i'm yasmin vossoughian. it's graham here, at i'm a season -- where ukrainian fighters and civilians are waking up, after their city endured yet another night of shelling by russian forces. moscow has reportedly ordered their commanders, on the ground, to ramp up attacks on urban population centers. that's russian president vladimir putin is growing frustrated with his military's lack of progress. he feels, this is according to reports, that is only option is to double down on extreme violence. within the last 24 hours, russian troops have launched a massive ground assault on ukraine's second biggest city. meanwhile, the capital city of kyiv, russian rocket struck a tv tower, a maternity clinic, and the holocaust memorial site. this is coming as ukrainian officials said that they foiled plot to assassinate president zelenskyy. we get into all of this, and more, over the next hour. i want to go now to lviv ukraine, where we find nbc's matt bradley. matt? >> yasmin, i can't tell you where it stands, because the

yasmin vossoughian picks up our coverage. icks up our coverage >>> good morning, everyone.he three hours ahead. thanks for joining me. so the united states and its allies are on the offensive right now. working to help ukraine deal wi

i'm yasmin vossoughian. it is 4:00 a.m. here at msnbc's world headquarters in new york city, it is 11:00 a.m. in kyiv where ukrainian fighters and civilians alike are waking up after their city endured another horrific night of shelling by russian forces. moscow has reportedly ordered their commanders on the ground to ramp up attacks on urban population centers as president vladimir putin is said to be growing increasingly frustrated with his military's lack of progress. he feels, and this is according to reports, that his only option is to double down on extreme violence. within the last just 24 hours or so russian troops have launched a massive ground assault on ukraine's second biggest city, kharkiv, following days of aerial bombing campaigns. meanwhile, in the capital city of kyiv russian rockets struck a tv tower, a maternity clinic and a holocaust memorial site. this is coming as ukrainian officials assert yesterday they foiled a plot to assassinate vice president volodymyr zelenskyy. all of this and m

i'm yasmin vossoughian in for craig melvin. the situation in eastern europe is changing by the second. russian forces on kyiv's doorstep and desperate civilians taking cover across the country's major cities. a person who fled the besieged city saying there are no places that rockets haven't hit in mariupol. and secretary of state tony blinken is in the middle of his three-country sweep through the baltic states. here's part of what he said from latvia in just the last two hours. >> the incredibly brave and resilient ukrainian people will fight for as long as it takes for their country. >> this is happening as we get an exclusive look inside the u.s. deployment in latvia, including this look at an active military exercise. we'll take you to that exercise in moments as well. underscoring all of this, by the way, is the escalating humanitarian crisis across europe. the u.n. saying more than 1.7 million ukrainians are fleeing their homes to neighboring countries. we'll go live to poland as the situation grows increasingly desperat

i'm yasmin vossoughian in for craig melvin.'s doorstep and desperate civilians taking cover across the country's major cities. a person who fled the besieged city saying there are no

i'm yasmin vossoughian. we're following the latest developments in russia's war on ukraine.d of live in person talks between moscow and ukraine will start tomorrow in turkey. but the devastation of the country continuing without pause. russian president vladimir putin seen in a video out today congratulated nation guard troops. this coming after this weekend's missile attacks on the western

♪♪ >>> good afternoon, i'm joe fryer in for yasmin vossoughian today.ot of news to get to at this hour. as russia intensifying its assault around ukraine's capital, president biden is authorizing additional aid to ukraine. up to $200 million. the funds would cover weapons plus other military services and training that could help ukrainians repel russian forces. just a short time ago, vice president kamala harris spoke about the invasion and its impact on the world while addressing the democratic national committee in washington >> russia's invasion threatens not just ukraine's democracy. it threatens democracy and security across europe and by extension, when democracy is threatened anywhere, it threatens us all. >> diplomatic efforts to end the war are coming from multiple western countries today. french president emmanuel macron and german chancellor olaf scholz talked with president putin for over an hour. a french official said the call was very frank and very difficult and that putin gave no sign that he would stop the war. right now, ukrainian off

i'm aaron gilchrist in for yasmin vossoughian. a deadly new assault by russian forces in western ukraine is heightening fears as it brings the war even closer to nato's doorstep. at least 35 people were killed and more than 130 were injured earlier today after ukrainian officials say a russian air strike hit a military base about 20 miles from the polish border. officials report that around 30 missiles pounded the international center for peace keeping and security northwest of lviv. that area regularly hosts americans, canadians and other international instructors who help to train the ukrainian military. now, nbc news has not independently verified the strikes, but jake sullivan said the u.s. would intensify its efforts to help that country. >> there are no u.s. troops currently operating in ukraine, in eastern ukraine or western ukraine, and we will defend every inch of nato territory, but u.s. forces will not engage russian forces inside ukraine. that remains true today. it remains true on the ground and in the sky. but what w

i'm yasmin vossoughian. it's 3:00 p.m. here in new york, 9:00 p.m.ukraine where russia's invasion has, in fact, intensified. ukrainian officials saying russian forces have advanced in the besieged port city of mariupol as fierce fighting continues in multiple southern towns today. russia's military claiming they have used hypersonic missiles in combat for the first time to destroy an ammunition depot in western ukraine. these weapons are capable of flying five times the speed of sound. however, nbc news was not able to verify these claims. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy now pushing for even more direct and meaningful talks with the russian president to end the war and, quote, restore territorial integrity and justice to ukraine as he puts it. just a short time ago, zelenskyy called on the swiss government to freeze the bank accounts of all russian oligarchs as well. amid all of this, a massive effort to save ukrainians as they get caught in the crosshairs of the war. we have new satellite images from maxar showing the remains of the bombedou

>>> hey, everybody, good afternoon, i'm yasmin vossoughian. we have a lot to cover today. as we continue to follow the russian invasion of ukraine. new warnings from russian president vladimir putin to any western countries that move to create a no-fly zone above ukraine. >> translator: there's some irresponsible statements that they should create a no-fly zone over the territory of ukraine. it's impossible to do. but any move in that direction will be considered by us as a participation of that country in the military action. >> all right, putin's statements came just hours after an effort to evacuate ukrainian citizens from the besieged city of mariupol was halted when ukrainian officials said russian forces violated a temporary cease-fire by continuing a barrage of shelling. despite all of this, diplomatic efforts to stop the russian violence are still ongoing this weekend. u.s. secretary of state, tony blinken, who is currently in poland visiting refugee camps, met with the ukrainian foreign minister at the ukraine-poland border to pledge america's support to ukrainian

i'm yasmin vossoughian. if you're just joining us, welcome.ast, devastation in the city of mariupol where ukrainian authorities say russian forces have bombed an art school that was sheltering hundreds of people, including women and children. the video shows the destruction of another school, officials say was targeted earlier on this week. this latest building in the east of the city was destroyed just hours after russian forces besieged the crucial port city, officials saying, quote, peaceful civilians are still under the rubble. and as those bombings continue across the nation, i want

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i'm yasmin vossoughian. those nine words, five seconds, and the ad-libbed line that continues to reverberate globally today. >> for god's sake, this man cannot remain in power. >> that comment leading to angry reaction from the kremlin. a scolding from a key ally, and a cleanup effort by the white house. coming up in just a few minutes, we want to look at the deeper question of what exactly to do about the russian president if regime change is not the goal here. how does the u.s. and the world deal with the accused war criminal if he's still in charge when this war ends? that conversation is coming up. >>> also ahead this hour, the fallout from a political story here in the u.s. that may undermine one of the pillaroffs american democracy, the supreme court. unhinged and factually challenged emails from ginni thomas to the white house chief of staff leading to serious questions about the separation of powers and undermining the very idea of the political impartiality of the nation's highest court. >> you have

i'm yasmin vossoughian. we're following the latest developments in russia's war on ukraine. news out just a short time ago that the next round of live in person talks between moscow and ukraine will start tomorrow in turkey. but the devastation of the country continuing without pause. russian president vladimir putin seen in a video out today congratulated nation guard troops. this coming after this weekend's missile attacks on the western ukrainian city of lviv, a city that had so far largely escaped direct ataxzs. this shows the ferocity of the flames at the fuel depot hit in lviv. and then global fallout from this ad hp libbed rather from president biden about putin in his speech in poland. >> we will have a different future, a brighter future, rooted in democracy and principle, hope and light, of decency and dignity, of freedom and possibilities. for god's sake, this man cannot remain in power. god bless you all. >> so despite a white house walkback that biden was not endorsing regime change in russia, f

i'm yasmin vossoughian. we have a lot to cover in the three hours ahead. thanks for joining me. so the united states and its allies are on the offensive right now. working to help ukraine deal with this ongoing invasion from russia. secretary of state tony blinken indicating in many appearances today that they are in fact discussing the possibility of banning russian oil imports as well as poland sending fighter jets to ukraine. listen to this. >> we are now in very active discussions with our european partners about banning the import of russian oil to our countries while of course at the same time maintaining a steady global supply. >> we are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that poland may provide to ukraine and looking at how we might be able to backfill. >> so the one thing the united states and nato will not do, create a no-fly zone over the country. ukrainian president as you see here, volodymyr zelenskyy pleading once again earlier today for the no-fly zone to deter russian bombers. but america and its allies saying it will put them in direct contact wit

♪♪ >>> hey, everybody, i'm yasmin vossoughian. if you are just joining us, welcome.you're sticking with us, thank you. it's 4:00 p.m. in the east, 10:00 p.m. in ukraine. after weeks of russian troops circling and shelling the coastal city of mariupol, forces have officially besieged the area, shutting down a major steel plant amidst heavy fighting. russian troops have already cut the city off from the sea of azov. its fall marks a major battlefield advance for russia, who have been bogged down outside multiple major cities for weeks. this takeover is coming just hours after president volodymyr zelenskyy's call for a negotiation of peace, quote, without delay. warning russia's losses will be huge if it continues its brutal attacks on the ukrainian people. and then just a short time ago, another warning, this time from british prime minister boris johnson saying a russian victory in ukraine would bring about a new age of intimidation in europe and that putin's downfall must be ensured. >> he has been terrified of the effect of that ukrainian model on him and on russia,

i'm yasmin vossoughian. if you're just joining us, welcome. if you're still with us, thank you for sticking around. it's 4 clook p.m. in the east, devastation in the city of mariupol where ukrainian authorities say russian forces have bombed an art school that was sheltering hundreds of people, including women and children. the video shows the destruction of another school, officials say was targeted earlier on this week. this latest building in the east of the city was destroyed just hours after russian forces besieged the crucial port city, officials saying, quote, peaceful civilians are still under the rubble. and as those bombings continue across the nation, i want to show you just how tragically common these attacks have become for the people of ukraine. here's a snippet of my interview with alexandra, head of ukraine center for civil liberties less than an hour ago. >> i'm sorry, my colleague told me there is a huge explosion and maybe after several seconds we can lost connections. >> i want you to be safe wherever you are right now, so

i'm aaron gilchrist in for yasmin vossoughian today. it is 10:00 p.m. in ukraine, where the country is nearing the end of the 18th day of russia's invasion. earlier today, at least 35 people were killed, 134 people injured when a russian air strike hit a military base in western ukraine just six miles from the polish border. effectively bringing the war to nato's doorstep. u.s. officials said today that america will defend every inch of nato territory. >> chuck, the american president has been clear for some time now that there are no u.s. troops currently operating in ukraine, in eastern ukraine or western ukraine, and that we will defend every inch of nato territory, but u.s. forces will not engage russian forces inside ukraine. it's no surprise that the russians are trying to expand the number of targets in this war because they're frustrated by their lack of ability to take some of the major cities. >> this as diplomatic efforts to end the war continue. ukrainian president zelenskyy speaking just a short time ago with the prime ministers of both the

i'm yasmin vossoughian. it's 4:00 p.m. in the east, 11:00 p.m. in ukraine. a lot of breaking news to get to this hour. the ukrainian ambassador to the united states making the case for swift and extensive air space aid from western allies. just hours after secretary of state tony blinken confirmed the u.s. is working with poland on potentially backfilling their fighter jets if they decide to supply planes to ukraine. >> we now see that putin retreated and his war criminals retreated to tactics to bomb us, bomb us from the sky. indiscriminately everywhere. so that's why we need the support. so as i said, no-fly zone, whether it's massive supply of anti-air defense, whether it's airplanes, we need all of that. >> they need air defense. and also frantic efforts to rescue civilians from the violence coming under attack from russian forces again today with three ukrainians killed in shelling outside of the city, a planned evacuation of mariupol halted for a second consecutive day. amid intense shelling from russian soldiers who are surrounding the city right now.

. >>> hey, everybody, i'm yasmin vossoughian. it is 4:00 p.m. in the westminster, 11:00 p.m. in ukraine. a lot of breaking news to get to this hour. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy in his latest national address, moments ago, calling on citizens to, quote, go on the offensive. saying, every small victory against the russians is a chance at life for the ukrainian people. it comes amid a new urgent warning from the u.s. government to americans in russia, saying, leave immediately. and amid reports that russian officials have detained 31-year-old american basketball player brittney griner. the customs service saying hashish oil vape cartridges were found inside her luggage. griner's agent now speaking about her detainment in russia. we're going to have more on that in just a bit. >>> also, putin's threats against the west reaching new heights today, saying any declaration of a no-fly zone over ukraine would be taken as a, quote, participation in the armed conflict by the kremlin. a short time ago, president volodymyr zelenskyy on a bipartisan call with u.s. congress memb

your thoughts on why putin is ramping up the violence on sin yasmin vossoughians. what is the strategy here? >> he is simply trying to break the population. he is trying to break the will of the people to resist. any major war requires a civilian population to sustain it. you have a fighting force that consists of tens of thousands of several hundred thousands of troops. but behind them is a population of 40 plus million. if the will of the population is broken in russia's theory of war, then the military's will to resist is also broken. but that's a failed premise. that's the way they carried out their war in chechnya, and that's the way they carried out their war in syria. that's not the way this is going to turn out in ukraine. it's an indomable spirit. you see the population there on that footage kneeling for a fallen soldier that is not a population that is going to bend the knee to an aggressor. >> indeed. in every image we have seen has echoed more of the same. this week the big focus is going to be on biden's trip to brussels for the nato summit. in your as

. ♪♪ >>> good afternoon, i'm joe fryer in for yasmin vossoughian today. authorizing additional aid to ukraine. up to $200 million. the funds would cover weapons plus other military services and training that could help ukrainians repel russian forces. just a short time

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but the head of the center for civil liberties told yasmin vossoughian today that is not near enough.we need a weapon in order to provide the defense by ourselves. wand i'm sorry, just my colleagues told me that we have to -- that there is a huge explosion and it may be upstairs several seconds, we can lost connection. what i want the tell, that we need fighter planes. we need air defense system. we need weapons in order to protect our sky. if west couldn't close the sky, at least provide us weapons. because drone, it's not enough. >> joining us, former top pentagon and national security council official barry goodell. he is now senior vice president at the atlantic council. barry, first your assessment of how russia's military is performing. >> well, i agree with most commentators. it's been dismal in my view, shocking how the military of at least a military superpower is the way we've thought of russia for a long time in my community has just performed so incompetently, so ineptly. the basics of joint military operations by an advanced military, the different services working togeth

i'm aaron gilchrist in for yasmin vossoughian. it brings the war even closer to nato's doorstep. at least 35 people were killed and more than 130 were injured earlier today after ukrainian officials say a russian air strike hit a military base about 20 miles from the polish border. officials report that around 30 missiles pounded the international center for peace keeping and security northwest of lviv. thata