when fred pleitgen was there, it was a major overnight offensive by ukrainian forces. you will see it here first. >>> and more from jake tapper's interview with cassidy hutchinson this hour. >> i felt that what she did that day was disloyal. saying that now with the hindsight and the experience that i've had sounds ludicrous. >> so, who is hutchinson talking about? >>> breaking news. new york attorney general letitia james just coming out with a statement following the fraud ruling against former president donald trump and his sons. james saying, quote, today a judge ruled in our favor and found that donald trump and the trump organization engaged in years of financial fraud. we look forward to presenting the rest of our case at trial. and tonight a former top corporate officer for trump saying he's a first-hand witness to what he calls trump's long history of fraud. "outfront" now jack o'donnell, the former president and chief operating officer of the trump plaza hotel and casino. and, jack, thank you very much for being with me. you read through this, and as harry, a

fred pleitgen, cnn, bakhmut, ukraine. >> incredible reporting from fred pleitgen there. >>> still aheadthe expiration of a covid-era program could force millions of american families to make some tough decisions when it comes to childcare. what it could mean for working parents. that's ahead. ♪ >>> the expiration of a pandemic-era program could force millions of american families to make really tough decisions. a federal program that provided children child care credits to families across the u.s. will expire today. and an effort to extend the multibillion dollar program faces an uphill fight on capitol hill. according to the century foundation, more than 70,000 child care programs could close across the u.s. without those funds and by their estimates, that will leave 3.2 million children without a child care program. join ing me to discuss a child care cliff is julie cashen, a senior fellow and director at the century foundation. i really appreciate you joining us this morning. first off, give us those numbers again. it is really astounding to know how many people will be hurt when thi

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cnn's fred pleitgen is on the ground in zaporizhzhia. fred, tell us about these new attacks and their targets. >> reporter: hi there, wolf. yeah, it was really just as president volodymyr zelenskyy was gearing up for his meetings in washington, d.c. that the russians unleashed that really strong and big aerial attack in the early morning hours. and the air raid alarms were on for several hours in wide parts of the country. the rugssians not only used ballistic missiles for this attack but even ten nuclear-capable strategic bombers. here's what happened. vladimir putin unleashing massive aerial attacks across ukraine just as ukraine's president visits capitol hill and the white house. firefighters rushing the wounded out of the burning ruins of this hotel in the town cherkasy. "the sound i heard was boom, and i saw all the windows were gone in the kitchen and in the bedroom," this woman says. and she adds, "at around 6:00 in the morning there was an explosion, a strong one. we came here, saw the windows that shattered in the shop." kyiv s

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fred pleitgen, cnn. >>> ukraine's government has dismissed all of its deputy defense ministers. the shakeup comes after several military corruption scandals. one dismissed had become a familiar face, with updates on the progress on the counteroffensive. none of the officials who were fired were directly accused of corruption themselves. it comes just weeks after ukrainian president zelensky fired defense minister who had been unable to root out the graft. he was replaced and says that the ministry is reworking. it does happen at the same time that the usga, zelensky, on the international stage. is there a link in terms of the messaging? >> i think the timing is interesting. while zelensky has been projecting that some of the reasons the counteroffensive may not be making the progress at the pace some would like, is because of reps and a lack of aid, and the fact they need more aid and weaponry. we're seeing a lot of political reshuffling back home in ukraine. that may speak to a tacit acknowledgm acknowledgment, maybe there is something they have not got right in the counteroffe

fred pleitgen is with us now from kyiv.alk to us about these efforts to retake territory. >> reporter: it's quite important for the ukrainians. some of the video is extremely shocking that we have seen there from south of bakhmut with the ukrainian forces moving in. it's not a large settlement and not ones that were substantial and could offer a lot of cover. as we can see on the video, pretty much complete destruction of that area. we have that filmed in the fog as well. that's something where the ukrainians say for them it's important. we have an update for you from that region as well. we are hearing from some sources in the ukrainian military that the russians are extremely angry having lost the settlement. they are blanketing that area with artillery. the ukrainians have taken the territory, but the russians are firing at it with some pretty heavy guns. ukrainians saying the fact that they were able to take that territory makes it easier to stop supply routes for the russians. they have momentum as far as the counterof

here's fred pleitgen. >> it was a race against time after he stepped on a land mine while on a mission behind enemy lines. the mine blew me up when my brothers carried me. they gave me first aid and carried me. they saved his life, but his injuries were catastrophic. one leg was gone, it was blown away. the other was hanging all broken. but that isn't holding him back. he's hiding his face for safety reasons, but his story is remarkable. after the incident, he recovered, traveled all the way to mexico to get an artificial limb, learn to walk again, and is now back on the battlefield. >> translator: i can't just sit at home and watch what's happening. in a kocountry under attack, evy man has to stand up and defend his own. i have to do it, and i'm good at it. >> reporter: he's contributing to ukraine's massive counteroffensive where forces have been making increasing pro progress. >> translator: i'm in charge of grenade laurge every and anti-tank squads. we choose the right positions, targets and plan the operations. >> reporter: russian mine fields are causing a lot of casualties on th

fred pleitgen, cnn, bakhmut. >>> now to armenia where there is a growing humanitarian crisis and influxf refugees. >> the armenian government now says more than 47,000 people from that gin anagorno-karabakh region defeated separatists. >> and it means that more than one third of the ethnic armenians from that gore know o nagorno-karabakh have fled the region. and there is oois only one road so it is pretty jam-packed. >>> britit new . >>> and fashion show back but with some major changes. s >>> baseball hall of famer brooks robinson has died according to a statement from his family and the baltimore orioles. born in little rock, arkansas robinson joined the os in 1955 and defended third base for 23 seasons. they included two world series championships in 1966 and 1970 where he was also named mvp. brooks robinson was 86 years old. >>> to the nfl where colin kaepernick is asking the new york jets to sign him to their practice squad. the 34-year-old hasn't played in an nfl game in more than six years. he drew controversy for kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustices

for more on all of this, we're joined by fred pleitgen from london. fred, good to have you weigh in on this. we'll turn firstly to those so-called elections. russia's tried this before. they claim it's successful for them. i find the timing rather odd. what do you know? >> reporter: i think the timing -- some people see it as being quite odd because of course right now, we see the ukrainians are on the offensive and the russians are clearly having trouble holding ground there. one of the things that the ukraines believe is that the russians are obviously trying to legitimize the fact that they occupy these territories. we saw one of the big issues in our lead-in here with all of that, in that the russians don't even control all of these regions where they are claiming to hold these elections. the ukrainians are saying two things. they say this is a violation of the territorial integrity of ukraine. we can see the map there on our screen. again, ukraine is obviously saying this is ukrainian territory. the international community says exactly the same t

fred pleitgen, cnn, zaporizhzhia. >>> in the next hour poll land's president is set to address on forum on the reconstruction of ukraine. he will speak two days after his prime minister put future weapons deliveries in to question and that warsaw would pull the plug on sending new weapons amid a bitter dispute over poland he's ban on ukrainian grain import. but thursday poland's president walked back on the prime minister's statement suggesting it was misunderstood. >> translator: the prime minister talked about this weapons in the context of the new weapons we're buying for our army. yes, that was the statement. in my opinion, the prime minister said well not transfer to ukraine new weapons that we are currently purchasing as a part of the modernization of our army. >>> lithuania stepped into the dispute thursday offering to mediate in this social media post here. katie polglase has been monitoring all of this. i mean, they have stepped back slightly if you look at the president's words. but i was in poland earlier in the year and it is amazing how much support there was for ukraine. s

cnn's fred pleitgen is in ukraine where he spoke exclusively with the commanding general for ukraine'sg from russia's black sea fleet headquarters in -- kyiv only confirming they hit the building. i at sat down with the commanding general, and he tells me strikes like these are invaluable for his troops. >> translator: the destroyed commander link and if there is no command then there are no coordinated actions hitting infrastructure like factories, bases, warehouses, containing weapons is also a factor for victory. >> reporter: in the past weeks alone the ukrainians say they've hit a russian ship, a submarine, an air base and a surface to air missile system in occupied crimea. still, ukraine's president faces skepticism from the public about the u.s.'s continued support for ukraine. he's asking for patience. >> translator: we have one goal, liberation of our territories, however hard it is we will keep on working and i want to thank even the skeptics, their criticism also influences our task's success. >> reporter: it's been a slow grind for the ukrainians on the southern front, progr

for more, fred pleitgen joins us from london, the so-called elections, strange timing, what's moscowoping to accomplish? >> essentially what moscow is hoping to accomplish is to give legitimacy to the fact they occupy these territories and these are now territories of the russian federation that will always remain territories of the russian federation, something vladimir putin has said in the past. the first problems already appear when we look at the map we've been showing, the fact that the russians don't even control all of those territories, where they say that they are now part of the russian federation. if you look specifically at zaporizhzhia and kherson, russia is not even controlling the majority of those territories and we can see on the map there, donetsk, russians only control half of that. the ukrainians are calling these elections a sham, say they violating the rights of the people who are on the ground there, and live in these territories, the ukrainians are saying that in some cases officials are going door to door and taking people to polling stations, obviously to m

to get more, we'll hear from cnn's fred pleitgen in kyiv. >> reporter: on the attack at the crack ofawn. kyiv says its troops ousted two -- in the last two days. one of the units involved releasing this video purportedly showing one of their drones hitting a russian vehicle carrying an officer, ukraine attacking not just on land but from the sea and the air as well. this video purporting to show unmanned sea drones trying to ram a russian warship just hours after the ukrainians say they hit a russian sub, and a landing ship in the key port of sebastopol as well as a sophisticated surface to air missile system in occupied crimea. thank you for today's triumph, the ukrainian president says, the air defense system in the land was destroyed. very significant. some seem increasingly concerned about ukraine's attacks on the peninsula and the bridge that links it to the russian mainland. when it was attacked the first time i was worried so much, nevertheless russia is still strong and he says times are turbulent now, of course i'm worried, but in general driving over the bridge is okay. und

. >> joining us now with more cnn senior international correspondent fred pleitgen.: hi, those missile strikes certainly were devastating, the one in sumi, where we saw pulling people out of that rubble, two people specifically in that place. we see the video absolutely dramatic with bare hands and fire extinguisher, trying to get the people out of sumy. and victor was talking about the huge missile strike. one of the things we picked up on that one, one person was killed, however 72 people wounded. in that area, a missile hit that urban area. at the same time, the people looking at that interview that fareed zakaria does with president zelenskyy. there are interesting things that zhen said there, one of the things we just heard about the compromise with vladimir putin. he also urged more patience on the part of those, specifically with the united states, with the counteroffensive. now, one of the things we're seeing this morning, ukrainians are seeing, they're continuing to press that counteroffense on a town close to the black sea, and ukraine is pretty far away fr

on the russians across the front line while the russians are on the defensive, fredricka. >> fred pleitgen president biden has a busy week ahead. he's expected to meet with president zelenskyy who will be in the u.s. biden will also meet with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and this is fir first face-to-face meeting since netanyahu returned to office. netanyahu has not received an invitation to the white house since his return to power. let me bring in now joel ruben. he's the former deputy assistant secretary of state under president obama and seeking the demo democratic nomination in the sixth district. let's start with netanyahu. why his meeting with president biden will be so important and what is the focus of thur conversations, do you think? >> well, fredricka, it is significant meeting on many levels. first and foremost, israel is a close american ally. but there is a message here that president biden has with primary netanyahu which he needs to share which is that he's concerned about israel's democracy being pushed in the wrong direction by the prime minister so that is

fred pleitgen from zaporizhzhia.a are calling for more help, as they face the grim task of retrieving bodies of people killed in catastrophic flooding there. we're going to take you inside the country just ahead. >>> and one nfl player turns his grief off the field into a moment of triumph on the field. his story is next on "cnn news central." story. ♪ we're not an airliline, but our network connects globabal businesses across nearly 160 markets.s. ♪ we're not a startup, but our innovavation labs use new technologies to help keep your information secure. ♪ we're not architects, but we help build stronger communities. ♪ we're not just any bank. we are citi. ♪ my brain. so i choose new neuriva ultra. unlike some others, it supports 7 brain health indicators, including mental alertness from one serving. to help keep me sharp. try new neuriva ultra. think bigger. your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality

fred pleitgen, cnn, ukraine. >>> we have been following developments in ukraine.start with the attack on the black sea fleet. it could be a significant development, but confirmed details are scarce. what more are we learning? >> we got a statement from ukraine's special forces making further claims on this attack. it really is the in heart of crimea. the headquarters of its black sea fleet. special forces said in this statement that there were dozens of troops killed and wounded in this attack. they said that the timing of the attack was significant. apparently taking place during a high-level meeting at noon yesterday. the statement went on to say that statement led to senior leadership of the black sea fleet being among those killed or wounded. now ukraine has provided no evidence to back these claims. russia disputes them, as you mentioned, the latest statement we have from russian officials is that one soldier is missing. nothing further than that. they do admit they do concede that that headquarters was struck, as you have seen in those dramatic videos there.

so, let's just start off with the ukrainian commander who just told fred pleitgen they're on the cusp of that big breakthrough. that's what they're saying. and then you see what happened on the black sea and you see the abrams tanks and you feel momentum, you see some real warning signs. >> i think you just have to step back for a second and despite what this ukrainian commander may have told fred pleitgen, i think we can all see that this counteroffensive has been a really slow grind. you're talking about incremental gains being made with a high rate of attrition. and what i've been hearing from certain people who would know much better is that the russian military has also adapted somewhat. we saw the initial humiliating defeat that the russians faced early on in this war. but they're not totally stupid. they do learn from their mistakes. and they are now in a position where they are playing defense instead of playing offense. that makes it much easier. you then put on top of that what we saw last week with president zelenskyy in town, the republicans making it very clear that the u

it's definitely making a difference, guys. >> fred pleitgen in kyiv. mart kurtling. good to see you. have a preview monitor off to the side here. as fred was reporting, that because of the challenge of ammunition for every shot a ukrainian soldier takes, a russian soldier can take ten. you started shaking your head. what your reaction to what you heard there? >> it's true, victor, but as fred followed on, the weapons supply by u.s. and most of nato are more accurate, can hit targets precisely and you don't need as many rounds. this is a narrative that ukrainians have been using to try to get more ammunition, more supplies, more equipment, but it is true that russia uses and depends on artilleriy strikes. that is what a modern battlefield looks like that has both rural and urban areas where rubble is everywhere and you have destroyed buildings and landscapes with artillery fire. it isn't a clean landscape. it has battlefield -- everywhere. it's unfortunate that we continue to supply forces and ammunition to ukraine and they still have to face a witherin

and frederick pleitgen in ukraine. kayla, first to you.resident zelenskyy pleaded for the world to act to defeat putin and russia? >> reporter: pam, it was an impassioned speech from president zelenskyy in person, in english, for the first time since the invasion began. he had several stark warnings for the leaders that were gathered before him. that russia's campaign of mass destruction was gaining momentum. that the country was seeking to exploit divisions among the bloc's members. and that evil, in zelenskyy's words, cannot be trusted. >> kayla, thank you so much for that. i want to bring in wolf blitzer. he just got back from his exclusive interview with president zelenskyy, wolf? >> it was a very lengthy interview, and we're going to air the entire thing this hour, pamela. thank you very, very much. it's an exciting, very, very serious moment right now in the history of the united nations, indeed, the history of the world with what's going on in ukraine. the russian invasion and the president, president zelenskyy, was very, very power

cnn's fred pleitgen is on the ground with the latest. >> reporter: jim, there certainly has been a lot in the areas close to the front lines or even close to russia. you have, for instance, the town of kherson where two people were killed and several wounded. the ukrainians say a lot of shelling there coming from the russian side. same in the area around zaporizhzhia. that's pretty significant because it's very close to where the ukrainians are conducting the biggest thrust of their counteroffensive. one person was killed there. the ukrainians also saying that they have managed to break through a russian defense line in that area and are saying they've been able to fortify those gains in the past 24 hours as well. the same is actually true in the east where i am. the ukrainians are saying around the town of bakhmut they've made some gains. the ukrainians say they've taken two villages, and now theying they're fortifying positions and want to continue to build on that in the coming days. >> fred pleitgen in ukraine, thank you very much. >>> is there a way for house republicans and democ

that's according to the general oleksandr speaking with our fred pleitgen saying ukrainian forces haveas we are just getting this new video into cnn. this is the fighting on the front lines. and this is drone footage where ukrainian forces say they've literally been burning russian troops out of that forest that you see on your screen. general chernasky tells fred pleitgen that another breakthrough is coming as soon as ukraine pushes through the city of takmak which is right in the middle of the front lines. it is near russian occupied territory not far from crimea, which serves as a crucial base for russian operations. and ukraine is stepping up attacks, hitting a major russian target today. the headquarters of russia's black sea fleet in crimea. if ukraine were to recapture crimea or halt russian operations there, obviously it would be an incredible turning point in this war. the general telling fred how important strikes like this are for the success of the counteroffensive. >> reporter: the destroyed commander means the destroyed command link. if there is no command, then there are

frederik pleitgen is in zaporizhzhia. >> reporter: it was a massive aerial attack the ukrainians facedoday. they say the targets were civilian infrastructure but also energy infrastructure. and that's something that is significant. the ukrainians are saying it's the first time that the russians have launched a massive aerial attack on the energy infrastructure here in the country in the past six months. of course, it comes as fall is progressing and we're reaching the heating season here in ukraine so something that will become significant. ukrainians say the russians use strategic bombers launched from a base in western russia. those bombers fired cruise missiles towards the territory of ukraine. the staff is saying they managed to take down 36 of 43 cruise missiles fired. but, of course, some of them did reach some of the areas here in ukraine and the damage is especially extensive they say in the west of the country and the central parts of the country. also in one place a hotel was hit and injured people there as well, guys. >> frederik pleitgen outside zaporizhzhia. you and your t

fred pleitgen live for us from zaporizhzhia, thank you. >>> boris?running out of time, and the government is running out of money. there are just nine days left to avoid a potential government shutdown. and for house speaker kevin mccarthy, the threats are coming from inside the house. just a short time ago, a visibly frustrated mccarthy spoke to reporters about how members of his own party blocked a key rule on defense spending. listen. >> it's frustrating in the sense that i don't understand why anybody votes against bringing the idea and having the debate. you gotthis is a whole new conc of individuals that just want to burn the place down. it doesn't work. i know it's an obstacle but i find it as a challenge and we're going to solve it. >> what's this latest road block mean for a potential vote on a spending bill? let's take you live to capitol hill with cnn's melanie zanona. bring us up to speed with what's happening. >> reporter: well, boris, the house is paralyzed right now. this latest defeat was a huge embarrassment for kevin mccarthy and hi

ukraine forces claim the strike killed dozens of russian troops and cnn's fred pleitgen is on the groundelieve things are looking up in their counter offensive in the south. i was able to speak with commanding general of that counteroffense who confirmed they've had a bit of a breakthrough here in a town. he said the strike the ukrainians conducted on the med quarters of russia's black sea fleet is very important as well. smoke billowing from russia's black sea headquarters. blaming ukrainian launched cruise missile confirming they hit the building. i sat down with xander tarnnovski. >> translator: a destroyed command link. if there is no command then there are no coordinated actions hitting infrastructure like factories, bases, warehouses. containing weapons is also a factor for victory. >> reporter: the past weeks alone, ukrainians say they've hit a russian ship, a submarine, air base and a surface-to-air missile system in occupied crimea. still uc's president faces skepticism from many republican lawmakers and the public about the u.s.' continued support for ukraine. asking for patien

>> fred pleitgen, thank you. >>> 45 past the hour.st yet this afternoon against oregon. we will take a look at how coach prime, deion sanders is shaking up the college football world. morning. ♪ ♪ life after student debt is within reach. refi at sofi.com. you could save thousands and get to your goals faster. sofi. get your money right. the right age for neutrogena® retinol? that's whenever you want it to be. it has derm-proven retinol that targets vital cell turnover, that's whenever you want it to be. evens skin tone, and smooths fine lines. with visible results in just onweek. enever you're hungry, there's a deal on the subway app. buy one footlong, get one 50% off in the subway app today. now that's a deal worth celebrating. man, what are you doing?! get it before it's gone on the subway app. ♪ ♪ tourists tourists that turn into scientists. tourists photographing thousands of miles of remote coral reefs. that can be analyzed by ai in real time. ♪ so researchers can identify which areas are at risk. and help life underwater flouris

we just heard fred pleitgen detailing the fighting in ukraine.t developments? >> i think that up in the north in ukraine, as fred said, it's still pretty tough going, even though morale is high. the ukrainians are making a little bit of progress in the south. the russians are trying to do counterattacks in the north for the purposes of drawing forces out of the south to defend up north. but what i'm really finding interesting is what's happening down south in crimea. we've seen a pickup in attacks down there, particularly against naval targets. they knocked out the black sea headquarters. so i think if there's any momentum being made, it's not in ukraine, but it's down in crimea. >> and of course, throughout the fighting that we've seen on the ground here, politics, diplomacy has played a major role from the outside and we just saw comments from russian foreign minister sergey lavrov who attacked the west and nato in his general assembly address. do you think he had a target audience when delivering that speech? >> i really do. that was a pretty

thanks so much, fred pleitgen. >>> and, next, trump's trouble with evangelicals.a, crucial to a primary win. he certainly had their support. but is that the case now? and i'll talk to republican congressman ken buck who's telling his own party, don't impeach biden. the worry? that was then. and look at me now. you'll never truly forget migraine. but qulipta® reduces a attacks, making zerero-migraine days possible. it's the only pill of its kind that blocks cgrp - and is approved to prevent migraine of any frequency. to help give you that forget-you-get migraine feeling. don't take if allergic to qulipta®. most common side effects are nausea, constipation, and sleepiness. learn how abbvie could help you save. qulipta®. the forget-you-get migraine medicine™. mass general brigham -- when you need some of the brightest minds in medicine. this is a leading healthcare system with five nationally ranked hospitals, includintwo world-renowned academic medical centers. in boston, where biotech innovates daily and our doctors teach at harvard medical school and the physician

fred pleitgen, cnn, kyiv. >>> a group of u.s.senators is pushing the defense department to provide information about reports that earth lob musk restricted the use of his starling satellites used by ukrainian armed forces in 2022. three members of the senate armed services committee sent a letter to defense secretary lloyd austin. it asked for a detailed accounts where the services were disabled in ukraine. senators also raised concerns about musk's decision not to turn it on or disrupt an attack on star ships. >>> survivors of the definite stating earthquake in monke roc coare struggling to recover. one week on, there's some hope. we'll have a live report ahead on cnn newsroom. stay with us. but your stomach doesn't. that disagreement ends right now. lactaid ice cream is the creaeamy, real ice cream you loe that will never mess with your stomach. lactaid ice cream. what if your entirire day glided like dove men? it's made with a plant-based moisturizer and glides on without irritation. you can glide through your entire day with

and flred pleitgen, as you spea to ukrainian officials, do they agree with that assessment that ukraine is winning the war and winning this counteroffensive? >> reporter: i think they do and i think that they also agree that the counteroffensive is certainly not going as fast as they would like it to have gone and certainly not as they wanted it to. and they say that russians have had a long time to build up a lot of the mine fields and trempgs in the south of the country which makes it difficult for them to advance. but i was able to speak to a presidential adviser to the zelenskyy administration and he says one thing that you have to keep in mind is that when the war started, the full on invasion of ukraine, everybody was afraid of the russian military. and now we're talking about the rus russians and that the momentum is on their side. and as we look back at the past week, we see they think that it can take under fire near the areas of bakhmut and that the momentum is on their side and they certainly right now say that they want to take back all of their territory. a message that zel

cnn's senior international correspondent frederik pleitgen properties from kyiv. >> reporter: the ukrainians certainly believe they have a little bit of momentum going on. they say they're consolidating some of the gains they've made in the east of the country around bakhmut, approximately south of bakhmut. there was some pretty remarkable video that came out from the ukrainian forces showing them advancing through the settlement and the place can probably be described as looking like a moon scape with the utter destruction that we see there. certainly the houses that we can see on that video absolutely reduced to rubble. the ukrainians also saying, the ones operating in that area, the russians are now firing a lot of artillery towards that place, trying to stop the ukrainians from advancing any further. nevertheless the ukrainians say for them this is a very important tactical gain they've made. of course it's also important for ukraine's president as he's about to head to the united states to go to the u.n. general assembly and to speak with president biden as well. and the ukrainians say

. >> lots of interesting details there, fred pleitgen in london, thanks so much for that. >>> all rightewsroom," a big night for american tennis. star coco gauff, how the teen sensation pulled off her first grand slam victory on home turf. coy wire joins me live next. stay with us. believes in continuous improvement... like rounded corners that resist peeling, with an array ofof active ingredients... and sizes to relieve your pain. salonpas. it's good medicine. i was stuck. unresolved depression symptoms were in my way. i needed more from my antidepressant. vraylar helped give it a lift. adding vraylar to an antidepressant... ...is clinically proven toelp relieve overall depression symptoms... ...better than an antidepressant alone. and in vraylar clinical studies, most saw no substantial impact on weight. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. report unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion, as these may be life-threatening, or uncontrolled musc

. >> fred pleitgen is joining us from kyiv. what is the latest? >> you guys are perfectly right.tance missile attacks and some drone attacks as well. that's an important front for the ukrainians, but the other two on the ground really are the ones in the south and the ones in the east. the south is tough going, but in the east, they have managed to win some pretty important b battles for them and win back some territory. the ukrainians say for them it's important because they are able to hit russian supply lines from there. here's what we're learning. ukrainian forces on the attack at the crack of dawn. troops ousted the russians from two villages on the eastern front in the past few days. one of the units involved releasing this video reportedly showing one of their drones hit ing a russian vehicle carrying an officer. ukraine attacking from the sea and air as well. this video showing unmanned sea drones trying to ramp a warship just hours after the ukrainians say they hit a russian sub and a landing ship in the key port as well as a sophisticated surface to air missile system a

fred pleitgen has more. >> reporter: the ukrainians certainly believe they have a bit of momentum goingmanding general of ukraine's counteroffensive in the south. he confirmed that they have managed a bit of a breakthrough. they do still have a long way to go, but he also said that strike on the russian headquarters of the black sea fleet is very important to their progress. here's what he said. smoke billowing from russia's black sea fleet headquarters in sebastopol, moscow blaming ukrainian launched missiles, kyiv confirming they hit the building. i sat down with the commanding general for ukraine's counteroffensive in the south. he tells me strikes like these are invaluable for his trips. >> translator: a destroyed command means a destroyed command link. if there's no command, there are no coordinated actions hitting infrastructure like factories, bases, warehouses. continuing weapons is also a factor for victory. >> reporter: in the past weeks, the ukrainians have hit a russian ship, a submarine, an air base and a surface-to-air missile system in crimea. still, the president faces s

for more, fred pleitgen joins us for london.start with the so-called elections, slightly unreal given the state of what's happening right now in those regions. >> reporter: certainly unreal presumably for a lot of people on the ground. one of the main problems with these elections is certainly some of the ukrainians are saying, as well, we could see that on the map leading into our segment here because we have on that map not just the areas that the russians control but the administrative borders of four of those regions where these elections are being held. we see the russian don't actually control all of the territory where they say that these elections -- where they say that -- they rule over those areas. you can see that on your map right there. so that certainly is an issue, was an issue with the referendum, with the russians claiming that these regions actually joined the russian federation last year. and certainly also now. the ukrainians saying two things, on the one hand they say this violates the territorial integrity

for more, fred pleitgen joins us from london. fred, these so-called elections, the context behind them is still important, right? >> i think it's absolutely important. and i think the reason why these elections are being taken so seriously by vladimir putin and why he commented on the fact that he believes people should have trust in online voting as well is because the russians are trying to portray that normalcy is heading into eastern ukraine, that the people there can now essentially go and vote and have a fairly regular life. one of the things we have to keep in mind is that vladimir putin started this war, claiming that there was a genocide going on against the russians in the eastern part of ukraine. back then, it was donbas, luhansk and the people's republic that was recognized by russia, but he claimed that there was a genocide going on there and that these people urgently needed help from the russian federation. as we know, the war for russia has not been going as certainly many of their commanders would have planned, e

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fred pleitgen on the ground in ukraine and, fred, start with you. widespread missile strikes seemingly very intentional given what zelenskyy is doing today. what's your sense what's happening on the ground? >> reporter: first of all you're right. intentional and very much fitting into the season we have here in ukraine. some things going on, on the battlefield as well. ukrainians saying the massive strikes started in early morning hours of today targeting civilian infrastructure and ukraine's energy infrastructure as well. something that is absolutely significant, because ukrainians say they haven't seen strikes on this scale here in this country on the energy infrastructure in the past six months. it comes as the weather getting colder in ukraine and we're moving towards heating season. ukrainians say the russians could be setting up for massive attacks on ukraine's energy infrastructure right as the heart of winter approaches here in this country. obviously devastating for the civilian population. the ukrainians say there were ten strategic bomber

fred pleitgen is "out front." >> reporter: the moment the powerful missile hit a market in constantinekrainians say this was the work of a russian surface-to-air missile used to hit ground targets. dozens were killed and wounded here, kyiv says. first responders trying to help the wounded while already clearing the body of the dead. an angry ukrainian president slamming russia's leadership. >> translator: whenever there's any positive offensive step by ukrainian defense forces, russians target civilians infrastructure wherever their missiles and artillery can reach. >> reporter: this is what zelenskyy means by positive steps. ukraine's army is pressuring the russians both on the eastern front. this video kyiv says showing fighting at the crack of dawn near bakhmut and in the south, where ukraine says its forces are pushing the russians back after taking the village and fortifying their own position. one soldier, who fought in the robot na recalling hiding in the village alone from the russians, ready to kill himself if they found him. [ speaking in a non-english language ] i carried a

tonight, fred pleitgen is "outfront" on the front lines in southern ukraine. >> reporter: as ukrainianoops, one of those scoping out vladimir putin's forces and directing the fire is not only a career soldier but also a mom of three. her call sign, the unbreakable. i've seen so much at this stage that i can't be easily taken by surprise, she says, but, of course, there is a constant risk. she has two daughters and a 5-year-old son. she hasn't seen them since april. is it tough, i ask. of course, they get offended when i'm not there, when they need me as a parent, but they understand someone needs to do this work for our country, she says. and that work is often gruesome for those on the front lines here in the south. the 47th mechanized brigade gave us this video they say shows their troops coming under russian fire even while collecting the bodies of their fallen comrades. their u.s. supplied bradley fighting vehicles bearing the scars of relentless combat. this vehicle is really emblematic of just how tough the battle is down here in the south. you can see there's a lot of fire damag

i want to go to fred pleitgen on the ground in ukraine. what's the latest there? >> reporter: as zelenskyy is there in d.c. for the important talks, the russians here unleashing a massive barrage of air strikes. the russians are using strategic bombers to fire at ukraine. here is what happened. vladimir putin unleashing attacks across ukraine as ukraine's president visits capitol hill and the white house. firefighters rushing the wounded out of the burning ruins of this hotel. the sound i heard was boom, and i saw all the windows were gone in the kitchen and bedroom, this woman said. at around 6:00 in the morning, there was an explosion. we came here, saw the windows that shattered in the shop. kyiv says the russians launched 43 cruise missiles in the early morning hours. while ukraine's air defenses were able to shoot down most of them, some did come through. hitting energy infrastructure. kyiv saying the power grid hasn't been attacked on this scale in half a year. ukrainians are certain it will continue. we can make assumption the fuel and energy sector facilit

fred pleitgen is out front. >> reporter: ukrainian troops assaulting russian positions in eastern ukraine both here and on the southern front line and are gearing up for more. these soldiers practicing mountain warfare specifically to assault russian occupied crimea. [ speaking in a non-english language ] >> translator: if we come to crimea, there is a big possibility we would need these skills. we would be fighting in the mountain because there will be partisan warfare. >> reporter: but ukraine's army is still far away from crimea, and the gains they are making are slow, incremental, and come with a major human cost, as the number of dead and wounded escalate. kyiv specifically telling women with medical education they must register for military service starting october 1st. in an exclusive interview with cnn's fareed zakaria, ukraine's president urging the u.s. to have patience while ruling out any compromises with vladimir putin. >> do you see any compromises from putin? did somebody see? where's chechnya? where's georgia? where's moldova? he occupied it all this time. >> reporter: but

fred pleitgen is "outfront." >> reporter: ukrainian forces on the attack at the crack of dawn.t in the past days. one of the units involved releasing this video purportedly showing one of their drones hitting a russian vehicle carrying an officer. ukraine attacking not just on land but from the sea and the air as well. this video purporting to show unmanned sea drones trying to ram a russian warship just hours after the ukrainians say they hit a russian sub and a landing ship in the key port of savastol. thank you for today's triumph, the ukrainian president says. the invader's air defense system in the crimean land was destroyed, very significant, well done. in occupied crimea, some residents seem increasingly concerned about ukraine's attacks both on the peninsula and the bridge that links it to the russian mainland. when it was attacked for the first time, i was worried so much, this man says. nevertheless, russia is still strong. and he says times are turbulent now, of course i'm worried, but in general driving over the bridge is okay. under pressure, vladimir putin continu

cnn's senior international correspondent fred pleitgen is covering this important story for us from ukraineporter: hi there, wolf. the ukrainians certainly see this as a huge success. the main headquarters of the black sea fleet of the russian navy is a highly fortified area and certainly an area where people thought there would be a lot more air defenses at work there, they would be a lot more effective as well. i talked about that with the top commanding general of ukraine's counteroffensive in the south of the country. but we also talked about the counteroffensive in general and some of the skepticism toward supporting ukraine in washington, d.c. here's what he said. smoke billowing from russia's black sea fleet headquarters in sfastop ol. moscow blaming ukrainian-launched cruise missiles. kyiv only confirming they hit the building. i sat down with the commanding general for ukraine's counteroffensive in the sout, oleksandr tarnovski and he tells me strikes like these are invaluable for his troops. >> translator: a destroyed command link. if there's no command there are no coordinated ac

. >>> back to zaporizhzhia and fred pleitgen is standing by. new wave of russian attacks in ukraine underscoring why zelenskyy is pleading for more funding. >> reporter: yeah, and just as president zelenskyy got to washington, d.c. is when that aerial attack was unleashed. it certainly was massive with the russians launching ballistic missiles but a wave of cruise missiles at targets mostly in the west of ukraine but in central ukraine as well, and the ukrainian general staff said, look, the numbers are staggering and the russians using ten nuclear-capable strategic bombers launched from an airfield in the west of russia to fire cruise missiles at targets in ukraine. the ukrainians say 43 cruise missiles were launched by the russians and thanks to some of the western air defense systems they've already gotten first and foremost from the united states they were able to shoot a lot of those down. but a lot of them also actually made it through and hit targets. there were some civilian infrastructure that was hit, a hot hotel in a town where some