satellite images appear to show mass graves outside of mariupol. an adviser to the mayor says they show mass graves. but cnn cannot independently verify those claims. and the discovery happening as the heavy fighting continues in the port city. an estimated 100,000 people, both soldiers and civilians, trapped amid the relentless russian onslaught. one small boy praying for a miracle. >>. >> translator: i want toss the sun so when our houses are rebuilt, we can live in peace, so we can live in ukraine, because this is our native home. another humanitarian corridor opening in mariupol as civilians try to escape the fighting. russia capturing dozens of small towns in the east, but uk officials say russians have not made any major gains in the last 24 hours. russia also revealing its mission for the invasion, top military officials say they plan to take full control over southern ukraine and the eastern donbas region. let's bring in scott mcclain who is in lviv. what details are we learning about the photos that appear to show mass graves? >> reporter: this is in an area to the east of mariupol. it's in an existing cemetery. most of the graves don't look like they've been touched for quite a long time. but there are these new trenches that have been dug. the earth is freshly disturbed. they're 40, 45 yards long each and there are several rows of them. local officials there in mariupol say this is evidence of mass graves being dug. cnn can't verify that, but it would not be the first time that that accusation has been made, just a few days ago, there was a similar accusation made this time to the west of mariupol. again, in an existing cemetery. there was rows of freshly dug graves about 200 of them or so. the ukrainians put the death toll in mariupol since the war again at around 20,000. there's no way for us to independently verify that number considering the state of the city. obviously there has been widespread destruction of buildings. but the human toll, though, is not quite yet known. >> and then let's talk about this evacuation corridor. it is supposed to open today. but what do people feel about whether that's true or not? >> reporter: yeah, this is what ukrainian officials were saying is that this evacuation corridor would open and begin at a mall on the western edge of the city. we don't have an update as to whether that corridor has been successful, whether or not anyone has been able to get out. they did say that in addition to buses, people would be allowed to join that convoy with their own private vehicles. but only women and children would be allowed. again, these things have been hit or miss since the beginning of the war. some have been successful, many others have not been. ukrainian officials warned right off the bat that -- warn people that russian troops may try to push people in the opposite direction, opening a so-called parallel corridor to push people into russia and we've met people who have had to go that direction simply because they didn't know where else to go and they simply wanted to be able to get to safety. this corridor, though, is a long way from the steel plant. that is where ukrainian troops are making their last stand. it is also where women and children are sheltering underground in this deep facility. and that is where ukrainian troops released a video from today showing children who have been underground for almost two months now, some of them have been pleading just to see the sun. just to be able to get out of there, simply. frederica. >> so sad. scott, there was also some shelling taking place in mykolayiv. does this have anything to do with what the russian military strategy or the new phase is all about in the southern portion of the country? >> so the strikes that we've seen as of late seem to line up with the strategy that the russians have made public. according to this military commander who spoke with russian state media, they would like to have full control of the eastern donbas region and also the southern coast of ukraine as well to link up with moldova. and specifically, the separatist region of moldova. that's not going well with the moll moldovans. city officials say that there have been about 20 injuries over the last two days. there have also been missile strikes today in odesa, the southern port city, which seems a long way from the front lines. but military facility there was hit in addition to two residential facilities. this in addition to more fighting in the east. sort of paints this picture that the russians are telegraphing exactly what they would like to accomplish here in ukraine. >> all right, scott mcclain in lviv, thanks so much. we'll check back with you. as the war rages on, aid continues to pour in from around the world. joining me right now is the president and ceo of project hope and just returned to the u.s. after visiting ukraine. robbie, so good to see you. >> thank you for having me. >> you went to kyiv and surrounding areas include bucha. you saw the devastation in those places firsthand. tell me about what you witnessed. >> yeah, i went to kyiv and irpin and bucha and what i saw was heartbreaking. m more than half of irpin has been destroyed. hospitals have been attacked, windows have been blown out and the same thing in bucha. more than half of bucha has been destroyed as well. but i also saw how committed ukrainians are to go to pass through this. doctors and nurses working around the clock trying to help people. i visited the mass grave at the back of the church as well and it was sad to see what ukrainians are going through. >> and then of the survivors, these ukrainians that you have come across, i mean, what are their stories? what have they witnessed? how are they explaining how they've survived this? >> i mean, i went -- i visited a trauma ward in kyiv and i saw a lot of the war casualties, most of them were civilians. women, elderly men. they were injured just walking down the street or by sniper fire or by unexploded ordnance or bomb and they said they just want to live and they survived because of the goodness of other ukrainians who helped them, because of doctors and nurses who were committed to staying behind and helping them. i mean, i saw a 63-year-old woman who was shot in the arm as she was walking by and the bullet went from the arm to the chest and she was just basically walking with her hands up, just to get through the fighting lines. and this is the story of almost every ukrainian that i met that came either from irpin or bucha or some other areas like kharkiv as well. >> tell me the ways that project hope is able to assist. what's been the focus? >> right from the start, we've been sending medicines -- medical supplies, trauma kits to hospitals throughout ukraine and kyiv and lviv, kharkiv and irpin. right now we are rehabilitating the hospital that has been damaged by the war. and our focus is to really get medicine and medical supplies in for the doctors and nurses. but we're trying to focus on the mental health in ukraine as well as the surrounding countries. people have seen a lot. people have seen things that nobody should see in their lifetime and we're trying to help them cope with it, whether it's mental health assistance for doctors and nurses that have been there from day one, living in the hospital 24/7, or some of the people that have fled and seen the violence. >> what other tools and supplies are still needed in your view? >> everything. anything from basic medicines to insulin to bandages, trauma kits, i mean they're going through things very quickly. some supplies make it to kyiv or lviv and it's peaceful there, they're trying to send them to the front line like kharkiv as well or to the east and south. we're preparing for population movement from the east to the south based on attacks. so we're trying to preposition supplies in all of those areas. we're trying to help those doctors and nurses cope with the situation. >> and i know you have been focused on helping others, but now that you're stateside and reflecting on your entire journey, is there a way to express how it has impacted you? >> i mean, i grew up in a civil war. i'm originally from lebanon and i was 4 when the war started. and i work in many different war zones. and seeing those images in ukraine obviously brought back painful memories of living in lebanon when i was a kid and even my younger years. and knowing how much people need help is what drives us. it's what drives project hope to continue working in places like ukraine. and we're committed to stay there for the long haul. this is a sprint and a marathon. as long as we're needed, we will continue to stay in ukraine. >> robbie of project hope, thank you so much. i know the people there are very grateful for all that you and your teams are doing. thanks so much for being with us. >> thank you. all right, russia's aggression is worsening on the ground and also potentially in cyberspace. a non-profit in switzerland received a string of malicious links on their cell phones after publishing a report last month on russian attacks on hospitals in ukraine. but this isn't the first cyberattack on the aid group's involved in the war. joining me right now is cnn's cybersecurity reporter. is it the case, indeed, that these attacks are coming from russia? >> sometimes it's hard to pin down, frederica. in the case that you mentioned of the non-profit in switzerland, i interviewed the director and she suspects that they may have come from russia but can't be sure. the fact is they began -- as they've never received many cyberthreats, but just so happens after they publish a report documenting some of the atrocities committed -- allegedly committed by russian forces in ukraine, they start receiving a flood of this -- of malicious links and she told me that it was basically designed to intimidate her colleagues and it's not working, they're continuing to carry out their work. but it was sort of a rude awakening to the landscape out there in terms of cyberthreats to humanitarian groups that don't necessarily have the resources to deal with them always. >> so if intimidation is one of the goals, are there other goals that come with these attacks? >> sure, there's a range of types of hacking aimed at any organizations, but in this case, humanitarian organizations. we also documented some cases of espionage, cyberespionage, meaning not disrupting the computer networks but lurking on them, surveilling them. one case that we spotlighted, i believe possibly the belarusian government was behind this, trying to surveil european government officials and their efforts to help refugees fleeing ukraine. and the working theory is there's an effort by the belarusians to use that information they gather to spread disinformation about antirefugee sentiment in europe. that's another example of what can be done when this data is exposed. >> cybersecurity experts are concerned that scammers or spies could be using data from non-profits and other entities exposed during the war. what harm ultimately will it be doing? >> it's -- i mean, any time you have vulnerable people whose data might be accessed, it can be used years down the road for scamming someone. could try to impersonate you and conduct identity threat. in the case of intelligence services in russia or belarus, the concern is retaliation for political activists. before the war started, there was a lot of concern that the russians would go after that data and try to target people with that. so there's an array of things that could happen, unfortunately, frederica. >> thanks so much. coming up, republican lawmakers, marjorie taylor greene and kevin mccarthy, are facing questions about the january 6th insurrection. details straight ahead. >> announcer: "cnn newsroom" brought to you by -- and this is the sound of better breathing. fasenra is a different kind of asthma medication. it's not a steroid or inhaler. fasenra is an add- treatment for asthma driven by eosinophils. it's one maintenance dose every 8 weeks. it helps prevent asthma attacks, improve breathing, and lower use of oral steroids. nearly 7 out of 10 adults with asthma may have elevated eosinophils. fasenra is designed to target and remove them. fasenra is not a rescue medication or for other eosinophilic conditions. fasenra may cause allergic reactions. get help right away if you have swelling of your face, mouth, and tongue, or trouble breathing. don't stop your asthma treatments unless your doctor tells you to. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection or your asthma worsens. headache and sore throat may occur. this is the sound of fasenra. ask your doctor about fasenra. cal: our confident forever plan is possible with a cfp® professional. a cfp® professional can help you build a complete financial plan. visit letsmakeaplan.org to find your cfp® professional. ♪ you're probably thinking that these two are in some sort of lover's quarrel. no, no, no. they're both invested... in green energy. and also each other. digital tools so impressive, you just can't stop. what would you like the power to do? 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>> i've had a few discussions. my gut tells me no. but what i think i'm going to do is i'm going to call him. >> reporter: before that audio was leaked, mccarthy denied "the times" reporting as totally false and wrong. the fallout from january 6th also playing out in a georgia courtroom during a hearing about representative marjorie taylor greene potentially being disqualified for running for re-election over the insurrection. lawyers representing voters challenging greene argued she helped facilitate violence at the capitol, but greene's argue her rights are being violated. >> the question of voter fraud in the 2020 election, it was a -- is a quintessential example of political speech, legitimate political disagreements about what happened. >> reporter: greene, who still pushes the big lie that trump won the election and denied ever opposing a peaceful transition of power, testified for more than three hours repeatedly saying she does not remember many key events or even her own actions leading up to january 6th. >> 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. >> they were going to flood the capitol with people. >> no. i don't remember ever hearing that. no, i do not remember that. >> reporter: the judge who presided over friday's hearing will ultimately make a recommendation to the georgia secretary of state about whether greene should be disqualified. as for representative mccarthy, he's expected to address his colleagues next wednesday. some republicans tell cnn they expect he might face some uncomfortable questions, but ultimately they expect this controversy will blow over. paula reid, cnn, washington. and still to come, across the u.s., some cities and local transit authorities are reinstating orders requiring masks on public transportation after a federal judge struck down the public transportation mask mandate. we will discuss with a physician and professor of emergency medicine after this. eyes on the ball baby. digital tools so impressivive, you just c can't stop. what would you like the power to do? 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