across the river, the city of sievierodonetsk has been reduced to rubble by fierce fighting.s russia's offensive and the donbass region grinds on, the fear is that the city is nt. most residents have fled, but some are stuck. >> we have notng left. everything was burned down. most importa things to get my sick father out. that is all that matters to me. i do not know how long he can survive. i do not think this war is going to end soon. reporter: they livin cellars to increase their chances of survival. bracing for a predicted escalation in russia's campaign of destruction. >> this week we should expect greater hostile activities from russia. and not only against ukraine, but also against other european countries. we're preparing. we're ready. reporter: zelenskyy believes at russiaill react to the european union's decision this week on whether ukraine will become a candidate for membership. even considering ukrainian membership is a dramatic shift in the eu's position and runs counter to the kremlin's efforts to put ukraine into its orbit by force. the german foreign minister

they have seize control of its twin city sievierodonetsk, forcing ukrainian troops to retreat in orderavoid encirclement after weeks of combat. >> there is no sense staying in our positions, which have been destroyed during many mohs of fiting. if we do, the number of casualties and the poorly fortified areas will grow every day. therefore the decision was made for the sake of the defenders who are there. many civilians are being taken to safety, but not everyone wants to leave. >> it is the ukrainian army shooting at us. it is them that kill our children. we wanted to be united with the russians, not the germans and european correspondent: reports from the region are causing concern in the neighboring region. the regional governor is worried about further russian advances. >> there is no place, no town in the region that is safe. taking into consideration that i have intligence data and i understand where the danger lies . i have deliberately mentioned those cities because that would be the direction where the enemy will be moving. some people might be loyal to the russians, but belie

the fight for the city of sievierodonetsk.krainian truth facing russian forces there say the battle is being waged house to house and made her ongoing aggression bombardment and massive casualties on both sides. reporter: sievierodonetsk is being pounded into rubble. [explosions] reporter: the ukrainian governor of the surrounding last region says its forces will be pushed back if the bombardment continues. >> if the volume and density of the artillery shelling stays as intense as it is now about the time will come and their positions will be entirely destroyed. there will be no place for the soldiers to hide. then they will most likely have to move to new positions. reporter: those new positions could well end up being here in lacey that's. but sievierodonetsk's twin city has also come under intensive shelling. ukrainian authorities say they have been trying to evacuate residents, but thousands of them are either unwilling or unable to flee. for this city just 30 kilometers to the south, provides some signs of what may await

i spent six years in sievierodonetsk in the luhansk area. and for me, it's intensely difficult to watch. everything that i knew there be destroyed or occupied and placed under a regime of intense ideological pressure and terror by russian occupying force. >> he spoke with me a short time ago. >>> a dangerous heat wave is affecting much of the u.s. this weekend. we'll get the details from the cnn weather center, plus city officials in rome are waging war against electric s scooters. that's ahead. stay with us. provides an ununn on 24 hour dried-on stains. skip the rinse with finish to save our water. hi. i'm wolfgang puck when i started my online store wolfgang puck home i knew there would be a lot of orders to fill and i wanted them to ship out fast that's why i chose shipstation shipstation helps manage orders reduce shipping costs and print out shipping labels it's my secret ingredient shipstation the number 1 choice of online sellers and wolfgang puck go to shipstation.com/tv and get 2 months free do you have a life insurance policy you n

these are the members of the international brigade heading into sievierodonetsk.ans claimed to be getting the upper hand in fighting that's literally street by street, saying the russian army is throwing its reserves into the fight. more ukrainian infantry seen on the outskirts of the city saturday as the regional military command predicted the city would not fall. further west, ukrainian officials say the country's religious heritage was a victim of russian shelling as an assault towards the city gathers pace. this famous wooden church part of which was recently rebuilt engulfed in flames. >> translator: during the full-scale war with russia, 113 churches were damaged by the russian shelling. among those there are ancient ones, so ancient they survived the second world war, but haven't with stood the russian occupation. the terrible consequences of this war can be stopped at any moment. the russian army can stop burning down churches. the russian army can stop destroying cities. the russian army can stop killing children. if one person in moscow simply gives such

ukrainian troops are giving up the fight in sievierodonetsk.ut new reports say russian attacks still haven't stopped. that's ahead. >>> and the january 6 committee isn't alone in possibly investigating wrong doing by the trump administration. we'll look into probes of election meddling. ♪ if i could be you and you could be me ♪ ♪ for just one hour ♪ ♪ walk a mile in my shoes ♪ ♪ walk a mile in my shoes ♪ when it comes to cybersecurity, the biggest threats don't always strike the biggest targets. so help safeguard your small business with comcast business securityedge™. it's advanced security that continuously scans for threats and helps protect every connected device. on the largest, fastest, reliable network with speeds up to 10 gigs to the most small businesses. so you can be ready for what's next. get a great offer on internet and security, now with more speed and more bandwidth. plus, find out how to get up to a $650 prepaid card with a qualifying bundle. >>> welcome back to the program. i'm ivan watson. russia's slow but steady advances in

. >> so, we expect sievierodonetsk to falter the russian troops entirely within a matter of days, ifot in a week or two, that is what the military experts here are saying. obviously the authorities are it will be slick keeping up a brave face and saying they are in control of parts of the city, but russia is focusing all its efforts on that part of the frontline, bringing its best troops and best weapon systems there learning their lesson from late winter where russia spread itself too thinly and was not able to apply pressure. hundreds of thousands of ukrainians are offering to train and to join the military in various capacities, but they just don't have the heavy weapons systems to put those people on the frontlines even if they could train them. they are having to take very hard decisions about where to use the firepower, their ammunition. they have been supplied nato-caliber artillery, which would allow firing from the u.s. they are basically used up and very difficult weeks ahead now, as ukrainians work out how to stall the russian offense in other places, it may be in local co

you haven't yet taken sievierodonetsk.e unable, it seems, to take the whole of luhansk, let alone the whole of donbas. and if that represents progress, i'mjust wondering what the plan is. give it a time. you will see the liberation of all the donetsk and lu ha nsk 0blast. that will hopefully take place soon. you ask me what the plan is. the plan was... the initial plan, the aims of the operation were announced publicly. that was neutrality of ukraine, demilitarisation and denazification of the country. and the liberation of donbas was the primary goal, which is being implemented at the moment. is russia going to stop using conscripts in this war? vladimir putin promised back in march that it wasn't happening. a day later, the russian defence ministry admitted it was happening. and the bbcjust last month spoke to a mother of two young sons, both of them conscripts who ended up fighting in ukraine. is that going to stop or not? there were reports in the beginning of the conflict, of the special military operation, that, inde

today, the mayor saying russian troops control half of sievierodonetsk with heavy street fighting. it's thought as many as 13,000 civilians are trapped in the town. the shelling so intense that evacuation missions have stalled. we joined territorial defense forces digging in towards the front line in donbas. there are positions like this dug in all across this region in donbas. the russians now are only a fewn thr anthis area is coming under increasing fire. the ukrainians determined to hold on, the russians determined to take this land. captain svetlana bogdanova admits they're taking losses, saying, "there are a lot of dead and wounded, but we know what we stand for and more will join our ranks." to help the ukrainians in their fight, the u.s. is likely to send multiple rocket launch systems into the country. president biden has been careful to say the u.s. won't provide them with longer range systems that have the ability to more easily hit targets across the border. >> reporter: david, a may jr. move by the west tonight to further punish russia. the european union announcing a

we we'll turn to the eastern city of sievierodonetsk. >>> now coming up, faith in football. the supreme court rules over prayer on a school football field. >>> later, pilots hit the pickett line. why delta pilots are holding protests this week. this is the "cbs morning news." . with tremfya®, most people saw 90% clearer skin at 16 weeks. the majority of people saw 90% clearer skin even at 5 years. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®. ask your doctor about tremfya® today. welcome to allstate, where you can bundle and save. isn't that right phil? what in the world are you doing? i'm in the metaverse, bundling my home and auto insurance. save up to 25% when you bundle home and auto with allstate. can dove stop 98% of daily hair damage? sandra treats one lock of hair with dove. glowing areas represent hair damage. dove precisely repairs so there are almost no signs... of vi

sievierodonetsk was one of the last major cities standing in the way of vladimir putin seizing full controlnbas region. ukraine has ordered its troops to withdraw from that city after weeks of intense and bloody street fighting. a top ukrainian commander says there was no point, as he put it, in staying there and suffering heavy casualties much like the destroyed city of mariupol, russia relentlessly bombed and shelled sievierodonetsk. a once thriving industrial town now in ruins richard engel sat down with the ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy just moments after the announcement of that withdrawal. zelenskyy personally thanked president biden and the united states for all the weapons he's received but said he needs a lot more zelenskyy also told engle that ukraine's intelligence service is actively working to free two american fighters captured by pro-russian forces >> two americans answered your call as many did, to come here and fight for ukraine's democracy. they were captured the kremlin won't rule out that they could face the death penalty. is there something you would like to s

russian force are focussed on sievierodonetsk, the last stronghold in the eastern region of luhansk. more than 500 people, including a few dozen children remain in shelters at a chemical plant. and the constant shelling and fighting ma fighting makes it impossible for them to escape. president zelenskyy is digging in his heels. meanwhile, japan is providing loans. ukrainian finance minister says the money will be used for essential public services. russian president vladimir putin is scheduled to deliver a speech at an international economic forum in st. petersburg, friday afternoon. it comes one day after the leaders of france, germany, italy and romania met with zelenskyy in kyiv and pledged their continued support, including military aid. >>> a senior u.s. official has announced an initiative to boost engagement with pacific island nations. it comes as china is also seeking to expand its influence. >> white house indo-pacific coordinator curt campbell told a u.s.-based think tank his country will partner with like-mind govnments. >> to make sure of an environment that's open, heal

this drone footage shows russian tanks entering the town just outside sievierodonetsk.the east, ukraine has warned russian forces may soon intensify their attack. this artillery is firing rounds with a range of around 20 kilometers or 12 1/2 miles. the target, we're told, russian armored personnel carriers. thanks to the americans, i think we can win this war, the only problem is we need more barrels, more artillery, and more ammunition. or in plain english -- >> we need your help. >> his comrade puts a number to it. we need at least 500 of these guns, he says. this has become an artillery war, and victory in this war will come from the barrel of a gun. and jake, we had to leave that area fairly quickly because the russian drones are overhead looking to target these m-777s. we know of another one in that area that was struck, the russians claiming that they have taken out 15 in recent days. jake. >> all right, ben wedeman in ukraine for us, thank you so much. >> coming up next, the gun debate here in washington, d.c., how some republicans are pushing back on criticism f

. >> if sievierodonetsk falls russia will occupy entire province.eld by the russian army for four weeks in the local high school's dirty, cramped basement. >> i thought i wouldn't survive he says. the floor was packed. yvonne spent day and night in this chair. >> he says that's how he slept for 27 days. buckets in a squalorred closet made the bathroom. children slept on shelves and painted on the walls. >> five kids. 22 adults. >> adults use the walls to keep record, names of those who live there and 8 who died. >> like prison inmates they mark their captivity with a calendar. march 4th is when they were first taken down into this basement. march 31st this says hours came meaning the ukrainian army lib did berated them. now burned out russian vehicles and fox holes sit to unexploded rockets. this man draws water with a bucket. his 50-year-old son was shot in the back of the head. the other, 46, let off at gunpoint and never seen again. >> those to help us and they were our support but they are no longer with us. >> while the u.s. has provided artill

in the sievierodonetsk, as they watch this huge bid to take that entire area over.o do that, but the ukrainians are putting up a fierce fight. let's take a listen to what that soldier had to tell us, and we can discuss the other points on the other side. >> the fighting is worrying. particularly, [inaudible] a couple days, couple weeks in severodonetsk. it's not severe, it's very hard, a lot of artillery, more shells, and multiple rocket rocket launches, industrial area of the city itself. >> and he was telling me, yasmin, a sunday that whole area has been laid to waste. they cannot even sleep at night because the shelling is so intense, it doesn't let up morning, noon, or night. without the fight, it really speaks to the fighting spirit of the ukrainian people here. to go back to your point about what zelenskyy was saying, he saying this is gonna be a monumental decision for their european union. since 1991, it's gonna be their most important decision to see whether they're gonna allow ukraine to have candidates the status to join the european union. as we spoke ab

are also getting a look at the moment, russian forces seize control of 60 kilometers west of sievierodonetskthis video looking at from a russian soldier's body cam shows troops moving past destroyed buildings before entering the local government building and making their way to the roof. >>> well, russian forces may have retreated from ukraine's capital weeks ago, shifting, of course, their focus to the east. but officials say they left thousands of unexploded missions in their wake. abde abdelaziz has this. >> reporter: they gather and destroy unploeded ordinary anthonys. left over of russia's invasion dropped on neighborhoods and scattered across suburbs that can kill and maim civilians long after retreat. >>> we find explosive remnants practically everywhere, he says. inside homes, in people's yards, we find a lot on the roads, really everywhere. >>> more than 43,000 explosive devices have already been neutralized in the kyiv region. but there are still hundreds of square miles that need to be surveyed and cleared, local officials say. it is dangerous work. >>> there is a saying, only foo

laura: rush's deadline for fighters to surrender and civilians to leave the ukrainian city of sievierodonetskassed. there was talk of a humanitarian corridor to get people out but that us -- but that does not seem to have happened. it is a familiar story for people from mariupol who were also told they could be evacuated. nick has met one family who is trying to rebuild their lives after fleeing. >> a ukrainian city blasted into submission, now forced to celebrate its occupation. while russia tries to airbrush history, it offers the bleakest of futures to those still stranded in mariupol. this family managed to escape. juli describes conditions she left behind two weeks ago. >> a dead board is lying outside every house. hopelessness, fear, pain, almost every family has lost someone. some of our men found a destroyed swimming pool. that was all we had to drink. >> in the relative safety of kyiv, they are reunited with others from their home city. group therapy for the mariupol exiles, it traumatized, displaced community. >> people come to me with panic attacks. the explosions and the murders,

region gives russia a further foothold in the granting battle for the nearby twin cities for sievierodonetskychansk's. the governor of donetsk says artillery barrag have caused catastrophic destruction to the cities. in the kharkiv region, officials say 15 civilians have been killed in three separate locations by russian shelling. floods in bangladesh and india have killed around 70 people and forced hundreds of others to leave their homes. it is making it difficult for rescuers to save those trapped. our correspondent reports. reporter: when the rain relents, rescuers work with the means they have two get people out. in small groups and clusters, hundreds of thousands are still waiting to get to safety. in these brutal and remote areas of assam, it is not a fast-moving operation, but without it, some would simply not ma it. across the border in bangladesh, the situation is even worse. this is the gate of a school that was turned into a shelter. if it rains anymore, it will no longer serve as a refuge. inside, people who have managed to save themselves but lost everything they had. our home

sievierodonetsk, they seem on the edge of being encircled in another area. the sister city, again, in the luhansk region, part of the wider donbas, absolutely russia has the momentum right now on the battleground. on the ukrainian sides we're hearing there's 100 to 200 soldiers dying every single day all along those front lines. that they're running out of artillery in what is an artillery war. isa, you might ask, we keep hearing about military aid. why is that not helping? why is that not changing things on the ground? there are precious few of these long range weapons that are being provided by ukraine's allies. these also take weeks for troops to be trained on them. they take weeks before they arrive on the battleground. that means that there is this huge delay in making a difference. we have not seen them making a difference lately as i mentioned. you are now looking at war that is potentially going to drag out for years. russian military might, again, that superior military force, ten times the artillery power of ukraine's. the determination you heard t

almost all of sievierodonetsk is under russian control.g continues i parts of the city where ukrainian forces are holding out. a neighboring city is being shelled with russian troops believed to be less thatwo miles from the city limits. officials say up to 8000 civilians remain trapped. r international correspondent and video journalist joined volunteers rushing to get people out. >> on the road to war, ukraian tanks heading towards the city, laden with troops. we follow a team of volunteers risking their lives to get others out. along the way, they stopped for a daily ritual, praying t god to keep them safe. inside the city, the hallmark of russia's invasio destruction, which comes without warning. this sll exploded in front of our convoy. without the pause for prayer, we would have been in its path. >> something landed very close so we are going to check out what the situation is. it has been lending very close. it is very dangerous. >> inside, claudia grabs if you documents as hurt -- katya grabs a few documents as her son becomes home

the major fight in ukraine right now is in sievierodonetsk.ough? it is less than they wanted. >> look, the total aid package that we're committed to is somewhere in the nature of $23 billion, $24 billion. there's enough dollars dedicated to this. it comes in tranches. the president announced another billion today. when i looked at the list that you show, it was all 155 caliber. that's u.s. and nato how it'sers. -- howitzers. ukraine is trying to reform from soviet era weaponry to current weaponry and that's hard to do. i was just in poland looking at the logistics of this conflict and i do believe the west is doing what it can as quickly as possible to get there, but you have to add the logistical issues and how tranches move. it's a tough task. i think we'll get it down. >> another thing that lloyd austin said is he believes the fight that's going on now in sievierodonetsk is pivotal. what is your understanding of the fight on the ground, especially in regions so closely from now. we've been hearing on the front lines in recent days have been

situation pretty grim for ukrainian forces they ignored a russian deadline yesterday to surrender ser sievierodonetskere are concerns for 500 civilians trapped in the basement of a chemical plant inside the city. efforts are under way to get them out safely. >>> coming up next on "early today," she's at i s dolly the s costing investors. that's when we started using swiffer. in just a few minutes, duster captures dust before it gets airborne. it traps and locks dust in one swipe. yes! for our floors, sweeper's heavy duty cloths easily trap dust, dirt and hair... locking it in. see ya, dust! and swiffer partners with the american lung association to support clean air. she's feeling the power of listerine. he's feeling it. yep, them too. it's an invigorating rush... ...zapping millions of germs in seconds. for that one-of-a-kind whoa... ...which leaves you feeling... ahhhhhhh listerine. feel the whoa! ahhhhhhh did you know that febreze air effects uses 100% natural propellant? cheaper aerosols use artificial propellants. that's why febreze works differently. plus, it eliminates odors with a water-based

they have captured most of the neighboring city of sievierodonetsk, though fierce fighting is continuingliberal officials say about 7000 civilians are left initially sank compared to the prewar population. our correspondent and his video journalist joined volunteers evacuating civilians. a warning, viewers may find the report upsetting. reporter: on the road to war. ukrainian tanks heading towards lucy that's, laden with troops. we follow a team of volunteers risking their lives to get others out. along the way, the stop for a daily ritual, praying to god to keep them safe. inside the city, the hallmark of russia's invasion, destruction which comes without warning. this shell exploded in front of our convoy. without the pause for prayer, we would have been right in its path. >> somhing just landed very close so we will go here and check out what the situation is. but it has been landing all day. very dangerous. [explosion] [dog barking] >> inside, cartier grabs documents as her 12-year-old son becomes homeless. they are leaving with next to nothing. one more family uprooted, like million

ukrainian officials say moscow has seized a village near the city of sievierodonetsk which is currentlyussia's main target in the region. fighting also ridges in the nearby city of lysychansk, where ukrainian soldiers are holding their ground. meanwhile, officials say that russian shelling killed at least 15 civilians in the kharkiv region. saudi arabia's crown prince mohammad bin salman is on a diplomatic tour of the middle east. this tuesd, he was in cairo for talks with the president of egypt and has since arrived in jordan. on wednesday, he is due in turkey. the turkish president visited saudi arabia back in april. the two countries are repairing ties following the murder of saudi journalist jamal khashoggi in the kingdom's istanbul consulate back in 2018. for more on this, we are joined by my guest lecturer of international relations and party politics at the university of essex. thanks so much for being with us. the crown prince has been implicated in jamal khashoggi's murder by both u.s. intelligence and the united nations. of course, he denies his involvement. does this trip by

as for the situation in sievierodonetsk we don't quite know how much of the city that ukraine controlsthere are reports that they only e edge of town.ustrial area of it had been predicted that ukraine would lose the city. brent: considering all of that, we have these images of the ukrainian president visiting areas near the front lines near dundas, a daring move for a wartime president, also a dangerous move, isn't it? nick: well, he obviously thought that the boost in morale among the ukrainian troops was worth it, and these are times where even very high-profile ukrainian military volunteers, who have been profiled, ending up with severe wounding. one very high-profile recruit today reported he had lost in the fighting there. so there is definitely a need to rally the troops ensure that he is no more concerned about security than they would be. i think also it is important that he is trying to push that contrast with vladimir putin, who puts his guests at the very long table, scared of covid, let alone weapons of war. zelenskyy ensuring that he is not scared of his troops, not scared

. >> ukraine says russia has destroyed the last bridge out of the eastern city of sievierodonetsk.ost quebec separatists say ukrainian troops blockaded the city, wanting them to surrender or die. mr. international has acute pressure of war crimes for water because relentless shelling in ukraine's second-largest city. the rights group says it found evidence that moscow used cluster munitions. they cited one attack on a playground that killed nine people and wounded 35. the uk's court of appeal has rejected a request to order the first flight -- to hold the first flight carrying refugees to rwanda. police in brazil are denying reports that the bodies of two men missing and amazon have been found. indigenous rights expert bruno pereira and dom phillips disappeared a few weeks ago. local media says two bodies were found, but haven't been identified. on sunday some of their belongings were covered. those are the headlines. the news continues here on al jazeera, after inside story. ♪ >> al jazeera. wherever you are. >> renewed fighting between the drc army and the m23 movement, and rwand

they are shelling sievierodonetsk extremely hard.ance. it is a town just on the road, zinhle, it is also where the president visited just a few days ago. a bridge has been heavily shelled that was supplying materials to ukrainian troops still fighting. the problem in the donbas, though, as you mention, is it not only are trump being forced to retreat to say for more defensible positions, but they are outgunned and running out of munition. they are also running low on soldiers. unless we defenceman esther was losing about 100 ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield, every single day. well on friday, an adviser to zelenskyy's office said that number was actually about 200 a day. combining that with the people, the soldiers, who were wounded, the washington post estimates that ukraine could be losing about 1000 people on the battlefield, every single day. i do want to bring up to date on one other headline overnight. russian missiles, for russian missiles, hitting a town in the west of ukraine. the russian defense ministry says that those

. >> reporter: ukrainian forces tonight in the eastern city of sievierodonetsk repelling fierce russian attacks. this one on an apartment complex. ukraine claiming they've retaken part of the city. their last remaining holdout in the lhansk region. but russia countering that ukraine is retreating from the area. for these children in kyiv finally returning to school, a grim new reality as they now practice taking shelter, teachers guiding them down a dark staircase. a makeshift kindergarten underground. this is what going back to school looks like when your country is at war. in illustrations from her new book, author kateryna yehorushkina helps children deal with the trauma of war. her imagination isn't required when she has real places to draw on, like this theater in irpin hollowed out by russian shelling. >> not a very easy job. >> reporter: no, it's not an easy job, but it's an important job. >> they killed my readers. >> reporter: because they killed kids. >> yeah. >> reporter: u.s. ambassador bridget brink today mourning the deaths of 262 kids killed as a result of this war. that

too late to safe sievierodonetsk. ukrainian troops there have been ordered to retreat. russian forces are now trying to take its sister city. >> reporter: if that city falls, it is expected to that, will mean the entire city of levitosk. >> that really puts it into perspective. thank you. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. men put their skin through a lot. day-in, day-out that's why dove men body wash has skin-strengthening nutrients and moisturizers that help rebuild your skin. dove men+care. smoother, healthier skin with every shower. one prilosec otc in the morning blocks excess acid production for a full 24 hour unlike pepcid, which stops working after 9. 24 hour protection. prilosec otc one pill, 24 hours, zero heartburn. who says you can't get 100% whiter teeth? try crest whitening emulsions. remove 10 years of stains... in just 4 days. and it's enamel safe for everyday use. better... faster... 100% whiter teeth. crest. the #1 teeth whitening brand in america. >>> this is the "cbs overnight news." >>> i'm jericka duncan in new york. thanks so much for st

ukraine is also confirming that russia is in firm control of sievierodonetsk.aine fights for its survival, g-7 members are set to kick off their summit in germany. ukraine will be high on their agenda along with the economic effects of the war. for more, let's go live near the site of this year's summit. the leaders will be trying to find the balance of punishing putin without punishing themselves too much economically. >> reporter: that's exactly right. there are a few other items on the agenda, china, climate change, but it really is the russian invasion of ukraine that is top of mind. they want to find new ways to poun punish russia for the invasion, and momentum has kind of stalled in the war against ukraine. when you talk to officials, they really describe the objectives as two fold. one is to identify these new areas where they can punish russia, and we do understand today the leaders will announce a new ban on russian gold imports. and gold is russia's second-largest export. and leaders want to sort of use that to further cut it off from global markets.

. >>> in terms of the latest in ukraine, russia stepping up the offensive in sievierodonetsk the city is coming under constant shelling and urging for western artillery shipments. russia has seized mariupol nbc's richard engel has more from the besieged city >> reporter: his mother and family just escaped russian occupation their lives saved by a book. safe at a refugee center after three months in mariupol invading russian troops bombed their house and chased them to the basement and killed his grandfather. he kept a diary of his war through the eyes of a 9-year-old cartoon tanks and russian helicopter destroying buildings and setting the forest on fire >> these are soldiers? and they're shooting >> did you see a dead person on the street did you see any bodies on the street >> reporter: he drew his house before it was bombed and his grandfather with wings to carry him to heaven. he drew the food he wished he was having on his birthday >> what kind of food was that? >> reporter: an activist sneaked photographs of the diary out of mariupol and posted them online. they touched many ukr

some places like sievierodonetsk have been pounded so ukrainians refer to them as dead cities.e investigating russian war crimes. to lead the effort garland tapped eli to serve as counselor for war crimes aopportunitiability. >> the united states is sending unmistakable message, there is no place to hide. >> one potential war crime according to ukrainian officials is the russian naval blockade of ukrainian wheat which they say will lead to famine in north africa. >> shortage now, 70% supply ukraine. that's why it's worldwide problem. not only ukraine problem. >> the blockade is already crushing many family farms. >> we understand that everything we built here might be destroyed. but we will fight the last drop of our blood, this is our land. >> 25 million tons of grain are stuck on the black sea coast. trains and trucks can handle only a fraction. >> the state department has confirmed that one american has been killed while fighting here in ukraine. steven died in may. bret? >> steve harrigan, live in odesa, steve, thank you. colombia has elected a leftist as president for the

local officials shelling the humanitarian aid center not far from sievierodonetsk.n is blaming the west for a looming global food and energy crisis. but experts have said it's russia's war on ukraine that's actually fueling the crisis. in the same interview the russian president also lashed out at the u.s. and its allies over plans to supply ukraine with long range missiles threatening to strike new targets if western leaders follow through on those promises. for more i'm joined by cnn's claire sebastian. these missile system will be very useful to the urnz. the americans saying they're going to be supplying them and the uk saying they're going to do the same. >> clearly this is something that is rattling president putin as the battle rages in the donbas as clearly russia is struggling in some areas to hold onto the gains they made. take a listen, max, to what he said about this in the interview. >> translator: in general, all this fuss around additional weapon deliveries, in my opinion, has only one goal, to drag out the arm conflict for as long as possible. if the

we're also getting a new look at fierce fighting the eastern sievierodonetsk region so let's get nbc'sg me from dnipro right now. what are you hearing there, molly, and is there any word, by the way, all those missing americans. >> hey, alex, good to be with you. we are so focused on the reports of these three missing americans. of course, i'm just gonna run you through the names, just 39-year-old alabama native alex rookie, he was a former u.s. army staff sergeant who served two tours in iraq, alex. former marine andy win and another former arena this is the first person ever learned about just on friday. grady kurpasi. for grady's family, his family says he was last heard from an april. the other two and missing just about a week and a half ago. we spoken with both of their families, alex, the timeline is that they last heard from them on the eight. they got a call on the 13th that said they hadn't made the wrong day point there were missing. interestingly, would happen alex, this is something we've been trying to get from ukraine authorities, we've been reaching out of the state dep

ukrainian officials admit they have lost a town on the outskirts of sievierodonetsk to russian controlr zelenskyy says that strategic city and other hot spots are holding on. we're getting new video of utter destruction in the east of ukraine, such as this bombed market in a residential area of donetsk. sam kiley joins us live from kharkiv, right next to the border with russia. sam, you expect shelling there to get even more intense in the coming days. why is that? >> well, jake, between the top of the hour and now, there have been two very substantial strikes not very far from where i'm standing here in kharkiv. we're under blackout, which is why i'm broadcasting from inside a hotel room, and the reason for that is there has been an intensification of attacks against kharkiv. it's still nothing on the scale that did so much destruction early on in this war, particularly to the downtown and eastern areas. but, and this is the key point, as you say, mr. zelenskyy, the president of ukraine, has warned there is likely to be a russian reaction to continued efforts by ukraine to join the eu

they have again and again defy the odds, and they are still on the outskirts of sievierodonetsk fightingussians, that they are hugely outnumbered by the russian war machine. the russians have more or machines and essentially much more artillery shells. the ukraine, it's the same for every piece of artillery they have. they have 10 to 15 pieces more, the russians. this will be a pivotal battle going forward. the next two days could be decisive according to the governor that region. reverend? >> nbc's ali arouzi in ukraine. thank you for that report. later on politicsnation, we look ahead to day two of the public hearing on the insurrection. what can we expect? still to come with my political panel. but first, my colleague gigi stone with today's top new stories. gigi? >> thanks, red. here are some of the stories. a dangerous heat wave is sweeping the american west this weekend. major cities, including phoenix, las vegas, denver, are posting record high temperatures in triple digits. in california -- valley, the thermometer hit 122 degrees. north korea fired multiple artillery shots this m

. >> russia now controls a small village south of sievierodonetsk, a launch attack for nor donbas.nian forces say they need more weapons and resources to protect civilians. >> not only hard, we have to help civilians behind us. at the frontline if we have fighter and there is no attack on civilians, we send firefighters to help. so we're less effective and powerful. factors play a role. when you see a kid without legs or arms, it's very devastating. >> ukraine's prosecutor genitals fox news her office is investigating over 15,000 possible russian organization and of course it's strong enemy and not only in the field they will. >> in the northeast, 15 people were killed in a russian attack on kharkiv. in the south, ukraine is claiming a significant attack on snake island in the black sea. destroying a radar and air defense system. new satellite images show damage to a tower. but russia maintains it successfully stopped a ukrainian attack. bret, because a russian blockade in the black sea over 20 million grain is stuck in the country right now, which is leading to food shortages. som

this comes as russia appears closer to seizing the city of sievierodonetsk in eastern ukraine. on tuesday, the governor of luhansk said russia has seized most of the industrial city which has been devastated by weeks of shelling. meanwhile, russia is cutting off more gas supplies to europe. on tuesday, the state energy company gazprom cut off some gas to the netherlands, denmark, and germany. this came hours after the eu banned most russian oil imports. the president of senegal, macky sall, who chairs the african union, has warned the european union that africa is facing a food crisis with soaring wheat and fertilizer prices combined with increasing food shortages due to the war in ukraine. during an address on tuesday sall alscriticized western sanctions on russia saying it is making it harder for african nations to buy food. the african development bank says the price of wheat has already jumped 45% on the continent. rania dagash of unicef said th food crisis is coming as africa is also confronting the imate crisis. >> the fdamental iue in somalia is climate-induced crisisdro

and this is what we've been focusing on, even from kyiv, as we are looking at the towns of sievierodonetske looking at these pockets of the donbas, that ukrainian military are not holding on to in the way that they want. i actually asked the u.s. ambassador, brigitte brink, the u.s. ambassador, is back as of this week. she presented her credentials to president zelenskyy, and i asked her, is ukraine winning? and she wouldn't answer. she gave a historical look at the last hundred days. she, you know, lauded the ukrainian military's fighting spirit, especially at the beginning of the war, something all of us who are here at the beginning of the war witnessed when much of the world was surprised. but she wouldn't answer right now, whether or not ukraine was winning, and certainly, what we're watching in the donbas that russia's military strategy is working right there. >> let's go to the beginning of the war. hind, you were on the frontlines when invasion began. tell us about these early days. >> actually, we were on the front line before the invasion began. so we went to luhansk, and some re

we have been talking about that pocket were sievierodonetsk, that last kind of stronghold up until yesterdayinian stronghold in that pocket of the donbas was. as of this morning, according to the regional government, russian control 70% of that city. ukrainian troops who have been fighting in that city have now retreated according to the regional governor. tomorrow -- there is fighting inside that city, there are still civilians inside that city. no humanitarian aid jonathan. no possibility for evacuation. but again, russians forces basically carpet bombing small villages to make those incremental gains. incremental, it is slow, i want to get out of the way. we are near -- it is slow, but militarily it is working. and really watching the battle in the donbas. it looks like that pocket is going to be close, jonathan. >> nbc's molly hunter, we appreciate the update. and the one down the life in bucha. good to see you, a town that has suffered so much. showing signs of returning to normal. we appreciated, we will talk to again soon. still ahead here on way too early. a major defeat for special

russians are using their advantage in the number of artillery pieces just to pound cities like sievierodonetsk actually gain more ground. >> all right, ben, thank you for staying on top of that one for us. appreciate it. >>> all right, russian president vladimir putin threatening to strike new targets if the united states supplies long-range missiles to ukraine. putin says arming the ukrainians with new weapons will only drag out the conflict. claire sebastian has the latest from london. he's trying to draw these red lines about where he's going to go, and a reminder, he started this by invading his neighbor in the first place. now he wants to put limits on how the western allies can help ukraine. >> reporter: yeah, christine, that is worth reminding. we don't know what president putin means by new targets when he threatens. he's made threats that sound quite similar to this throughout this conflict. the context being that russia is struggling to both make and hold onto gains despite the numerical superiority as ben noted given the artillery power in the east of ukraine. so this threat was not

there is a really bloody battle going on for sievierodonetsk.ernor of that area said the ukrainians have made advances just the other day. he said russians were in control of about 70% of that area, but then the ukrainians have made advances and taken back key locations in that area. but in the donetsk area today, because of a very heavy russian shelling, a centuries-old monastery, which is right on the front line in lavora, has caught on fire. president zelenskyy said about 300 people were in the shelter in their. 60 of them were children. >> allen ruth he for, us thank you. coming up, by the, way at 4 pm eastern, my colleague, simone sanders sits down with u.s. ambassador to the un, thomas-greenfield, to discuss the ongoing war in ukraine as. well you're going to watch simone today, right after this show. coming up, first and ohio bill passed on the first day of pride month, would ban all transgender students from school sports, and require genital exams. we're going to be joined by one transgender student athlete who would be directly affecte

ukrainian forces have been withdrawing from the city of sievierodonetsk after weeks of fighting and russian. ukrainian officials say that 90% of severodonetsk's destroyed. thousand people in the city can now safely evacuate. back in the u.s., dangerous heat is scorching much of the south this weekend. temperatures are expected to soar into the upper 90s and lower hundreds. some cities could be breaking records. heat advisories are issued from central texas to western florida. more than 40 million americans are under some of form of heat alert, including in the northwest, which is going to its own heat wave. two years ago, a louisiana abortion clinic want a landmark case before the supreme court. now, the clinic is a striking reminder of the considerable shift on the high court. that is coming next. stay with us. stay with us she pulled me in. wasn't expecting that. it was literally... literally the greatest thing i've ever seen... scene... it was such a scene, but i looked pretty hot... so hot. i mean the look on his face... face it! you really missed out on the best time... time of our liv