498 dead in the first week of war according to russia s defense ministry and despite no update since, nato officials say after a month of fighting, the russian death toll is now as many as 15,000. across dozens of russian cities, more than 15,000 people have been arrested for protesting the war. recently, anxious parents of troops have begun showing up. putin s achilles heel is the perception soldiers are dying unnecessarily. it s why his tightened reporting laws swamped russia with kremlin prop began did did a and it s why the ukrainian military shows off battlefield gains, like knocking out russian tanks or captured russian soldiers because they know bad press back home is what got the red army out of afghanistan. what sucked for the soviets in
been killed in the war on ukraine. that is a staggering number. thousands more obviously wounded. others missing. the city of dnipro has largely been spared from the fighting, but it is collecting the bodies of russian soldiers and burying its own war dead all while trying to keep the city running. and a warning, our report from cnn s ivan watson contains some graphic content. reporter: the military cemetery stands on a wind-swept field on the outskirts of the ukrainian city of dnipro. rows of graves, a reminder of the stark reality ukraine has lived with for years. all of these crosses mark the graves of ukrainian soldiers killed fighting against russian-backed separatists in the donbas region since 2014. and these are new graves for ukrainian soldiers killed since russia invaded ukraine on february 24th of this year.
it s complicated, he says, but we have experience because this is the second war we ve fought against russia. the ground war has yet to reach the eastern city of dnipro and its population of nearly 1 million inhabitants. sometimes, the city looks almost normal. though, there is a strict 8:00 p.m. curfew, and instead of advertisements, billboards defiantly curse at the russian military. these days, city officials carry guns. this is because of the war that you have weapons? yes, yes, it s normal for me. it s normal for me. reporter: why is ronald reagan, his portrait, in your office? yes. because these guys, he is a very charismatic guys and these guys destroyed soviet union. to see another side of the conflict, the deputy mayor brings me here to one of the city s morgues to see a parked refrigerator truck.
that s the most difficult question actually. reporter: he is part of a volunteer team evacuating critically-ill hospital patients and refugees from ukraine. i just wanted to help. do something not sit at home and just look at everything on the tv. reporter: most days, diederich drives into lviv from poland with an ambulance full of medical supplies, and distributes the loads to hospitals facing grave shortages. zorana is the medical director of the saint nicholas hospital in lviv. she says since the start of the war, her hospital has been overwhelmed treating everyday seriously ill patients. bring medicines, some equipment which we need so much. that s why we are thankful for him and his team. really dream team. reporter: hospitals are struggling to handle all the patients needing critical lifesaving care.
what began as a trickle al the start of the war quickly became a flood. millions of ukrainians fleeing their homes and their homeland. most finding safety in eastern and central europe. but now almost a month into this crisis and with the strange showing, eu leaders are considering a continent-wide response with all member states sharing the burden of caring for so many in so much need. more than 3.5 million ukrainians have actually fled their country. 10 million have been displaced. this is the fastest moving refugee crisis since world war ii according to the u.n. that s the big picture, but that moment, deciding to leave everything behind, all that you know and all that you own, entire lives packed into suitcases in just minutes, but despite that turmoil and chaos, many are able to grab that one keepsake, a reminder of a