i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. the besieged city of mariupol. russia's latest ultimatum. >>> i'm kim brunhuber in atlanta following our other top stories. north korea tests what it describes as a new type of weapon. we'll have

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine.ith the russian offensive on ukraine not only stalled well into its second month, ukrainian forces are now retaking territory lost in the early days of the invasion. the kremlin has indicated its main goal is now control of the donbas region in the east, and russian troops are noticeably being redeployed from northern ukraine. >> the occupiers are withdrawing forces in the north of our country. the withdrawal is slow but noticeable. somewhere, they are expelled with battles. somewhere, they leave positions on their own. >> satellite images show russian armor and artillery have abandoned the airbase near kyiv. the airfield was captured on the first day of the invasion and russian forces were well dug in. it's unclear where they went and now some disturbing video a few miles south of the airbase. ukrainian forces report retaking the town. images show widespread damage from shelling and dead bodies left in the street. across the border in russia, ukraine will neither confirm, nor deny, it

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i'm john vause live in ukraine.r weeks have claimed russia's actions constitute genocide. on thursday the ukrainian parliament put that in writing, calling out russia's military offensive as an attempt to wipe out the ukrainian culture and national identity. they cited willful killing of sieve dwrarngs forceful transfer of children to russian territory. the international criminal court at the hague investigates crimes of genocide. it's already looking into allegations of atrocities here in ukraine. and after visiting the cities of bucha and borodianka, the top prosecutor declared ukraine a crime scene. in an interview with cnn, khan said the world has seen horrific crimes many times before but failed to stop them from happening again. he hopes this time it's different. >> the indications are that there will be support not just for ukraine, but across the situations, this great realization that a common front needs to be built based upon legality because it affects ukraine, but it affects all parts of the world becau

. >>> i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. hello and welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. an even tougher fight on the horizon now for ukrainians as russian troops regroup and prepare to launch a renewed assault on eastern ukraine's donbas region. and now russian president vladimir putin has named a general to direct this war. until now it's believed russia has not this h. a theater-wide commander in ukraine. the appointment comes after outnumbered and outgunned ukrainian fighters were able to stall the russian offensive and defend the capital. this as western nations move to ramp up military support for ukraine. on saturday the british prime minister made an unaannounced visit to kyiv, meeting with ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. along with increased financial assistance and tougher sanctions on russia, boris johnson promised to send dozens of armored vehicles as well as new anti-ship missiles. zelenskyy urging more countries to step up their support. >> translator: the task of our anti-w

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine.come to our viewers in the united states and around the world. russia's long list of alleged atrocities against ukrainian civilians hit a new low friday with a devastating missile strike on a train station in kramatorsk where men, women and children were waiting for a train to escape the conflict. dozens were killed where they stood. ukraine's president vowed to pursue the attack as a war crime. here he is. >> translator: we expect a firm global response to this war crime. like the massacre in bucha, like many other russian war crimes, the missile strike on kramatorsk must be one of the charges at the tribunal, which is bound to happen. >> there are allegations the russian missiles delivered cluster bombs which scatter and explode over a wide area. the pentagon says moscow's denial of involvement is just not credible. >> we find unconvincing russian claims that they weren't involved, particularly when the ministry actually announced it, and then when they saw reports of civilian casual

. >>> hello, i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. thank you for joining us as we report on day 43 of russia's unprovoked war on ukraine. and ukrainian authorities now reporting heavy fighting in the eastern part of the country, especially the luhansk and donetsk regions known as the donbas. apparently, part of russia's new strategy. withdraw from the north and focus on taking russian-speaking areas in the east and the port of mariupol in the south. residents along the road to donetsk are digging trenches and laying out anti-tank obstacles to try and slow the russian' advance. unlocal official claims russian forces attacked a humanitarian aid distribution center, killing two people, wounding five others. authorities in kharkiv report russian troops carried out 27 strikes on residential areas early wednesday. ukraine's president says moscow now shifting course now that atrocities like those in the town of bucha have opinion been exposed. >> translator: it seems the russi

i am john vause live in lviv, ukraine.e is the latest headline frs this war by the russians here in ukraine. u.s. defense officials say russian troops, which retreated from northern ukraine two weeks ago, are now arriving in the donbas region. but the russians are running up against fierce resistance as they try to advance. ukrainian special forces claim they blew up this bridge near kharkiv as an armored russian column was crossing. and even russia's naval might is being challenged. moscow now admits its flagship vessel, the moskva, sank in the black sea after catching fire. ukrainian fighters claim they hit the cruiser with anti-ship missiles, a claim u.s. and western intelligence believe to be credible. moscow is widely expected to launch a three-pronged attack to try and capture a decent section of the eastern ukraine territory. cnn's ben wedeman visited one town that is likely to be in the direct path of any assault. >> reporter: denise loads food in his car for a delivery run. the supplies sorted by volunteers in thi

i i'm john vause in lviv, ukraine.ion appears to

i want to bring in now my colleague john vause who's here live with me in lviv. john, we're going to talk about what's happening. but you know, you've been in war zones before. you're here now. >> it's incredible to be here because it's like a bubble here in lviv. there are some buildings being sandbagged and the police headquarters is sandbagged with barricades at the front in preparation for something. but being here just seems to be sort of an isolated pocket from the rest of the war. and makes you wonder why. why is the east being so heavily pounded by russian forces but here it's not? why have they cut the supply lines from poland into this country? communication lines. that kind of thing. >> because we know at any moment -- because we had the oil depot, or the fuel depot shelled over the weekend several times. you just don't know. you're in a pocket. but i will tell you, it's a false sense of security. >> there are some legitimate -- military targets they have here. but they haven't going after the civilians. >> let's talk about what you have been studying a

i'm john vause live in lviv.tinues, it seems there is a growing list of war crimes, at least evidence of war crimes being committed by russian soldiers. notably, leaving behind thousands of unexploded explosive devices actually in areas which are civilian areas. for more on this now, we're joined by matthew schmidt. he is a professor of national security and legal science at the university of new haven in connecticut. matthew, thank you for being with us. i just want to be clear. leaving behind mines on bridges and roads and leaving explosives in refrigerators, living rooms, and booby-trapping children's toys, the only way russian soldiers have not committed war crimes here is if someone else did that. and that seems as likely as a snowball's chance in hell. well can say very categorically that war crimes are being committed. >> absolutely these are war crimes. if you see this in isolated incidents, then you might say it is an incident of individual soldier sort of going overboard. but we see this systematically

i am john vause, live in lviv ukraine. next big military assault, ukrainian pledged to vladimir zelenskyy pleading with the west for more military assistance. saying that is countries very survival depends on it. >> and i am rosemary church, live at cn

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i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. we begin with mounting evidence of possible war crimes here in ukraine committed by russian forces withdrawing from the kyiv region. the new images of the brutality and horror of the war. we're going to show you those images and they are disturbing and some viewers may find them hard to watch. cnn teams on the ground recording these images of mass graves in bucha. the mayor says up to 300 people may be buried there. some with hands tied behind their backs, others execution style with a shot to the back of the head. meantime ukraine's president accusing russia of trying to wipeout the entire country and its people. >> indeed, this is genocide. the elimination of the whole nation and the people, we are the citizens of ukraine. we have more than 100 nationalities. this is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities. we are the citizens of ukraine, and we don't want to be subdued to the policy of the russian federation. this is the reason we're being destroyed and e

cnn's john vause is in lviv tonight live for us. john, hello to you. we're getting new video showing the town of borzhenka completely destroyed. more bodies and more allegations of war crimes. this is about 30 miles northwest of kyiv. what are you learning? >> well, this is where ukrainian authorities have said they expect to find the highest number of civilians who have been killed so far. just by context it's a small town. before the war home to about 14,000 people. it's located on a key access road which leads directly to the capital kyiv. now, in terms of what's happening there, the destruction is everywhere. you can see buildings where floors have fallen one on top of the other, accordion style because they've been hit by airstrikes. artillery shells have left entire neighborhoods in rubble. and there are volunteers who are now going out searching through all of this trying to find bodies. and what they're finding, the bodies are civilians. someone riding a bicycle. a child's body which is beyond recognition. another driver of a car who's been sho

i'm john vause reporting from lviv in ukraine. the u.s.military fire now appears to be concentrated on four areas here including the capital. according to a senior u.s. defense official, russian air attacks have stepped up significantly over the past 24 hours. ukraine's president says russian forces appear to be shifting their focus to the donbas region, which is mostly controlled by pro-russian separatists. an indication of how the extent of the russian losses so far. the uk military intelligence saying moscow bringing in reinforcements from georgia. nato's chief saying russia is trying to regroup and rearm for new offenses. >> according to our intelligence, russian units are not withdrawing, but repositioning. at the same time, russia maintains pressure on kyiv and other cities. so, we can expect additional offensive actions bringing even more suffering. >> the ukrainian soldiers who have so far successfully defended the capital kyiv say it's their stronger morale and spirit which gives them the advantage, but still, life in kyiv is beco

. >> hello, i am john vause live in lviv, ukraine. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world on this day 46 of russia's war on ukraine. united kingdom now joining the growing list of countries increasing military support to ukraine ahead of a new russian offensive in the east. british prime minister boris johnson made an unannounced visit to kyi visit to kyiv on saturday. meeting with the ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy along with increased financial assistance and tougher sanctions on russia, boris johnson promised to send dozens of armored vehicles and new anti-ship missiles. ukraine's president says he hopes other countries will follow the example of the uk. >> translator: we have to exert even more pressure on the russian federation. to exert pressure through supporting ukraine and defending itself, we have to exert pressure in the form of sanctions. and i'm grateful to the united kingdom that continues and intensifies the sanctions and also provides a significant support of ukraine by reinforcing ou

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i am john vause live in lviv, ukraine.nn head quarters in atlanta. uk prime minister pors johnson has apologized twice in two days for party gate. today, mp's debate, will he misled them and what do about it. >>> it is 9:00 a.m. here in ukraine, where russian forces are tightening their strangle democracy hold on the port city of mare yoep. a ukrainian commander says as many as you a thousand civilians

i'm john vause. this is "cnn newsroom." with the latest developments here in ukraine. ukraine's deputy defense minister says the entire kyiv region has been liberated, cleared of russian forces. cnn cannot independently confirm that. still, ukraine troops have been gaining ground around the capital as the russian military says it's de-escalating. also in the capital we're hearing from two former ukrainian pows who were swapped in a prisoner exchange. they exclusively spoke with cnn about what they endured in russian captivity. >> translator: at first they took us very aggressively and made us shout glory to russia. and whoever didn't want to do that they used physical measures. >> translator: they hit me in the face with machine gun butts and kicked me. my front teeth was also chipped. >> critical infrastructure was hit just a few minutes ago. a massive fire at a fuel depot created visible smoke from miles away. ed, what can you tell us? >> hello, john. well, this morning we were jolted awake by multiple air strikes here in

i'm john vause live in ukraine.o escalate as putin puts in place a new general. >>> i'm paula newton live at cnn headquarters in atlanta. coming up, the voters in france have spoken, narrowing down their presidential candidates between incumbent emmanuel macron and far right rival marine le pen. >> we'll begin now with ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky

i am john vause live in lviv, ukraine.the war here, where president volodymyr zelenskyy says russian forces have started the battle for the donbas region. moscow-backed separatists have been fighting for control of the industrial heartland seance 2014. cities key to establishing a land corridor from the donbas to the crimean peninsula, which russia annexed illegally. >> reporter: an art and prayer from worshippers under the shadow of russia's war. with he ask for your mercy, lord. please, hear us. they have gathered here for orthodox palm sunday. carrying willows, instead of palms, per the orthodox' tradition. it's supposed to be a celebration of jesus's return to jerusalem, but there is little joy in this congregation. ukrainian officials say this city will be a decisive battleground in russia's imminent defensive in the donbas re region. the streets are getting emptier, as the fatephyting gets closer. those still here are are being urged to leave. the air-raid siren is an unrelenting wail. we have heard a steady stream o

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine.come to our viewers in the united states and around the world. this now day 46 of russia's unprovoked war on ukraine. and we begin with new evidence that russia's war in ukraine is moving in a different direction. satellite images taken friday show a military convoy nearly 13 kilometers long moving south through eastern ukraine. this is just east of kharkiv, not far from the russian border. more evidence russian troops appear to be regrouping and preparing to launch a renewed assault on eastern ukraine's donbas region. we've also learned that russian president vladimir putin has named a general to direct this war. until now it's believed russia has not had a theaterwide commander in ukraine. those developments coming as we have new video showing one of the most horrific attacks on civilians in ukraine to date. and a warning, the video you're about to see, it is graphic, it is hard to watch. this was the minute russian missiles hit a train station, where thousands of civilians, mums, da

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. day 54 of the war of choice. ukrainian forces reject a russian ultimatum to surrender in mariupol. what appears to be a defiant last stand. >> i'm michael holmes at world headquarters in atlanta. china says its economy grew better than expected in the first three months of the year. but challenges remain as the country deals with widespread covid out breaks and strict lock downs. >>> the last remaining ukrainian forces in besieged city of mariupol appear to make a final stand. rejecting russia demand to lay down weapons and ammunition and sur repd rendser or die. russian forces surrounded the port city for a month. ukrainian troops confined to small pocket of resistance. the city itself is in ruins after weeks of heavy fighting. many residents have fled. an estimated 100,000 remain trapped without running water, heat, without electricity, regular supplies of food. on sunday ukraine foreign minister painted a grim picture of what the coming weeks could hold. >> fighting in eastern ukraine and donbas. large scale o

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i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine where there's now smoke rising from a number of locations in this city. the mayor confirms five missile strikes in the past 45 minutes. this comes after an air raid warning earlier in the day. the mayor now telling -- or the regional governor rather telling residents to remain in place, remain in their shelters, the threat is still relevant, it's still current. what we heard earlier today was a number of explosions. at least five explosions ring out. we also believe that this obviously is the first attack on this city in about three weeks. the last being march 26th, when a russian strike hit a fuel depot, setting that on fire. but right now what we're trying to work out is to find those areas that were hit by these five missiles. at least missile strikes according to the mayor here, what those targets were. we're also told by the city officials that emergency crews are responding to the areas that were targeted in this latest attack. they are now on the scene. we have no word at this point on casualties. we don't know what was hit. we do not know if

. >> cnn's john vause is live for us in lviv.sident zelenskyy warning tonight that it is even worse than the horrors we see in bucha. what are you learning? >> reporter: the reason for that, don, is the destruction compared to bucha is so much greater than what we have seen in these area where is the russian troops have withdrawn from. we have this spring of apartment buildings that have been destroyed, some reduced to rubble. these buildings have totally collapsed. the concern is that this could only have happened, this level of destruction could have only happened by an air strike or ballistic missile. as these search teams go out, they're looking for bodies and they are finding bodies. right now, in just two homes, the debris of two homes, they pulled 26 bodies of people from under that debris. officials there in this region say that basically there are now still hundreds of residents who are listed as missing. what is interesting is ukrainian officials say they know the names of the russian officers who were in command of the

i am john vause live in lviv, ukraine. mariupol, fighters in that port city who held up a russian' assault for weeks may now have just days or hours left. >>> and i want rosemary church live at cnn head quarters in atlanta. uk prime minister pors johnson has apologized twice in two days for party gate. today, mp's debate, will he misled them and what do about it. >>> it is 9:00 a.m. here in ukraine, where russian forces are tightening their strangle democracy hold on the port city of mare yoep. a ukrainian commander says as many as you a thousand civilians and the last remainian soldiers in a steel factory with supplies running low. they will try again in the coming hours. president volodymyr zelenskyy says up to 120,000 civilians are trapped in mariupol. >> translator: we don't know when we can unblock mariupol and i say this openly. all the boys want a free city. none of them are going to surrender to the enemy. this is their internal feeling. this is what they are. first, it involves serious and heavy weapons. at the mo

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. russian tanks and troops on the move heading towards eastern ukraine's donbas region in what is likely to become a bloody, more devastating phase of this war. >>> and i am rosemary church here at cnn headquarters in atlanta coming up. after mounting pressure to address rising gun violence in the united states, president biden takes action. his plan to tackle untraceable so-called ghost guns. >>> according to the u.s. and multiple sources, russia continuing to redeploy weapons and material gear into eastern ukraine as it looks to resupply and reinforce troops in the donbas. new images show a long column of russian military vehicles not far from ukraine's border. all of them, pointed towards the donbas. meantime, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy says reportedly tens of thousands are dead in mariupol after weeks of bombardment by the russians and this is new drone video of mariupol theater where hundreds of people died last month after a russian strike there. many who died were wo

john vause live in lviv, ukraine.an troops appear to be testing ukrainian defenses in the east. shelling picking up across the region, and ten people killed in kharkiv on friday by rocket attack. and more than 900 civilians have now been recovered near kyiv since russian troops withdrew about two weeks ago. and investigators for the international criminal court went there this week. and a claim confirmed by ukraine fighters that they sank the war warship. and the moskva sinking was a big blow for russia. nic robertson explains how they tried to bury the lede. >> reporter: russia's biggest naval loss in a generation, hidden by state tv. the top story on their most watched primetime news show, gas exports. anchors railing against the west. almost half an hour later, the first mention of russia's prized black sea fleet flagship, the moskva. they've buried the lede, now they lie about it. ammunition explosions are con contained. it's another six hours, near midnight, most russians sleep, when it's finally acknowledged tha

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. it has just gone 30 minutes past the hour.latest developments now. russian troops appear to be testing ukrainian defenses in the east ahead of an expected offensive. ukraine says shelling has significantly increased across the region, including multiple rocket attacks which killed ten people in the city of kharkiv on friday. 35 others were injured. the u.s. now confirms two ukrainian missiles sank the pride of russia's black sea fleet, but russia says the cruiser moskva suffered an accidental explosion and went down while being towed back to port. the russian news agency tass reports at least some of the surviving crew members have arrived in the port of sevastopol on friday. the remains of more than 900 civilians have been recovered near kyiv since russian troops withdrew two weeks ago. russia is facing accusations of atrocities. the brother of kyiv's mayor tells cnn that russians may try again to take the capital. >> we do expect that the russians are going to be back, and we are preparing for that and past 51 days have been

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine on day 54 of vladimir putin's war of choice. what appears to be a defiant final stand by the last remaining troops in mariupol, refusing a russian ultimatum to surrender or die. >> and i'm michael holmes at cnn's world headquarters in atlanta. chinese ships, contested islands, and growing concern in japan that china could be inspired by russia's war on ukraine and launch a military attack on taiwan. >> ukrainian forces in the besieged city of mariupol appear to be making their final stand, rejecting russia's demands to lay down their weapons and surrender or die. russian forces have surrounded the port city for more than a month. the ukrainian troops are now confined to small pockets of resistance. the city itself is in ruins after weeks of heavy fighting. many residents have fled. but still an estimated 100 remain trapped without running water, heat, electricity. on sunday, ukraine's foreign minister said the situation in mariupol could further derail already stalled negotiations with russia. >> the situation in mariupol is bot

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. welcome to our viewers in the un united states and around the sw world. now, into day 41. the ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy expected to address the u.n. security council in just hours. a meeting that is almost certain to focus on the apparent massacre of civilians in the town of bucha just outside the capital kyiv. zelenskyy visited bucha on monday to see the death and the destruction firsthand. he says there is evidence that more than 300 people were killed, tortured, while russian troops occupied this town. and the white house is warning bucha will not be the last. >> we should be under no illusions that russia will adjust its tactics, which have included and will likely continue to include wanton and brazen attacks on civilian targets. >> this is just some of the destruction left behind in bucha after weeks of fighting. but it is a human toll which is truly disturbing. and a warning, the images you are about to see are graphic and hard to watch. bodies now litter the stre

i am john vause live in lviv, ukraine.ukrainian authorities are right, it appears they have delivered a major blow to the russian naval fleet currently in the black sea. the authorities are saying they managed to fire two neptune anti-ship missiles at a flagship of the russian fleet stationed in the black sea. apparently, caused major damage to this -- the guided missile cruiser. the russians are disputing that account. so let's find out exactly what is happening. cnn claire sebastian following developments from london. so if ukrainians are telling the truth here, if there is an accurate account, because that is the lead ship here and seems they have done some pretty serious damage. >> yeah, john, conflicting accounts we have not been able to independently verify. in fact, because of the weather in this area, it has not even been possible to see the exact location of this ship on satellite images. but as you say, the ukrainian side, the regional administrator in the odesa region says the flagship of the black sea fleet has

i'm john vause live in lviv. it has just gone 18 minutes past the hour. russia's war on ukraine has uprooted millions of lives, and people are now just living in limbo. according to the u.n., the number of people who fled ukraine since the russian invasion began has now risen to 4.6 million. the vast majority of those refugees have crossed the border into poland, some moving on from there to other parts of europe. inside ukraine, more than 7 million people have left their homes to escape the worst of the fighting. a deputy prime minister says nearly 3,000 were evacuated from parts of southern and eastern ukraine on tuesday. the total death toll is put close to 1900 since the invasion began. but the actual real number are expected to be much higher, as much as 20,000 people killed in mariupol according to ukrainian officials. the founder of the humanitarian aid organization bird of light ukraine. she is with us from western ukraine not far from the border with romania. jana, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us. i'm just wondering how you

i am john vause live in lviv, ukraine. russia's military retreat from areas in northern ukraine around the capital kyiv now revealing more horrors with each passing day. in borodianka, emergency workers digging through rubble of homes destroyed by russian forces and now found 26 bodies. ukraine's prosecutor general says scenes like this are examples of war crimes and ukraine's president compared it to the nearby city of bucha where ukrainian civilians were shot at close range and then buried in a mass grave. >> translator: after bucha, this is already obvious. and the work on dismantling the debris in borodianka has begun. it's much worse there. even more victims of the russian occupiers. >>> meantime, russian forces stepping up their offensive in the donbas region in eastern ukraine. foreign minister says the battles still to come will be like world war ii. thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, planes, and artillery. and he warned of what would happen without more military shipments from the west. >> many people will die.

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine, where the coming hours may be critical for the besieged city of mariupol according to intercepted communications. russians plan to level everything to the ground. >> live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, i'm paula newton. i'll be covering some of our other top story, including the new era of maskless travel. how the biden administration could fight to revive the mask mandate. >>> the russian ministry of defense says it's offering a ceasefire to ukrainian forces surrounded in a steel factory in the city of mariupol. but ukrainian commanders call it surrender and vowed they will not give up. russian fighters have laid siege to the southern port city for seven weeks now as part of the donbas region. russian state media used drone footage of the steel works where hundreds of civilians are taking a shelter. a marine commander says the situation in the steel works is critical with food and water in short supply. >> translator: this is our statement to the world. it may be our last statement. we might have only a few days or even hours left. the e

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. the ukrainian foreign minister in brussels this hour, pleading with nato to increase the supply of weapons to counter a move by russia, now focusing on the donbass region in the east. vladimir putin's goal appears to be to take most of the east of the country, ukraine's industrial heartland. also a region where moscow-backed separatists have been fighting for independence for years. residential districts in luhansk now reporting heavy shelling. and a local official in donetsk claims an aid center was targeted by russian forces, killing two people, wounding five others. many are now choosing to flee the area. bus loads of residents leaving the kharkiv region. but russia says it attacked a fuel depot and a railway station used to supply the ukrainian military with weapons. a ukrainian official accused russia of deliberately targeting civilians. the mayor of the besieged city of mariupol has compared his city to auschwitz. he says thousands of civilians remain trapped there without basic

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine.ar crimes in bucha is being honored by vladimir putin. the russian president signed the decree monday, giving the 64th motor brigade the title guards, praising the unit for showing great heroism and courage. but what called valor, ukraine calls murder. a warning, some parts of phil's story is disturbing. this is one of seven sites in and around kyiv, working to cope with the tide of death, left behind by russia's retreating forces. are there still more bodies coming? yes, every morning. >> reporter: this man normally teaches forensiced me. now he is a full-time volunteer, performing endless autopsies. >> up to 50%. >> reporter: by his definition, that means 30% of the people in these bags have deliberate gunshot wounds to the head. we witness a continuous cycle. shuffling bodies from vehicles to storage to autopsy, to storage and ultimately preparation for burial. usually it will be their second. most have been exhumed from temporary graves. families buy new clothes for those they've l

. >> straight to cnn's john vause, who is in lviv for us. john, hello to you. president volodymyr zelenskyy speaking out tonight on the horrors committed by russian troops. what is his message? >> reporter: well, it now seems that in towns like bucha, borodianka and irpin, where there have been these revelations of atrocities committed by russian soldiers, that has had an impact on the behavior of russian troops. according to zelenskyy, those soldiers in towns and cities where they are still in control are now involved in some kind of massive cover-up, if you like, destroying evidence. here he is. listen to this. >> translator: we have information that the russian troops have changed their tactics and are trying to remove the killed people from the streets and basements of the occupied territory. killed ukrainians. this is just an attempt to hide the evidence and nothing more. >> reporter: the mayor of mariupol said that russian troops there have been using these mobile crematoriums, these incinerators to destroy the bodies of civilians that have been killed th

. >> hello, i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. thank you for joining us for our breaking news coverage of russia's brutal military offensive, now into day 42. we begin with signs that russia's war on ukraine entering a new phase, giving little hope that it will end any time soon. nato expects russia to launch a new offensive in southern and eastern ukraine, likely in a matter of weeks. but we're already seeing evidence of those new tactics. leaders in the kharkiv region right next to russia's border say more than 50 russian strikes have hit that area in the past 24 hours alone. that's about two strikes every hour. ukrainian officials say at least six people have been killed in those attacks. and to the south, mykolaiv, local official says russian troops shelled a children's hospital on monday. security footage appears to show the minute the strike hit an ambulance parked outside. a team from doctors without borders was on-site at a nearby hospital confirmed strikes

i'm john vause live in lviv ukraine where the u.s. is sending heavy weapons, as well as helicopters and droens ahead of a russian military offensive in the east. >>> and i am kim brunhuberer at cnn world headquarters in atlanta with the end of the brooklyn subway shooting manhunt after police are tipped off by the suspect himself. >> renewed attacks on the ukrainian capital kyiv saying so-called decision-making centers will be targeted if ukrainian forces continue to plan access of sabotage and commit military strikes. but it's been two weeks now since rurgz forces retreated from the north after failing to take the capital. the french military now saying a large-scale russian offensive in the donbas region could within days, possibly ten days but a spokesperson also says russian forces are yet to make any significant territorial gains in the east. meantime, ukrainian fighters claim to have used neptune anti-ship missiles to cause serious damage to the flagship of the russian fleet in the black sea but russian-state media disputes this

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine.e united states in its fight against the russian military. defense secretary lloyd austin acknowledging for the first time the u.s. is providing intelligence

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. right now an eight-mile-long convoy of russian troops and matÉriel on their way to the front lines. >>> and i am at cnn world headquarters in atlanta. i'm paula newton. i will have our other top stories including the largest lockdown in the world. we'll take you inside shanghai where residents are scrambling for the most basic necessities. >>> ukraine bracing for a full-scale russian assault in the east. there's a heavy russian troop presence in the south and the east. the areas here marked in red. military analysts say the russians will try to take control of the entire donbas region in eastern ukraine. there are new images of a long column of russian military vehicles near russia's border with ukraine. all of them pointing towards the direction of the donbas. meantime, russian education off on monday, there were unconfirmed reports of a russian chemical attack in mariupol. cnn cannot independently verify that claim. and to the north, ukraine's president says russian troops left behi

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. ukraine now getting some high-tech help from the united states in its fight against the russian military. defense secretary lloyd austin acknowledging for the first time the u.s. is providing intelligence to ukraine as the war moves to the donbas region. russia is concentrating on areas in the east, which it already partly controls. regional authorities say russian forces have been hitting hospitals, train stations and other civilian infrastructure. and ukraine's foreign minister says the heaviest fighting in the donbas region is yet to come. and when it does, battles will be reminiscent of world war ii. meantime, russian forces have withdrawn from areas around the capital, kyiv. and they have left behind an apocalyptic scene of death and destruction. 26 bodies have been found in the rubble of two buildings in borodianka russia is the greatest threat on the planet to freedom and security. >> translator: after bucha, thi

i'm john vause reporting live from lviv in ukraine.an forces now rapidly expanding battlefield gains as more russian troops withdraw from northern ukraine. this country's deputy defense minister on saturday declared the kyiv region liberated. an adviser to president volodymyr zelenskyy says another 30 towns and villages once again under ukrainian control. the president himself says russian forces are being eliminated wherever they're found. >> translator: our defenders continue to regain control of localities in kyiv and chernihiv region. more and more ukrainian flags are being flown in areas which used to be occupied. ukrainian armed forces do not let the enemy withdraw without a fight. they are pounding the enemy, destroying all those we can reach. >> according to u.s. intelligence, moscow has set a goal of controlling the eastern region of donbas by early may. and ukrainian officials in the port city of odesa say russian missiles were fired on the city early this morning, hitting critical infrastructure. a cnn team reports a few dep

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. thank you for joining us as we report day 43 of russia's unprovoked war on ukraine. and on this day, cities and towns in the donbas region and across eastern ukraine bracing for what they expect will be a renewed russian onslaught. putin's goal now appears to be take and hold a large hunk of ukraine. already, residential districts in the luhansk region reporting heavy shelling and the local official in donetsk saying a humanitarian aid distribution center came under attack by russian firepower killing two people, wounding five others. and pus loads of civilians now making the heart-wrenching decision to evacuate from around kharkiv, where russia has attacked a fuel depot, as well as a railway station which was used to supply ukraine's military with weapons. ukraine official says russian forces are deliberately aiming at civilian targets. counteroffensive by russian -- ukrainian fighters, i should say, have now pushed ru

i'm john vause live in lviv, ukraine.come to our viewers in the united states and around the world. thank you for joining us for our breaking news coverage of russia's brutal military offensive now into day 42. we begin with signs russia's war on ukraine is entering a new phase, which could see this conflict lasting months, possibly years. nato expects russia to launch a major offensive in southern and eastern ukraine in the coming weeks. but already in the kharkiv region, right next to russia's border, more than 50 russian strikes in the past 24 hours alone. about two strikes every hour, killing at least six people according to ukrainian officials. and to the south in mykolaiv, local officials say russian troops shelled a children's hospital on monday. security footage appears to show the moment the strike hit. an ambulance parked just outside. a team from doctors without borders was on-site at a nearby hospital, confirmed strikes there and at the children's hospital as well. meantime, america's top-ranking military offi