france on that audio meeting today, didn't sound like much came out of it. what do you think of their progress or lack thereof? and are they the right countries, joel? should it be israel or turkey instead leading this? >> yeah, richard, this diplomacy is always needed. it's always needed to try to prod and pry and see what vladimir putin is reacting to and how he's thinking.

and unfortunately, these efforts by our allies seem to be falling flat. we've seen israel come up short. we've seen france and germany come up short time and again. we've seen president zelenskyy saying he wants to speak to putin. but clearly putin is lying and gaslighting about his interest in having diplomacy because when they make an agreement about humanitarian corridors, for example, they then bomb those people to try to save their own lives. so, really in many ways our diplomacy in the american position, discussions with folks in the administration, is that it's keeping the pressure on. it's isolating russia. it's trying to force putin to change the way he thinks. all these engagements matter, but putin has to understand that he has sunk to global pariah as quickly if not quicker than any country has post-world war ii international relations. and he has to actually take this diplomacy seriously, which he hasn't up to this point. >> short question for you here,

joel. secretary blinken, what grade do you give him so far? >> well, i give secretary blinken an a plus. i think the united states has orchestrated our leadership right now along with our allies and partners in a manner that has responded forcefully, reasserted american leadership around the world but in partnership. and it is affecting russia directly. it's going to take time. this is not an easy solution by any stretch. >> certainly not. >> but we're seeing unity against russia as we should be. >> i want to share it with the audience. this is according to the kremlin, vis-a-vis the ap. and i'm going to read. according to the kremlin what they want, what their demands are. and it says according to the kremlin, putin laid out terms for ending the war. moscow has demanded ukraine drop its bid to join nato, adopt a neutral status, acknowledge crimea as russian, and recognize

the independence of separatist regions in the country's east. and final kremlin demand, agree to demilitarize. >> and they're not asking for every single ukrainian to stop speaking ukrainian, only speak russian, and basically move to moscow. this is essentially an argument to no longer have ukraine as a sovereign independent republic and make sure russia gets everything it wants through brute military force. that's not a negotiation. that's not serious diplomacy. that's just a validation of what we're all concerned about, which is that vladimir putin is trying to take over another country through brute force and has no interest in stopping. and that's why the diplomacy right now is very focused on punishing him, isolating russia, and making sure that they understand that there is a real cost as we're seeing every day in this fight. >> joel, thank you so much for spending the time. joel ruben, appreciate it. >> thanks, richard. all right.

next, threats from putin, we examine how the west can help ukraine. plus we take you to the hungarian border with ukraine, where there's a relentless rush of refugees looking for safety. that's from msnbc ali velshi right after this. >> the russians knocked at our door, and they say, you better go out because it will be hell -- in two hours, it will be hell here. they didn't allow us to have pictures of what was destroyed by them. anyone who had pictures, they smashed the phone. from time to time they smashed the faces of those people because they had some good pictures of what they had done. e we left aluminum out and put 48 hour freshness and 1/4 moisturizers in. dove 0% aluminum deodorant is kinder on skin and now it's refillable for life. to help prevent bleeding gums, try saying hello gumwash

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the u.n. reports more than 2.5 million people have fled ukraine in the past two weeks, as russian shelling flattens entires cities. ali velshi spoke to a ukrainian refugee in hungary who says she's grateful to be alive after escaping kyiv. >> all right. as i've been telling you, i'm here at a rail station in hungary here the border with ukraine. people come to stop in ukraine. they then go through some formalities. and then they get here into ukraine. i'm joined now by a woman who has just come off one of these trains.

her name is ina, and she comes from hostomel in ukraine. you're from nearby kyiv. there's a big airport there that's well known. >> first they started to throw bombs on airport. >> wow. >> and we were just very, very close to airport. our houses also were destroyed. then they destroyed roads, shops -- oh, everything. i will say everything. the tunnel doesn't exist anymore. >> we were told that it's about 14,000 people who live there and most of them have now left. >> yes. yes. we have no houses. and it was very cold outside. they used to hide in basements anywhere. they tried to hide in the forest, but all our forests are

filled with russians. >> oh, wow. >> yes. they are behind every bush. >> we -- when you came up here a few moments ago just before we were on tv, i asked you how you're doing. and you said -- >> i'm alive. >> -- you're alive. >> this is the best. >> you're grateful just for that. who have you come with? and who has been left behind? >> i don't know. >> your kids are back there. >> my kids, they are still there. >> what is their plan? >> well, they will join me later. >> okay. >> they will join me later. they wait in very small town close to hungarian border. they will join me later. >> tell me about your journey. you started from kyiv station or from your town? >> no. we -- okay. this was fantastic journey.

russians knocked at our door, and they say, you better go out because it will hell in some -- in two hours. >> what is your plan now? where will you go because this is a small town? do you know people here? or are you going on to budapest? >> hey, i know no one here. we go to budapest first, and then i think i can find a job. >> what will you do? what work do you do? >> anything to survive. >> wow. >> i mean, i have profession. i have a small business on american marketplace, electronic marketplace, etsy. i am a crafter. >> oh, wow. >> yeah, i have my hands. i will survive, no problem. >> i have zero doubt you will survive. >> thank you. >> thank you for talking to us, and we wish you really good luck on the rest of your journey. i hope that as i'm standing here one of these days, i will see

your family come in on their way to being reunited with you. >> we have to reunite. >> that was msnbc anchor ali velshi reporting for us from hungary. while ukraine rans are leaving everything behind, president zelenskyy is demanding more from the west. a defiant zelenskyy told the u.s. and european allies to simply do more to help. the ukrainian president also referenced the horrific images of war now seen across the world. zelenskyy says, quote, the evil that is shooting even at ambulances and bombs hospitals must be stopped, or it won't stop just in ukraine. joining me now to discuss, "washington post" national security reporter. dan, how is zelenskyy doing on day 18? >> remarkable for the most part.

the fact he's held in there this long, rallied his people, kept pressure on the international community and more, if i were a ukrainian, i would be proud of him. >> one thing about zelenskyy asking for more help. he got it. president biden sending $200 million more in support for ukraine. how does military aid from the u.s. help ukraine right now fight off russian forces, as the issue of the supply chain and what we heard from the russian side is, by the way, your supply chain, it's now one of our targets potentially if you get involved there. >> yes, and that targeting certainly has been anticipated for some time. they've been very vague on the u.s. side and on the nato side about how those arm shipments are going to get into the country. obviously we know it's over ground. but in terms of where and how, that is largely being left in the dark to try and keep that under a veil of secrecy and hopefully allow those shipments

to get the amp they need to. >> with the progress that russia has had so far or lack thereof -- kyiv is an example on the lack -- but if you look at the southern and western regions of ukraine, i was just mentioning earlier with the general and the colonel, that now they have a land bridge from russia to crimea. how is putin doing? what is a win for him? >> i mean, when you go in with the initial plan of taking kyiv and you struggle to do that, he's going to have to look for things that he can call a win. one possibility certainly would be that he continues to make some gains in the southern part of the country. mykolaiv, i think, is a significant certain in coming days. and if they can take that city, then the concern grows about odesa, which is obviously a major port. >> what's the off-ramp? we've heard that word over the last 18 days. and i was mentioning earlier,

lack of progress from the discussion with the president of france and the leader from germany with putin. what is an off-ramp look like right now? >> i mean, i think that's one of the big struggles right now is there just simply doesn't appear to be many off-ramps. there is no sign here that russia is looking for a way out, you know, so they have shifted to bombardment. they have shifted to killing civilians. and seize warfare takes a lot of time, and sanctions take a lot of time to really take deep hold and really draw out the pain economically at home. so, for the short term, weeks, possibly months, this could continue to play out sort of in slow motion as well. >> slow motion and escalation at the same time, right dan? we're hearing from putin that he's now considering not only targeting potentially the supply chain, which could mean non-ukrainian forces. brought up chemical weapons this week as well. what other options might he pull

out? and for that matter, what are the responses that the west can do in response to what he's saying? >> in terms of thing thars still seemingly in the tool bag for him, if he has more russian forces at his disposal, there's been discussion of whether or not belarusian forces would be involved as well. that would also increase his force as well. the recruiting from the middle east, syria in particular. that might be a way he could also increase on his influence on the ground. from the western perspective, there's an ongoing discussion of what other kinds of weapons can be sent. you know, this $200 million in aid, at this point the belief would be that the same sort of things we've seen, that there's a discussion of do you send more powerful air defense systems or something else that might, you know, make things that much harder on the russians? >> dan, thanks so much. "washington post" national security reporter dan he moth

this evening. appreciate it. >> thanks. ahead, wnba player brittney griner remains jailed in russia. you'll here from jason zion, who was wrongfully detained for more than 500 days in iran. at the top of the hour, an update live from ukraine, as the russians ramp up attacks. and in the south, the historic city of odesa preparing for the russian invasion. here's sky news, nick martin. >> in oda sa trendy food hall, they've turned it into an aid station. what's your message to vladimir putin? >> go away. just do anything with your russia but we hate you and all your politics. we don't need your support. pol. we don't need your support

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brittney griner, who has been detained in russia for nearly a month now. russia claims griner was detained for possession of vape cartridges containing hasheesh oil. alicia menendez spoke with opinion writer for the "washington post" and former hostage in iran for nearly two years. he details his concerns for the wnba star while taking aim at the american government's response. here is some of that interview. >> as soon as the russian government puts out images and news of her arrest, they've been taking control with this narrative. and i think the u.s. government, you know, while i am sure they are working diligently to try and win her release, my concern is that in the past, we've taken a flat footed approach to these kind of cases. mine is one example. and many others that have followed. >> to a point you've made, there are a lot of unanswered

questions about her detention at this point. what is your greatest concern for her? >> well, i think first and foremost, her legal rights. i -- i understand that she has access to her lawyer in russia. but the fact that she hasn't been given consular access, access to the embassy, is a big red flag, right? congresswoman jackson lee talked about the legal process that she will go through. but there are -- you know, there are diplomatic processes. and one of those is being able to speak to representatives of the countries of your citizenship. when that is being denied, it is one indicator for the state department that there might be something fishy about this case. so, for me, i think as soon as she's able to speak with representatives of the u.s. government and really get her voice back, my fears would be lessened. but right now there's just so little that we know. and they can be doing anything

they want to at this point zblcht you write, the u.s. needs a more robust approach to cases like these. i want to know what that looks like. based on your own experience, when the u.s. treads lightly, what message does that send? >> first i think we have to come out vociferously and say these people are being held unjustly. in the case of brittney griner, there is still a lot of information to be gathered. and i don't think the u.s. government has made the indication she's necessarily a wrongful detainee. when that happens, first of all, i want to change the vocabulary on this. wrongful detainee means hostage. it means someone who's being held as leverage against united states and its interests. i think the short-term response needs to be one that actually raises stakes for bilateral relationships between the u.s. and the countries that are doing this, whether it's russia, iran, china, venezuela, or even some

allies, saudi arabia, turkey, egypt. all of these countries have taken citizens and held them hostage in recent years. and then there has to be actual credible deterrence on the back end when we bring these people home to make this kind of hostage take k harder for governments to do in the future, to make them think twice about making americans, you know, political leverage in their negotiations with the united states. >> our thanks to jason zion there from the "washington post." now to a story of those lost fighting for freedom. nbc's matt bradley on the sons and fathers of ukraine who stood for their country and now are laid to rest as heroes. >> reporter: after two weeks of war, ukraine is burying its dead. the number of slain soldiers is unknown so far, but today the city of lviv buried three of

them. this lieutenant was only 25 and close to marrying his girlfriend, tatiana. these men were killed in the early days of fighting in the southern city of kherson. the russians held their remains for nearly two weeks, releasing them only two days ago. his son is only a few months shy of fighting age. >> once you turn 18, you're planning to pick up a gun. >> reporter: he says he is, a decision he made on his own. many of the soldiers buried her were killed in 2014, the last time russia invaded. >> this woman is a widow. >> what was the last thing you said to your son? >> translator: he said to me, mother, maybe this is our last conversation. they were his last words. i was shocked. i said, you are my only one.

please take care of yourself. i don't have anyone else. >> having sacrificed so much, many here expect more from the west. >> what do you say to the american people? >> translator: please just help us to close this. >> it's been said that only the dead have seen the end of war. but for ukraine's living, this latest war is only the beginning. matt bradley, nbc news, lviv, ukraine. and with that, that is it for us this hour. i'm richard lui. thanks for spending time with us. our coverage of the ukraine invasion continues with ayman right after this short break. c right after this short break it kills 99% of plaque bacteria and forms an antibacterial shield. try parodontax active gum health mouthwash.

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ayman mohyeldin. you're watching the continuing coverage of the crisis of ukraine. for nearly three weeks, ukrainian forces have stymied the russian efforts to topple its government and bomb it cities into submission. now, russian troops are making progress in the push to take the capital city of kyiv. the just about 15 miles away from the city center. a senior defense official tells nbc news those forces could fully encircled the capital in the next week. ukraine's president is warning that his russian --