its sound and fury perhaps not enough to turn the tide. >> ben wedeman joins us now. an beings can adapt to if they have to. whether it's fighting in trenches like that or being a civilian and being resigned to your fate and saying you can die anywhere, i might as well be at my home and stay here. and if it's my time, it's my time. >> reporter: yes. but keep in mind, anderson, that most -- probably well over 90% of the population of bakhmut has left. those who stayed behind are like that woman. they just feel that there's nowhere for them to go. they've lived all their lives there. all their possessions, their property is left behind. and many of them feel that being elderly and not particularly politically active that even if the russians do come, perhaps they can get by. in fact, that couple we spoke to at the end of that story, they had a son who had lived in another area throughout the entire russian occupation. and he was encouraging them to stay. >> what importance could the region's salt mines play in the -- we're seeing from the wagner group, which the u.s. cal

>> ben wedeman, thank you so much. >>> the new student loan offer from the biden administration.expect to see president biden as he takes questions in mexico city which we will bring to you live. stay with us. (vo) at wells fargo, direct deposits come up to two days early with early pay day. what if everything came two days early? (hero) have a good weekend! alright now... have a good weekend. (co-worker) but it's wednesday... (co-worker 2) see you monday! (co-worker 3) am i missing something? (hero) it's the weekend baby... see you later. (vo) like getting things two days early? when it comes to payday, you can with wells fargo. (co-worker 4) what are you doing this weekend? i was born here, i'm from here, and i'm never leaving here. i'm a new york hotel. yeah, i'm tall - 563 feet 2 inches. i'm on top of the world. i'm looking for someone who needs a weekend in the city, who likes being in the middle of it all. you hungry? i know a place, and a few others nearby. it's the city that never sleeps. but hey, if you need a last-minute spot, i got you covered. wayfair has deals so big

that update from ben wedeman in the city of bakhmut, that is what ukrainian forces are facing. they are concerned in the coming months, as the country heads towards the spring, the warmer months, that russia is going to launch a counteroffensive. this is very much an infantry war, so it is those tanks that could help spearhead and protect those on the ground governments for ukrainian soldiers. >>> the ukrainian president and first lady joined mourners at a memorial service saturday to honor the freen people killed in wednesday's pokt crash. the victims' coffins were carried to the ceremony in kyiv where they were draped in ukrainian flags. families wept as they placed nowers on the caskets and kissed photos of their loved ones. >>> president volodymyr zelenskyy and his we've offered condolences to the mourners and paid tribute to the victims. >>> after weeks of protests over voel's new far-right government, demonstrations saturday in tel aviv are the biggest yet. we'll have the latest in a live report. with two max-strength pain relievevers. ♪ so you can rise from pain like a p

here, the shadow of death hangs heavy. >> ben wedeman joins us now from ukraine.ter: anderson, it's a bit confusing because the ukrainians have yet to actually acknowledge that their forces are out of that town. but, you know, you get closer to the front line. you get closer to soledar. and the situation becomes much clearer. we have been speaking with soldiers in that area. they say, yes, basically we pulled out. and at the moment, we understand that some of the villages that we were in around soledar have been coming under pretty intense russian bombardment. so, for instance, in that report, we did see a soldier who was coming from the area around soledar. but inside the city itself, it does appear that the russians are in control at the moment. now, the worry now is that they've taken soledar, that they're going to start trying to encircle the adjacent city of bakhmut, which is about nine miles to the south of there. what we've seen on the ground from inside bakhmut is that the fighting is really beginning to get quite intense, anderson. >> ben wedeman, appreci

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ben wedeman, cnn, outside soledar. >> ukraine is stepping up efforts to get military tanks.cussed it with his counterpart antony blinken. france is promising to deliver tanks like this one in the next two months while poland and finland are supplying leopard t tanks. >>> going forward, estonia will no longer take in ukrainian refugees. it's approaching a borderline when it will be unable to off all the unnecessary support. instead finland has agreed to take 100 ukrainian refugees a week and estonia is offering support. nearly 8 million ukrainians have fled for other countries since russia invaded in february. >>> the british prime minister is condemning iran for executing former iranian official in dual citizenship. he was hanged for, quote, corruption on earth, a term used to describe a broad range of offenses. he had been accused of spying for british intelligence. we get more from our reporter in london. what more can you tell us about this case? >> reporter: according to reports, he was arrested back in 2019. as you laid out, he was accused of spying on behalf of the uni

ben wedeman. cnn.ine. >>> covid cases are surging after beijing backed away from the zero covid policy. just ahead how countries around the world are reacting. >>> plus a u.s. lawmaker is making serious comments about tiktok and urges a nationwide ban. that story after the brereak. itr supporting 6 key i indicators of brain health. to help keep me sharp. neuriva: thihink bigger. my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... the burning, itching. the pain. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, most people saw 90% clearer skin at 16 weeks. the majority of people saw 90% clearer skin even at 5 years. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®. ask your doctor about tremfya® today. >>> nearly 4,000 nurses at a new york hospital have reached a tentative deal on a labor strike. at other hospitals 12,000 nurses are neg

cnn's ben wedeman has more. >> reporter: eli worth jones is a long way from his hometown of las vegas he's delivering supplies to residents just a few hundred yards from russian lines in bakhmut. he does it because he can. the. >> i'm young. i'm trained for this. the this is what i do for a living and a lot of people need it here and i'm happy to be here and stand with people being stepped on. >> reporter: eli is with a group called front line medics. you can't get much more front line than this. fellow medic kirk aaron son from norway explains how they work. >> you don't really know so we don't have any idea before we see them and we do an assessment. >> reporter: our interview cut short by incoming russian rounds. the at a slightly safer distance from the fighting, they park the mobile clinic and treat who they can. olexander says his feet are in pain. >> can you ask him which foot it is? >> both. >> both. >> reporter: he lives in an unheated apartment and is suffering from frostbite. they'll take him to a hospital outside bakhmut and he couldn't leave a moment sooner. the russian n

ben wedeman, cnn, bucha, ukraine. >>> one man was the leader of a religious faith, the other a legendloved with near-religious fervor. each being bid farewell this week. we're live in rome after the break with new details on the funeral services for the late pope emeritus benedict xvi. and brazil mourns one of the greatest football players of all-time. details on the touching tributes to pele as the country prepares for his wake. and the bill payer, baker, and nightlight makerer? that's a lot. so, addiding “and student” might feel daunting. but what if a school could be there for all of you? career, family, finances and mental health. -happy birthday! -happy birthday buddy. well, it can. national university. supporting the whole you. did i tell ya i got my car from carvana? oh! tens of thousands of mud-chugging options. it was just so easy to find a car within my budg. i'm just happy was able to pick this baby. good on ya! we'll dre you happy at carvana. shs feeling the power of listerine. he's feeling it. yep, them too. it's an invigorating rush... ...zapping millions of germs in sec

. >>> let's take you to ukraine with cnn's senior correspondent ben wedeman. you're starting where a missile struck not far from a kindergarten. >> reporter: yeah, let me actually step out of the way and show you this. this happened yesterday morning. three russian missiles hit this kindergarten. fortunately because they're in a war they're not holding session, but unfortunately one person was killed in a blast. in fact, in another town to the south of here, there were about a dozen missiles striking overnight. much talk about the fear of the western allies to come up with some sort of agreement to provide ukraine with these tanks that are so desperately needed. yesterday we were in the embattled city of bakhmut, and we saw there ukrainians are fighting hard, trying to stop the russians from encircling that city. in trenches outside bakhmut, mortar crews are at work. ground footage shows the impact of their rounds on enemy positions. their refrain among these troops, "we need more." >> of course, it's powerful, but it's the 21st century. >> reporter: around ba

cnn's ben wedeman is there. what is the latest, ben? >> reporter: well, overnight the town south of here was struck by about 12 russian missiles. no word on casualty there. what we know is that there is mounting frustration among the ukrainians because, as the germans dither over whether to give the country the tanks it desperately needs, the front line is burning. in the trenches outside becahmu hoping to rappel russian forces on the verge of encircling the city. drone footage shows the impact of their rounds on enemy positions. the refrain among these troops, "we need more." >> speaks about it. yes, of course. it's more powerful for our time. but now is 21st century. we need not only tanks. >> reporter: around bakhmut slowly and steadily the russians are gaining ground. thursday evgeny claimed his troops and only his troops took the village just south of the city. in the dugout, this officer explains wagner's tactics. they attack at night. the first wave is less trained, but we have to use lots of ammunition against them, he says. the

. >> [sound of gunfire] ben wedeman joins us shortly showing how dangerous it is and how dangerous ithe front lines. the fight for bakhmut rages on. we will be right back. ever get a sign the universe is trying to tell you something? the clues are all around us! not that one. that's the one. at university of phoenix, you could earn your master's degree in less than a year for under $11k. learn more at phoenix.edu. i'm managing my high blood pressure, but i'm still a target for chronic kidney disease. and my type 2 diabetes means i'm also a target. we are targets too. millions have chronic kidney disease and 90% don't know they have it. so ask for your kidney numbers and farxiga. ♪ far-xi-ga ♪ if you have chronic kidney disease, farxiga reduces the risk of kidney failure, which can lead to dialysis. farxiga can cause serious side effects including dehydration, urinary tract or genital yeast infections in women and men, and low blood sugar. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may lead to death. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur.

ben wedeman is there. t the. >> reporter: eli worth jones is a long way from his hometown of las vegas, nevada. a medic, he's delivering supplies to residents just a few hundred yards from russian lines in bakhmut. he does it because he can. >> i'm young. i've trained for this. the this is what i do for a living. a lot of people need it here and i'm happy to be here, stand with the people that are being stepped on. >> eli is with a group called front line medics and you can't get much more front line than this. fellow medic curt eriksson from norway explains how they work. >> you've got a list of patients but you don't really know what's wrong with them. we don't have any idea before we see them and we do an assessment. >> reporter: our interview cut short by an incoming russian ro round. at a site a safer distance from the fighting they park their mobile clinic and treat who they can. alexander said his feet are in pain. >> can you ask him which foot it is? >> both. >> okay. >> reporter: he lives in an un

ben wedeman, thank you so much. on the ground with the facts.nks. >> china has reopened to international travelers, lifting almost all of its covid border restrictions. it comes as china's experiences a surge in covid cases. cnn's steven jiang live for us. what prompted china let's move to reopen the borders and keep them open despite this covid surge? >> reporter: christine, it depends on who you ask. officials claim they did it proactively because they also had a scientific approach to the pandemic. others would point to those widespread protests against an increasingly unsustainable zero covid policy back in november. those protests are the very things that provide leadership. the way they did it t, that sudn u-turn both in terms of medical resources but also in terms of government messaging has results in a surge in reduction in deaths, not reflecting government data. and that lack of transparency obviously being noted both around the world but here at home as well. that's why the reopening borders after being met with mixed feelings of the

we go to ben wedeman. the campaign of terror has not slowed down.eing from the ground? >> reporter: as you said, there's the 20 drones fired at kyiv overnight, some did damage critical infrastructure so authorities in kyiv are calling upon people to limit as much as possible their use of electricity. that in addition to over the new year's weekend more than 45 of these iranian-made 135 drones were fired. these are drones that explode upon impact. they're sometimes difficult to intercept for the air defenses. now over the weekend, one person was killed in the new year's eve barrage that took place. and another person has died as a result of the wounds that they received during the barrage. so that does appear that the russians, basically four out of the last five days, have seen these barrages aimed at the ukrainian capital. the air defenses are working but they're not able to take out all of these incoming drones that the russians seem to have in fairly decent supply. although ukrainian officials are saying that, according to their intelligence, the

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. >> ben wedeman joins us live now. you're in an area that was hit with a missile strike not far from the site of a kindergarten, right? >> actually we have moved to another town that overnight was hit by 12 russian missile strikes. no word of any casualties in this instance, but earlier, yes, we were in an area where yesterday morning a missile landed in front of a kindergarten killing one person. the kindergarten was not in session because in this part of the country most people have left. those staying behind are getting remote education. as you can tell, obviously this part of ukraine is taking the brunt of russian firepower. not far from here, the battle of bakhmut is raging. ukrainian forces are struggling to stop this russian offensive that is slowly gaining ground, particularly around the city of bakhmut. all of this is adding to the frustration of the ukrainians as they watch their western allies simply incapable of agreeing on some sort of deal to get these tanks, particularly the german-made leopard 2 tanks t

ben wedeman. >>> china has stopped issuing visas to visitors from south korea and japan.jing is retaliating on the recent restrictions calling the rules discriminatory. let's go to cnn's mark stuart live in hong kong for us. good morning, mark. so nice to see you. a number of countries mandate covid testing for chinese travelers. they cite concerns with limited data. what can you tell us about this? >> absolutely. always good to see you as well, christine. so obviously japan and south korea are getting attention for their travel restrictions toward chinese travel jerts, but this is a much bigger story. about a dozen countries around the world have placed restrictions on chinese travelers again because of the mistrust about the extent of the covid problem. china has said there are 37 cases but pictures and reporting on the ground obviously suggest otherwise. with all of that said, many countries and many cities such as hong kong are welcoming chinese travelers. this new back and forth, these restrictions have been lifted. travelers can come here to hong kong and chinese to

>> ben wedeman, appreciate it. thank you. >>> joining us now, wesley clark, retired army four star general. general, you heard ben's report. what's your reaction to the amount of troops and munitions that russia is using to try to take soledar? >> the russians need a victory. and they have been repulsed ah at bakhmut. so, the town is about six miles from bakhmut. if you could capture it, maybe you could turn a flank in bakhmut. but it's mostly a psychological play by the russians. this whole area is -- as far as we can tell, it's the wagner group. so, the wagner group has a lot of russian cannon fodder there. these are convicts. these are conscripts. they're not well trained. apparently they are pushed forward in an effort to draw fire from the ukrainians. that enables wagner to pinpoint positions. and that's what the battle is all about, artillery fire and some direct fire. and it's close combat. >> so, these conscripts, thooz prisoners, who are they can get, they're essentially thrown into a meat grinder in order

cnn senior international correspondent, ben wedeman joins me now. ben, you were inside the trenches near bakhmut. what did you see there? >> what we saw is for the moment, jim, the ukrainian forces are managing to hold the russians off. but the intensity of fire into the city, and into the trenches around the city is going to be difficult for them to endure for too much longer. >> in the trenches outside bakhmut, the crew is at work. hoping to repel a russian forces on the verge of encircling the city. drone footage shows the impact of their rounds on enemy positions. the refrain among these troops, we need more. >> they all speak about tens, tens, tens, of course the most powerful -- but now it is the 21st century. you need aviation. >> around bakhmut, slowly and steadily, the russians are gaining ground. thursday, the head of the wagner group, claimed that his troops and only his troops took the village just south of the city. in a dugout, this officer explains wagner's tactics. >> translator: they attack at night, the first wave is less trained, b

cnn's ben wedeman is in ukraine for us.sia has already claimed victory in the area, but the fighting continues. where do things stand? >> reporter: yes, russians have claimed they've taken soledar, just north of back khmut, and we been to that area and it appears they're in control of most if not all of that town of 10,000 people. it seems the last 24 hours have been very difficult in the region of zaporizhzhia to the south of here where regional officials say there were 21 individual russian strikes resulting in the death of one woman and in their words the destruction of dozens of buildings. now, just south of here in overnight there were at least a dozen missile strikes on that town. just yesterday here one person was killed when three missiles hit the city, one right in front of a kindergarten. fortunately, the kindergarten was not operational at the time because of course the war -- classes have not been held in months. now, as far as the situation in bakhmut goes, we were there yesterday. we saw that the ukrainians ar

ben wedeman, cnn, bakhmut. >> we want to go live to london right now, cnn's salma -- good morning toe is getting mixed signals from western alliance on leopard 2 battle tanks being sent to the war torn nation. what is the latest on this? >> the pressure is really piling up on germany to make this decision about these all important leopard two tanks. it's remember here, that they authorize the employment of these tanks on the front line on the battlefield, it's not just -- -- it impacts some 13 european countries where there are some 10,000 of these tanks, poland in particular has been very vocal about this that they have said that they are -- >> all right, we are going to try to fix the audio there. salma abdullah disease joining us live from london. still to come, california's governor was meeting with the victims of one mass shooting when he was called a way to deal with yet another. hear what he is saying about the gun laws, that is next. just without the lactose. tastes great in our iced coffees t too. which makes waking up at 5 a.m. to mililk the cows a little e easier. (moo) ma

. >> cnn senior international correspondent ben wedeman is live in ukraine. n, what more are we hearing from president zelenskyy? >> reporter: well, boris, the president is trying to be somewhat diplomatic, but if you read between the lines -- [ inaudible ]. >> that is unfortunate. we lost ben wedeman's signal. we will try to get it back up later this hour. >>> pivoting to politics here in the united states, the justice department signaled on friday that it's unlikely to share information about on going criminal investigations with the new republican-controlled house. >> let's bring in cnn white house reporter jasmine wright who has been following this story. what more are you learning? >> reporter: well, this really all started bus jim jordan, who chairs the judiciary committee in the house, has been asking for a broad selection of documents from the department of justice materials briefingings and so now the department of justice is saying that while we want a positive working relationship with the committee, there are certain things we are not going to be a

thank you so much, ben wedeman. now retired air force colonel cedric leighton and peter row who wrote an intensive article about progozhin. colonel, let me start with you. when you hear ben talking about bakhmut, where he's spent so much time, and saying russia is steadily gaining ground, you hear progozhin today claiming that he exclusively took a suburb, a village south of the city of bakhmut, how significant is the russian performance here? we understood soledar was very clear, was of marginal to no strategic importance. bakhmut is different. >> yeah, it sure is, erin. the key thing here is that although bakhmut is not the center of great industry or the center of a military base, it is astride one of the main highways that leads into eastern ukraine. and so because of that and also because of the symbolic nature that both sides have really made of this town, the idea here for the russians is to capture it at any price. they don't really care what they're capturing. the main fact is that they're capturing somethi

as our ben wedeman reports, its people have next to nothing to come back to. >> reporter: war passedhrough the village of villhenky and left desolation in its wake. it once was a quiet farming village, home to a few hundred souls. then the russians came. they moved into houses, their uniforms, their boots, their boxes of rations strewn among the rubble. they moved into the school and the community social center and all over town, russia's once-mighty war machines reduced to rusting hulks. a now headless statue stands atop a scarred monument commemorating the dead from the second world war. the russians were driven out of this village in autumn of last year, but barely a home, barely a structure is in tact. it's going to be a long time before anyone can move back here. or so we thought. we stumbled across a handful of residents struggling to resume a pale shadow of their past lives. there was no roof, says mikahlo. we had to rebuild it with our own hands and with the help of volunteers. a missile landed directly on his well. anatoly was the last to leave before the russians came. sinc

ben wedeman, stay safe over there. thank you very much. >>> let's get an update on new u.s. efforts to try to help ukraine fend off this latest russian assault. our pentagon correspondent, oren lieberman is joining us. i understand patriot missile training involving ukrainian soldiers will begin on u.s. soil this week. is that right? >> that's right, wolf. in oklahoma where the u.s. conducts its own training on patriots for the u.s. military, as well as others, have announced that a team of ukrainians has arrived to begin training on the patriot missile system, a system that requires 90 to 100 troops to operate fully. the training is expected to take several months. once that is completed, and the pentagon is working to accelerate that as much as possible, the patriot will go to ukraine to aid in the air yl defense. the training is expected to begin any day with the arrival of the ukrainians. it's part of what we're seeing from the west. take a look at this list, announcements of bigger and more powerful weapons going in. the uk announced that it would send challenger 2 tank

let's go to ben wedeman live for us in ukraine. what does this tell us about the progression of russia's war on ukraine? >> reporter: it tells us, don, there may be an attempt to reshuffle the decks on the titanic of the russian military. general girosimov was in charge of the military operation in ukraine at the beginning of the war and that was plagued by all sorts of problems of supply, logistics, ammunition, everything. so it's somewhat puzzling that he would be brought back to that position of responsibility at a time when the ukrainians, over the last few months, have made dramatic gains. there's a battle ongoing, but even if the russians are vict victorious, it's a modest victory in the grand scheme of things in a very small town but clearly they are desperate, the russian leadership to find somebody who can put the war back on course because at the moment it's well off it. don. >> ben wedeman, thank you very much. >>> one single corrupt file. that is the faa's system failure that led to a ground stoppage, a remarkable one,

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ben wedeman reports north of there. >> reporter: this commander is finalizing the co-ordinates for aown. before the war, max was an english teacher. his 43rd artillery brigade has seen action in the battles of kyiv, kharkiv and now donbas. their target today, a building from where, he says, attack drones are launched against ukrainian forces. this system is known as a pion. it's a soviet artillery system, 233 millimeters. rounds weigh 100 kilos, 220 pounds. this is a system used both by the russians and the ukrainians. the cold here chills to the bone, making this work all the more difficult. to protect against russian drones, they have deployed a special weapon that depletes drone batteries. first, the round goes into the barrel. the trigger cord is pulled. sending the massive round hurtling toward its target 18 kilometers around 11 miles away. it fires again. and again. a forward spotter radios max that the target has been hit. he tells his men to use shrapnel rounds to finish the job. >> we damaged it. we destroyed the building where they hide. i suppose they will not make problem

>> ben wedeman on the scene for us. stay safe over in ukraine. thank you very much.'s discuss these dramatic developments right now. i'm joined by retired lieutenant general mark hertling, katie lilis. how big of a breakthrough is this if the u.s. and germany start sending tanks to ukraine? and how long could it actually take until the abrams battle tanks, the u.s. tanks are actually on the battlefield for ukraine? >> here's what i'll say, wolf. i think the leos will probably be there a lot faster. i'm going predict two to three months that they will be in the field in combat. primarily because they're in europe already. you have 13 countries that are part of nato and partners of nato that have the lee quy battle tank. there is only one right now, and that's the united states, that has the abrams. poland is going to get the abrams tank, but that's a little time off. what we will see, though, is ben's comment about the establishment and the logistics and the supply lines to these vehicles. the leo runs on a diesel tank. it's much easier to repair. it's much easier to

here is cnn's ben wedeman. >> reporter: the daily bread has a special meaning in this bakery.ere. he kneeds the dough by hand. outside, andre chops firewood for the oven. when waves of russian strikes have crippled ukraine's power grid, the oldways are handy. uri used to be glued to a screen at his i.t. job. war brought him back to what matters most. >> what happened in ukraine, it affect all the world. people becoming more conscious and more grateful for everything they have right now in their lives. >> reporter: earlier this year, bucha suffered through a brutal russian occupation. it was the scene of what investigators say were war crimes. a regular customer appreciates the bread and the spirit of those who make it. >> they are nice guys. nice small business. i remember right after liberation of bucha, they started baking bread. even providing bread for free to those in need. >> reporter: they also provide bread and pastries for those far from home and in harm's way. some of the loaves are destined for soldiers. a little something extra that will make new year's eve that mu

. >>> cnn's ben wedeman reports from the eastern front of ukraine where wagner mercenaries are breathing down the necks of ukrainian soldiers that badly need heavy weaponry, just the kind that germany is refusing to send. >> reporter: in the trenches outside bakhmut, a mortar crew is at work. hoping to repel russian forces on the verge of encircumstance cl circling the city. the refrain among these troops, we need more. >> tanks, tanks, tanks. yes, they are powerful, but now is 21st century. we need not only tanks, we need aviation. >> reporter: around bakhmut, slowly and steadily, the russians are gaining ground. thursday the head of the wagner group claimed his troops, and only his troops, took the village just south of the city. in a dugout, this officer explains wagner's tactics. they attack at night, the first wave is less trained. but we have to use lots of ammunition against them, he says. the next wave of troops has night vision, is better trained and better equipped. tactics seemingly from a different day and age inflicting mounting casualties on ukrainian forces. this soldier w

cnn's ben wedeman is live for us in the eastern ukrainian city of kramatorsk.ning, there is a lot of new western military aid in the pipeline, notably the battle tanks. when will ukraine be able to use these new weapons? >> reporter: well, the pipeline in this case is not very fast moving. first of all, these weapons systems, for instance, the challenger 2, a british tank, the leopard 2, a german tank and somewhere down the line eight abrams tanks from the united states, they take time to get here. but more than anything it is the training that needs to be conducted for the ukrainian crews so they can operate them. and also the training for maintenance crews so they can keep these things running. the abrams, for instance, uses a huge amount of fuel, which is going to be a challenge in a country that has had fuel shortages in the past and with the russians focusing some of their rocket attacks on the infrastructure that could make things very complicated. the timetable that they need to be delivered by with crews that can operate them and with the ammunition and

senior cnn international correspondent ben wedeman joins us from "qwest sound off live." minister says this strike was from an american-supplied rocket system. why were the troops also stationed next to an ammunition storage facility? that's a big question many military experts are asking as well. >> reporter: bianna, we also know that russian military bloggers are asking that very question because if there was ammunition stored right now to this vocational school or in the school itself, that might explain this very high death toll. the russians are saying -- the russian defense ministry is saying 63 soldiers were called. the ukranians initially put out this number of 400 killed, 300 wounded. now they say they are clarifying the numbers. the ukeiants haven't specifically said they hit the vocational school, just that he hit targets in makievka. there's not a lot of targets to be hit and they are the ones who probably hit it. the ukranians use what are high mobility artillery rocket systems provided by the united states which have been very effective in taking out russian

>> ben wedeman in kramatorsk, ukraine.nk you for that report. >>> actor alec baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for the deadly shooting of a cinematographer on a movie set. coming up next, who else is facing charges. >>> then, a state investigation into a national merit scholarship scandal is expanding after it's revealed more schools failed to tell students that they had received this award. stay with us. unlock new insights and efficiency, with leaeading ultra-capacity g coverage. t-mobile for business has 5g that's ready right now. when a cold comes on strong, knock it out with vicks dayquil severe. just one dose starts to relieve 9 of your worst cold and flu symptoms. to help take you from 9, to none. power through with vicks dayquil severe. the daytime, coughing, aching, fever, sore throat, nine to none, medicine. - [female narrator] they line up by the thousands. each one with a story that breaks your heart. like ravette... every step, brought her pain. their only hope: mercy ships. the largest flo

correspondent ben wedeman is near the front lines and just filed this report. >> reporter: we're in atwo and a half miles or four kilometers from the front -- from soledar. now the situation in soledar is not altogether clear. ukraine officials still hold part of it. speaking to the soldiers, it is a mixed story. some of them say it is either fallen or it is about to fall. others say they are still making minor advances inside. now what is interesting, in these forward positions, we have spoken to many of the soldiers, they're fairly confident and morale seems high given the situation, they're confident they could hold these positions, a rear position. but what appears to be going on is an organized pullout from the town of soledar. we've been watching as they've been firing mortars in the direction of russian positions and rockets as well. you could hear, in fact, some of the thuds of some of that fire, some of it of course going toward soledar and some in the direct of bakhmut and there is fire coming the other direction. i'm ben wedeman, cnn, outside of soledar. >>> well next hour,

>> all right, thank you very much, ben wedeman, on the ground near soledar tonight. and "outfront" now retired army lieutenant general mark hertling. general, i appreciate your time. when we were showing those before and after pictures, one thing that i hope stands out to people is the size of soledar. this is a small town. this is not a big city. it is a small town. it is a town obviously almost entirely destroyed, i would go as far as to say it is completely destroyed in terms of being able to live there. is there strategic advantage to controlling it? >> there is no strategic advantage to this. this is a personality class within russia. the ukrainians realize that in order to take back territory in the donbas, they cannot allow any further advances by the russian army, or in this case the wagner group under prigozhin. but one of the lessons they teach you in the war college, erin, and it's true in any organization, personalities matter. and when you have the kind of clash of personalities you see in the russian army with servoykin, prigozhin, mr. putin, they are h

cnn's ben wedeman is there. ben, russia has claimed victory in that area, but the fighting continues. where do things stand? >> reporter: yeah, the russians have claimed that they've taken the counsel and by what we've seen that seems to be the case. now they're trying to encircle bakhmut. we were just there yesterday, and what we saw and heard was that the fighting is intense, and that intense fighting is leaving its marks on the troops. they've been through the valley of the shadow of death. most but not all made it out of the valley alive, but not unscathed. on this stretch of road overlooking the battles for bakhmut and soledad it's just safe enough to deliver the wounded to medics. strewn along the road, a blood-stained stretcher, a discarded, bloodied flak jacket. these troops are just back from the front at soledad. they took wounded. they were facing westminster abbey -- facing wagner fighters, they were attacking in waves. now they're going back to safer ground. the combat they saw was intense. there wer

. >> been wedeman begins our coverage on the ground out front tonight. ben, in the context of the secret meeting, defense meeting tomorrow from western defense leaders, you have been talking to ukrainian troops who are just returning from some of the most horrific fighting in this war in soledar. what are they telling you? >> reporter: basically they're saying that what's going on around soledar, it's believed the russians may control most of that town, if not all, is that the fighting is incredibly intense and that both sides are taking heavy losses. they've been through the valley of the shadow of death. most but not all made it out of the valley alive but not unscathed. on this stretch road overlooking the battles for bakhmut and soledar, it is just safe to deliver the wounded to medics. strewn along the road a blood stained stretcher, a discarded, bloodied flak jacket. these are just back from soledar. they were facing wagner fighters. they were attacking in waves. now they're going back to safer ground. the combat they saw was intense. there were regula

cnn's ben wedeman was within earshot of some of the strikes on the capital. >> reporter: okay. there have been several loud explosions, we see three points of impact, the air defenses are working, we also see puffs of smoke in the air. this is an ongoing barrage. >> while saturday's attacks hit schools, businesses and residential buildings in kyiv. about 30% of the city was temporarily left without power. for now now clare sebastian joins us live from london. we're getting word on new drone attacks in kyiv, what more can you tell us? >> reporter: they are following on from those cruise missile attacks that hit various regions including the capital kyiv on saturday. we are hearing about what seems to be a fairly widespread drone attack overnight around the turn of the new year, the ukrainian air force reporting about 45 iranian made drones they say were shot down, the kyiv authorities, the city's military'd strags saying three dozen drones were launched towards that city, infrastructure was damaged although as of now no casualties, but i want to bring you some pictures provided

let's go to ben wedeman live in ukraine with more for us this morning. ben, good morning to you., as you said, ukrainians celebrated orthodox christmas. we were in the embattled city of bakhmut and what we saw is the few residents left in that city tried but did not have a very merry christmas. there was no peace, no silence in bakhmut on the eve of orthodox christmas. the unilateral russian cease-fire never materialized. the guns didn't go silence. at one of the city's shelters residents gathered around a table laid with food and tokens of the holiday. at tha a volunteer tries to raise spirits. we wish you good health, peace, prosperity, she tells them. she knows it's important to put on a brave face. even though it's raining and snowing outside, i'm smiling she says, i wish people a merry christmas. i try to show them it comes from my soul. she did manage to bring a smile to the only child in the shelter, 9-year-old vlodymir and his wish on this day, i want this war to end and all my friends to return he says. for the adults the gift under this tree is electricity to charge mob

. >> ben wedeman, thank you so much. >>> the new warning about tiktok.at risk that's cause for alarm. parents, listen up on this one. stay with us. warms and effortlessly responds to both of you. our smart sleepers get 28 mininutes more restful sleep per night. proven quality sleep. only from sleep number. - life is uncertain. everyday pressures can feel overwhelming it's okay to feel stressed, anxious, worried, or frustrated. it's normal. with calhope's free and secure mental health resources, it's easy to get the help you and your loved ones need when you need it the most. call our warm line at (833) 317-4673 or live chat at calhope.org today. >>> this just in. white house physician says that surgery today revealed a lesion on the face of first lady jill biden. they say it was basil cell sarcoma. the procedure lasted several hours today. revealed an area of concern on the left side of the first lady's chest which that lesion was removed and confirmed to be cancerous. the first lady is experiencing facial swelling and bruising but is in good spirits. >>

cnn's ben wedeman joins us with the latest on the ground in the battle for the town of -- ben, what is going on? >> yeah, anderson, this battle instantly dark has been going on for months, but it has intensified in the last few weeks. at this point, it's not at all clear how much longer the ukrainian defenders can resist unrelenting russian onslaught. >> medics loot a wounded soldier onto an ambulance, another casualty from the embattled town of soledar. >> one day, 2025 -- >> it varies depending on the number of casualties on the frontlines. >> russian forces mostly troops from the wagner group, a private military company, claimed to have control of the entire soledar territory. the battle for soledar may be in its final stages, and it does not appear to be going well for the ukrainians. if indeed the russians to emerge victorious, the villages around it may be the next fall. ukraine's helicopters still flying, its forces not giving ground easily. one soldier says it's difficult, but we're hanging in there. despite the fighting, this woman is staying put with her pigs and cows in her

. >> ben wedeman joins us now from kramatorsk in ukraine. mining town of soledad. ben, what are you hearing? >> well, the situation anderson, in seoul adore is a grave, to say the least. exactly what is happening is difficult to say. russian sources are saying that they now control that town, which is relatively small, just about 10,000 people. all of the ukrainians say it is still under control. but cnn was able to get in touch with a soldier there who described intense fighting, raging in the city. he said that the situation is critical. he said that buildings are changing hands from one day to the next. that there are, the situation is such that they can't even count the dead at this point. now this is a city, a town, a very small town where the russians have really thrown a lot of resources in trying to take it. it is the wagner group, that private military contractor that seems to be leading the fight. of course they have recruited prisoners and others and it does seem that they are willing to throw them willy-nilly towards ukrainian li

ben wedeman is "outfront." he is live in kramatorsk, ukraine, tonight. and, ben, you were outside soledar today. you spoke with ukrainian troops fighting there. and what did they tell you? >> reporter: erin, given that the ukrainians are on the defensive, and this has been a particularly bloody battle, we were surprised in speaking with these soldiers just how upbeat they were. one mortar round off. the crew prepares for the next. the target, russian positions in soledar. the leader of this national guard mortar unit who gave us only his nickname, engineer, says they need help to stop the enemy from advancing. we need 120 millimeter rounds for the mortar, he says. we'd also be happy if someone gave us as a surprise more mortars. the battle for soledar rages on. russian officials claim they've seized the town. the ukrainian military insists they still control part of it. what the russians now control under heavy fire. ukrainian tactics designed to make every step forward come at a heavy price. despite the battle nearby, this soldier nicknamed sova is certa

. >> ben wedeman, thank you very much. appreciate that. >>> "cnn this morning" continues right now. ♪ ♪ >>> lisa marie presley, good morning, everyone, friday, january 13th and we are remembering lisa marie presley. looking back at the life of elvis' only daughter. >> she was so young. >> we'll look at her life. >>> also a special counsel now appointed to investigate joe biden's classified document scandal. who is robert hur and what does this mean for the president? >>> in just a few moments senate majority leader, chuck schumer is going to join us at the desk. what he thinks of the president's handling of classified materials. >>> we begin with more than 30 tornados have torn through the south with georgia and alabama hit the hardest. this morning approximately 200,000 people are without power and 35 million people are under some level of threat for severe storms. alabama governor kay ivey is declaring a state of emergency in six counties with at least six dead in one county. governor i vie responding on twitter saying o

already we are hearing from my colleague, ben wedeman, who is in eastern ukraine right now that theyoming and outgoing fire across the front line despite this so-called 36 hour cease-fire. that is to be expected because the ukrainians gave no indication that they would treat today as any differently. the russians made clear they wouldn't allow this cease-fire to be an opportunity for the ukrainians to improve their positioning at all on the front line. they made clear they would be returning fire as well. the ukrainians are so worried this is some kind of a trap that even the governor of the luhansk region is warning people there not to go to orthodox church services today, warning this could be a trap and perhaps some of those churches could even be attacked. i spoke to one woman here attending this service who told me that she read the wording of the kremlin statement very carefully and she said. >> look, they said a cease-fire along the front lines. they worry today there could be strikes. they said they have rejected the christian hand of mercy. one military major said there is n

ben wedeman's team heard several explosion, seven of them in total.vey the damage, and they found some absolutely massive craters from the missile strikes. one landed in an industrial area, one near garages and another outside the front entrance of a high school. there's windows blown out and plenty of debris everywhere. it didn't actually hit the building. it hit just outside of the the building. there were missile strikes reported by regions. two of them hit an industrial facility where a 50-year-old man was killed. ukrainians say throughout this 36-hour cease-fire period, there was plenty of incoming fire from the russians, and, of course, ukrainians were never going to observe this cease-fire to begin with, but there were deadly consequences that came along with that. the uukrainians say they struck military base deep inside russian-held territory. >> strikes all up and down that front line hundreds of miles long. scott, as you know, the u.s. just announced a multi-billion dollar aid package for ukraine, which includes for the first time these bra

now cnn's ben wedeman is in ukraine near the fighting. what trench warfare in the 21st century looks like. this from ben and the team he's traveling with. >> reporter: what we're seeing are the ukrainian forces are holding steady in these positions, and they seem to be ferrying, going back and forth perhaps taking troops out of s soledar in what looks like a fairly organized pull back. as far as the situation in soledar goes, even here, just two and a half miles away, the situation is not all together clear. some of the soldiers tell us it's fallen. some of them tell us it's at least part of it in the hands of the ukrainians. but we can still hear a fair amount of fire coming from that area. >> ben joins us now. are you getting more indications that ukrainians are preparing to cede the town to russian forces or any more clarification of what the status of the town is? >> reporter: we have these conflicting claims, anderson. the russians saying they seized it, they have complete control of it. the ukrainians saying that they still have part

ben wedeman, cnn, bakhmut. >> quite a story and quite a view of the battle here.rmer nato supreme allied commander general wesley clark. general clark, good to have you on this morning. >> thank you, jim. >> i want to ask you about the current debate over sending german-made leopard tanks to ukraine. ukraine wants them. i've spoken to u.s. officials who question whether this is the weapon system that ukraine needs now. in your view does ukraine need these tanks now or should they be focusing on other weapon systems? >> well, i think ukraine needs the tanks now but they need a lot of other things now, too, jim. what they've been asking for desperately is long-range drones. this is a switchblade 600 drone, it's held up in the department of the army in some sort of foreign military sales pipeline. if they had this they could disrupt the ammunition and so forth behind them. they need the leopard tanks, they need self-propelled artillery, they probably need 300 to 500 main battle tanks. they are talking about maybe getting 100 leopards from these other -- they're in a