and, of course, when they take mariupol the russians will open up a land bridge from the annexed crimean peninsula, which means they could inject more troops more kit into the battle for donbas. ukraine s allies here in the west have promised to boost military aid, which fighters on the ground say the need, and they need it as soon as yesterday. further support from the european union today the president of the european council charles michel was visiting kyiv and borodyanka to see the devastation for himself. and alongside president zelensky, he promised the support will be there, not only to defend the country but to ensure that its ambitions to join the eu are met. i feel a very strong support in order to make sure that we can provide a concrete support to ukraine in your choice to follow the eu s path for your own future, and i am convinced that what you are demonstrating there today, this demonstration that you are totally committed for democratic principles,
homes, but hoping they can go back soon and quickly. there was a bit of a lull between the strike you covered in march and this one, and you started to see the curfews shortened and more places opened up here. i think a tentative relaxation is gone today because russia showed again they could strike anywhere in the country. very well put. jim, be safe. is that know behind you or is that rain? it s snowing. i apparently brought the missiles and the snow. it s winter again here in lviv. yeah, the weather there is so unpredictable. looks like it s freezing now. be we will. we ll see you tomorrow, jim. thank you very much. thank you. this is don lemon tonight from the west to the east in ukraine. the heavy russian shelling as we ve been discussing in the donbas region. ukraine s president zelenskyy says the battle for donbas is under way. tonight he tells jake tapper that ukraine needs more weapons and needs them now. translator: whether it s
. good evening, i m chris johnson in for stephanie ruhle. as the one ukraine most did they 55, the kremlin set off a new phase in the east. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy says russia s large-scale offensive is underway. the battle for donbas has begun. zelenskyy made clear, no matter how many russian soldiers are sent to the area, quote, we will be fighting. meanwhile, russia s continued hitting targets across the country. at least seven people were killed in lviv. the western city that had become a safe haven for displaced civilians, nbc s matt bradley brings us the latest from kyiv. russia striking hundreds of targets overnight. among them, the northeastern city of kharkiv. this woman, mourning her father. the russian attacks are seen as preparation for its major assault on ukraine. where the city of mariupol has
invitation of a lifetime. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening it s on. a new phase of the war in ukraine. ukraine s president tonight saying russia s battle for donbas is under way. its much anticipated attack deep in the ukraine s east after failing to take the capital, kyiv president zelenskyy declaring, we will defend ourselves. the russians stepping up their aerial strikes today, even hitting targets in the far west city of lviv, killing at least seven people in a city once considered a safe haven. while in the port city of mariupol, a desperate battle rages tonight. the ukrainian military claiming its forces are still holding on in the face of a determined russian assault. the city in ruins. thousands still trapped without food or other essentials ukrainian fighters refusing russia s calls for their surrender. there s a lot to report from there tonight.
outwards, it would be inwards, which they are. it doesn t disprove what they re saying. it doesn t do a lot for the russian claims, either. it certainly brings some questions. john bost, we ll see you later. appreciate it. for more on russia s new offensive in the east, i want to bring in retired navy general john spencer. he is at madison positive reform, like leadership and social connections in modern war. good to have you, sir. good evening. colonel, president zelenskyy says that the russians have been preparing for the battle for donbas and it s now underway. how do you see this next phase of the war playing out? because perhaps, you can correct me if i m wrong, perhaps, though, they may have learned from the mistakes they made. yeah, don, i think you re right. there are, of course, lessons they learned from trying to take over all of ukraine and they failed that war, so they started a new war over a much smaller