the day when death seems to have won, but we hope for a resurrection. we believe in the victory of life over death, and we pray that death loses. president zelenskyy said that life is beginning to return to normal in the liberated areas of ukraine. but life returning also means images like this. we ve just been able to confirm the details of this video. it s a makeshift grave for a mother and her son. the video shows two-plywood crosses on a grave with two names. marina and ivan. both died march 5th. and in the neighboring town new satellite images detail the sheer destruction wrought by the russian forces. these drone images are extraordinary. block after block of ruined lives, destroyed homes. it s said to have suffered the brunt of a weeks long fire fight but is now free from the imminent threat of russian forces. same cannot be said for other kwlairs of the country. today a russian general speaking on state television in comments picked up across the world made a sweepi
ukraine. jim? anderson, thanks so much. this is cnn tonight. i m jim sciutto live from lviv in ukraine, along with the great laura coates in the u.s. the pentagon says tens of thousands of russian troops have now amassed in eastern ukraine. one of putin s commanders claims their new goal is to take full control of not just the donbas region in the east but southern ukraine to provide a land corridor to crimea and perhaps go further. still, president zelenskyy expressed hope and defiance tonight. translator: 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 our country. and i am grateful to each of our defenders who are bravely holding on. in this new offensive, they continue tonight in the region. this is the push and pull of the front lines. the russians launched for air strikes on the southern port city of mariupol earlier.
claims from a credible source indicates a site has been used to dispose of bodies. cn is still working to independently verify these claims. in the meantime russia has revealed a new goal in the military conflict saying the plan is to, quote, take full control of the southern region to establish a corridor. i want to show you here, too, this new drone video. it shows the scene of utter destruction in the small village north of kyiv. house after house. look at it. just flattened. ukraine says the village played a major role in pushing back the russian advance toward kyiv. it s estimated more than 100,000 people are trapped in mariupol right now, including soldiers and civilians. many have taken shelter inside a massive steel factory. ukraine s deputy prine minister announced a human tan corridor is now open to evacuate women, children, and the elderly. one little boy who has been hiding underground sharing with cnn a simple wish. listen to this. translator: i want to see
satellite images appear to show mass graves outside of mariupol. an adviser to the mayor there says they do in fact show mass graves. but cnn cannot independently verify those claims. the discovery happening as the heavy fighting continues in the long besieged port city. an estimated 100,000 people, soldiers and civilians, still trapped. one small boy praying for a miracle. translator: i want to see the sun so when our houses are rebuilt, we can live in peace, we can live in ukraine, because this is our native home. and another humanitarian corridor opening in mariupol as civilians desperately 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. this as russia reveals its end game in the invasion. top military officials saying 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 can yo
time of salvation and resurrection is looking like this, sheer destruction thcht village near kyiv is bearing the hall mark of russian forces. the town is free, but the same cannot be said of other areas of the country. in mariupol, evacuation areas were thwarted by the ukrainian villagers after russian forces said they were headed for russian-occupied territories. and now, we are seeing that there is a site of mass graves outside of mariupol, and cnn cannot independently verify this. in odesa, a russian strike killed 18 people or i should say injured 18 people, and killed five including a 18-month-old baby who had yet to celebrate his first easter with his parents. a russian general says that russia wants full control of southern ukraine, because it would give russia a land bridge to moldova, stirring up fears of another soviet republic, and now, scott is joining us from sou southern kyiv, and what do we know now of mariupol? it is remaining dire, jim. there is a humanitar