our molly hunter is there on the ground amid a new call to arms >> reporter: tonight as this nation appears on the brink of a counteroffensive, the ukrainian army releasing a slick new recruitment video, featuring latest nato acquisitions, the u.s.-made patriot air defense system and a call to arms posted by ukraine's top general titled "now is the time to take back what is ours. earlier today we pressed senior advisor to president zelenskyy on whether it was a hint on the eve of battle. >> imminently? today? >> reporter: he tells us the counteroffensive is inevitable and it's already started. this is not a matter of one day, he says. we see the intensifying attacks on the russian rear position we're preparing the battlefield for this new phase of the war there's new ammunition, more advanced weapons, better trained troops close to the front line and it comes as ukraine's western allies are no longer afraid of the word escalation a week after the city of bakhmut fell, british intelligence says they are pulling the wagner mercenaries out giving them a break which will give the forces filling

just hours before the city's annual celebration of its founding molly hunter has more on the ground there molly, a dangerous night, but also it shows how much the war has changed. >> reporter: yeah, kate, that's right in the capital city the air defenses are working, but it can still be dangerous overnight the air raid alert lasted about five hours, much longer than normal but ukrainian officials are saying the air force shot down almost every single shot, more than 50 fired at once against kyiv and across the country. when the interceptions happen and we actually hear those explosions, fragments or debris fall to the ground here in kyiv officials say one person was killed and one injured and several fires broke out around the city. the ukrainian military says russia is ramping up the aerial attacks to identify and exhaust air defenses and also say they are targeting military assets and critical infrastructure, but, kate, civilians are still paying the price. >> molly hunter, thank you. >>> at the vatican pope francis held mass this morning for the first time since he cleared his schedule

president putin blaming ukraine and vowing retaliation molly hunter tonight on the apparent escalation of drone warfare. >> reporter: tonight inin moscow, preresident putin vowing to o retaliate for what he said was a ukrainian drone attack the attack, putin said on tv, was aimed at scaring russian citizens and hitting residential buildings. in video n not verified d by nbc news, a drone seen flying low over the capital. the russian ministry of defense says they shot down eight drones nbc news cannot independently verify that information the ministry says two people were injured and several buildings damaged, and moscow is pointing the finger directly at kyiv but tonight an adviser to president zelenskyy tells nbc news ukraine is not directly involved in the attacks in moscow. here in kyiv, the russian aerial bombardment has been unrelenting. at least one person has been killed, several injured, just in the last 24 hours early this morning, the ukrainian air force says it shot down nearly 30 russian drones now take a look at all of this debris, and they're actually still throwing debri

molly hunter is in ukraine with late details. >> reporter: tonight, the ukrainian air force claiming victory, thwarting the biggest russian missile attack in weeks, downing all 18 russian missiles fired at the capital of kyiv on tuesday, including the ukrainian air force says six of moscow's most advanced conventional weapons, hypersonic missiles. thanks to the newly deployed western air defenses, including the u.s.-made patriot air defense system the attacks were carried out as ukraine's president zelenskyy returned from a successful european tour, and tonight he is rallying more support >> all together we are showing what our 100% mean. >> reporter: the fiercest fighting is in what remains of the eastern city of bakhmut, seen here in a drone feed above what was once city streets. today in an unverified video posted on telegram, yevgeny prigozhin, head of the russian mercenary wagner group, citing there an american was killed in bakhmut. the state department said they're aware of the report but offered no confirmation. meanwhile, a dramatic public move by the cia, releasing an emoti

>> okay, molly hunter, we appreciate that we'll be right back in 60 seconds with a warning for everyent about those popular infant loungers stay w with us >>> we're back now with an important warning on infant loungers an nbc news investigation found more deaths linked to these baby products than the government initially reported here's vicky nguyen. >> it was a very special time for our family >> reporter: kate and brandon movitz welcomed baby pierce into their family in may of 2020. >> he was just a little dream for us. >> yeah, the first time i held him i just gushed at him and felt the unconditional love >> reporter: they didn't think twice about putting him to sleep in an infant lounger, a cushioned pad or pillow for babies their 5-year-old son jude slept in the same one when he was a newborn. >> everyone used the because they work. they help babies sleep. >> reporter: when pierce was 10 weeks old, he went to sleep in his dockatot deluxe plus baby lounger. he didn't wake up. the autopsy revealed pierce died accidentally from positional asphyxia. >> after pierce passed i looked u

molly hunter has more on his decision to fight as new images show the immense toll of war in the east >> reporter: t tonight as t this grindingng war continues to rob young ukrainian lives on the battlefield, the family of american volunteer soldier, nicholas maimer, telling nbc news he was killed on ukraine's front lines. the 45-year-old idaho native now one of at least ten americans killed since the war started. he arrived on his own to join the fight in may 2022, and months before his death, he spoke to nbc's raf sanchez protecting his identity going by the name simo. the 20-year u.s. army veteran training volunteer soldiers outside of kyiv. >> i had that strong internal debate on whether i should, what i could contribute, you know, should i accept the risk, and ultimately i decided that it was worth it to help ukraine. >> reporter: and worth the risk. >> have you been to the east >> i signed up knowing that, but with a statement that i was willing to fight >> reporter: ukraine says they now have the momentum in bakhmut fighting hard for what little remains today new satellite imag

molly hunter is in kyiv with the latest >> reporter: in ukraine's capital, children screaming, terrified, running through the streets. just before 1:00 p.m., sirens blaring, people scrambling for cover in the middle of the work day, as 11 russian missiles targeted kyiv. in the last 48 hours alone, three massive waves of russian attacks. more than 60 cruise missiles and drones fired across the country. ukraine's air force says they shot down nearly everything. the debris from a downed missile landing in this busy kyiv road the city is already coming back to life, but earlier, during that rare daytime attack, city officials say 41,000 people sheltered in the subway. but we haven't seen scenes like this for months. senior advisor to president zelenskyy tells me we've entered a new phase of this war. the goal, to take back land russia occupies. has the counter offensive began? the counter offensive has already started, he says we're in the preparation phase, readying the battlefield, hitting russian supply lines and destroying russia's ability to defend ukrainian officials say russia is look

>> molly hunter, thank you. a haunting sound behind you. >>> tim scott jumping in. he can find a lane against former president donald trump? he spoke with our reporter in an exclusive interview. >> reporter: tonight, the republican race heating up. >> i'm the candidate, the far left fears the most. >> reporter: south carolina senator tim scott emphasizing his own story and leaning into optimism. you have i avery positive message. you quote scripture. the two people leading the gop right now, donald trump and desantis, they're not afraid to demonize opponents. do you think gop voters want someone carrying a bible or do they want someone driving a bulldozer into the democrats? >> the truth is that what people really want is an optimistic, positive, conservative who has a backbone. but also believes that the best is yet to come. i don't think you have to be a pessimist to be strong. >> reporter: he highlighted his grandfather who picked cotton and sought his grandson elected to congress. >> my amazing mother -- >> reporter: and his mom who helped him rise up out of pov

molly hunter, thank you. >>> there is breaking news out of portland tonight. a massive four-alarm fire broke out at an apartment building. it blew out windows and firefighters had to help evacuate residents. crews even had to shut down a nearby freeway to keep people safe. there are no reported injuries, and the cause is under investigation. >>> with so many migrants released into the u.s., cash-strapped cities say they're running out of resources to care for them. miguel almaguer reports. >> reporter: tonight outside this fortified hotel turned migrant shelter in san diego, we met the asylum seekers who just gained entry into the u.s., like 20-year-old michael luna, escaping street violence in colombia, headed to denver with everything he owns on his back. "my life was in danger. i had to come," he says. tonight the number of illegal border crossings declining again, just over 3,700 on monday, according to two dhs officials, while newly released court documents show over 6,400 migrants were released into the u.s. last thursday and friday with no court dates a

>> okay, molly hunter, we appreciate that. >>> back here at home, police in hollywood, florida are searching for suspects after gunfire erupted on its famed boardwalk. nine people were injured, including a 1-year-old child. sam brock now with a violent holiday weekend across america. >> reporter: tonight, hollywood, florida, just the latest city featured in a portrait of national violence. >> somebody is on the floor shot. someone is on the floor shot. >> reporter: we're on a popular family-friendly promenade. >> most people got up from the restaurant, went around, hid in different places. >> reporter: hundreds scrambled for their lives amidst a volley of gunfire on memorial day. >> i think there was a child that was shot. we actually saw people bringing the child and getting into an ambulance. >> reporter: several individuals have been detained by law enforcement as police search for these three men they say are involved in yesterday's shooting, with nine victims, including a 1-year-old child. none of the injuries are considered life-threatening. >> you hear gunshots, you don't know what it

lester. >> molly hunter, thank you. >>> in 60 seconds, a mystery solved. a girl missing for six years found. the new details about the tip that led to her discovery, all after a a tv show ababout ththe case. stay witith us. toto get put on t the shelf likeke a porcelalain doll. toto get put bubut one out t of two womon overer 50 will s suffer a frfracture from o osteoporosisis. yoyou should k know you can n d new bobone with evevenity® for r postmenopapausal women with o osteoporosisis at high ririsk for frarac. for r postmenopapausal women with o osteoporosisis asask your dococtor if you c can do morere than just t slowing dodown bonene loss withth evenity®. want s stronger bobones? then b build new b bone; eveni® can hehelp in justst 12 mont. evenityy® is prproven to ree spinine fracturere risk k by. evenenity® c can increasask ofof heart attttack, stroko, or death f from a cacardiovasculular pro. do n not take evevenity®® if you havave low blooood cal, oror are allerergic to it.. seriouous allergicic reacts and lolow blood cacalcium have o occurred. ser

the war in ukraine russia now claiming victory in bakhmut but ukrainian forces still fighting molly hunter is in ukraine for us tonight. >> reporter: tonight the city of bakhmut is obliterated as the sun sets and the charred remains of the city once home to 80,000 people the mercenary group is claiming full control over the eastern city and president putin congratulating the troops but today as president zelenskyy returns home from the g-7 - outskirts of bakhmut. the kremlin releasing footage of russian >> reporter: -- ukrainian officials say it is still a fight for the outskirts of bakhmut meanwhile, the kremlin releasing footage of russian fighter jets it says targeting an air base in the southern ukrainian city of dnipro, but ukraine says it was dnipro civilians that came under russian fire nobody here, this grandmother says, could have imagined in their worst dreams what happened here last night tonight, signs the conflict is spilling across the border with fighting reported among russian rebels inside belgrade, russia you hear the sirens in kharkiv. the battle of bakhmut has been the

>> okay, molly hunter, we appreciate that.ll be right back in 60 seconds with a warning for every parent about those popular infant loungers. stay with h us. ave e chronic kidney d disease. there are places you'd lilike to be. like h here. and hehere. and d here. and hehere. nonot so much h here. if you'v've been diaiagnosedeh chroninic kidney d disease farxiga a reduces ththe risk ofof kidney fafailure which can lead to dialysis. farxiga can cause serious sidee effectcts includining dehydrat, ururinary tracact or genitil yeast t infectionsns in women a and men, and low blblood sugar.r. ketotoacidosis is a serioious side efeffet that may l lead to deaeath. a a rare life-e-threateninig bactererial infectction inin the skin n of the pererim cocould occur.r. stopop taking fafarxiga and l your dococtor right t away ifif you have e symptoms of this babacterial ininfect, stopop taking fafarxiga and l your dococtor right t away an allergigic reactionon, or ketetoacidosis.s. and don't t take it if you arere on dialysysis. put yourself

that country's leader today, as russia seems to be gaining some new ground on the battlefields molly hunter has more from kharkiv >> reporter: tonight president biden is all in >> together with the entire g7, we have ukraine's back, and i promise we're not going anywhere. >> reporter: alongside european allies finally agreeing to the top item on president zelenskyy's wish list, f-16 fighter jets, but it is not unconditional >> what assurance do you have providing f-16s won't escalate this war >> i have a flat assurance from the, from zelenskyy, that they will not, they will not use it to go on and move into russian geographic territory. but wherever russian troops are within ukraine, in the area, they would be able to do that. >> reporter: zelenskyy joining g7 leaders today in hiroshima and reaping the rewards, an additional $375 million in u.s. aid >> i am very happy thank you very much. >> reporter: but while the ukrainian leader shored up international support ahead of ukraine's expected counteroffensive, it appears ukraine's last stronghold fell in the eastern city of bakhmut. today rus

i want to go to molly hunter who is along the procession route, and i imagine now being thronged herselflittlest wales children, and so i think there will be a lot of eyes, of course, on the littlest wales children up on that balcony, which is what we expect. >> as a mother of children that very age, i have to say i hold my breath and smile every time they show those little ones on camera. with kids that age, you just never know. i want to turn to simon lewis, the former communications director for queen elizabeth. you're at the perfect vantage point to take us behind the scenes. what might be going on behind those palace doors? is it a bit of a comfort break and a sit-down? are they perhaps negotiating over, okay, who's going to come up on the balcony? what might transpire these few moments that we have? >> first of all, a big sense of relief. that was a long, long service. i should think there would be a sense of chilling out for a few minutes. they had to be mixed very carefully, that tradition continues and her mother also liked it. as we just heard, buckingham palace is undergoing q

joining us from kyiv is nbc's molly hunter. us up to date on what's happening there this afternoon after the latest attacks. >> reporter: yasmin, i want to second what you just said. we're in the middle of an air raid alert siren, the fourth in just 48 hours. i want you to notice one of the key indicators to us, how local residents are taking us. people are still waiting for the bus. there's tons of traffic. people are walking around. that was not the case this morning or last night. we've seen three major waves of attacks, yasmin, in the last 48 hours, the 16th major wave this month. i'll run you through a few numbers. on sunday, as you just mentioned, the largest drone attack this country has seen, nearly 60 drones. monday night, 67 attacks, 37 cruise missiles, 30 drones. monday during the day, 11. at least one person was killed over the weekend. the injuries and damage are coming not from impacts because the air force is really knocking most of them out of the sky, but coming from fragments. when we hear explosions, that mea

nobody had a better time at the coronation than molly hunter. ad a great time. >> reporter: it was such a blast, savannah. talking to you all day from just around the corner. it is a little drier underneath this tent. a welcome monday morning. >> we did a great job. it was fun to be out there and witnessing a little bit of history. >> seeing history up close, that has to be cool. >> dylan is here, i have to tell you, there's like a microclimate at buckingham palace. on friday it would be sunny for 30 seconds, then pouring rain, then freezing, then hot. yeah, it was like the change of life, you know? >> i feel like that's london. i feel like the micro climate of that part of the world, yes. around here, though -- you did an excellent job, though. i just have to say. around here, an absolutely beautiful day. across the northeast, lots of sunshine. enjoy the temperatures in the 70s. bit of a risk of severe storms. especially through the ohio and >>> good monday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we are seeing the approach of a very weak storm sys

molly hunter in ukraine. achel brosnahan in a new tony-nominated revival. how "star wars" changed his life, and his teenage band that opened for green day. kind of. >>> and then "a life well lived." one of the legendary founding sisters of the lpga tour who helped to put women's sports on the map in america. >>> and as we head to break, our photo of the week. canadian firefighters standing on a fire truck near one of dozens of wildfires burning out of control in alberta. the smoke from the fires has drifted south into the united stes forcing air quality alerts in colorado and montana. when youou really neneed to sl. yoyou reach fofor the really gooood stuff. zzzquil ulultra helpss you sleeeep better and longnger when you needed it most.. its s non-habit t forming and powerered by the m makers of n . withth the ventuture x cd from capapital one,, you earn t two times m mils on e every purchchase. theyey're noise-e-canceling! you're beieing too lououd. good chohoice! my lucky n number! good chohoice! plus earn n

nbc news correspondent molly hunter is live from kharkiv, ukraine. army john spencer with the policy forum. >> molly, what's the latest on the ground? >> reporter: you laid it out well. over the weekend we've tried to wade through the fog of war around the claims out of bakhmut. this is the deadliest, the most protracted battle that we have seen thus far in this war. it's not even a particularly strategic city but symbolic. in the east, about 130 miles south of where i am. really leading the side on the russian side have been the wagner troops, headed up by russian millionaire yevgeny brig goes sin. they said they controlled -- even said mission accomplished. reported that president putin t ukrainian officials are trying to reframe this as a battle for the outskirts. in the video you're showing now, this is state tv from russia shows troops waving flags on top of rubble. nbc news has not independently fired fied that. we're hearing from ukrainian troops they're still pushing in from the flanks. the wagner -- hold that defensive line. will ukraine see

joining us now from kyiv is nbc's molly hunter, also with us is admiral james stavridis, nsnbc chief bout the latest attacks there in the capital? >> reporter: jose, good to be with you. big picture this was a triumph for ukraine's air defenses and their newly-deployed western air defenses that they have acquired in the last several months. the ukraine air defense and air force this morning ran through the numbers. you mentioned 18 already, jose. nine cruise missiles from the black sea. nine drones and six hypersonic missiles fired from aircraft. the spokesperson held a briefing. it was different and this attack was much different because of the large number of ballistic missiles fired simultaneously. the density was incredible. and we heard it, jose, overnight around 3:00 a.m. not only did we hear the air raid, the explosions but the thuds of intersections of those explosions of the air defss hitting the incoming missiles. now the air force would not comment on whether or not the u.s. supplied patriot defense systems actually were responsible for most of the downing of these missiles

nbc's molly hunter is reporting from kyiv. molly, what was the impact of this massive new aerial blitz? >> reporter: chris, good to be with you. that's right. we have had this second this week. overnight at 5:00 a.m., i'm in the capital of kyiv, we heard explosions, interceptions, ukraine's air defenses working and taking russian missiles out of the sky. according to the ukrainian air force, they announced the number of missiles, 30 russian missiles flew over the entire country. they say, and this is according to the ukrainian air force, they downed 29 of them. chris, two things are happening that is different. russia is intensifying its aerial blitzes. as you mentioned, the small gains that the ukrainian forces are making in bakhmut. that is the eastern town where we have seen the fiercest fighting in the last couple of months. it is the front line, and what ukrainian forces have said this week, chris, they have made their biggest battlefield advances in the last couple of months, in the last couple of days. minutes ago, i'm j

joining me now from kyiv, ukraine is my friend, nbc news correspondent, molly hunter. ternoon to noon to you in ukraine. this -- ukrainian counter offensive. earlier today, you spoke with president zelenskyy's seniors advisors about that. >> hey, ali, great to be with you. that's right. we spoke with one of his senior advisers, makayla togiak, who actually, earlier this week, put out a tweet. we've been watching for this counteroffensive. when is it going to start? we've been asking ukrainian officials. he put out a tweet earlier this week this at there's going to be no set date. there won't be a ribbon cutting ceremony. we won't tell you when it's starting. that all makes sense, but the conditions that we have been watching for, more training, more troops near the front line, more western ammo, all of these things have started happening. the ukrainian military are saying they're hitting more rare russian positions. we know there is more advanced repertory. it seems like a lot of the conditions for this counteroffensive are lining up. one of the other ones, whether. dri

nbc's molly hunter, what's the latest? >> reporter: hallie, good morning to you.rnight attacks in kyiv and across the country, by the numbers the ukrainian air force says they shot down 52 out of 54 kamikaze drones. the air raid sirens just in the capital lasted about five hours last night. that is particularly long, but the ukrainian air force says russia was targeting both military targets and critical infrastructure, according to kyiv officials, at least one person was killed, one person injured. when those intersections happen, when the air defense works, that means damage from the debris has caused fires to break out. that counter offensive, more hints that we could be on the eve of a major battle. now a senior adviser for president zelenskyy, i spoke with him yesterday, he says the first phase of the counter offensive has already started. he calls it the preparation phase. they are readying the battlefield striking russian supply lines, making sure those advanced western weapons are making it to those troops off the frontline. the other thing is making sure

molly hunter is joining us from kyiv. molly, good to talk to you.orter: yeah, this happened overnight. the whole country, multiple different regions under massive aerial attacks. the details about that dnipro attack, we have seen video of the hospital, the wreckage, firefighters, first responders picking through the wreckage, trying to find survivors. 23 injured, 21 people we understand are still in the hospital. these are critical, serious injuries, it appears, including two children. and two people were killed. president zelenskyy responded almost immediately, saying russian terrorists once again confirmed their status of fighters of everything humane and honest. he tweeted out calling it a crime against humanity. they say this was a civil hospital, a three-story hospital, used to treat civilians, not a military hospital, not a military target. the regional governor called it a mass attack. the numbers we have got -- this is becoming a very regular occurrence, the morning after we have big numbers from the ukrainian air force about thes the number

. >>> molly hunter is reporting from ukraine where a former u.s. forces soldier was killed in bakhmut. confirming the death of nicholas maymer. what do we know about him, and do we know much about the circumstances surrounding his death? >> reporter: one of ten americans killed in ukraine, the situation takes time to confirm. we're having a hard time getting answers out of the people he was down in bakhmut with but officials in washington, d.c. his family has confirmed his death. we do not have official confirmation from the state department. this is a 20-year army veteran. he joined in 1996. he was from boise, idaho, and he was already retired. he was teaching english in poland at the time of the war, chris, and he came over in may 2022. he talks about this internal debate, and why he felt like he could do something. my colleague raf sanchez met him in february of this year. let's listen to his words directly. >> reporter: why did you come out to ukraine? >> i actually was already in europe for another job. and i think in recent history, this is o

joining me now from kyiv's molly hunter who just spoke with a senior adviser to president zelenskyy. , what does official tell you? >> hey alex, we are getting a lot of clues today it feels like. both the senior administration official, excuse me, the senior presidential adviser that you mentioned earlier, i think you are referring to alexei daniel of, he is the secretary of the national security and defense council. very, very close with the president zelenskyy. he told the bbc that the counter would launch tomorrow. possibly in a week. i spoke, alex, with makayla, he is another senior adviser to president zelenskyy, a very close to that ward room as far as what is going on. i asked him not only when the counteroffensive was going to start, but when would we know? he suggested that it was not just going to be one day, i'm going to read you what he told me. this is not a matter of one day. we see the intensifying attacks on the russian supplies, we are preparing the battlefield for this new phase of war. we spoke about how basically a lot of the conditions that we've been watching for

nbc foreign correspondent molly hunter joins me from kharkiv. mlin saboteurs claim they attack russia inside the belgrade region. what's moscow saying about that, and what are you ukrainian officials telling you? >> yeah, chris, this is a very big deal, and it's been taking a couple of days to figure out exactly what happened. earlier this week, basically what happened, two militia groups, they're anti-kremlin militias, the freedom of russia region claimed they were able to succeed in an attack inside russia in a cross border incursion. russia, the defense ministry, the kremlin is saying this is the biggest cross border incursion that they have seen since the war started. in videos verified in nbc. ukrainian officials have said we do not back these guys. they're saying, and they held a very rare press conference today where they did a little bit, and you can see this on the screen right now, a little bit of a propaganda coup, a little publicity stunt, they said we are backed by the ukrainian government. we get assistance, we get fuel, we get advi

ukrainian air defenses fended off yet another drone attack, want to bring in nbc news correspondent molly hunter as always, it's great to talk. you give us the situation on the ground, specifically, if we can start in bakhmut. i know you have russian mercenaries they're claiming to have taken control of the city. but ukraine is denying that. >> yeah, yasmin, it's really hard, of course, to get a really accurate picture of what's happening in bakhmut. for audience, it's that eastern city that has really been the center of been ground zero of the frontline of the fiercest fighting,. on one side ukrainian troops, yasmin, on the other side the wagner mercenary group. headed up by yevgeny prigozhin. so, prigozhin, earlier today, claimed that his forces were in control of all of bakhmut, it's really important to note, no one lives in bakhmut anymore. it is a carcass of a city. they are fighting for streets were no one could possibly inhabit right now. it's just been completely destroyed. and i think prigozhin says, yasmin, we take with a grain of salt, the ukrainian military very quickly denied that.

. >>> joining us now from kharkiv is nbc's molly hunter. holly, hi.ose, good morning to you. and i've got to say, you just said it, but nbc news has not confirmed this "new york times" report but that has not stopped us from chasing it here in kyiv and my colleagues, reporters back in the d.c. bureau are working all their sources to try to confirm this as well. we have a response from the ukrainian government, very senior adviser to president volodymyr zelenskyy spoke to reuters and gave a short response. ukraine has nothing to do with a strange and pointless drone attack on the kremlin. original attack actually happened, moscow pointed the fingers directly at kyiv. i want to get to the biggest news out of bakhmut, jose, that city we have been talking about so much last weekend. russia claimed full control as did the wagner mercenary chief yevgeniy prigozhin. his troops were on the front line fighting that battle for russia, the bloodiest battle as we have been talking throughout this war. prigozhin this morning said he was pulling his troops out. wha

molly hunter is reporting for us from kyiv.ke, president zelenskyy has been pushing the west for fighter jets, which the u.s. and allies have so far refused to send. but we're seeing some indication just in the last couple of hours, that opposition may be softening. what more can you tell us? >> reporter: yeah, that's right, chris. here on this first full day of the g-7 summit, some significant new announcements as it relates to the west's continued support for ukraine. the first are those new sanctions, which we had largely been expecting. continue to prevent the export of technologies and other raw materials that russia could use to reconstitute its arsenal in this war against ukraine, and second, to crack down, tighten the screws as a white house official put it on those third-party actors who are helping russia evade those many sanctions that have been piling up over the course of more than a year now. but the second announcement as it relates to f 16s was one that we hadn't necessarily expected. it speaks to as you indicat

msnbc foreign correspondent molly hunter is in kyiv for us where it is now nighttime.y, and these daytime air-raid sirens, they're unusual of late. >> reporter: they're new, the school children with their backbacks on, clearly in the middle of the school day, running and screaming were shared by both president zelenskyy and the first lady. everyone in this country seems to have seen that video. extreme disturbing. it has rare to have a daytime air wave and attacks. it's the third wave in 48 hours. on sunday, we saw the biggest drone attack the country has seen since the start of the wash, according to ukrainian air force officials. then we saw a monday overnight attack and this attack in the middle of the day. what's different, look, to be clear. people in kyiv are back to life. they're going to school, going to their jobs, having lunch, sitting outside. they are still enjoying life in this great city. but sheltering in the middle of day is different. when you are in your bed, you go to your shelter in your house, stay upstairs, go to the basement. during the day, 41,0

joining me now from kharkiv, ukraine is molly hunter., the head of the wagner group. what's going on between vladimir putin? >> reporter: this has come to the forefront in the last few months. one of those where he talks about the sons and daughters of moscow officials, it is a lengthy interview posted with a pro-war blogger. he even specifically goes after the defense minister's daughter. speaks specifically about their children and he has this long-running feud with the defense minister. and one of those over the last nine months since his forces, the wagner group, has been at the front line in bakhmut has been that moscow and the russian military is not providing his guys with the same level of equipment, with ammunition, with the supplies they need. if his guys are really going to take the hit on the front line. what he also said, and last weekend, the wagner chief in front of his troops claimed full control over bakhmut. he also said that he's pulling his guys out today. we saw the video where he did start to withdraw his troops. he

joining us from kharkiv, ukraine, is nbc news foreign correspondent molly hunter.sputes that. what does this withdrawal mean? >> reporter: yeah, that's right, and just to back our audience up a little to this week, prigozhin and his wagner paid mercenary fighters were on the city. of course this is the bloodiest battle of this war. and when they claimed full control of that city last weekend, they also said they're going to pull their troops out on thursday, the 25th. we heard that video and you showed a little clip of that video from yevgeniy prigozhin this morning announcing, yes, indeed he was going to pull his fighters out. he has this 5:00 a.m. clip that was on telegram earlier where he tells everyone to leave everything, take your toothbrushes, leave the soap behind for the other troops coming in. the plan is, the plan as of now, is that russian regular military troops, lindsey, are going to fill those gaps. the big question, though, is what happens next. all the wagner mercenary fighters are out by june 1st, are regular russian forces who move into those slo

molly hunter joins us from kyiv. what else are we learning?reporter: andrea, nice to be with you. he traveled to kyiv like so many u.s. veterans who felt a real pull to do something to fight for what he talked about, his fellow freedom fighters, his brothers in arms. he talked about his commitment to humanitarian causes and to teaching civilians and using his skills to teach them how to become soldiers. this was a man who spent a lot of time in had country, who felt deeply committed to ukraine's success. actually, our colleague raf sanchez met him back in february and interviewed him. let's take a listen to what he actually had to say. >> this is one of the most clearcut violations of human rights and national sovereignty we have seen. i personally, with my background, i knew -- i was compelled to come help. >> reporter: we know there were thousands and thousand sthousan possibly tens of thousands t join organizations, whether to train ukrainian soldiers, to provide medical care. but we know he was among many foreigners who came over. i want t

he made it very clear that this was already happening. >> molly hunter, thank you so much.te it. >>> meantime, turkey eeg president is heading into a third decade in power after winning re-election in a close and bitterly contented race. recep tayyip erdogan beat back the greatest political challenge on sunday and will serve an unprecedented third term. president biden tweeted out congratulations to erdogan, but turkey's economy is already taking a hit. the lira sank to a record low where inflation is almost 44% annually. nbc's matt bradley is in ankara, turkey. what's been the reaction there? >> reporter: we heard fireworks going off, people driving around the city honking their horns. i have to tell you during the daytime before the results were announced, most of the people we spoke to in this city were against erdogan, in favor of kill rog lieu, the opposition leader who didn't wen last night. these urban centers are more progressive, more leaning towards the left, whereas it's in the countryside in places like anatolia and on the border with syria you see a lot more su

joining us from kyiv is molly hunter. what more do we know about this army veteran?jose, that's right. we finally have confirmation from his aunt, we do not have official confirmation from the state department as you mentioned or from u.s. embassy officials here. it is very hard for american officials here to confirm that, especially in some place like bakhmut. we know he was 45, life cut too short, from boise, idaho. he was a u.s. army vet, jose. he joined in 1996. but what is remarkable is our colleague raf sanchez, when he was here in ukraine in february, doing a story on americans on foreigners who have come over to train ukrainian soldiers to fightukrainian soldiers, he interviewed nicholas. listen to what he had to say. >> why did you come out to ukraine? >> i actually was already in europe for another job. and i think in recent history -- in kind of recent history this is one of the most clear cut violations of human rights and national sovereignty that we have seen. and so i personally, with my background, i knew i was compelled to come help. >> reporter: jos

nbc's molly hunter is on the ground for us. been battered from the skies all month long. but this is a new experience for russian civilians, hundreds of miles from the front lines. what more can you tell us about these duelling attacks? >> reporter: it is a new experience for citizens of russia who live in moscow, of course. there is really no comparison when you think about the experience that ukrainian civilians, people who have been living in kyiv in the last four days it has been a really long month, 17, at least 17 i think my number is right, counting for the attacks in the last 24 hours. really targeting this capital city. but also across the rest of the country. what we know about the moscow drone attacks, though, is really just from official sources. i will run you through what we do know, dmitry peskov, the spokesperson, said putin was briefed early this morning. we have a statement from president putin, i think we can put that up on screen. he says the kyiv regime chose the path of intimidation of russian citizens and

nbc's molly hunter is in kyiv tonight. >> right now kyiv is facing unprecedented aerial assaults. the military planning a counteroffensive against russian forces any day now, but president zelenskyy's advisers say it is worth it he is so persuasive in person, and he brings home what kyiv needs >> reporter: and tonight nbc news learning zelenskyy is poised to get a major victory. the u.s. and allies now planning to provide f-16 fighter jets to ukraine according to a senior administration official it's unclear which countries will provide the jets still, it's a move the biden administration previously opposed >> and, kristen, we have a bit of breaking news tonight in kyiv we're getting late word of more explosions, more air defense measures being deployed, and even though president zelenskyy had said those f-16 fighter jets would be a game changer, it's not going to happen overnight, correct >> reporter: tom, that's right it could take weeks, even months, to deliver them the white house had been concerned the move would provoke russia there was also the worry about the cost, how lon

first let's go to nbc's molly hunter joining us in kyiv. molly, this country is at war. it can't be easy for zelenskyy to travel internationally, but he is in saudi arabia now at the arab summit. what can we expect out of his visit at the g-7? >> yeah, ana, certainly not an easy time to leave the country, especially not only is this country facing an increased onslaught of aerial attacks. we know the country is preparing for a counteroffensive, but what ukrainian officials constantly stress is they also know their president is very persuasive and very good on the road. we saw him in europe, and ana, he never comes back empty handed. ukrainian officials are speaking out today about the importance of his physical presence there. first, it's kind of a virtual address they talk about. it is so important for him to be there to defend our interests, to explain, to provide clear proposals and clear arguments, and we've got to be really clear, it's not just to kind of get in front of the g-7 leaders, it is also to get in front of all the other leaders who have been invited on th

joining me now from kharkiv in northeastern ukraine is my good friend nbc news foreign correspondent molly hunteris right near the russian border. molly, another tough line coming out of the summit is the united states and its allies will allow the transfer of actually seen fighter jets to ukraine. we have now heard this from president biden. when and how remains unknown. during his remarks joe biden addressed where the fighter jets can and cannot be used. tell us more about this. >> yeah, ali, good to be with you. we actually just got into kharkiv. as you say, it is the easternmost city of ukraine. i have been here since last year. even making the boarded up windows in these buildings completely destroyed last timeout here. their cranes in the air. there is traffic. people are sitting outside at restaurants. the city is a totally different city. yes, on those f-16, our peter alexander got a question into president biden. he said, will the f-16s escalate this war? president biden's answer, i will read it out. he says, i have a flat assurance from zelenskyy that they will not use it to go on and m

nbc foreign correspondent molly hunter joins us now from kharkiv. this war, right? what's the latest on the ground. why are there so many differences in terms of what's happening? >> reporter: yeah, kate. one of the bloodiest, really the deadliest battle that's been going on for nine months. the real military casualty count on both sides, kate, we really don't know. both governments that keep that as a closely guarded secret, but the numbers are in the tens of thousands. just to bring you up to speed, it's a lot of fog of war, and on saturday, the russian oligarch who heads up the russian mercenary group, the wagner group, his fighters have been on the front line for russia. they claimed total control of the city. sunday, putin congratulated russian troops according to russian state tv, and what's happening is ukrainian state officials are not saying they control the city center. they're saying there's fighting on the outskirts. they're saying the battle for the suburbs that encircle this city the still going. bakhmut has not been strategic. it was

molly hunter is in kharkiv with more >> reporter: the city of bakhmut is obliterated as the sun sets, the charred remains of a city once home to 80,000 people. the wagner group claiming full contr contr control over the eastern city. but as president zelenskyy returns from ukraine -- [speaking non-english] -- ukrainian officials say it's still a fight for the outskirt of bakhmut, meanwhile, footage released of russian fighter jets it says targetin dnipro. nobody here, this grandmother says, could have imagined in their worst dreams what happened here last night. signs the conflict is spilling across the border, fighting reported among russian rebels inside russia. the battle of bakhmut has been the single bloodiest of the war so far but of little strategic value. if russia does control that city center they now have to hold it as ukraine prepares their counter offensive. >> molly, thank you. >>> large parts of the country can expect more storms, michelle grossmann tells us exactly where we can expect that rain. >> morning, guys, great to see you. yesterday we had southern soakers. we

peter, kristin >> molly hunter on the ground in ukraine for us today molly, thank you >>> the controversialan attorney general of texas ken paxton could be impeached by the republican-controlled house in his state in a matter of hours paxton, who petitioned the supreme court to overturn the 2020 election, is accused of a wide range of illegal acts nbc's priscilla thompson is in the state capital of austin with more on all of this. priscilla, good morning. >> reporter: kristin, good morning. these are the 20 articles of impeachment that the texas house is set to vote on in just a few hours. they include charges of disregard of official duty, bribery, obstruction of justice and more the texas house has been investigating attorney general ken paxton for months since he asked for $3.3 million in taxpayer funding to approve a wrongful termination settlement after several staffers accused him of firing them after they reported inappropriate behavior. paxton is accusing the republican-led committee that adopted these articles of impeachment of seeking to overturn the will of the people who reelect