ukraine, they are graphic. they are disturbing, and difficult to watch. this is not going to be typical sunday morning fair. some of the worst images we have seen so far, from vladimir putin's brutal roy of choice are coming to light today. some of the worst images you may ever see on television. we must watch, we must bear witness, because it is the truth to which we cannot and must not shield arrives. with that warning, let's get to it. ukrainian forces say they have fully liberated areas in towns around kyiv, however any celebration about that liberation is more than overshadowed by what has been discovered in the wake of the russian retreat. while ukrainian flags may fly once again in these towns, they are flying over the bodies of dozens, hundreds, perhaps thousands of dead ukrainian civilians. killed and witnessed by russian troops. for nothing other than being ukrainian.

previously priming suburb, communicated just 20 miles from the center of kyiv, the demonstration is immense. as is the sheer brutality and the sheer inhumanity. the town is without electricity, gas, food and other resources and supplies with during russian occupation. on the ground reports and the images that you are about to see, which again, are deeply disturbing. civilians appear to have been massacred. dead bodies dressed in civilian clothing lining the streets. this video posted by the ukrainian ministry of defense shows trucks literally swerving to avoid the bodies of what appears to be, that civilians. one body still seen holding on to a bicycle. abuja's mayor say that 20 people were shot in the back of the head. execution style. several have their hands tied in cloth behind their backs, which is visible in many of these images.

as a senior adviser to the ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy states on twitter, quote, the bodies of people with tied hands who were shot dead by russian soldiers lie in the street. these people were not in the military. they had no weapons, they pose no threats. bush's mayor, his remaining residents and other officials report that men, women, and children are among the dead. they were killed trying to escape. simply for being there. indiscriminate killings by russians when they occupied the town when they retreated. the mayor also says that several hundred people are buried in mass graves in the suburban, formerly peaceful town. this video appears to show one such mass graves. however, the removal of all the civilian bodies and the dead russian soldiers left behind by retreating troops are hampered by reports that russia may have raked the dead bodies with explosives. this video shows that the real

process that ukrainians are forced to use to remove many of the dead from their streets. tying rope and chord to bodies. with stiffened rid of mortise and dragging them away, all because they are fearful of getting to close in case the russians rake the bodies to vote when they are moved. russian forces are also said to have placed land mines during the retreat, including around civilian homes. abuja is just one area. ukrainian officials say that this is the situation around other towns in the country as well. we have been hearing reports of it for weeks. we have seen some glimpses of the horror and brutality, notably in mariupol. but not with the same horrific clarity, detail, and imagery that we are seeing now. it is believed that that retreating russian troops are regrouping and repositioning. we now without any doubt that they are committing inhumane, barbaric, atrocities. looking at some of the evidence of that right now. there have been so many

reported situations similar to buddha. throughout ukraine it appears that this part of russia's strategy in playbook for what the kremlin perversity calls a special military operation, slaughter and massacre is what it is. these atrocities are at a level that can no longer be denied or ignored. killing innocent, peaceful peaceful just for being who they are. that is the key ingredient of genocide. the images we are seeing today from ukraine are evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity, on a massive scale. the world can no longer close its eyes to what we are seeing. the war has changed. russia has escalated, it has to end. there is no more proof that is needed. whatever moral and human obligation we have is to stop this. russia has breached every rule for which the united nations has created. yet it continues to enjoy a seat on that body.

will nato issue a appropriate response? or will we continue to hear about civilian massacres for weeks, or months, or even longer. at these horrific images do not spur a stronger reaction than the phrase never again has no meeting. for thousands of den ukrainians, never again is already here. joining me now is nbc correspondent dan gutierrez here in kyiv. russians have reportedly were traded from those areas around kyiv, something that has been celebrated yesterday. why did we learn overnight from the towns a previously controlled? >> ali as you just laid out, the images are just excruciating to watch. from the local witnesses speaking to reporters there they are saying that some of these residents were shot indiscriminately. you saw in some of that video at least a few of those residents were on bicycles, some of the men had their hands tied behind their back. and it's just incredible to see, and disturbing on every level.

as you said it is just an atrocity. with russian forces pulling out, we are starting to get a clear picture of that. they have pulled out of areas, not just in buddha but in and around kyiv. russian -- vladimir zelenskyy as you alluded to has said that much of that territory is now mind. several homes are mind. even dead bodies have in mind, as well. now it is an excruciating process the ukrainian forces who are going through. how to pass safely. humanitarian aid organizations are trying to get to that area, to help those people who were trapped there for weeks without food, water, or electricity. ali, as the russian forces are pulling out of the northern part of the country the fighting is also intensifying towards the east and to the south. i also want to mention something that happened this morning, in the southern port city of odessa. new airstrikes there. although according to the russian ministry of defense, what was targeted there is an

oil refinery in several fuel depots. that seems to be a precision strike, unlike what you are describing here. this is civilians being targeted by the russian forces, as you said ally, it appears to take this war to just another level. despite all we had been hearing from mariupol, humanitarian buses are trying their best to evacuate hundreds of those refugees by the hour. what we are seeing in and around kyiv as the russian forces pull out, it is just so disturbing. >> gabe gutierrez, we will be speaking over the course of the next few hours. please stay in very close cuts to us. gabe gutierrez is here live with me in ukraine, keeping an eye on the developments this morning. joining me now is andre kozyrev, he served in the soviet government. russia's first foreign minister following the fall of the soviet union.

he was known as a reformer, he was highly instrumental in the immediate post soviet russia. even served as russia's representative during the oslo accord. he's the author of the book, the firebird. the elusive fate of the russian democracy. he has been a major, outspoken critic of russia's war in ukraine. mr. kozyrev, thank you for joining us this morning. you have been very active in very vocal and what you think needs to be done. what we are witnessing this morning, it does seem to be a change. it does seem to be an escalation. it should be something that influences nato and the united states about perhaps a shift in strategy, and how to deal with russia. >> i hope so. it is another wake up call for the west to understand in ukraine, the ukrainians are fighting for their freedom. it requires bravery to be free.

so nato should put out those fears of a so-called nuclear weapons and other things. these are the weapons they're using. they are bombing cities, they will continue to do that in the south of ukraine. but only brave can stop it. otherwise you will see it other places. over nato borders, the eastern borders. they have already committed war crimes in syria, far from russia. all of those explanations to not lie. americans should really stand against this barbarity. they have to understand to mr. putin's. >> mr. casarez, i will be

speaking very shortly with thomas eldest, the former president of estonia. these are former soviet republics who became nato countries. while they are fearful of russian expansion, they are guaranteed of a mutual defense with nato. that is something that ukraine does not have. that is something that ukraine has asked for, they have asked for a no-fly zone. there is great concern in the west, including amongst our viewers, that if nato does look at this and step up its protection of ukraine. including with things like no-fly zone, and direct military intervention, it will trigger a nuclear war. something that vladimir putin has alluded to, several times. had we square this? how can we not watch these imagery of atrocity, these warcrimes, something that is starting to look like a genocide, because we cannot risk nuclear war? >> i believe that the situation is a reverse, the absolute

opposite of this logic. you should not provoke, you should dot stand against putin because he might result too many nukes. it is the opposite. he is like an animal he is learning, he smells the blood. so he smelled in syria, he smelled in ukraine, eight years ago when entered the crimea and annexed crimea, brazenly. do not confuse brazenness with bravery. they are brazen, as long as they can get away with it. nuclear deterrence, either it works or it doesn't. the nuclear deterrent is very

simple. i remember it from my time in the soviet for ministry. we knew that nuclear threshold cannot be even closed because if you press the button, the nuclear button. whatever, small are big, you get it back immediately, immediately! it will send back to you, immediately. that is what happened. . that is what kept the soviet union from crossing that line. that is what kept piece for 70 years up to now. if they get away with ukraine, if they destroy and subdue ukraine, next it will be the baltic states. as you mentioned, those are

also members of the ex soviet union. people in moscow today, they are fighting the same cold war. they are brazen enough to use a hot war in europe. if they don't believe in deterrence in ukraine, why would they believe in the baltic states? ukraine is a big country. territorially, it takes months and they still don't have victory. those countries, the baltic states. they are small countries. they could be overrun by tanks probably in a few hours. look at the map. they will not stop from there. in ukraine, they either learned that nato is strong, and nato is resolved. they learned that nato should

be, like america, brave and free. it is clear to them that they do not have a free lunch in ukraine. they will not then go to the other nato territories. if they have the free lunch in ukraine, they will next be in the baltic states, or poland. >> mr. kozyrev, very few people know this as intimately orwell as you do. we appreciate you putting these graphic atrocities in the context with us. andrea kozyrev is the former ambassador of russia. we are going to take a break, after this. i will continue the conversation with the former president of estonia, a country that knows all too well the

threat of russia. but nato and the world must do now to respond to russia's inhumanity is next on velshi, live from lviv. once upon a time, at the magical everly estate, landscaper larry and his trusty crew... were delayed when the new kid totaled his truck. timber... fortunately, they were covered by progressive, so it was a happy ending... for almost everyone. allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! flonase all good. inner voice (furniture maker): i'm rubbing the arms of my chair... ...admiring the craft and detail i've put into it. that way i try to convince myself that i'm in control of the business side of my business. intuit quickbooks makes it easy for you to get a complete view of your business. so you can sit back and... ...relax. [♪♪] if you have diabetes, so you can sit back and... it's important to have confidence

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illness, former president of the pope republic of estonia. investor two -- and canada. former estonian minister foreign affairs, the country knows all too well the horrors that come from being occupied by its neighbor to the east. president ellis, we appreciate you being. with us we thank you for your time this morning. we've heard your conversation you've just had with mr. cause here of. these fears that your states, it baltic states, have russian expansionism are coming true in ukraine. i want to first get your thoughts on the imagery that we

are seeing. the new imagery from the areas around kyiv, about the atrocities and the war crimes and they did civilians whose bodies we've been watching on tv this morning. >> well i should say my twitter timeline is filled with estonian's in their 20s and 30s and 40s talking about how their grandfather or great grandfather met the same fate. we had many, many cases of civilians who were tied up and shot in basements in public buildings. this brings back very painful memories and makes estonian's realize that they were not simply stories that they were called. but this was exactly what happened to our forefathers 70 or 80 years ago.

which i guess strengthens our resolve. and our commitments to nato. because that is really the only way that we will avoid the horrendous fate that we see in these clips from yesterday. >> the baltic states, estonia, latvia, lithuania, they made decisions earlier on with the soviet union as quickly as they could to become nato members. that is not a choice that ukrainians made. at this, point the west is very. concerned citizens of the west are very concerned. anything that looks like an answer to what vladimir zelenskyy is asking, for including no-fly zone's or greater military assistance, or direct military involvement by nato, could trigger that nuclear war. that is the concern on everyone 's mind right now. russia is escalating. russia is committing war crimes. and we don't know the answer to

that is right now. what is it? >> there is a very fundamental issue here, which is that both the soviet union and up until now russia in the last, have always considered nuclear arms a deterrent. if you attack us, we will get you back. simple. this is the first time that anyone has threatened to use nuclear weapons for conquest. this is a fundamental issue with too few people in nato have actually realized. or make clear to themselves. there is one thing to say that we are going to use nuclear weapons to defend ourselves, and deal with. that's the other, one for which to many alas have fallen, is that we are going to use nuclear weapons to conquer new territory. and that is a completely different ball game.

we need to doubt very much whether it does not stand up to anything. it is hardly next essential question for russia to be stopped from invading another country. i think we really need to be much more serious than we are. because these kinds of excuses, oh, we can't defend the ukrainians because it will start a nuclear war, they really already are exceeding to russian blackmail. for our country this certain to use nuclear weapons to conquer other countries. and that will not stop anywhere, because once they succeeded their, they will go on and say we will use a nuclear weapons when we attack some other country. you have to say no. putting a stop to this now. >> you know the american audience well. you know canadians. you know what these fears are. very plainly, i think i know you are saying. but very, plainly the ukrainian

military has been able to heroically fight off one of the largest armies in the. world we also know the russians not turn everything we've got at this fight. we also know that nato, in a conventional military engagement, would entirely overpower russian in this fight in ukraine. so what do you say to people who say that any escalation risks nato lives? american lives? canadian lives? and it risks nuclear war? what is the actual response that you would have to someone who would say that this morning? >> if you do not respond now, you we will be responding when they attack a nato. and you have no choice but to respond. so, by not responding to russia's aggression right now, you are merely telling him it is okay. you are telling, him yes this works. we have to realize, that is what we are telling vladimir

putin. that's go ahead, and we will not do anything. succeed. please. go ahead. this is one, there are plenty of things we can do right now. but long before we enter ukraine as nato, which is probably unlikely anyway, certainly the continued refusal of germany to cut off that, what does that mean anymore? people, saying no, we did not want to pay more for gas. and so really, actually, -- are the only had reckoning of our past they say we have been dealing with for 30 years. it really is just -- the point is, if you are not willing to stand up for the most basic humanitarian if you have citizens being killed merely for being ethnic ukrainians, then you do not have any political capital left.

secondly, there is no excuse whether there is anxiety about giving leagues that plenty of countries among the eastern nato members have to the ukrainians. where there is an air war going on. then fly these airplanes. they should be given the tools to fight back. that does not mean going in and having the nato troops coming into ukraine. it does mean giving the ukrainians the tools they absolutely need to fight back. not helmets. then your crow missiles. they need -- in odessa. there is so much that they need. and they are not getting it yet. i am just flabbergasted by this. >> president to us silva, we

know they want to speak and we appreciate your voice during this critical time. -- former president of the republic of estonia. smoke is rising from the ukrainian foreign city of us this morning. part of the first major russian attack on the key territory. we have a live report from a dust coming up next. ing up next. heartburn... claire could only imagine enjoying chocolate cake. now, she can have her cake and eat it too. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger.

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sea port. the city council says that a missile was fired at a critical infrastructure facility. russia claims they destroyed an oil refinery and three fuel storage facilities. they have not been able to confirm that a fuel depot was a target. joining us this morning from undoes it was washington post foreign correspondent isabelle khurshudyan. isabelle, it has been a difficult night in odessa. it has been something that the resident of odessa have been expecting and planning for four weeks. it is an important target for the russians. tell us what has happened. >> around 6 am, my window of my hotel room was open. i thought i heard a publishing sound. i haven't thought to myself, was at an airplane? obviously i found you do not want to hear anywhere in ukraine these days. i heard an explosion out of that, and then several more. they were increasingly loud.

i think it took everyone here by surprise. really, for the duration of this more a death has felt like one of the safest cities in ukraine. i don't think that anyone was expecting. as you said, it is a major target. because of how important this port is. it is one of the largest black sea ports i think it has a huge bull's-eye on it where the russians are ukraine's forces have made a pretty impressive stand and nikolai a, 70 miles to the east. russia has not had the ground forces to get here. it has kind of left this city unscathed. but nowhere is safe and ukraine when it comes to air attacks. this is what we saw today. there were strikes on the city through missiles. >> and again, i wanted to ask my director john to put that picture up just to show where people are on the map where

odessa is. why russian troops are struggling to get there from nikolai. you're tweeting or your reporting indicated that the theory are airstrikes. but there are also ships off the coast of odessa they can launch missiles into that city. >> yes, there have been ships on the black sea here for weeks. although they are just kind of, hovering. those ships will send missiles to other parts of ukraine as well. the strike on the regional ministration building on nikolai and they killed more than 30 people, those were missiles that came from the black sea fleet. i think that people were preparing for and in phoebe is landing on odessa, or shelling to come from those ships. that has not happened yet. in part because any amphibious landing would pretty much fail pretty fast when there is no ground support.

the forces are held up in nikolai. >> it's about, thank you for your important reporting. is about chris shooting in is a washington police force noon correspondent joining us this morning from odessa. talks between russia and ukrainian new york cheaters have been ongoing. there is a curious neutral party seated at the table, acted at a go between trying to broker peace. i will talk about the russian oligarch who is currently trusted by both russia and ukraine. ads to a better life. and that better life... ...starts at miracle-ear. it all begins with the most innovative technology... ...like the new miracle-earmini™. available exclusively at miracle-ear. so small, no one will see it. but you'll notice the difference. and now, miracle-ear is offering a 30-day risk-free trial. you can experience better hearing with no obligation. call 1-800-miracle right now

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voya. be confident to and through retirement. as a struggling actor, i need all the breaks that i can get. at liberty butchemel— cut. liberty biberty— cut. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for whatchya... line? need. action. cut. you can't say that. [phone rings] sorry. is this where they're gonna put the statue of liberty? liberty... are we married to mutual? cut. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ in the 1980s reimbursement drew thought of college, he was often in the young age and spent his childhood in the small town on a river in northern russia. after spending time in army. the young man picked up on jobs here in. there he was a mechanic.

he was a perfume, dog, cigarette, and robert all salesman. today, that minus one of the richest people in the world among the top ten wealthiest billionaires in russia. and 55 years old, roman abramovich has a net worth of about 8.2 billion dollars, having peaked at 23.5 billion dollars in 2008. according to forbes. if you are a soccer fan, you probably know about him, he's a longtime owner of the english premier league chelsea football club. he also owns stakes in north sick nickel. he is also under the second largest yacht. the eclipse, which is estimated to be worth about $700 million. abramovich amassed his fortune during an era that established the first generation of russian oligarchy. after the fall of the soviet union in 1991, the government began to lose its grip on the economy. -- went up for sale, and people horrible to buy everything from small businesses to large oil

firms in mines for dirt cheap. abramovich had a business partner who persuaded the russian government to sell them a state run oil company called said enough for $200 million. ten years later, they sold the company back to the russian government for 13 billion dollars. through his long business career, a run of admitted to stay in the right side of the kremlin, becoming a close ally to the former russian president boris yeltsin in the 90s. and he later prosper it in the air of putin. abramovich was arrested the governor of -- in a desolate northwestern russian province near 2000. the same year that putin took power. he remains part of putin's elite inner circle. although he denies any financial ties to the russian leader. he has largely phone under the radar of international politics, until russia invaded ukraine in late february. the wall street journal reports, quote, early on the morning that -- began his invasion of ukraine, russian trillionaire roman

abramovich was children from asleep by a cell phone from a ukrainian movie producer within hours or across. was he willing to stop the fighting? and quote. according to the wall street journal, ukrainian government officials were worried that russian counterparts were not accurately relaying their messages to the man in charge, putin. in the saw a broader reaches a direct line to vladimir putin. over the last few months, abramovich has gone from all of dark to wartime peacemaker. a popular position for abramovich to be a. given his longtime relationship with vladimir putin. but that might be why ukraine and russia seem to think this could work. he was a spot of the peace talks in turkey last week, although both sides say he is not an official member of their delegations. nor was he seen at the main negotiating table during the talks. in february a spokesperson for abramovich said, quote, i can confirm the roman abramovich was contacted by the ukrainian side for supporting the achieving a peaceful resolution,

and that he has been trying to help oversensitive. and quote. according to the wall street journal, for the last month about moving to his role because -- israel and turkey, acting as a back channel passing ukrainian requests directly to mr. putin. he is even reportedly help to secure some safe corridors for people left behind in ukrainian cities. he is among several other oligarchy's who were censured at the start of the crisis. penalties from the uk in the eu or forcing them to reshuffle his assets and put a soccer team up for sale. but he has so far been spared from american sanctions. and that is reportedly because ukrainian president zelenskyy finds him so valuable to the peace process that he asked president biden to hold off on sanctioning the billionaire. the biden administration agreed. again, according to the wall street journal. it does not take a rocket scientist to know that abramovich is dancing with the devil right now. serving the sort of role, being in putin's hand, could backfire,

especially if the talks fail. but you probably don't need to tell roman abramovich that. in early march after the newly recruited billionaire envoy met with negotiators in kyiv, the wall street journal reports that abramovich skin started peeling off. he went temporarily blinds. he and other members of the negotiating team allegedly suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning. russian government has denied any involvement. nbc news has not independently confirmed that reporting. but ukraine's foreign minister gave a nod to that on monday. saying that being at the negotiating table with the, russians i advise anyone going for negotiations with the russian federation not your drink anything. in part for a plea, avoid touching any surface. end quote. the valid question you would be asking, is what is roman ivanovich's play here? weather is motives? money, power, self preservation? people close to the billionaire tell the wall street journal that he simply wants to help

and the bloodshed. and he will take some personal risks to do so. that remains to be seen.

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ask your healthcare provider about rybelsus® today. we are back live from lviv, ukraine this morning. we have been reporting on the watch and withdraw from the region around the ukrainian capital city of kyiv. we have been showing you the gruesome images that have emerged in the wake of russia's retreat. widespread destruction, mass graves, the streets strewn with bodies of civilians that ukrainians say were executed by russian troops. i'm joined now by democratic senator patrick leahy of vermont. the current senate pro tem and the most senior member of the senate judiciary committee. senator, thank you for being with us this morning. you and i have talked for years, i feel that i can speak personally to you. you were born during world war ii, a time during which we said, and after which we said, never again. yet we see these things over and over again.

we are seeing what looks like war crimes, and possibly genocide in ukraine. there are calls to do more now. what do we do to stop this? >> i think one thing that would be very helpful for the world to see what you have been covering this morning. these horrific shots that you have shown, launching them almost in tears. donald trump has said that, putin is a genius. he's not! he is a war criminal. there is no question that he is a war criminal when you have innocent civilians executed. then we have gone another step further. they have put land mines and explosions in homes and vehicles, fields, awe under the leahy law we are not even allowed to export land mines from the united states. these things are not aimed at the military, they're aimed at

civilians. that is terrorist activity. he is a war criminal. the ukrainian people deserve a in enormous amount of credit. even as millions have been displaced and became refugees, this has to end. what putin has done, he will go down in history alongside many other more criminals. >> i want to ask you while we've got you about the january six in ventilation back home. we have learned that the wife of clarence thomas exchange text messages with white house chief of staff mark meadows about trying to keep donald trump in office. how does that sit with you? what do you think should be done? there are calls for justin thomas to he'd cause to recuse himself from the cases related to january six.

there are some pieces calling for his impeachment. but do you think should be happening? you have been directly involved with the supreme court involvement. >> i am a member of the supreme court biographer. i have cases before the court that have been appealed. obviously, he should recuse himself. for what's it would say about the court in a case like this. more and more comes out of january 6th, it goes beyond being a alice in wonderland. it is crazy, people were actually thinking that they could set aside an election. remember how horrifying it was to see they set up gallows on the capitol grounds for mike pence. this kind of thing, this is not america. she has shown that she fully

bought into that. i think that for the integrity of the supreme court, her husband should recuse himself from any cases involving january 6th. >> senator, i need to talk about something good. there have been a lot of bad right now. >> come to remote. [laughs] >> yeah, there is an image of you with judge ketanji brown jackson. do you think her appointment, which now looks like it could happen. we heard from susan collins that she will support it. do you think that is some of the best of america? you were fairly emotional in that response to her testimony. >> i was, i have been here for every supreme court justice since john paul stevens during president ford's administration. i have not heard anybody who

has given such a thorough and brilliant answers as she has. i met with her privately and of course publicly during the hearings. this is a woman who has a remarkable story to tell. this is america. i am furious with people like ted cruz who say by nominating her sets a terrible signal to qualified white men. what does he think has been on the court ever since the beginning of this country? they have been the vast majority, white man. it's good to have somebody that looks more like america. she is that. she is there, not because of the color of her skin but because she is the most qualified person we could have. i think the attacks on her have been racist, misogynists, and

it to means the united states senate. i called out one of the senators by saying, i know you are aiming for social media, but let's not think about the united states senate. we are not showing ourselves as the conscious of the nation. the way that she's treated. i will proudly vote for her, she has earned it. >> senator, always good to see you. thank you this morning. democratic senator, patrick leahy a vermont. president pro tem of the united states senate and a member of the senate judiciary committee. after the break, i want to highlight the remarkable reporting of my colleagues on the ground here in ukraine. it has not been easy, but it's been necessary! you're watching a special edition of velshi, live from lviv. allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long.

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are your vows gonna make me cry? yes! babe. (chuckles) look at that! another write off. that's a foul! what kind of call is that!? definitely “not” watching basketball. not us. i wouldn't do that. i am back here in lviv,

ukraine. this is all on the west for the. country closer to poland, which is a nato, ally by the way. which is large why is one of the places to cover this war as a journalist. it is safer. over the last six weeks, nbc news has multiple correspondents deployed all across the use more torn country, in order to bear witness. and they have seen a lot, from shelling and gruesome violence to refugees of all ages, pouring across borders. to devastations which we threw seared in our minds forever. this last, week i decided to gather our fellow nbc news columns who have been reporting on this crisis each day, to discuss the experience of covering this war, and what drew them all to this assignment. >> looking around, it is fairly normal, here you can take, along get coffee, get some pressure to yourself, which i think for me we don't have time for that much else. it helps a lot. and helps, coming in coming out of stories. sets, on a daily basis.

and in lviv you can do that. other places you cannot. >> we will? you >> exactly the same. thank you walk around, it is a beautiful city. it is nice to be able to walk around a city that has pretty much state untouched in this war. you're gonna have a coffee when your car leaves, then get back into your routine. >> the only reason we can think it's normal is that we are all, here we all know each other from home. there are a team of producers here on the ground that live here. this is their, city their country, we've all come to work with amazing ukrainians who make this easy for us. and i don't know how they do it, because on top of being a great journalist, they have left their normal lives behind in order to make this comfortable for all of us. >> you separate that in a way that we don't have to. in a way that they have to then approach these people as their countrymen, as friends of, there as people they might know from home, kyiv, whatever. we are talking with these places on the map. we are talking about these

places in a very journalistic way. that is not the same for them. >> i am more inspired by the local journalists that are. here speaking with an anchor this morning from the local news channels, they have actually banded together to do one broadcast. five or six hours a day. throughout the country. and it really is incredible to see how these journalists are now fighting their own war, in the sense that they called this information a weapon. and she says that she is now fighting back this information, which she sees as her calling even though they are fighting on the front line. -- so it has been inspiring to see the local journalists here with their, working and also to work with these local producers. because you could not do it you do without this, it's incredible. >> they are sleeping in a tiny hotel, or some of them sharing a room. and they are still working so hard. we can leave here whenever we, what we are not being forced to

stay here. but they, are here most of them want to be here. if they are, man they cannot leave. it is a huge area of pressure on them which we do not experience. >> one of the things that viewers are often curious about is how you all end up here. which motivates you to run towards danger? >> talking to people who i think lived very similar lives, as i did five days ago, six weeks ago, who had by fate of birth wound up in a different situation. the idea that journalism is the only, way and i think we hear this from a local producers, the only way the people back home know about it. the only way that we knew it was happening back in mariupol is because we had two journalists inside mariupol for weeks on end. we arrive occasionally on additional sources, but we rely on their accounts. and that is the only reason. it becomes something that is very important for all of us, when we see examples like that continuing to motivate.

>> it is the people for me. it is always a people. when a privilege to be able to -- watch us on the news. i was right here among the last of us. staying at home, watching on the news what people are going through. i just want to know, i want to know what it is like. what are the facts on the ground, as they say, in the military? and so in the two and a half weeks that i have been here, i could talk to the people from the east of her sleeping in red cross tents on a training station. i got to spend time with people who survived the holocaust, for an invasion, people serving meals to people around the country. it is through those stories, and not just the politics of the associations or the familiar faces, but i think for me makes us it all worth coming to do. >> everybody wants to be in the

front of a big story, if possible. they do not want terrible things to happen. but if it is going, too i just want to see it firsthand. jacob, you and i have covered immigration in the u.s. considerably. but i saw those refugees, and i could not imagine being here in witnessing it in seeing the people, and speaking to them. but this is different, this is something that was created by vladimir putin. by one. man it is different from a natural disaster. i pride myself being a natural journalist. but what happens when there are no two sides, or at least one side has the truth behind it? it is difficult to wrap your mind around the answer coming into a situation like this. >> all the people we spoken to here and interviewed, they say, thank you so much for coming in getting the story. out one thing was very poignant. we were interviewing a hacker who is doing everything he could to hurt the russian economy and the media there. i was so grateful that we were interviewing.

because he said that he has a family in russia. and they do not believe him. they do not believe the stuff he puts. out there they, say this is my godmother. i am putting information on what has happened. she, said that is all fake news. you are making all this up to make russia look bad. and it is very important to other people here, to get that out. >> we were in the dust down in the southwest coats in a beautiful historical city. for the last month, they've been told that war could come tomorrow. for us it is really important not just to talk to before mariupol, like we have been doing, who can tell their stories. from, kharkiv who can tell their stories. but really to show our audience something else, that does not look like this. odessa looks entirely different. you chilling all day long, you hear it sirens all day long. it is not just one time, today is not just three times a day. you are smell, arms your mind's going off in the distance. it is the soundtrack of the city which is. different and it looks different. no one is walking around downtown. it is barricaded. it is sand packed, up to a roof.

even though it is not there in a street, it looks very much like it could be some. >> mariupol, the story she was telling was just horrifying. but you made a suicides packed with her sister so she would not starve to death. because it was no food there. just doing the interview, with her i was trying to hold back my motions. which is tough to do. >> i could not hold back. >> it is very difficult, hearing these -- >> saying that, stuff and you know they are not exaggerating to make the point. you have a 15 year old on your weekend show from poland, at the very end of your hour. she said can i give you a hug? she was not saying that because she wants to make the television. >> it is a remarkable story and i'm grateful to you all for continuing to do the -- stay safe, i say to every time we are tv. but now that we are, person stay safe. and they want to think nbc's

reporters for joining me for that conversation. we are all richer for it. thank you to all the journalists, not just him and bc but from all over the world, and inside ukraine, who are covering the story here and abroad. we have more velshi live from ukraine coming up. another hour bearing witness to the atrocities committed here by russia. it is difficult, but it is necessary. another hour starts right now. ur starts right now. good morning to those of you just joining us. it is april 3rd. i am velshi and i can join. us throughout this conflict, ukrainian officials have regularly taken to facebook and other social media sites to post lengthy updates about the war. but yesterday, one short and succinct update shared by ukraine's deputy defense minister spoke volumes. quote, or pain, luka, host amal, and the whole kyiv region were liberated from the invader.

today, we are learning more about the extent of the horrors that putin and -- have committed against the ukrainian people. after 39 days of surprising resilience and defiance to get one of the biggest armies in the, world ukrainians have successfully -- the seat of the country's democracy, at least for the moment. ukrainian soldiers rollback in these areas in the ukraine flag was amounted on their tanks as the russian military retreated from contested towns of them insult for much of the past month. but any celebration of the liberation of kyiv's overshot about what the russians have done for those towns. before we go, on i must warn, you once we are going to see, even the descriptions of what we are going to see, are graphic. they are some of the worst visuals we have seen outside of ukraine so far. but we have media station to show them to you and talk about them, because the world cannot close its eyes to what we have woken up to this morning. in bucha, a suburb on the