and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past... and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities. >> good morning, today is saturday, april 17th. i'm maria kumar, the key city of mariupol could be on the brink of fallen to russian forces. an explosive reminder that the whole country remains under several severe threats. russia claims their forces are severely surrounded, in mariupol. there were reportedly some ukrainian forces in a steel

factory. those ukrainian forces surrender by today, demand by russia. they told the washington post that the city has been, quote, quite wiped off the face of the earth. mariupol mayor says that 10,000 civilians have been killed in the region since the war began. if russia were to gain full control of mariupol, it would be putin's biggest victory yet. and would be the first major city taken by russia. in a late night addressed, zelenskyy said that conditions inside mariupol are inhumane and did confirm that there are several circles of russian forces now surrounding it. quote, the situation is very difficult. our military is blocked, the wounded are blocked, there's a humanitarian crisis, there is no food, no water, no medicine. nevertheless, the guys are defending themselves. the kremlin could begin his next phase of this war as soon as this week, according to u.s. defense officials who spoke to nbc news. meanwhile, earlier this morning

an explosion was hard towards the left bank of kyiv, ukraine's capital city. and several explosions rocked the outskirts of kyiv, leaving one person dead and several others injured according to the mayor. nbc news has not been able to independently verify this claim. ukrainian officials say russian officials have run into supply problems, and able to accumulate significant stockpiles of ammunition. as this war stretches, on ukrainian forces are running through artillery, as they defend their homeland from lurches aggressions. that is according to a senior defense official. they are now working to convince allies to send more delivery and ammunition to ukraine, so that they don't run out before the defense is needed. sanchez joins us now from lviv. what is the latest? >> maria teresa, the defender of mariupol are fighting almost literally to the last bullet. they are outnumbered, outgunned,

and at this point, they are hold up in the remains of one of the largest steel plants in europe. it is not clear how much longer these beleaguered troops can hang on. they demanded they surrender by 6 am local time, that deadline came and went. but the surrender of the takeover could come virtually at anytime. they spoke earlier this week to an officer with which is not far right but they've been leading the defense of mariupol. they sit back on wednesday they were running out of ammunition, we are now on sunday. this would be a major prize for bladder mere putin, after weeks of setbacks, sinking of his black sea flagship the moskva by ukrainian muscles. it would be a chance for him to change the narrative. now, we were talking yesterday about how russia has not been super transparent with its

people, about loss. the russian defense ministry putting out a video that says it shows the crew of the moskva meeting with the head of the russian navy. nbc news is not independently verified that video but what is striking is russia's all five members of the crew survived. this video shows far far fewer. the russians are already acknowledging the death of another general, they say he was killed on the battlefield, and he is the latest in a string of senior officers killed. the analysis of people who understand these things, the military analysts, is that because of poor performance of russian troops on the battlefield, the generals feel they have to go up to the front lines. and that leaves them very vulnerable to ukrainian attacks. >> so how the russians are feeling if they are losing so many of their top ranking individuals in this war? are they communicating that to the russian people?

>> well, they are forced, i think, to name the deaths of these top generals. you, know i think it's very difficult to hide when such a senior commander is killed, when you have to give him full military honors. but they are not being transparent at all about how many ordinary service members are being killed. ukraine obviously bracing for this long you'd -- anticipated assault across the south and east but ukrainians are saying that russians, you know, i have problems of their own. as you mentioned we have issues of their supply lines, and morale does not seem to be high in the russian military. 51 days into this, for the failure to take kyiv after the enormous casualties. the u.s. officials are saying that these troops have previously been circling the capital, previously circled back into belarus, and they're now being fast-tracked, and sent to the donbas region for this next defense. and it's anyone's guess how well they were performing on

the battlefield. >> raf sanchez, thank you for your reporting live from lviv, ukraine. joining me now is alexandra, the head of the center for civil liberties, an organization that promotes the values of human rights, democracy, and solidarity in ukraine and eurasia. she serves on the advisory council of human rights thank you so much for joining me today. how are you doing? >> i'm okay, thank you. >> you have been incredibly brave, you and your fellow countryman, and i think you're giving a lot of us hope. but i want to hear from, you we are seeing devastating reports of what could be considered possibly and we are witnessing individuals of many ukrainians sadly bound, shot, and left for dead. can you talk a little bit about

that? why do you think that right, now these should classify as war crime acts? >> russians provide -- article, eight criminal court, and a bunch of iraq and geneva conventions. liberal attacks to residential buildings, they terrorize people's hunger killings, rapes, and tortures of civilian population. all this inhibited, and its importance with the line that we chose. . >> i think for a lot of, you would really makes the difference is that you can technically say, sadly, that someone destroys -- in, war if someone destroys a building, regardless of if it is a hospital or not, it can be an accident. but we are seeing sadly what happens to be.

and one of the things that i think that ukrainians and international press is done very effectively, is documenting a lot of these war crimes, and these seats. can you speak about the collective effort of the documentation that you are witnessing? >> we collect some evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity. we accumulate testimonies of victims, and we send mobile requests to release territories. i spoke with people who were surviving from tears, but it is very important to remember that russia now lives in other territories of ukraine. for me, it's not only to.

but for me it's not about what i can do, it's about, to save this. you know? yesterday i had officials, directors of the un board, saying that more than 100,000 civilians in mariupol, knocking on the door this survey shun. the russians don't allow young children to have. early, march the -- she asked to the world not to make books about heroic struggle. but to help them to survive today. but she didn't receive this prosthetic word. >> i want to ask you a follow-up question based on what you are seeing and hearing. and i think that your accounts and divisions that you are seeing from journals live is

heartbreaking. i think it gives this clarity into a modern-day war. we saw that there were crimes against humanity, canadian president trudeau backed him up, however, what we saw from france is that they are president did not. what would you say right now? >> turning aside is a crime of crimes. it has a high standard. . the questions that soldiers provide all those killings, and -- genocidal, intent in the russian pro gondola, and in the conversation socials. but now it's not a question, it will be a question of who debates international court,

how to politicize this. but now, we have this horrible thing which is atrocities at this rate, the killings of civilians, so we have to better not so macro ones, but to unite an effort. >> alexandra, thank you for your bravery for coming on and continuing to speak truth, but more importantly, for seeking justice. stay safe. . so at the sunday, breaking down all roman for every room, and quote, it's being called overtly racist -- covid-19 numbers are once again on the rise. why do you need to know to stay safe this spring. next, staying with the warren ukraine, or revealing report on how american cities are signaling to help in surprising ways. this is reiter's, don't turn

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continues into its 53rd day, millions of americans are offering their hands to help strangers who are thousands of miles away. nbc's moira barrett takes a look at how certain u.s. cities are trying to make that kind of difference. >> a world apart, u.s. communities are stepping up to help their counterparts abroad in ukraine. >> the ultimate goal is to, you know, get the people what they need in a timely manner. >> americans, working to aid cities and strife, with fund-raisers and donation drives. but those who are sister cities are more than just symbolic. >> [interpreter] when i heard the pleas of the mayor of kyiv saying we need help, we are protecting our people, our city. that's what's driven me to the

point where, let's get moving on a sister city relationship now so we can help and do all we can. >> councilman joe boost guyana leads the proposal to add los angeles to the list of already 22 sister city relationships between the u.s. and ukraine. the city of angels, looking to make a connection with kyiv. while places like chicago, pittsburgh and baltimore already support kyiv, donetsk and odessa. >> what will los angeles be able to contribute to kyiv? >> some of the old fire engines and police cars, sanitation trucks that are no longer in use here in los angeles. >> l.a. is no stranger to the sister city relationship. in 2011, it donated fire trucks to beirut, lebanon. and it led fire training in lusaka, zambia in 2019. now, they're planning to send bulletproof vests, helmets and medical supplies. >> georgia hany is ukrainian american. >> how does it feel to be watching, to see everything going on to ukraine right now? >> it's very hard to see what's

going on in ukraine. i am basically seeing this history that i'm learning about, crumbling by the day. that's not only happening on a physical level, where buildings are being destroyed in history is going up in smoke. my friends, their families, their kids are also being destroyed. each kid that is killed is a little bit of the ukrainian heritage that could've gotten carried forth for the next 80 years being snuffed out. >> he is leading the steering committee for l.a. to make connections on the u.s. side. he's just signed on routes, lana ukrainian popstar, to help spread the word. >> the los angeles community has really come forward to help us in any way they can. it makes ukrainians feel like somebody cares. there's a lot of politics involved in how the western world can help. >> but, while the u.s. is trying to grow relationships with ukraine, cities with connections to russia are trying to sever their ties.

the mayor of des moines, iowa, writing to his counterpart and stab ripple that it's made the unanimous decision to officially suspend a relationship until the russian military presence is out of ukraine and the matter is resolved peacefully. sister cities international advises strongly against this, saying that, while it may seem like a policy positive action, it has the complete opposite effect. closing a vital and oftentimes last channel of communication with vulnerable are isolated populations. >> even if the war ended tomorrow, there are still years now of rebuilding. of healing. >> even with that long road ahead, why he knee is convinced ukrainians will persevere. >> in our national anthem, [speaking foreign language] . we will put down our souls and our physical bodies to fight for ukraine, and we will fight to the death. those words are in our national anthem, and ukrainians are really standing by it and

living by that. >> standing by, as los angeles tries to finalize their sister city status within a matter of weeks. >> our thanks to nbc's maura barrett for that reporting. quote, we're not going to run away, even if it's going to cost us the lives of people because we're ready to give our lives for our freedom. those are the brave words of one member of the ukrainian parliament who's been working with other nations to preserve her nation's democracy. she joins, me after the break here on velshi, stay tuned. velshi, stay tuned (motor starting) the most fun we have on the gator

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part of the committee trying to broker a peace deal with russia, he took to twitter yesterday to say, quote, one, ukraine asks europe for weapons. europeans support the call for their government. three, you gives ukraine weapons, not the one we ask. for four, weapons take too long to arrive. democracy won't win from playing this game. not in a month, not now. i'm joined by ukrainian parliamentary remember, she is part of the parliamentarian assembly for the council of europe, also known as pace. it's made from 46 countries committed to working together to promote human, rights democracy, and the rule of law. lisa, thank you for joining me today. >> good afternoon. or good morning. >> good afternoon to you. how is it this morning for you? >> well today is quite a special day because it's easter, and all the world is celebrating the holiday of life

and hope and peace, and today i woke up with thoughts that i want to wish happiness to this easter, to people around the world, but the only thing that comes to mind is that i want to have peace, and i want healing, and i won't love to come to the hearts of people. and that would help ukraine to end this war. i don't want people to see this, this terrible disaster, we need to end this disaster conflict. it's just unbelievable what is happening in [inaudible] >> the, so we're having a little bit of audio trouble, but i do want to thank you for what you are sharing, and i want to talk a little bit about the quote that i just shared. that was specifically saying that they need more kinds of weapons. one of the things that we learned from the new york times

is that, russian military is now going to move, it's going to be more difficult for the ukrainian troops to hide. because it's much more open land. can you talk a little bit about that? and how adapting and getting the correct weapons will help defend ukraine's democracy and continue ensuring that people stay optimistic with the hope that you shared? >> if you look at the statistics for how many air muscles, for example, russia is throwing to ukraine, to kill civilians and destruct -- there are hundreds of that. so, to be able to descend what's on which territories, to be able to protect our peoples, and protect the borders of ukraine, of course we need better. of course, it cannot be like, yeah, new tools. new technologies that are

available in the world. we cannot wait. it's not a matter of discussion whether it will arrive in one month time, or in one week. we need it right now. that is why i am absolutely supporting the quote, it's in the heart and mind of every ukrainian. we need weapons right now. because this will save more lives. and we cannot wait, at this stage i think no one should have any illusions about the abilities of putin to continue a terrible war. and without military ranks, we are not going to win. >> given your foreign policy experience, what else can the world do at this moment. it's very important to isolate russia at this moment. those people inside russia to

-- who have common sense, and are willing to change the political regime. you know, civil society, it's [inaudible] instead what do we have? we have brainwashed mines, at least 70% of the russian population. suffering from terrible propaganda, as a result, many many years of work. so what do we need to do right now? change that, because it's unbelievable to accept that people wish hatred. people, are like, russians are happy that ukrainians are dead or killed. this is unbelievable that this needs to change, because we probably should not have ignored the second lessons of the second world war. never again. and i'm sure that ukraine has a chance right now, with your help, with the help of the west, to change that.

so that the words never again will really be meaning never again, and we will never have worry again. lisa, something that you're mentioning is a reality of modern-day warfare. that is the real threat of disinformation and changing hearts and minds. that basically cement once people can't get the reality of what people are facing. i want to ask you though a follow-up question. one of the challenges people are talking about is that russia is the primary giver of oil and energy, both to europe and to ukraine. how do you decouple yourself from that energy dependence that you have with russia? is our plan for that? >> well, first of, all this is the choice of the values, the principles. whether we want to leave with the oil of russia or -- [inaudible] i'm sure that there is an

absolute majority of the -- many countries take a with -- even such countries as germany, austria that are quite dependent on the russian economy in this way. they already designed alternative ways, it just needs time. but we are calling that this goes quickly, because, like i said, we don't have time. regarding ukraine, this is our existential choice that we don't want to belong to anything that depends on russia. we have our independence, to be strong, we have a right to that. we are showing to all the world how brave, how strong and how much courage do we have to defend ourselves. >> lisa, as a fellow catholic,

i also wish you a happy easter. continue with the hope and the strength, and thank you for your generosity to which the rest of us a happy easter, given your situation. i think it gives us, also, a learning example of how to be generous in the hardest of times. thank you for joining me today, please be safe and continue speaking. it appears that another covid-19 surge is at our doorstep. but could a new covid test be the breakthrough we've been waiting for? that's next, on velshi. 's next, on velshi

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are once again on the rise. with the omicron sub variant, the most common strain of the united states, accounting for about 86% of cases, according to the cdc. now, two other subvariants of the omicron strain are spreading in parts of the country. some areas, such as philadelphia, reinstating indoor mask mandates among the latest surge. with that city seeing an almost 50% rise in cases in just ten days. the cdc has extended the mask mandate on planes and trains threat at least may 3rd. one bit of bright news, the fda has authorized the first covid-19 breath test, which could provide results in around three minutes. although, it must be done by a train operator. it will come as more eligible americans are now getting their second booster shot. joining me now is dr. ebony hilton, she's a physician and co-director and medical director for good stop

consulting. and an msnbc medical contributor. ebony, thank you much so much for joining, me dr. hilton. i want to talk to you about what we're seeing with, first of, all this new test. can you talk a little bit about it? >> it's one of those welcome things. we need more things in our tool box. it's the instant breathalyzer, it's fantastic in that it can give you results within three minutes. the only drawback that it has is that at this point we don't have enough of them. the company says they can make about 100 machines every week. when i urge the public and i urge our politicians and our government to think about is, where exactly are we going to put these tests? if we have a medically scarce resources, we need to put them in the communities that need them the most. where the most vulnerable communities? where those essential workers work. the very persons who passed away earlier in the pandemic. where the racial minority communities are, where black americans have a 60% higher mortality rate if you adjust for age. it's also with our children, in those schools. because we know our kids less

than five can't even be vaccinated at this point. our children, unfortunately, are not vaccinated at the rate that adults are. so, we need to be strategic and where we play sees new tools and, hopefully, that can mitigate the spread of covid-19. >> doctor hilton, i couldn't agree more. i think one of the places we should absolutely look at or the factories that process our food and farm workers who are so oftentimes living in multigenerational families. we need to make sure they're saying is safe as possible. i have another question for you. we are seeing a huge rise right now in the second wave of covid-19. do you recommend the booster for folks, as soon as they get eligible? the reason i ask, people are saying do they really need that fourth shot? >> i certainly do. it's not even the fourth shot, we still only have 30% of americans proceed with a first shot. we still i only have 65% of americans that have been fully vaccinated. this is a problem. again, we are now having this

changing of the goalpost. where we are now concerned more about hospitalization than death. i don't know if we've ever had a condition where we're only concerned about who dies from it and not concern about preventing it in the first place. when we think about how to approach this, it's really the saying you if you stay ready you don't have to get ready. we know the surge is coming, the surge is already here. and over half the states we have an increase in cases. we know that hospitalizations lag and deaths lag about 2 to 3 weeks out. so, why are we waiting? we have people now celebrating easter who won't be here for memorial day, come may 30th. and it doesn't have to be that way. so, getting that booster shot, wearing those masks and, truly, trying to practice those same mitigation measures that we start to say in march of 2020. it's now been two, years we know how to do this. >> we definitely know how to do this. i want to ask you, what is the likelihood that we'll see mask mandates come back? >> the likelihood, unfortunately, i think it's going to be low.

just because it's been so politicized. we are now allowing emotions to guide how we practice medicine. emotions to guide how we approach pandemics. and that is a deadly consequence. mask mandates should not have been lifted in the first place, if we have been losing, at this stage, still losing 500 americans every day. i don't know why that is inconsequential to most americans. to say, oh, that's just fine. when it's not. we know, in this age that we're losing, we're leaving behind more and more orphans. who is going to take care of those children? it's not only just about the deaths. again, we're going to talk about long covid and the disability left in the wake of covid-19. it doesn't matter if it's the original wild type covid-19, if it's delta, if it's the uk variant. all of them have been leaving in the wake of disabilities. from cognitive disorders to pain disorders now, to people having heart conditions and kidneys no longer working. that our young people.

we have to face the consequence of that, eventually, when we have a workforce that is now ill. we have a burden of health care that is not built, at this point, to support the weight of millions of people entering and with these new conditions. >> so, how concerned are you with these new variants that we are hearing coming out? >> i'm just as concerned with them as i have been with all the variants that came before. i think the thing that scares me the most now is the change in behavior and the change in attitude that americans now have toward the pandemic. it's not that the variants are going to be any more dangerous or any worse, they've already been killing us in large amounts. but it's now the acceptance of that tragedy that is now normalized, that people will just die. when these people, these are preventative deaths. we have vaccines, we have their predicts that are available. unfortunately, people are not taking them. and then, unfortunately,

because of the behavior and the attitude toward the pandemic has changed, so has the funding. we have to urge congress to say you can't fight cut funding, this is a war with this virus. and it is killing americans. when we go to politicians and say that we need funding for antivirals and we need funding for vaccines and we need funding to help put these clinics into the most vulnerable communities, where the mobile vans have now disappeared. when you turn your back on that funding and you say let the virus rip, it will target the most vulnerable communities and those are citizens that deserve protection. >> doctor hilton, i think you've mentioned so many things. but fundamentally, the people who say they're over covid, they come from a sense of privilege. when you talk about orphans in this country, left orphaned by covid, sadly we're talking about nearly a quarter million children. so, dr. ebony hilton, i want you to think you for joining us. always being a bright spot. i love your orange sweater, it wakes all of us up. happy easter to you. >> happy easter!

>> up next, fertilizer and food. and why the war in ukraine is more devastating to the world and you may realize. always happy thoughts on the sunday, morning we'll be right back. back ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 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. wayfair's got just what you need to be outdoorsy. your way! shop the biggest selection of outdoor furniture and furnish your habitat from you habitat.

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to you about the topic i really didn't think would be on my radar. fertilizer. you might not think that the stuff he used to keep your houseplants looking their best would be at the center of a global crisis. but, according to a fascinating and deeply reported piece published this week by the associated press, that's exactly what's happening. ukraine, as ali velshi has reported throughout his time in the country, has more natural gas reserves then nearly every other european country. according to 2020 harbor international review, ukrainian reserve of national gas came in second, only to norway. but the country with the world's largest reserves, russia. putin's invasion of ukraine

caused national gas prices to spike. natural gas, it turns out, it's a key ingredient in nitrogen fertilizer. this fertilizer is responsible for sharply increasing food production over acre over the last century. now, some fertilizer makers, faced with increasing prices, had simply shut down. fertilizer prices have doubled since last, year according to the ap. as the ap makes clear, that increase in price has the potential to drive up food prices even more. it can also endanger food supplies, especially in developing countries. and the price increased as it just affect folks abroad, farmers here in the u.s. are being hit by sticker shock. when they're growing the food we produce here at home. we've heard a lot about inflation in recent weeks, but the price of fertilizer could be another key signal of what to watch in the midterm elections. in fact, i predict that the cost of fertilizer could weigh more on the midterm elections in rural areas then gas prices. more importantly, food shortages in developing countries further destabilize the global al-kadhimi, sometimes in unpredictable ways.

remember that migrants urge on the southern border a few years ago? it included many displaced farmers from guatemala, and we may expect more of the same. that is because of the impact of fertilizer shortages does not just impact this year's crop, but next year, and the following year as well. millions of people in the global south turn out of the option to simply stop farming, but they'll be getting smaller and smaller return on their efforts that they put into their fields. putin's violent invasion of ukraine could be laying the groundwork for hard times ahead in thousands of places, miles away from kyiv and moscow. kyiv is a bread basket of the middle east and africa, russia is the fertilizer provider for asia and south america. a region where 60 million people were reduced for poverty and insecurity during the pandemic and who have yet to recover. combined with the ongoing climate catastrophe as we're all living through, now is the time to take the threat of hunger seriously. the threat to global civility in the threat to individual children and families. it could pose a national security issue.

here at home, over 33 million children are food insecure. that's where u.s. global leadership comes in. we live in uncertain times, and a strategic coordinated response from the u.s. government still has the power to shape the way we handle challenges and shapes of all sizes. biden spoke clearly to us prior to russia's invasion, by sharing intelligence reports of putin's intention. he spirited a nato response that seems to have been meeting the moment. it's that kind of leadership, clear, consistent and honest. it's always been at the heart of america's best actions in the world. it creates trust in uncertain times. and, whether it's fertilizer or climate change, or the rise of authoritarian regimes, it can and should be, again, a top priority. in, a to priority (ceo) ♪ i want today. ♪ ♪ i want tomorrow. ♪ (dispatch) ♪ i want it noooooow! ♪ (vo) get 5g that's ready right now. to help prevent bleeding gums, try saying hello gumwash with parodontax active gum health.

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affecting the lives of many people, both inside the country and far beyond its borders. an estimated 11.7 million ukrainians have been displaced by the war since russia began its invasion in late february. that's about one quarter of the fan of the country's prewar population. nearly 4.9 million people have fled ukraine for other countries, the vast majority of them are women that. children as of, yesterday's 7.1 billion others have been displaced inside the country, for said their homes due to dangerous conditions. unicef also estimates that more than half of ukraine's entire child population is now displaced. to make matters worse, the war in ukraine is causing a food

crisis that is affecting some of the world's most vulnerable populations, including children. russia and ukraine are two of the world's top exporters of wheat, fertilizer and other crops. but, with the word continuing, there is a major disruption to the world's food change, causing a surge in prices. the united nations put it bluntly, right now the world is experiencing the greatest global food crisis since world war ii. here with me now is toby flickered, chief of -- for unicef. he's joining me live from he pro, a city in eastern ukraine. thank you so much for joining me. >> thank you. >> toby, one of the questions i want to ask you, is it's one nearly 1.5 million ukrainian children have been displaced outside of the country. how are the surrounding countries dealing with and bringing in, absorbing them in? particular when it comes to education. the reason i ask, when we saw similar surge of serbian children moving into lebanon for what seemed to be a

temporary time, that had a huge disruption on the academics and the education system there. so, i'm curious, how is unicef helping navigate that and how are the countries absorbing them and their ability to actually educate these children? >> yeah, thanks so much for having me and unicef on. it's a massive challenge, obviously, when you have so many children on the move. both inside ukraine but, as you, said outside the country. there he's protection red sox, first of, all to protect those children. make sure there with people who are nurturing, caring for them. but then to provide some normality. normality made schooling, education. that's why it's so important that children can, as quickly as possible, resume some learning. unicef is working across the region with education departments, to look at how we can best do that. we're working inside ukraine with schools here. we actually developed an online curriculum with the ministry of education and science here. so, covid has actually, inside

ukraine, enable the quicker response online. because children are able to get back online. i was actually with a headmistress just a little bit earlier, in zaporizhzhia, a town about an hour south of here. she said that out of 1200 of her pupils, 1000 were going back online. so getting some learning. some of those were abroad, some were still inside ukraine. so, that's great to see that learning. but it's also, school provides more. school provide safety, should provide safety. it provides a nurturing, caring environment. and for children to be with children, to play. that's what they're missing out on right now. >> one of the concerns of what is happening in ukraine, and the massive displacement, and, as you heard in the intro, so much of the food crisis and security, that not everyone prior to the war, all parts of the region, and picking up, yemen are getting the same resources as they were before. as a result of the exacerbation of food prices and food insecurity. can you speak on how unicef,

right now, it's adapting to those tragedies on those necessities and other parts of the world? >> yeah, so, unicef continues to scale up its work wherever we can. that's across crises, across the world. in yemen, in syria. to make sure we can reach as many children as possible with what they need. that could be nutritional support, education, protection. that work goes on. it's incredibly challenging, obviously, when you have another shock like we have in ukraine. that shock then reverberates around the world. but we continue that work, we continue scaling it up as much as we possibly can. inside ukraine, one of the big issues as also that access to basic services, essential services such as water, such as food. i was just talking to a family, again, earlier today, who moved to an area near kramatorsk. not just because the shots were getting louder and closer but the shots were getting empty. or the lack of food and water was an issue. we just spoke about 1.4 million

people without access to running water across eastern ukraine, and that's a massive issue. that's a massive issue when civilian infrastructure gets hit, or when that access goes. because we can have such a deadly impact on children. the lack of water or even sourcing dirty water, which can lead to other diseases. >> so, toby, you're talking a lot about the physical part of putting these individuals in harm's way. children, specifically. what are you doing to address, what is unicef doing to address, perhaps, the trauma many of them are facing? >> the trauma is massive, and it's horrific. i think it's absolutely critical. the first thing is parents, they're almost like the first responders. but parents and mothers an extended family are also going through trauma. so, it's a huge, huge challenge for everyone. unicef, inside ukraine, we've set up what are called still no centers. which are areas where people are trans reporting through, or this morning it's areas where people who just got out of

heavy fighting if they can get a. we provide counseling, psychosocial support, and even just areas for children to play and have really from the horrors they've just been through. in kharkiv, in the north, for example, in the mattress, station we have child protection team stupid providing emotional support underground for children who remained underground for so long. they provide games and even some learning, some english classes, some other learning they can do down there. so, it's about reaching those children. also, with mobile child protection to teams wherever we can. so, the trauma is tackled. it's quickly and effectively as possible. >> thank you for your work and thank you for joining me on this easter sunday. don't go anywhere, a live report from lviv, ukraine, ye is moments away. another hour starts right now. when i said right now, i mean right, now it's sunday,