ukrainian military says russia's assault on the eastern part of the country is heating up as the next phase of russia's war gets under way. now a key town in that region. ukraine is accusing russia of shelling the town friday with cluster munitions which scatter over a wide area. in the small town outside of kyiv, drone video that you're looking at shows a really apocalyptic landscape left by russian shelling during the first phase of the war. ukrainian forces are being honored for holding the town and for blocking of course the russian advance on the capitol. and president volodymyr zelenskyy is vowing to keep fighting. have a listen. >> we will defend ourselves as long as necessary to break this ambition of the russian federation. the armed forces of ukraine continue to deter attacks by russian invaders in the east and south of the country. i'm grateful to each of our defenders bravely holding. >> meanwhile, russia military now confirming its objective is to take full control of ukraine's black seacoast. president zelenskyy warns that if russia is successful, it would only be the beginning and other countries will be next. but russians ministry of defense released statement a short time ago. in the last 30 minutes or so saying russia has made no major gains in the past 24 hours. that is air and sea forces haven't established control in either domain and russian troops continue to face heavy fighting in the city of mariupol. the despite of course the russian claims by putin that the city had quote been liberated. but, the reality on the ground is that the city of mariupol we have seen the images is battered. evacuating the city is often is a careless act. thanks to russian bombardment. we spoke to a few families who made it out friday. >> the train was designated just for evacuees. if all went to plan it would arrive here to lviv packed with hundreds. fleeing war. instead just a handful of family ts finally found safety. including her and her daughter who fled mariupol. they are furious there are not more who got out. >> she says so many should have been evacuated but the russians kept shelling. they are not human beings. i don't know who gave birth to them. horrific. horrific an apt word to describe what russia has done to the people of mariupol. collecting dead bodies amongst the city's wreckage, a task now as common place as it is morbid. some of the dead loaded into russian marked trucks. others have been buried in a alleged mass graves. seen here in new imangs. and yet for the ten of thousands who survive here, they need to get out. and cannot. he says humanitarian corridors declared by russia are only on paper. russian troops dominate the vast majority of the city. if they wanted to let people leave safely, they could. and yet several humanitarian corridors agreed to this week have failed. with ukraine accusing russia of repeatedly violating cease fires. it's meant the number of evacuees following the planned route for mariupol has slowed to a trickle and even then danger awaits. ukraine military says this train actually came under fire as it was leaving a station. some of the train cars were so badly damaged they had to be left behind and the ones that could travel you can see here have some damage left over. another example of ukraine says of how russia continues to target civilians. for those fram mariupol, these are some of the first moments they felt safe. in weeks. we were just thinking about our survival, she says. i don't know how i'll tell my son about such terrifying events. she'll eventually tell her son about russian military brutality. about the needless destruction of an entire city. and maybe her son will live long enough to return to mariupol one day. others doubt they'll have their chance. she says i want to believe that i will return. i think we'll need many years to restore the city after what they have done. i'm not going to be around that long. >> i want to bring in ukrainian journalist. she joins us. thank you for taking time to speak to us. i believe you were in the city meeting the evacuation the first bus from mariupol. give us a sense of what people are telling you from those who made it out. >> well, most of the people there they're heartbroken and they just cannot stop crying and they couldn't like they were just crying and tears were -- they couldn't -- it's it was hard to watch. and every time there was like one family where of elder people, we spoke and they're like 65 years old and they were crying their homeless, the city is destroyed and have nowhere to go. they have no savings or nothing. there were among 79 people who were lucky to get out. if you know that evacuation before was happening only for those people who have their own cars. but they were among those people who like the most vulnerable citizens of mariupol. who had no cars and -- >> trying to check if it was just me. we can't we don't have your connection. let me ask you again to make sure that we you and can hear you clearly. okay. it was on my end. apologies. many don't have cars to be evacuated. these are waiting for transportation. and we saw the buses arrive. 79 people got out. in the buses, there's so many people smiling, i'm guessing relief. but also many many tears. give us a sense of what the people went through inside mariupol as they were trapped ffr weeks on end. >> some of them spent 50, 56 days in the bomb shelter. and it's hard to imagine but this is something that they're going -- some of the people who are still there are going through this. those who managed to get out they are saying that there was no electricity, no water, can you imagine this? to live in the basement without water or food and electricity. some of them were brave to say at one point the citizens were have to loot shops and pharmacies to get the most essential food. and pharmaceuticals they need. some of people that we spoke they were hiv positive and they were the ones who were didn't get any medicine support for almost two months. crucial for their lives. some of the people were saying they were they had interaction with russians and it was very painful experience. besides that russians were asking them if they know somebody from ukraine military, like if they know where the location. where they are located. and others things but the other experience some of mariupol has this is filtration camps. where mostly men, mostly men are stuck for one month. like russian are torturing them and getting evidence and like any kind of information that they can use to find out where the position of ukrainian army is. and if those men have any connection with the military or with ukrainian government. like any kind of information. so, this is something i think which is very crucial and many people of mariupol are saying not many are lucky to get out of the camps. this is something that is i think horrifying and, you know, yeah. hard to describe. >> it's terrifying. something we heard yesterday from a young boy, young man, coming out of mariupol. of course he was telling me there are 100,000 so people still stuck in mariupol. i believe that you have been traveling in other throughout other parts of ukraine. give us a sense of what you have seen. >> well, we were in a couple days ago and the situation is also not very optimistic. because the mayor of the city is saying that russians declared the plans they want to surround the cities. and he is asking actively the citizens to leave the city because he is afraid that something could happen in mariupol can repeat in those cities. so, but at the same time, he is saying evacuation is mostly completed. people more than around 30% is staying in the city. and they don't want to leave and most of them again elder people who don't have nowhere to go. for whom this is their home. and you know, and the mayor is saying that the situation can be crucial just because in case the pharmacy will be closed it will be very hard for those people who have like a chronic disease to survive the occupation. so -- for citizens, it's very hard to evacuate right now. just because the only train exists. this is the only train for the whole region of donbas. the buses are evacuating but many people are afraid to use the buses and the trains. because many of them are targeted by rockets. specifically the train station te destroyed by a rocket and we hear a lot of reports about evacuations buses that were shelled or shot by russians. >> i mean the options you laid out are not great. you stay under ground with surrounded by russian military with no food or water, facing shelling, you get out or face the risk as well of being hit. at the same time. so it's incredibly hard to make the decision especially if you are elderly and you may struggle. as you hear the last 24 hours or so, the russian military basically saying they want full control of the east and the whole coast. really how given what we have seen, what you have seen traveling the country in the last 58 days, what's your assessment and how bad do you think it will get given what you have seen every day here? >> well, you know, when russians are saying or declaring they won the battle for mariupol and then you see the footage where the whole building destroyed. the city is destroyed and it's unclear what is the strategy here. how russians are planning to hold the cities or to if they even have the plan to rebuild it. or is it just a distraction campaign which is like it looks like. it looks like all the occupied cities they're heavily shelled and infrastructure destroyed. the people who are disagree with russians or who don't want to collaborate are killed or tortured or both or raped. we have a lot of reports from bucha about raping not only women but also kids and elder people. which is also devastating and it's -- i don't know what the strategy to be honest. besides to capture territory and to get land between crimea and russia. like regarding the safety of people that are on the occupied territory. the situation is horrifying and it's like -- i think it has to be investigated by -- it is investigated by war crimes prosecutor and collecting evidence right now. and we'll find out the names of the soldiers who are torturing people and civilians. also i think it's a hard case against the president of russia. vladimir putin himself. >> whatever the strategy is on the ground, what you have painted for us really helps describe and explain to viewers around the world really the fall out of this strategy. up and down the country as you have seen, like you heard, children, families crying, people huddled in basements. you are saying young people even elderly people being raped. it's one can't even fathom what is to come. please stay safe, thank you very much for taking time to speak to us. and as we have been talking about and what we have seen, families in mariupol facing really dire straits with some traveling thousands of miles under the most dangerous conditions just to get to safety. some of those who fled are describing the horror of living in the war zone. >> they started hitting home. bomb connection failed. electricity and gas as well. we had to cook on straight on grill. and they were shooting. they were incoming shells. so it happened that as soon as you set up your grill, you are r running way so as to save yourself. shells were flying over our heads and splinters falling into pots. >> according to the un more than 5.1 million people have fled the country since the fighting began. if you'd like to safely as well as securely help people in ukraine, who maybe in need of shelter, food or water: go to cnn.com/impact. you will find several ways that you can help. all right. thanks so much. coming up, our other top story. french voters prepare to decide who will lead their country for the next five years. we'll go live to paris on the eve of an election the impact of which will be felt well beyond france. 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(soft music) ♪ some home fragrances can be... overwhelming. air wick fresh new day fills your space with fragrance that's always fresh, never overpowering. air wick. connect to nature. political analyst often say the french vote with their hearts in round one of the election but with their heads in round two. but heads or hearts, they'll with b choosing between two these two candidates sunday. incumbent president facing far right challenger le pen. whoever comes out on top the election is expected to have a far reaching impact at home and abroad. for more on this, jim bitterman joins us from paris. where do we stand? >> well, the cone of silence descended on france. this is the 24, 36 hour period before the voting takes place in france. where the media cannot broadcast any results of polls and so after weeks of sometimes noisy campaigning, there's a eerie calm this morning and probably will be throughout the day today. and right up until the results announced tomorrow night at 8:00. in any case the newspapers have to resign themselves to very general headlines like this, decisive choice for france. that's the way he put it. how decisive the choice in the minds of french voters however remains to be seen. the voters on the left because these are two candidates represent the center right and far right, voters on the left say it's a choice between the plague and cholera. some of the may not even vote as a matter of fact. and that rate will be something that a lot of people will be watching. it could have a big impact on the contest when we get the results tomorrow. we'll see what the abstention rate it. there will be a substantial number of people that ab stain from voting. because they're not happy with the choices and there are school vacations and nice weather. any other factors that they can think of an excuse to not go to the poll. >> we have a about a minutes left. i want to ask you, we talked in the run up the stakes go far beyond just france. but to europe as well. and this choice is sort of brought into stark relief with the war in ukraine. >> well, there are a number of issues here. cost of living an issue. environment is an issue. and the war in ukraine has been an issue throughout the campaign. but i think as well the bigger broader picture of europe there is some impact this could have in the kinds of public sentiment elsewhere in europe. the fact is that there has been a lot of talk for a number of years now about the rise of the right in europe and populism. and every bit of examination on this election to see if in fact that is actually happening in france. as well as the right is rising as some countries. >> yeah. we'll be following along closely. live in paris, thanks so much. of course join us sunday at 8:00 p.m. paris time. 2:00 p.m. eastern in the u.s. for special live coverage of the french election. right here on cnn. for our international viewers, african voices change makers is next. for those in north america we're back are breaking news after the short break. stay with us. pre-rinsing yo dishes? 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unbeatable internet. made to do anything so you can do anything. only xfinity will upgrade your tech after 3 years for a more reliable connection. get that and more with xfi complete. upgrade today. welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. live in lviv, ukraine. the ukrainian military says russia assault on eastern ukraine is heating up. as the next phase of the russia war gets under way. russia military now confirming it's objective is take full control of ukraines black seacoast. president zelenskyy warns if russia is successful, it will only be the beginning and other countries will be next. but, britain ministry of defense releasing this statement just about short time ago, less than an hour ago, it says russia has made no major gains in the past 24 hours. air and sea forces have not established control in either domain. and troops face heavy nighting in mariupol. despite president putin claiming the city has been liberated earlier this week. ukraine says the discovery of more suspected mass graves near mariupol is further evidence of alleged russian war crimes. ukraine top prosecutor spoke earlier with cnn. and said investigating all of the atrocities is very hard right now. have a listen. >> it's a huge difficulty for us for ukrainian prosecutors to investigation because we are still in the war and we don't have access to the occupied territories. i'm sure they try to hide everything that they tried to make information in different way and of course they want after to say there were something else. >> we have been telling you about ukrainian soldiers and civilians hold up in inside mariupol sprawling steel factory. video from the troops shows them delivering supplies to women and children. huddled in the bomb shelter. and we have learned this just a few minutes ago, adviser to the mayor of mariupol says an evacuation column is planned for today from the city. there wasn't one yesterday. one is planned today. officials said about 100,000 civilians still remain trapped in mariupol. surrounded of course by russian forces. a bit earlier i spoke with stewart crawford a former british military officer and defense analyst, i asked him about whether president putin is moving the goal posts of this was his plan all along. >> only he knows what his initial strategy was. i have no knowledge and i suspect very few people apart from his closest circle will know what the aim was initially. it looks like it was to decapitate the regime there and install a puppet government. that hasn't happened. more importantly, other people have said beforehand the russians need a victory and nato and the west so far has supported the ukraine admirably with sufficient weapons and material so that ukraine doesn't lose. >> i want to play to the viewers and yourself, what president zelenskyy said in his nightly address. have a listen to this. >> comments by russian commander show russia wants to invade other countries. attack on ukraine was only the beginning. >> attack on ukraine is only the beginning. how concerned should moldova be here? >> well, it shouldn't be concerned in the short, medium term. i don't think the russians have the means to do it. however if russia isn't stopped in ukraine, then who knows what will happen next. and we're seeing nato bolster forces in the baltic states and poland. and elsewhere. i think that's a sensible thing to do. what i would say is that some point, ukraine has needs to stop having to react to what russians are doing and take the initiative. and if i was advising president zelenskyy and ukrainian military, and bear in mind i'm only a lonely retired lieutenant kornl. i would say if you have the means, why don't you shift onto the front foot and launch a strategic offensive. towards crimea and threaten to take it back from the russians would would really put them on the back foot and get inside their decision cycle. >> question is of course does ukraine have the means to do that. to be on the offensive. i turn things over to my colleague in atlanta. following other top stories. all right. thanks so much. police in washington d.c. say the suspect in a friday shooting that wounded four people has died. two of the injured were reported as being in critical by stable condition. a third victim had a minor gunshot wound and a fourth grazed by a bullet. one witness described what he saw. >> it was like five shots and then stopped for like one minute. and then four more, five more. and again. that's why it was around like five and five and five. we're scared because it was five and we were like oh, might be shooting. >> authorities later said the suspect took his own life as police entered his apartment. several firearms were found on the scene. police say the investigation is ongoing and so far they don't have a motive. two republicans are making headlines in connection with the insurrection at the u.s. capitol on january 6. representative marjorie taylor greene is in court for a case that could bar her from reelection over alleged role in the riot. and house minority leader mccarthy doing damage control after recordings from the days after the riot were published. we have both stories. >> two top republicans on the defensive about their actions around january 6. in the days following the insurrection, house minority leader kevin mccarthy told republican lawmakers on a conference call that then president trump had admitted to baring some responsibility for the deadly attack. >> i asked him personally today. does he feel bad about what happened? he told me he does have responsibility for what happened. and he need to acknowledge that. >> on a separate call the day before, mccarthy said he was done with trump. >> i have had it with this guy. what he did is unacceptable. nobody can defend that. and nobody should. >> to date trump has never publicly accepted any responsibility for january 6. his state of mind and whether he's privately admitted any cull paability has been of keen interest to the committee investigating the insurrection. mccarthy refused to cooperate with the committee and previously evaded a question about whether he remembers telling house republicans that trump took responsibility. >> i'm not sure the call you're talking about. >> mccarthy hasn't commented on the new audio. "new york times" also revealed another bomb shell recording thursday. where representative liz cheney asked him if there was a chance trump would resign in the wake of the deadly attack. >> i have had a few discussions. my gut tells me no. what i think i'm going to do is call him. >> before that audio was leaked, mccarthy vehemently denied the times reporting as totally false and wrong. the fall out from january 6 also playing out in a georgia courtroom today. during a hearing about representative marjorie taylor greene. potentially being disquaffed for running for reelection over the insurrection. lawyers representing voters challenging green argue she helped facility violence at the capitol. greens lawyer argue her constitutional rights are being violated. >> the question of voter fraud in the 2020 election, it was a quintessential example of political speech, disagreement. about what happened. >> green who still pushes the big lie that trump won the election and denied ever a opposing a peaceful transition of power, testified for three hours. repeatedly saying she doesn't remember many key events or even her own actions leading up to january 6. >> my question is just about whether anybody at all ever mentioned to you the possibility of violence? >> i don't remember. i don't recall. >> there were going to flood the capitol with people. >> no. i don't remember ever hearing that. no, i do not remember that. >> the judge who presided over friday's hearing will ultimately make a recommendation to the georgia secretary of state about whether green should be disqualified. now as for representative mccarthy, he is expected to address his colleagues next wednesday when they meet privately. some republicans tell cnn they expect he might face uncomfortable questions, ultimately they expect this controversy will blow over. cnn, washington. all right. much more to come here on cnn. after the break, russia's war in ukraine having an economic impact far from eastern europe. that's ahead. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the ihop rewards program is here, and it's delicious. join the international bank of pancakes and start earning pancoins toward free food. only from ihop. i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to b life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. what a the three ps? 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>> the winds have really been driving the fierce fires. and it's amazing when firefighters do get even these small percentages of containment of the fires it takes hundreds and hundreds of firefighters. you can imagine the residents, millions of residents all the way across the southwest and into the eastern plains and the front range of the rockies were having dreadful anticipation of what was going to happen when the fires were really escalated by 60 and 70 miles per hour winds. just to let you know, this is a higher elevation area across northern new mexico. there was a peak winds gust of 95 miles per hour. or just about 150 kilometers per hour. what is drives this low pressure across the northern tier bringing blizzard conditions with snowfall. along the southern edge it really drove the winds up from the south blowing in at about 60 to 70 miles per hour. once the front moves through, the winds behind it will be drier. it won't happen over night. but our areas of extreme fire danger are going to be lessened. the critical fire danger is still there. of the western states, nine western states, 90% are under drought condition. this is what makes it very easy for the fires to be blown around by erratic winds. dry fuel, and low humidity. and high temperatures. there's a flag staff one with the 11,000 hectors. 21,000 acres burned. we'll watch the winds diminish but keep our eye out severe weather in the central plains. >> thank you so much. appreciate it. the crew of the first all private mission to the international space station will be splashes back down to earth this weekend. the four member crew launched two weeks ago and includes a former nasa astronaut and three paying customers. the three spots reportedly cost $55 million each. set to leave the station saturday evening and u.s. eastern time and land off the coast of florida sunday. package outside the arena in atlanta delayed the start of the play off game between the hawks and heat friday night. after an hour police remove td the contents and found no explosives giving the all clear. young hit the winning bucket with seconds to go. and bucks easily defeated the chicago bulls. and now lead the best of seven series, two games to one. and the phoenix suns rallied back to beat the new orleans pelicans. 114-111. top seeded suns lead that two games to one. i'll be back with more cnn "newsroom" and the latest developments from ukraine in just a moment. please stay with us. as a business owner, your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable 5g network. with no line activation fees or term contracts... saving you up to $500 a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities.™ >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the united states, canada and all around the world. i'm kim brunhuber. ahead here on "cnn newsroom." >> so many should have been evacuated but the russians kept shelling. they are not human beings. >> harrowing stories from those lucky enough to escape the besieged city mariupol are coming into cnn. we'll speak to one resident who left mariupol calling it, quote, hell o